Summer 2011 / 1
PSY366: Personnel Selection & Placement (Maymester)
Dr. Jason Dahling
Phone: x2582
Email: dahling@tcnj.edu
Office: Social Sciences 121
Office Hours: 12-1 Tues/Wed
Required Text:
There is no required textbook for this course. All required readings are posted on SOCS for download. It
is your responsibility to print, read, and bring these readings to class on the days that we cover them.
Course Purpose:
Selection is one of the most important applications of I/O Psychology. The purpose of this course is to
introduce students to assessment tools as well as the organizational and legal issues in personnel
selection. The course begins with a survey of employment law, job analysis, and validity. Students will
utilize research, statistical, and writing skills in a variety of assignments related to these topic areas. The
other focus of the course is to provide as much “hands-on” experience as possible with various selection
tools such as cognitive skills tests, personality measures, interviews, assessment center exercises, work
samples, reference checks, resumes, biographical inventories, and integrity tests.
This course serves as a Specialized Course for students in the Industrial/Organizational Psychology
concentration. It is also a valuable course for business majors, especially those interested in Human
Resource Management. Furthermore, this course is a valuable learning experience for students in any
major because of the applicability of the material to seeking and securing a job or position in graduate
school after college.
Course Prerequisites:
General Psychology (PSY101)
Learning Objectives:
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Develop comfort with analyzing jobs to write job descriptions and job specifications
Learn about how organizations recruit applicants, particularly through Internet applications
Understand the strengths and weaknesses of different methods of predicting organizational
criteria, including cognitive ability tests, personality tests, and integrity tests
Learn about test validity and how to validate selection batteries to best predict important
criteria and ensure that your actions are legally defensible
Gain a deeper appreciation for employment law and how it influences selection decisions
Become familiar with the staffing process at a broader level, including how the job market and
economic conditions influence recruitment and selection
Assignments and Communication:
Readings will be posted on SOCS for you to download. It is your responsibility to print these articles,
read them, and bring them to class. I will also use SOCS for all course communication. If you do not use
your TCNJ e-mail account, please forward e-mail from that account to the account that you check
regularly.
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Summer 2011 / 2
Course Assignments & Assessment:
1. Quizzes. Three quizzes will be administered during the course. Each quiz covers only the three
lectures and associated readings that precede it; subsequent quizzes are not cumulative. Each
quiz will consist of 25 multiple choice questions and 1 short answer question. Quizzes will be
administered at the beginning of class for the first 45 minutes, after which we will proceed with
the assigned lecture topic for the day.
2. Project. The project involves evaluating a set of predictors to be used in a selection process in
the context of a realistic case study. The objective of the project is to give you some experience
applying course content to a practical problem. Details concerning the case will be posted to
SOCS; you should be able to complete the project by the end of the second week of class.
3. Final Exam. The final exam is cumulative. It consists of both an in-class and a take-home
component. The in-class component (80 points) will consist of multiple choice questions and a
few short answer questions. The take-home component (20 points) will consist of an essay
question to be distributed during the first week and submitted on the final exam day. Responses
to the essay are not to exceed four double-spaced, single-sided pages. The take-home essay is
open book, although you are expected to complete it individually. Plagiarism will be handled in
accordance with the College policy – see the section below on Academic Integrity for
clarification and ask me if you have questions.
4. Class Participation. Every class will include a mixture of lecture, discussion, and group work.
Being prepared by completing the readings, attending class, and taking part in these activities is
critical to your success; you have to be actively immersed in the material to expect to learn in
such a compacted span of time.
Quizzes: 3 at 30 points each
Project
Final Exam
Class Participation
90 points
80 points
100 points
30 points
300 points
TOTAL:
EARNED PERCENTAGE
TOTAL
COURSE
EARNED
PERCENTAGE TOTAL
COURSE
93-100%
A
73-76%
C
90-92%
A-
70-72%
C-
87-89%
B+
67-69%
D+
83-86%
B
60-66%
D
80-82%
B-
<60%
F
77-79%
C+
GRADE
GRADE
Late Policy:
The syllabus notes the dates of tests and due dates of projects. I set these deadlines well in advance so
that you should have no problems meeting them. Accordingly, make-up tests will not be provided
except in extreme extenuating circumstances, defined at my discretion, and supported with
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Summer 2011 / 3
documentation. Because projects are due at the end of the semester, late projects will not be accepted
under any circumstances. Please note that students are not permitted to leave the classroom during
exams except in cases where accommodations have been made through the Office of Differing Abilities
Services. Moreover, students are not allowed to have cell phones, laptops, iPods, BlackBerrys, or other
personal electronic devices on and in view during exams.
Attendance and Participation:
Attendance is expected in accordance with College policies, as explained in full here:
http://www.tcnj.edu/~recreg/policies/attendance.html.
Regular attendance and participation will be taken into consideration in the case of a borderline grade.
Further, class time will be used to work on activities that will influence your grades. If you do miss class,
it is your responsibility to contact a class member to find out what you missed. If, after contacting a
classmate and getting the notes from him/her, you still have questions or need any information, then
please see me. The success of this class depends on your active participation, and I expect each student
to regularly participate in class discussions and to raise any questions when necessary.
Note that when quizzes are administered, they are given at the beginning of class. Students who are
tardy will not be allowed to make up missed quizzes.
Note that the nature of the Maymester term means that missing a class meeting is equivalent to missing
1/12th of the course content. Consequently, if you miss more than 4 class meetings, you will be assigned
a grade of F for the course; at this point, you have missed a full 1/3rd of the content and cannot be
experienced enough with the material to earn a passing grade.
Academic Integrity
Cheating and plagiarism are serious violations of the College’s Academic Integrity Policy and will be dealt
with accordingly. It is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with this policy, available in full here:
http://www.tcnj.edu/~academic/policy/integrity.html
I will refer any violations to the Academic Integrity Officer for the School of Culture & Society, Dean
Rifkin, for review.
Disabilities:
Any student who has a documented disability and is in need of academic accommodations should notify
me during the first week of classes and contact the Office of Differing Abilities Services (609-771-2571).
Accommodations are individualized and in accordance with Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
and the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1992.
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Summer 2011 / 4
Tentative Course Outline
Date
May 9
Topics & Reading for Class
Items Due
Employment Law
Readings:
(1) Berry, L.M. (2003). Basics of selection measurement (excerpt)
Bring Berry
(2003)
outline
(2) Tobenkin, D. (2008, August). Not Norwegian enough: Is it ever OK to
discriminate? HR Magazine, 53(8), 91-95.
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(3) Case: Fat Chance
Job Analysis & Validity
Readings:
(1) Sanchez, J.I., & Levine, E.L. (2009). What is (or should be) the difference
between competency modeling and traditional job analysis? Human
Resource Management Review, 19, 53-63.
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(2) Spicer, C. (2009, April). Building a competency model. HR Magazine,
54(4), 34-36.
Organizational Strategy & Staffing
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Reading:
Markides, C. (2004). What is a strategy, and how do you know if you have
one? Business Strategy Review, 15(2), 5-12.
Recruitment 1: Organizational Perspective
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Reading:
Slaughter, J.E., & Greguras, G.J. (2009). Initial attraction to organizations:
The influence of trait inferences. International Journal of Selection and
Assessment, 17, 1-19.
Recruitment 2: Applicant Perspective
Readings:
(1) Saks, A.M. (2005). Job search success: A review and integration of the
predictors, behaviors, and outcomes. In S.D. Brown & R.W. Lent (Eds.),
Career development and counseling: Putting theory and research to work
(pp. 155-179). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons.
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(2) Case: We Googled You
Predictors 1: Personal History
Readings:
(1) Becton, J.B., Matthew, M.C., Hartley, D.L., & Whitaker, D.H. (2009).
Using biodata to predict turnover, organizational commitment, and job
performance in healthcare. International Journal of Selection and
Assessment, 17, 189-202.
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Quiz 1
Summer 2011 / 5
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(2) Stewart, G.L., Dustin, S.L., Barrick, M.R., & Darnold, T.C. (2008).
Exploring the handshake in employment interviews. Journal of Applied
Psychology, 93, 1139-1146.
Predictors 2: Inventories & Tests
Reading:
Kuncel, N.R., & Hezlett, S.A. (2010). Fact and fiction in cognitive ability
testing for admissions and hiring decisions. Current Directions in
Psychological Science, 19, 339-345.
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Quiz 2
Predictors 3: High-Fidelity Assessment & Physiological Assessment
Readings:
(1) McDaniel, M.A., & Nguyen, N.T. (2001). Situational judgment tests: A
review of practice and constructs assessed. International Journal of
Selection and Assessment, 9, 103-113.
(2) MacKinnon, D.W. (1974). How assessment centers were started in the
United States: The Office of Strategic Services Assessment Program.
Pittsburgh, PA: Development Dimensions International (DDI).
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Making Selection Decisions
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Reading:
Ryan, A.M., Sacco, J.M., McFarland, L.A., & Kriska, S.D. (2000). Applicant
self-selection: Correlates of withdrawal from a multiple hurdle process.
Journal of Applied Psychology, 85, 163-179.
Special Topics in Selection: Fit, Well-Being, and Cross-Cultural Concerns
Reading:
Caligiuri, P., Tarique, I., & Jacobs, R. (2009). Selection for international
assignments. Human Resource Management Review, 19, 251-262.
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Controversies, Summary, and Review
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Reading:
Highhouse, S. (2008). Stubborn reliance on intuition and subjectivity in
employee selection. Industrial and Organizational Psychology, 1, 333-342.
Final Exam
Quiz 3
Project Due
Take-Home
Essay Due
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