Chapter 6

Employee Testing
and Selection
Why Careful Selection is Important
The Importance of Selecting
the Right Employees

Organizational Costs of Recruiting and Legal

Performance Hiring Obligations and Liability
Basic Testing Concepts
Reliability
◦ Describes the consistency of scores obtained by the same person
when retested with the identical or alternate forms of the same
test.
◦ Are test results stable over time?
Validity
◦ Indicates whether a test is measuring what it is supposed to be
measuring.
◦ Does the test actually measure what it is intended to measure?

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Basic Testing Concepts
1. Reliability is a test’s first requirement and refers to its consistency.
Several ways to estimate consistency or reliability are:
◦ Retest estimate: The same test is given to the same two people at
two different points in time, and comparing their tests scores at time
two with their scores at time one.
◦ Equivalent form estimate: A test is taken and then an equivalent test
is taken later on.
◦ Internal comparison estimate: Questions on the test are related to
each other and ultimately to the job for which the test is being taken.
2. Types of Validity
Validity is to measure the accuracy.
◦ Test Validity
◦ 2 main ways to demonstrate a test’s validity
◦ Criterion validity : Those who do well on the test also do well on
the job, whereas those who do poorly on the test also do poorly
on the job.
◦ Content validity : Ensures that the test constitutes a fair sample
of the job content.
3. Evidence-Based HR:
How to Validate a Test
Step1: Analyze the Job (Job descriptions & Job specifications)
◦ Requirements become the predictors
◦ The standards of success are criteria (measures of performance)
Step 2: Choose the Tests
Step 3: Administer the Test
◦ Concurrent (at the same time) validation (test the employees currently at
the job)
◦ Predictive validation (test the applicants before you hire them)
Step 4: Relate Your Test Scores and Criteria
◦ If there is correlation, you can develop an expectancy chart
Step 5: Cross Validate and Revalidate
How Do Employers Use Tests at
Work?
Major Types of Tests
◦ Basic skills tests
◦ Job skills tests
◦ Psychological tests
Why Use Testing?
◦ Increased work demands = More testing
◦ Screen out bad or dishonest employees
◦ Reduce turnover by personality profiling

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Types of Tests
 Tests of Cognitive Abilities (mental, emotional, intelligence)
Intelligence Tests
Specific Cognitive Abilities – Aptitude tests
 Tests of Motor and Physical Abilities
 Measuring Personality and Interests
Projective – techniques include Make a Picture Story (MAPS),
Structured Sentence Completion Test.
Computerized and Online Testing
Types of Tests
◦ Specialized work sample tests
◦ Numerical ability tests
◦ Reading comprehension tests

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 Work Samples and Simulations

Measuring Work Performance Directly

Work Management Video-based Miniature job training

samples assessment centers situational testing and evaluation

COPYRIGHT © 2011 PEARSON EDUCATION, INC. PUBLISHING AS PRENTICE HALL 6–14

Measuring Work Performance
Directly
• Work samples and simulations • Situational Testing and Video-
• Management Assessment Based Situational Testing
Centers
◦ Leaderless group discussion • The Miniature Job Training and
◦ Management games Evaluation Approach
◦ Individual presentations
◦ Objective tests
◦ The interview
Background Investigations and
Reference Checks
Sources of Information
◦ Former employer
◦ Current and previous supervisors
◦ Written references
◦ Social networking sites
Making Background Checks More
Useful
1. Include on the application form a statement for applicants to sign
explicitly authorizing a background check.
2. Use telephone references if possible.
3. Be persistent in obtaining information.
4. Compare the submitted résumé to the application.
5. Ask open-ended questions to elicit more information from references.
6. Use references provided by the candidate as a source for other
references.

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 Checking for Honesty:
What You Can Do
•Ask blunt questions.
Listen, rather than talk.
Check all employment and personal references.
Use psychological tests.