Contingent assessment methods

Part 4
Staffing Activities: Selection

Chapter 9:

External Selection II

McGraw-Hill/Irwin

Copyright © 2012 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc., All Rights Reserved.

Staffing Policies and Programs

Staffing System and Retention Management

Support Activities

Legal compliance

Planning

Job analysis

Core Staffing Activities

Recruitment: External, internal

Selection:
Measurement, external, internal

Employment:
Decision making, final match

Staffing Organizations Model

9-*

9-*

External Selection II Outline

Substantive Assessment Methods
Personality Tests
Ability Tests
Emotional Intelligence Tests
Performance Tests and Work Samples
Situational Judgment Tests
Integrity Tests
Interest, Values, and Preference Inventories
Structured Interview
Choice of Substantive Assessment Methods
Discretionary Assessment Methods
Contingent Assessment Methods
Drug testing
Medical exams
Legal Issues
Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures
Selection Under the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
Drug Testing
9-*

Learning Objectives for This Chapter

Distinguish among initial, substantive, and contingent selection
Review the advantages and disadvantages of personality and cognitive ability tests
Compare and contrast work sample and situational judgment tests
Understand the advantages of structured interviews and how interviews can be structured
Review the logic behind contingent assessment methods and how they are administrated
Understand the ways in which substantive and contingent assessment methods are subject to various legal rules and restrictions
9-*

Discussion Questions for This Chapter

Describe the similarities and differences between personality tests and integrity tests. When is each warranted in the selection process?
How would you advise an organization considering adopting a cognitive ability test for selection?
Describe the structured interview. What are the characteristics of structured interviews that improve on the shortcomings of unstructured interviews?
What are the most common discretionary and contingent assessment methods? What are the similarities and differences between the use of these two methods?
What is the best way to collect and use drug-testing data in selection decisions?
How should organizations apply the general principles of the UGESP to practical selection decisions?
Ex. 8.3 Assessment Methods by Applicant Flow Stage

Substantive assessment methods

Determining who among the minimally qualified will likely be the best performers on the job

9-*

9-*

Overview of Personality Tests

Current role of personality tests e.g., role of Big Five
Describe behavioral, not emotional or cognitive traits
May capture up to 75% of an individual’s personality
Big Five factors (Personality Characteristics Inventory etc.)
Emotional stability-calm, optimistic, and well adjusted
Extraversion-sociable, assertive, active, upbeat, and talkative
Openness to experience-imaginative, attentive to inner feelings, have intellectual curiosity and independence of judgment
Agreeableness-altruistic, trusting, sympathetic, and cooperative
Conscientiousness-purposeful, determined, dependable, and attentive to detail
Roughly 50% of the variance in the Big Five traits appears to be inherited
9-*

Ex. 9.1 Sample Items from the Personal Characteristics Inventory

Conscientiousness
I can always be counted on to get the job done.
I am a very persistent worker.
I almost always plan things in advance of work.
Extraversion
Meeting new people is enjoyable to me.
I like to stir up excitement if things get boring.
I am a “take-charge” type of person.
9-*

Ex. 9.1 Sample Items from the Personal Characteristics Inventory

Agreeableness
I like to help others who are down on their luck.
I usually see the good side of people.
I forgive others easily.
Emotional Stability
I can become annoyed at people quite easily (reverse-scored).
At times I don’t care about much of anything (reverse-scored).
My feelings tend to be easily hurt (reverse-scored).
Openness to Experience
I like to work with difficult concepts and ideas.
I enjoy trying new and different things.
I tend to enjoy art, music, or literature.
9-*

Ex. 9.2 Implications of Big Five Personality Traits at Work

9-*

Criticisms of Personality Tests

Trivial validities
Correlations for any individual trait with job performance are typically low (around r=.23)
However, when all traits are used simultaneously, correlations are higher
Faking
Individuals answer in a dishonest way
However, tests still have some validity, and it may be that being able to “act” conscientiously may be related to real job performance
Negative applicant reactions
Applicants, in general, believe personality tests are less valid predictors of job performance
9-*

Exhibit 9.3 The Core Self-Evaluations Scale

9-*

Overview of Ability Tests

Definition -- Measures that assess an individual’s capacity to function in a certain way
15 to 20% of organizations use ability tests in selection
Two types
Aptitude - Assess innate capacity to function
Achievement - Assess learned capacity to function
9-*

Overview of Ability Tests

Four classes of ability tests
Cognitive: perception, memory, reasoning, verbal, math, expression
Psychomotor: thought/body movement coordination
Physical: strength, endurance, movement quality
Sensory/perceptual: detection & recognition of stimuli
9-*

Exhibit 9.4 Sample Cognitive Ability Test Items

9-*

Evaluation of Cognitive Ability Tests

Validity approaches .50
Research findings
Among the most valid methods of selection
Often generalizes across organizations, job types, and types of applicants
Can produce large economic gains for organizations and provide major competitive advantage
Validity is particularly high for jobs of medium and high complexity but also exists for simple jobs
A simple explanation for validity: those with higher cognitive ability acquire and use greater knowledge