Methods For Assessing And Selecting Employees PDF

CHAPTER 5: METHODS FOR ASSESSING AND SELECTING EMPLOYEES  CHAPTER OUTLINE EMPLOYEE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT EVALUATION OF WRITTEN MATERIALS WEIGHTED APPLICATION FORMS REFERENCES AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION EMPLOYMENT TESTING TYPES OF EMPLOYEE SCREENI...

CHAPTER 5: METHODS FOR ASSESSING AND SELECTING EMPLOYEES  CHAPTER OUTLINE EMPLOYEE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT EVALUATION OF WRITTEN MATERIALS WEIGHTED APPLICATION FORMS REFERENCES AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION EMPLOYMENT TESTING TYPES OF EMPLOYEE SCREENING TESTS SUMMARY  EMPLOYEE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT is the process of reviewing information about job applicants to select individuals for jobs. A wide variety of data sources, such as resumes, job applications, letters of recommendation, employment tests, and hiring interviews, can be used in screening and selecting potential employees.  EVALUATION OF WRITTEN MATERIALS The first step in the screening process involves the evaluation of written materials, such as applications and resumes. Usually, standard application forms are used for screening lower-level positions in an organization, with resumes used to provide biographical data and other background information  WEIGHTED APPLICATION FORMS assign different weights to each piece of information on the form. The weights are determined through detailed research, conducted by the organization, to determine the relationship between specific bits of biographical data, often referred to as biodata, and criteria of success on the job  REFERENCES AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION Two other sources of information used in employee screening and selection are references and letters of recommendation. Historically, very little research has examined their validity as selection tools (Muchinsky, 1979). Typically, reference checks and letters of recommendation can provide four types of information: (1) employment and educational history, (2) evaluations of the applicant’s character, (3) evaluations of the applicant’s job performance, and (4) recommender’s willingness to rehire the applicant (Cascio, 1987).  THEORY EMPLOYMENT TESTING After the evaluation of the biographical information available from resumes, application forms, or other sources, the next step in comprehensive employee screening programs is employment testing. A considerable percentage of large companies and most government agencies routinely use some form of employment tests to measure a wide range of characteristics that are predictive of successful job performanc  THEORY CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE OF PERSONNEL SCREENING AND TESTING METHODS Any type of measurement instrument used in industrial/organizational psychology, including those used in employee screening and selection, must meet certain measurement standards.. Two critically important concepts in measurement (that were introduced in Chapter 2)  RELIABILITY refers to the stability of a measure over time or the consistency of the measure. For example, if we administer a test to a job applicant, we would expect to get essentially the same score on the test if it is taken at two different points of time also refers to the agreement between two or more assessments made of the same event or behavior, such as when two interviewers independently evaluate the appropriateness of a job candidate for a particular position.  TEST–RETEST RELIABILITY Here, a particular test or other measurement instrument is administered to the same individual at two different times, usually involving a one- to two- week interval between testing sessions  PARALLEL FORMS Here two equivalent tests are constructed, each of which presumably measures the same construct but using different items or questions. Test-takers are administered both forms of the instrument.  INTERNAL CONSISTENCY If a test is reliable, each item should measure the same general construct, and thus performance on one item should be consistent with performance on all other items. Two specific methods are used to determine internal consistency. The first is to divide the test items into two equal parts and correlate the summed score on the first half of the items with that on the second half. This is referred to as split-half reliability  VALIDITY refers to the accuracy of inferences or projections we draw from measurements. Validity refers to whether a set of measurements allows accurate inferences or projections about “something else.” In the context of employee screening, the term validity most often refers to whether scores on a particular test or screening procedure accurately project future job performance.  CONTENT VALIDITY Content validity refers to whether a predictor measurement process (e.g., test items or interview questions) adequately sample important job behaviors and elements involved in performing a job  CONSTRUCT VALIDITY refers to whether a predictor test, such as a pencil- and-paper test of mechanical ability used to screen school bus mechanics, actually measures what it is supposed to measure—(a) the abstract construct of “mechanical ability” and (b) whether these measurements yield accurate predictions of job performance.  CRITERION-RELATED VALIDITY is a third type of validity evidence and is empirically demonstrated by the relationship between test scores and some measurable criterion of job success, such as a measure of work output or quality  TYPES OF EMPLOYEE SCREENING TESTS The majority of employee screening and selection instruments are standardized tests that have been subjected to research aimed at demonstrating their validity and reliability.  TEST FORMATS Test formats, or the ways in which tests are administered, can vary greatly. Several distinctions are important when categorizing employment tests. INDIVIDUAL VERSUS GROUP TESTS — Individual tests are administered to only one person at a time. In individual tests, the test administrator is usually more involved than in group tests SPEED VERSUS POWER TESTS — Speed tests have a fixed time limit. An important focus of a speed test is the number of items completed in the time period provided PAPER-and-PENCIL VERSUS PERFORMANCE TESTS —“Paper-and-pencil tests” refers to both paper versions of tests and online tests, which require some form of written reply, in either a forced choice or an open-ended, “essay” format  BIODATA INSTRUMENTS refers to background information and personal characteristics that can be used in a systematic fashion to select employees. Developing biodata instruments typically involves taking information that would appear on application forms and other items about background,  COGNITIVE ABILITY TESTS Tests of cognitive ability range from tests of general intellectual ability to tests of specific cognitive skills. Group-administered, pencil-and-paper tests of general intelligence have been used in employee screening for some time.  MECHANICAL ABILITY TESTS Standardized tests have also been developed to measure abilities in identifying, recognizing, and applying mechanical principles. These tests are particularly effective in screening applicants for positions that require operating or repairing machinery, for construction jobs, and for certain engineering positions  MOTOR AND SENSORY ABILITY TESTS are timed performance instruments (speed tests) that require the manipulation of small parts to measure the fine motor dexterity in hands and fingers required in jobs such as assembling computer components and soldering electrical equipment.  JOB SKILLS AND KNOWLEDGE TESTS Various standardized tests also assess specific job skills or domains of job knowledge. Examples of job skill tests for clerical workers would be a standardized typing test or tests  PERSONALITY TESTS are designed to measure certain psychological characteristics of workers. A wide variety of these tests are used in employee screening and selection in an attempt to match the personality characteristics of job applicants  EMOTIONAL INTELLIGENCE involves knowledge, understanding, and regulation of emotions, ability to communicate emotionally, and using emotions to facilitate thinking. , emotional intelligence is partly personality, partly an ability, and partly a form of intelligence, so it does not fit neatly into any of our categories of tests.  HONESTY AND INTEGRITY TESTS In the past, polygraphs, or lie detectors— instruments designed to measure physiological reactions presumably associated with lying such as respiration, blood pressure, or perspiration—were used in employee selection  INTEGRITY TESTS Typically, these tests ask about past honest/dishonest behavior or about attitudes condoning dishonest behavior  OTHER EMPLOYEE SCREENING TESTS In addition to the categories of employee tests we have discussed, there are other types of tests that do not fit neatly into any of the categories. For example, many employers concerned about both safety issues and poor work performance screen applicants for drug use, usually through analysis of urine, hair, or saliva samples. THE EFFECTIVENESS OF EMPLOYEE SCREENING TESTS The effectiveness of using standardized tests for screening potential employ- ees remains a controversial issue. Critics of testing cite the low validity coeffi- cients (approximately 0.20) of certain employment tests. EMPLOYEE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT TEST BATTERY - a combination of employment tests used to increase the ability to predict future job performance VALIDITY GENERALIZATION - refers to its validity in predicting performance in a job or setting different from the one in which the test was validated. EMPLOYEE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT TEST UTILITY - the value of a screening test in helping to affect important organizational outcomes. FAKING - trying to “beat” the test by distorting responses to the test in an effort to present oneself in a positive, socially desirable way. EMPLOYEE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT ASSESSMENT CENTER - a detailed, structured evaluation of applicants on a wide range of job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. SITUATIONAL EXERCISES - assessment tools that require the perfor- mance of tasks that approximate actual work tasks  HIRING INTERVIEWS an applicant must go through at least one hiring interview, which is the most widely used employee screen- ing and selection device.  HIRING INTERVIEWS SNAP JUDGEMENT- arriving at an overall evaluation of the applicant in the first few moments of the interview.  HOW TO CONDUCT MORE EFFECTIVE HIRING INTERVIEWS Use structured interviews Make sure that interview questions are job related. Provide for some rating or scoring of applicant responses. Limit prompting and follow-up questioning. Use trained interviewers. Consider using panel or multiple interviews. Use the interview time efficiently.  SUMMARY The first step is the evaluation of written mate rials such as applications and resumes. Basic background information can be translated into numerical values to compare the qualifications of applicants through the use of weighted application forms. The second step in screening is employee testing, which typically uses standardized instruments to measure characteristics that are predictive of job performance. Employee screening tests vary greatly both in their format and in the characteristics that they measure. Thank you