Employee Testing and Selection
Employee Testing and Selection
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THIS CHAPTER INCLUDES:
1. Explain what is meant by reliability and validity.
2. Explain how you would go about validating a test.
3. Cite and illustrate our testing guidelines.
4. Give examples of some of the ethical and legal
considerations in testing.
5. List eight tests you could use for employee selection,
and how you would use them.
6. Explain the key points to remember in conducting
background investigations.
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WHY CAREFUL
SELECTION IS IMPORTANT
The importance of selecting the right
employees
Organizational performance always depends in part on
subordinates having the right skills and attributes.
Recruiting and hiring employees is costly.
The legal implications of incompetent hiring
EEO laws and court decisions related to nondiscriminatory selection
procedures
The liability of negligent hiring of workers with questionable
backgrounds
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AVOIDING NEGLIGENT
HIRING CLAIMS
Carefully scrutinize information supplied by the applicant on his or
her employment application.
Get the applicant’s written authorization for reference checks, and
carefully check references.
Save all records and information you obtain about the applicant.
Reject applicants who make false statements of material facts or who
have conviction records for offenses directly related and important to
the job in question.
Balance the applicant’s privacy rights with others’ “need to know,”
especially when you discover damaging information.
Take immediate disciplinary action if problems arise.
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BASIC TESTING
CONCEPTS
Reliability
The consistency of scores obtained by the same person when
retested with the identical or equivalent tests.
Are the test results stable over time?
Test validity
The accuracy with which a test, interview, and so on measures what
it purports to measure or fulfills the function it was designed to fill.
Does the test actually measure what we need for it to measure?
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SAMPLE PICTURE CARD FROM
THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST
Criterion validity
A type of validity based on showing that scores on the test
(predictors) are related to job performance (criterion).
Are test scores in this class related to students’ knowledge of human resource
management?
Content validity
A test that is content valid is one that contains a fair sample of the
tasks and skills actually needed for the job in question.
Do the test questions in this course relate to human resource management topics?
Is taking an HR course the same as doing HR?
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HOW TO VALIDATE A
TEST
Step 1: Analyze the job
Predictors: job specification (KSAOs)
Criterion: quantitative and qualitative measures of job success
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HOW TO VALIDATE A
TEST (CONT’D)
Step 4: Relate Test Scores and Criteria
Correlation analysis
Actual scores on the test with actual performance
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EXPECTANCY CHART
Note: This expectancy chart shows the relation between scores made on the Minnesota Paper Form Board and
rated success of junior draftspersons. Example: Those who score between 37 and 44 have a 55% chance of being
rated above average and those scoring between 57 and 64 have a 97% chance.
Figure 6–3
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TESTING PROGRAM GUIDELINES
Table 6–1
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SAMPLE TEST
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USING TESTS AT WORK
Major types of tests used by employers
Basic skills tests (45%)
Drug tests (47%)
Psychological tests (33%)
Use of testing
Less overall testing now but more testing is used as specific job skills and
work demands increase.
Screen out bad or dishonest employees
Reduce turnover by personality profiling
Source of tests
Test publishers
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COMPUTER-INTERACTIVE
TESTING
Types of tests
Specialized work sample tests
Numerical ability tests
Reading comprehension tests
Clerical comparing and checking tests
Online tests
Telephone prescreening
Offline computer tests
Virtual “inbox” tests
Online problem solving tests
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TYPES OF TESTS
Tests of cognitive abilities (Intelligence test)
Motor and Physical Abilities
Personality and interests
Achievement tests
The Polygraph and Honesty Testing
Graphology
Physical Examination
Drug Screening
Management Assessment Centers
Work Sampling
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TYPES OF TESTS
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TYPES OF TESTS (CONT’D)
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PROBLEM FROM THE TEST OF
MECHANICAL COMPREHENSION
Source: Reproduced by permission. Copyright 1967, 1969 by The Psychological Corporation, New York, NY. All rights
reserved. Author’s note: 1969 is the latest copyright on this test, which is still the main one used for this purpose. Figure 6–5
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MEASURING
PERSONALITY AND
INTERESTS
Personality tests
Tests that use projective techniques and trait inventories
to measure basic aspects of an applicant’s personality,
such as introversion, stability, and motivation.
Disadvantage
Personality tests—particularly the projective type—are the most difficult
tests to evaluate and use.
Advantage
Tests have been used successfully to predict dysfunctional job behaviors
and identify successful candidates for overseas assignments.
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THE “BIG FIVE”
Extraversion
The tendency to be sociable, assertive, active, and to experience
positive effects, such as energy and zeal.
Emotional stability/neuroticism
The tendency to exhibit poor emotional adjustment and experience
negative effects, such as anxiety, insecurity, and hostility.
Openness to experience
The disposition to be imaginative, nonconforming, unconventional, and
autonomous.
Agreeableness
The tendency to be trusting, compliant, caring, and gentle.
Conscientiousness
Is comprised of two related facets: achievement and dependability.
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OTHER TESTS
Interest inventories
Personal development and selection devices that compare the
person’s current interests with those of others now in various
occupations so as to determine the preferred occupation for the
individual.
Achievement tests
Test that measure what a person has already learned—“job
knowledge” in areas like accounting, marketing, or personnel.
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OTHER TESTS (CONT’D)
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WORK SAMPLES
Work samples
Actual job tasks are used in testing applicants’ performance.
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WORK SIMULATIONS
Management assessment center
A simulation in which management candidates are asked to perform
realistic tasks in hypothetical situations and are scored on their
performance.
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WORK SIMULATIONS
(CONT’D)
Video-Based situational testing
A situational test comprised of several video scenarios, each
followed by a multiple choice question that requires the candidate
to choose from among several courses of action.
While the evidence is mixed, the results suggest that video-based
situational tests can be useful for selecting employees.
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WORK SIMULATIONS
(CONT’D)
The miniature job training and evaluation
approach
Candidates are trained to perform a sample of the job’s
tasks, and then are evaluated on their performance.
The approach assumes that a person who demonstrates that
he or she can learn and perform the sample of tasks will be
able to learn and perform the job itself.
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BACKGROUND
INVESTIGATIONS AND
REFERENCE CHECKS
Extent of investigations and checks
Reference checks (87%)
Background employment checks (69%)
Criminal records (61%)
Driving records (56%)
Credit checks (35%)
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REFERENCE CHECKING FORM
(Verify that the applicant has provided permission before conducting
reference checks)
Candidate Name:
Reference Name: Company Name:
Dates of Employment: (From: and To:)
Position(s) Held: Salary History:
Reason for Leaving:
Explain the reason for your call and verify the above information with the supervisor (including the
reason for leaving)
1. Please describe the type of work for which the candidate was responsible.
2. How would you describe the applicant’s relationships with coworkers, subordinates (if
applicable), and with superiors?
3. Did the candidate have a positive or negative work attitude? Please elaborate
4. How would you describe the quantity and quality of output generated by the former employee?
5. What were his/her strengths on the job?
6. What were his/her weaknesses on the job?
7. What is your overall assessment of the candidate?
8. Would you recommend him/her for this position? Why or why not?
9. Would this individual be eligible for rehire? Why or why not?
Other comments?
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THE POLYGRAPH AND
HONESTY TESTING
The polygraph (or lie detector)
A device that measures physiological changes,
The assumption is that such changes reflect changes in emotional state that
accompany lying.
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PERMITTED USERS OF THE
POLYGRAPH
Employers with contracts involving:
National defense or security
Nuclear-power (Department of Energy)
Access to highly classified information
Counterintelligence (the FBI or Department of Justice)
Other exceptions
Hiring of private security personnel
Hiring persons with access to drugs
Conducting ongoing investigations involving economic loss or injury to an
employer’s business.
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PAPER-AND-PENCIL
HONESTY TESTS
Paper-and-pencil honesty tests
Psychological tests designed to predict job applicants’ proneness to
dishonesty and other forms of counterproductivity.
Measure attitudes regarding things like tolerance of others who steal,
acceptance of rationalizations for theft, and admission of theft-related
activities.
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ANTITHEFT SCREENING
PROCEDURE
Ask blunt questions.
Listen, rather than talk.
Do a credit check.
Check all employment and personal references.
Use paper-and-pencil honesty tests and psychological tests.
Test for drugs.
Establish a search-and-seizure policy and conduct searches.
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GRAPHOLOGY
Graphology (handwriting analysis)
Assumes that handwriting reflects basic personality traits.
Graphology’s validity is highly suspect.
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SUBSTANCE ABUSE
SCREENING
Types of screening:
Before formal hiring
After a work accident
Presence of obvious behavioral symptoms
Random or periodic basis
Transfer or promotion to new position
Types of tests
Urinalysis
Hair follicle testing
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