Found on 08-29-2013 at URL:

https://wisc.jobs/public/job_view.asp?annoid=68477&jobid=67992&org=286&class=13661

IS Business Automation - Analyst (PROJECT)
Job Announcement Code(s): 13-03398
County(ies): Milwaukee
Classification Title: / JAC: IS BUSINESS AUTOMATION ANALYST 13-03398
Job Working Title: IS Business Automation - Analyst (PROJECT)
Type of Employment: Full Time (40 hrs/week)
Salary: This position is in the pay schedule and range 07-04. The range for this position is $17.072 to $28.169 per hour, plus a generous benefits package.
Contact: Gina Eder, HR Specialist, 414-229-6876, ginaeder@uwm.edu
Bargaining Unit: Non-Represented
Area of Competition: Open
Deadline to Apply: 8/30/2013
Exam Information: 13661 - 150 ***PROJECT ***
The University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee (UWM) is currently seeking to fill a full-time PROJECT vacancy for an IS Business Automation-Analyst in the Administration Office within the College of Letters and Science. The initial expected duration of this appointment is one (1) year.
UWM, a doctoral/research intensive university, is Wisconsin's premier public urban university, offering a comprehensive liberal arts and professional education at the undergraduate and graduate level to its 30,000 students. UWM takes pride in being a student-centered institution that is deeply committed to diversity in its student body, faculty, staff, and programs. UWM, a 104-acre campus, is located on Milwaukee's upper east side in one of the city's most attractive residential areas. For more information, please visit www4.uwm.edu.
Job Duties: Under the limited supervision of the College’s Assistant Dean of Curriculum, Governance and Assessment, and working in close concert with the Dean’s Office and the College’s other professional staff members, the incumbent will be primarily responsible for collecting and analyzing established policies and procedures of the College of Letters and Science as it relates to the College’s curriculum, schedule, and course catalog in order to identify ways in which they may better utilize IS resources and support technology; coordinating the College’s effort to digitize historical documents; and performing various other duties as assigned.
Special Notes: This position will require a criminal records review. A pending charge or conviction will not necessarily disqualify an applicant. In compliance with the Wisconsin Fair Employment Act, the University does not discriminate on the basis of arrest or conviction record. For information relating to the campus security report for UWM, please visit http://www.cleryact.uwm.edu/. Pursuant to Wis. Stat. Chapter 230.27(1m)(a), persons appointed to project positions within the State Classified Service must be residents of the State of Wisconsin. This position is a Project appointment and as such does not provide for the attainment of permanent status per s.ER-MRS 1.02(25), Wis. Admin. Code.
Job Knowledge, Skills and Abilities: Qualified candidates will have knowledge of Windows and/or Macintosh-Operating system; knowledge of and experience with desktop publishing and multimedia software (e.g., Microsoft Publisher, MS PowerPoint, Adobe Acrobat Professional, Adobe Presenter, Camtasia, etc.); knowledge of computer concepts and technologies; and knowledge of Microsoft Office and other commonly used productivity software. Qualified candidates will possess exceptional organizational skills, independent judgment, and initiative as well as possess excellent verbal and written communication skills, including phone etiquette.
Furthermore, qualified candidates will have the ability to demonstrate a high level of integrity and professionalism; the ability to work with a diverse group of individuals; and the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects to ensure timely completion of work. Candidates must also be able to provide courteous customer service to internal and external clientele.
How To Apply: You will apply online at this website. You will create an account, complete an initial application, upload your resume, and confirm your Wisconsin residency. If you have any questions about the online application process, please contact Gina Eder at ginaeder@uwm.edu. The deadline to apply is Friday, August 30th, 2013.
Preview Exam
1. Residency
Wisconsin Statutes Chapter 230.27(1m)(a) states "...an appointing authority is prohibited from appointing a person who is not a resident of this state to a project position..."
Are you a resident of the State of Wisconsin? (Yes | No)

Like other positions recently posted, this vacancy is a so-called "information systems (IS) business automation analyst." Unlike the other identically named positions, this opportunity does not require a lick of actual code to be written, only a general description of what code someone else should write.

The fact that UWM has enough money to dedicate a project position to a glorified go-between -- instead of having a junior software developer liaise to gather business requirements and begin code mockups right away -- is a symptom of the too-many students who are pursuing university studies as part of their grandiose plan instead of sensibly enrolling in vocational school.

I say "grandiose" because many students enter programs which lack a formal internship program (not me; I entered a program offering internships but still couldn't get one) and think they'll succeed anyway. To tweak a meme (Idea + ??? = $$$) from a well-known animated social parody show, the thought process of such students tends to be:

University Studies >> 'College Student' Work >> ??? >> Professional Employment (university student fantasy)

But the outcome is:
University Studies >> 'College Student' Work >> Graduate; Laid Off >> Unemployment; Menial Labor (university student reality)

The uploader of this job vacancy is going to have a lot of visual scanning to do among applicants because the only question used to screen applicants for initial consideration is whether s/he lives in Wisconsin. Considering the other IT-related, Wisconsin taxpayer-funded positions which had their deadlines extended, I wouldn’t be surprised if this position was also re-posted due to a dearth of applicants who passed the HR manager’s vetting.

Why in the world wouldn’t human resources devise a more thorough civil service exam by which to rank and potentially disqualify applicants to save the manager time in the long run? Here’s my go at immediately designing such a screening mechanism:

1) Explain your professional experience in cold calling departmental and functional managers as well as agency heads for information-gathering purposes as part of an organization.

2) Explain your professional experience in utilizing desktop publishing and multimedia production software to create presentations for internal and general audiences.

3) Explain your professional experience in time management and utilizing independent judgment to triage urgent tasks and to manage conflicting priorities while meeting strict deadlines.

I won’t ask for a “thank you” because I presume such humbling via unsolicited advice is met with silence in a manner such similar to how a UWM loading dock worker generally avoids empathy. You’re welcome, State of Wisconsin -- you’re welcome!

As for UWM, I’m not applying to any of its job positions because I cannot tolerate the campus or the City of Milwaukee in general; UW-Milwaukee can stay mediocre until it merges with UW-Waukesha to meet enrollment targets!