Selection

Types of Assessment

Biographical Information Interviews Work Samples Letters of Recommendation Psychological Tests

Biographical Data

Good questions are about events that are: historical external discrete controllable (by the individual) verifiable equal access job relevant non-invasive(Mael, 1991)

Rationale vs. empirical method

Biographical Data

Strong criterion validity drug use, criminal history predicts dysfunctional police

behavior (Sarchione et al., 1998) not redundant with personality (McManus & Kelly, 1999)

Measurement issues Generalizability Faking Fairness Privacy concerns

Interviews

Structured vs. Unstructured Info. gathering vs. interpersonal behavior sample Situational interview

“How would you handle a circumstance in which you needed the help of a person you did not like?”

Measurement issues structured has more criterion related validity value of unstructured? Illusion of validity

Guidelines for structured interviews

Work Samples

perform a task under standardized conditions historically were for blue collar jobs

e.g. use of tools, demonstrate driving skills white collar examples

speech interview for foreign worker, test of basic chemistry knowledge,

Measurement issues high criterion validity if skills are similar to job costly to administer work best with mechanical, rather than people-oriented

tasks

Assessment Centers

Realistic tasks done in groups Assessed by multiple of raters rating multiple domains Multiple methods

in basket group exercise leaderless group exercise

Strong criterion validity (e.g., teachers, police) overall scores predict job performance

Measurement issues costly to administer different ratings on a task too highly correlated dimension ratings not correlated strongly across tasks fix? focus on behavior checklists and rater training

Drug Testing

opinion? People are more accepting of it if job involves

risks to others (Paronto, et al., 2002) Measurement issues

reliability is very high, but not perfect Validity?

Normands, Salyards, & Mahoney (1990) over 5000 postal service applicants those who tested positive had 59% higher

absenteeism, 47% more likely to be fired no differences in injury or accidents

Letters of Recommendation

ever written a letter of recommendation for someone?

worst criterion validity of all commonly used assessment tools some use for screening extremely bad

candidates Measurement issues

restriction of range writer bias/investment

Psychological Test Characteristics

Group vs. individual Objective vs. open-ended Paper & pencil vs. performance Power vs. speed

Psychological Test Types

Ability Tests Cognitive ability Psychomotor ability

Knowledge and skill or achievement Integrity Personality Emotional Intelligence Vocational interest

Integrity Tests

Designed to predict whether employee will engage in counterproductive work behavior (CWB) overt vs. personality (covert)

Better at predicting general CWB and performance than theft (r = .30 -.40)

Measurement issues difficult to measure criteria! proprietary issues legal and privacy issues faking

Personality Tests

measures predispositions toward particular feelings and behaviors

not all tests are based on past research many have shown incremental validity

e.g., predict when controlling for IQ Measurement issues

job relevance not easily/often faked or a problem if faked

(e.g., job faking too)

The Big Five Inventory

Openness Highs: imaginative, creative, and to seek out cultural and educational

experiences. Lows: more down-to-earth, less interest in art & more practical.

Conscientiousness Highs: methodical, well organized and dutiful. Lows: less careful, less focused & more likely to be distracted

Extraversion Highs: energetic and seek out the company of others. Lows (introverts): tend to be more quiet and reserved.

Agreeableness Highs: tend to be trusting, friendly and cooperative. Lows: tend to be more aggressive and less cooperative

Neuroticism Highs: prone to insecurity and emotional distress. Lows: more relaxed, less emotional and less prone to distress.

Intelligence Tests

Have greatest validity Often very easy and inexpensive to use

Wonderlic Personnel Test 50 items 12 minute time limit Sample questions Interpreting scores?

Scores vary as a function of race and ethnicity Ethical issues? Face validity?

Determining “Test” Utility

Goal of testing is to make decisions about individuals on the basis of the amount of a given trait they possess.

A test should give us a “true” picture of a person’s traits

Test Score = True Score + Error

Reliability and Validity

Reliability Test-retest Parallel (Alternate) forms Internal Consistency

Validity Face Content Criterion-related Construct-related

Factors Influencing Selection Quality

Three factors influence selection quality Predictor validity Selection ratio Base rate

Selection Decisions

Reject Accept

Predictor Score

Cri

teri

on P

erfo

rman

ce SuccessfulPerformance

UnsuccessfulPerformance

r =.60

A

B

C

Dbr = .50

sr = .50

TrueNegatives False

Positives

FalseNegatives

r =1.00True

Positives

sr = .25

Effect of Selection Ratio on Predictor Utility

Reject Accept

Predictor Score

Cri

teri

on P

erfo

rman

cer =.40

Selection Cutoff Score

sr =.50 sr =.10sr =.95

Effect of Predictor Validityon Predictor Utility

Predictor Score

Cri

teri

on P

erfo

rman

cer =.40

Selection Cutoff Score

sr =.50

r =.80r =.00

Selection Strategies 3 Basic Strategies

Multiple Regression Assumes relationships between predictors and

criterion are linear Assumes having a lot of one attribute

compensates for having little of another Multiple Cutoff

Applicants must achieve a set, minimum score on all predictors

Multiple Hurdle Applicants must achieve satisfactory scores on a

number of predictors that are administered over time.