Introduction to

Key Terminology
Personnel Selection
Personnel Selection Procedures: refers to a wide
range of instruments that organizations can use to
Personnel Selection: predict job performance—for example:
Tests and Other Selection Procedures – Cognitive ability tests
– Personality inventories
– Integrity tests
Chapter 6 – Job interviews
– Assessment centers
– Simulations
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Formats of Different Personnel Formats of Different Personnel

Key Terminology
Selection Procedures Selection Procedures
5
Validity: degree Paper-and-Pencil Tests: tests that are administered to
of relationship,
expressed as a
4 applicants on paper and their responses are made Individually Group
using pencil so that they may be scored easily
correlation that is
found between 3 Administered Administered
the predictor and
the job 2
Online Tests: tests that are administered over the
Internet or at an individual computer or kiosk
Example: employment VS. Example: paper-and-
performance interview pencil tests given to
criterion – Unproctored Internet Testing: when tests are many applicants at
1 administered online and at some location away from a once
1 2 3 4 5 representative of the organization
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Formats of Different Personnel Formats of Different Personnel

Methods vs. Constructs
Selection Procedures Selection Procedures

Speed Tests Power Tests Cognitive Non-Cognitive

require test-taker to allow test-taker to go Tests Tests Methods VS. Constructs
work as quickly as at their own pace, with
possible and within a VS. no consideration for
measure an applicant’s VS. include personality
• Employment interview
• Assessment center
• Integrity
• Cognitive ability
general or specific tests and other • Paper-pencil test
short period of time how quickly an • Conscientiousness
cognitive ability characteristics that are
applicant can answer
unrelated to cognitive
the questions
skills
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 Methods vs. Constructs Personnel Selection Procedures Personnel Selection Procedures
Example of two retail companies using the same selection Important considerations when evaluating
method but measuring different KSAOs (i.e., constructs):
personnel selection procedures:
Retail Sales Retail Sales – Validity
Company A Company B – Utility
Selection Procedure: Selection Procedure: – Adverse Impact
Interview for Job SAME Interview for Job
Applicants Applicants
A group of selection procedures is referred to as a
KSAO Measured:
DIFFERENT KSAO Measured: battery of selection procedures or test battery
Job Knowledge Interpersonal Skills

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Tests of Cognitive Abilities Tests of Cognitive Abilities Example: Cognitive Ability Item
General cognitive ability is one of the best
predictors of performance across jobs, and is Paper is to scissors as wood is to:
reasonably inexpensive to administer a) knife
b) saw
The challenge, however, is that cognitive ability c) scissors
d) screwdriver
tests have been shown to have adverse impact
against minority groups

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Example: Cognitive Ability Item Example: Wonderlic Personnel Test Tests of Specific Cognitive Abilities
50-item test that is administered in 12 minutes Generally are correlated with measures of
In the triangle below, angles A and C are each 45 degrees. What is general cognitive ability
the size of angle B? Assumes most candidates will not finish the test
A
a) 30 degrees Examples of specific cognitive abilities:
b) 45 degrees Primarily measures verbal comprehension,
– Mechanical ability
c) 90 degrees followed by deduction and numerical fluency
d) There isn’t enough information B C – Clerical ability
Items arranged in order of difficulty

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 Example: Mechanical Ability Item Example: Clerical Ability Item Psychomotor Tests
Assess dexterity and/or coordination (Guion, 1998)
If the smallest gear turns counterclockwise, which way will the Please put a check in the blank between the letter/number
largest gear turn? strings that are the same: Examples:
a) counterclockwise – Test-taker is required to insert pegs into boards
b) clockwise 325B78 _________ 325878
– Test-taker correctly uses simple tools
c) there isn’t enough information provided
87t559 _________ 87t559

44rt57 _________ 44rt57

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Personality Tests Personality Tests Big Five: Openness to Experience

One of the most frequently
administered personnel selection
methods Includes being interested
The Big Five personality dimensions in learning and culture
have been linked to a number of job
performance outcomes
– Openness to Experience A predictor of success in
Conscientiousness
–
– Extraversion
training
– Agreeableness
– Neuroticism

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Big Five: Conscientiousness Big Five: Extraversion Big Five: Agreeableness

Includes dimensions such Includes being sociable, Includes being compliant,

as achievement- assertive, and friendly kind, and sympathetic to
orientation, detail-
orientation, and
others
A good predictor of
dependability
performance for sales Not a consistent predictor
Most consistent of the Big and management jobs, of job performance
Five in predicting and also relates to
performance across all jobs training performance
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 Issues with the Use of
Big Five: Neuroticism Example: Conscientiousness Items
Personality Tests
Please use the rating scale below to describe how accurately each statement describes
you. Describe yourself as you generally are now, not as you wish to be in the future. Validity can be improved by providing an “at
Includes being anxious or Describe yourself as you honestly see yourself, in relation to other people you know of the
work” frame of reference to test takers
same sex as you are, and roughly your same age.
easily upset
1. Very Inaccurate
• I am always prepared. Increased use of “subtraits” or facets within the
May only affect job 2. Moderately Inaccurate • I pay attention to details.
Big Five
performance if at high 3. Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate • I like order.
4. Moderately Accurate • I follow a schedule.
levels 5. Very Accurate • I am exacting in my work.

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Issues with the Use of

Facets of Conscientiousness Other Personality Constructs
Personality Tests
Orderliness
Proactive Personality: tendency to recognize
Concern with applicant faking on personality and act on opportunities in the environment
Dutifulness
tests (Bateman & Crant, 1993)
– Relates to job performance
Achievement-
Striving Question regarding whether a simple linear
Conscientiousness relationship exists between personality and job Adaptability: tendency to adjust to new
Self-Discipline performance situations (Ployhart & Bliese, 2006)
– Has not received much attention as a predictor of
Cautiousness
job performance

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Other Personality Constructs Integrity Tests Integrity Tests

Emotional Intelligence (EI): defined by some Developed to predict a number of negative and
researchers as more of a cognitive social skill, counterproductive employee behaviors, such as:
whereas others have focused on its non-cognitive – Theft
(personality-like) properties – Malingering
– Used to predict social skills at work – Drug use
– Aggression
Core Self-Evaluations: consists of self-esteem, locus Two main types of integrity tests:
of control, self-efficacy, and neuroticism – Overt integrity tests
– Predicts job performance, perhaps better than each of – Personality-based (covert) integrity tests
its components individually
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 Example: Overt vs. Covert
Integrity Tests Interviews
Integrity Tests
Overt Integrity Test Items Evidence generally supports the use of integrity
I would hit someone if they insulted me. tests for personnel selection (Ones et al., 1993)
I have used marijuana while at work.

I would call in sick if I didn’t feel like coming to work that day.
Have relatively low adverse impact against
ethnic minorities (Ones & Viswesvaran, 1998)
Personality-Based (Covert) Integrity Test Items
I work quickly rather than paying attention to rules and details. r = .47 Counterproductive
I look for excitement and thrills at work. Integrity
Work Behaviors
I prefer to get along with other people [reverse scored].

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Unstructured vs. Structured

Interviews Structured Interviews
Interviews
Most frequently used selection procedure, used Two specific dominant types of structured
by both small and large employers Unstructured Structured interviews:
– Situational Interview: asks hypothetical, job-
In addition to determining whether an applicant similar to a casual job applicants are all asked related questions, with all job applicants being
has the needed KSAs, the interview allows the conversation, such that the same job-related
asked the same questions
applicant to learn more about the organization different applicants could
be asked very different
VS. questions
• Tends to measure job knowledge and cognitive ability
and whether the job and organization fit their questions, some of which – Behavioral Interview: asks job-related questions
needs and interests (Dipboye et al., 2012) often a better predictor about a past experience that the applicant had
may not be job-related
of job performance than • Tends to measure experience and some personality
– Realistic job preview (RJP)
unstructured interviews dimensions
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Example: Structured Interviews Interview Structure Legal Issues with Interviews

Ways in which structure can be Structured interviews
added to the selection
Job Situational Interview Item Behavioral Interview Item interview: tend to lead to more
Customer A customer calls who is angry Explain about a time that you had – Use the same, job-related positive litigation
Service about a defective product and to deal with an angry customer questions for all applicants
Specialist begins yelling at you. What would who was yelling at you. What did – Develop standardized rating outcomes for employers
you do? you do? scales
– Note taking (Structured) interviews
– Use multiple raters
are relatively low in
– Train raters
adverse impact
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 Current Issues with Interviews Work Samples and Related Tests Work Samples and Related Tests
The interview is a method that can be used to measure a Assess how well an applicant does the actual job
variety of individual differences among applicants—thus,
it is not clear what construct an interview assesses Methods include:
Recent research has begun to investigate the interview – Work samples/simulations
process from the applicant’s perspective and how this
might affect interview performance and behavior – Assessment centers
– Situational judgment tests
Research on impression in the interview, from the
standpoint of both the interviewer and the job applicant

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Work Sample Tests Assessment Centers Assessment Centers

The most straightforward way to get a work sample is to Often described as work samples for managers Advantages of assessment centers:
give the applicant the equipment they would use on the
job and let them actually use it Assessment centers put candidates for promotion to – Provide realistic context for assessing the
Advantages to work samples: manager through a series of exercises that reflect the strengths of candidates for promotion
– Have clear content validity job—for example: – Attractive to candidates because they really look
– High psychological and physical fidelity – Inbox / in-basket exercise like the job
Disadvantages of work samples: – Role play – Significant relationship with work performance
– Can be expensive and time intensive – Leaderless group discussion
– Help make decisions about promotion and provide
– Should not be used to assess job skills that applicants are Behaviors would observed and rated by a set of
expected to learn later on the job rich feedback to candidates
management experts.
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Assessment Centers Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs) Situational Judgment Tests (SJTs)
Disadvantages of assessment centers: Technically known as low-fidelity simulations Advantages of SJTs:
– Relatively expensive to administer Place job applicant into a work-related situation and – Cheaper to administer than work samples and
– Candidates who can correctly guess the ask what he or she believes is the right action assessment centers (after original development
dimensions being assessed successfully tend to do costs)
better than other candidates Multiple SJT formats: – Very attractive to applicants because of realism
– Stimulus material might be in written or video form
– Tend to show some degree of adverse impact – Valid method to predict of work performance
– Response format might be multiple choice or open-
ended, or they might present alternatives to the
candidates in written or video format
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 Biodata and Other Personal History Biodata and Other Personal History
Biodata
Measures Measures
It is commonplace to ask applicants about their Includes questions concerning an applicant’s education
and past work and life experiences that can help decide
employment history and background how well the applicant can perform the job
I/O psychologists have developed systematic Based largely on the idea that past and present behavior
approaches for collecting such data: are the best predictors of future behavior
– Biodata The term biodata implies some sort of detailed, empirical
scoring approach used to validate the measures
– Ratings of training and experience
Moderately to strongly related to work performance

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Example: Biodata Items Biodata Issues Ratings of Training & Experience

Biodata Item
How many jobs have you held in the last 5
years? (Open-ended)
Please list any sports that you played in school
related to the job you are applying for. (Open-
ended)
When a stranger has asked you a question,
how likely are you to explain your answer to
them until they understand? (1-5 rating scale.)
To Predict… Issues concerning the use of biodata: T&E forms are commonly used in the public
Employee turnover sector
– Dealing with applicant faking
• Asking applicants to elaborate on answers can lead to
Performance in a T&E forms are not empirically scored—rather,
less inflated biodata responses
sporting goods store
– Determining how to develop scoring procedures they are scored by a trained rater
Performance in a for biodata items
Validity can vary substantially depending on how
customer service job • Using an empirical approach to develop the scoring key
leads to greater relationship with work performance applicants’ responses are scored

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Resumes Reference Checks Physical Ability Tests

Commonly used but a 76% of employers use some kind of reference or
challenge for employers background check to screen employees (SHRM, 2010)
because of the large volume
of resumes employers Often used to verify information or to avoid
receive applicants with “red flags”
Different applicants provide The validity of reference checks in relation to work
different information, which performance is not very clear
adds to the challenging
nature of resumes – Partially due to applicants selecting their own
references based on who will provide the most
Relatively little research on positive information about them
the validity of resumes
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 Physical Ability Tests Physical Ability Tests Other Selection Procedures
Developed to assess dimensions like endurance Two general approaches to
testing physical abilities:
or explosive strength for physically demanding – Measure the constructs
jobs (e.g., firefighter) required by the job (e.g.,
cardiovascular fitness)
– Use simulation-like exams
Two broad dimensions capture most job-related
Physical ability tests can result
physical demands (Hogan, 1991) in adverse impact against
– Muscular strength/endurance women—it is critical that the
physical ability requirements
– Physical skill in movements are job related
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Credit History Vocational Interests

Assumption is that poor credit scores are
associated with negative employee behaviors
such as theft
However…
A study by Bernerth et al. (2012) found:
– Good credit scores were associated with high
conscientiousness and low agreeableness
– Credit history was associated with some job
performance dimensions but not workplace
deviance
– Issue of adverse impact is concerning due to
Blacks and Hispanics tending to have lower
credit scores than Whites
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Tap into a person’s preferences for certain types
of work or work environments
Relatively little I/O psychology research has
tested the validity of vocational interests in
relation to work performance
– Recent work by Iddekinge et al. (2011) found
vocational interests were related to performance
and demonstrated relatively low adverse impact
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