The Skills and Attributes Inventory appears in two formats for which the general purposes are described below:

1. Importance - The SAI instrument allows the prospective employer to assess the relative importance of 13 personal skill and attribute factors for overall successful performance in a given position.
2. Ability - The Inventory allows individuals being considered for the post to assess the extent to which they possess each of the 13 personal skill and attribute factors required for overall successful performance in a given position.

Applications 
The SAI is a standardized and quantified instrument designed to determine the requirements for successful performance of the duties of a specific post in order to develop and validate selection procedures. As such, the Inventory is used to perform job analysis as well as to measure the degree to which each candidate possesses the skills and attributes.

Job Analysis
Use of the Importance format provides a standardized and quantified procedure for establishing a pattern (or profile) of skills and attributes required for optimal performance in a given occupation.

Job incumbents and/or their supervisors are required to assess the relative importance of each of the skills and attributes described in the SAI for successful performance of a specific job.

Measurement of the Degree to which Candidates Possess the Required Attributes
Using the Ability format, candidates evaluate their relative strengths with respect to the various skills and attributes described in the SAI regardless of the position which they hold at the time of assessment.

Interpreting Results
SAI scores are interpreted by comparing them with the scores of others who have completed the instrument. Normalized Standard Scores (NSS) are used for these comparisons. The following conditions apply in their interpretation:

1. The NSS for any particular factor or dimension will immediately show how the respondent scored in comparison to the normative group available.
2. Any given NSS will have precisely the same meaning for different dimension scores and thus these dimensions may be compared with each other.

3. Factor scores for different candidates may also be directly compared.

Skill and Attribute Factors that are measured:

1. General Functioning Intelligence
Ability to think clearly and logically and to concentrate and work effectively despite distractions; facility for knowing where to get information and for sorting out facts; ability to apply general principles in finding practical ways of dealing with unusual problems or situations.

2. Visual Acuity
Ability to clearly distinguish details of distant and near things, to see at night and motion to the side when looking straight ahead.

3. Visual and Coordination Skills
Ability to coordinate eye, hand and foot movements in performing a task, combined with good near vision and color discrimination.

4. Physical Coordination
Ability to use physical energy for sustained periods of time without tiring when performing tasks involving coordination skills.

5. Mechanical Skills
Liking for, ability to work with, different kinds of tools, with knowledge of what each should be used for.

6. Graphic and Clerical Skills
Ability to write effective reports and to understand written communication; attention to detail, combined with skill in reading and drawing diagrams, maps or blueprints. 

7. General Clerical Skills
Ability to follow rules and procedures, ability to work effectively and accurately on routine tasks involving lists of names or numbers; ability to quickly grasp both written and spoken instructions.

8. Leadership Ability
Ability to take charge, to direct the work of others, and to persuade them to do the work in the way it should be done; ability to train others and also to address a group of employees or a large audience.

9. Tolerance in Interpersonal Relations
Ability to remain pleasant and polite while handling difficult interpersonal situations; ability to understand the other person’s point of view, to be part of a team, to accept criticism from supervisors, and to work to improve personal performance.

10. Organization Identification
Ability to feel pride in the job, to be part of a team, and to enforce and personally adhere to set rules and procedures, such as those applying to safety practices and grooming.

11. Conscientiousness and Reliability
Ability to withstand the monotony of repetitious work, to be punctual, to conform to fixed schedules and concentrate despite distractions.

12. Efficiency under stress
Ability to withstand pressure, to deal with emergency situations according to regulations, to take responsibility for the lives of others, to use physical force if necessary in dealing with hostility or violence, and to restore order in unstable or uncertain situations.

13. Solitary work
Ability to live away from home or family if necessary, to work alone or in lonely situations, to accept the possibility of personal injury on the job, and to adjust to unexpected changes in schedules or job content.

Procedure

The assessment may be individually or group administered.

There is no time limit but most individuals will complete the assessment within an hour.

A spreadsheet comparing the scores of those assessed is also provided.