CHAPTER 4
Employee Selection
Introduction to
Industrial/Organizational
Psychology by Ronald Riggio
A Model for Employee Selection

Criteria are measures of job success typically related
to performance; for example, a criteria for successful
basketball performance would be the number of
baskets made.

Predictors are variables about applicants that are
related to the criteria; predictors for successful
basketball performance could be experience and
physical height.
Employee Recruitment

Employee recruitment is the process
of attracting potential workers to apply
for jobs.

There are a variety of employee
recruitment methods, such as:
advertisements, college recruitment
programs, employment agencies, and
employee referrals.
Employee Recruitment

An important element of the recruitment process
is to present applicants with an accurate picture
of the job through the use of Realistic Job
Previews (RJPs).

These are accurate descriptions of a daily tasks,
duties, and responsibilities.

RJPs help increase satisfaction and decrease
turnover of new employees.
Employee Screening
Employee screening is the process of
reviewing information about job
applicants to select individuals for jobs.
 Data sources such as resumes, job
applications, letters of recommendation,
employment tests, and hiring interviews
can be used in screening and selecting
candidates.

Employee Screening

Basic background information can be
translated into numerical values to
compare the qualifications of applicants
through the use of weighted application
forms or biographical information blanks
(BIBs).
Employee Screening



Employee screening also involves references
and letters of recommendation.
Such sources can provide information about:
 Employment and educational history.
 Evaluations of the applicant’s character.
 Evaluations of the applicant’s job
performance.
 The recommender’s willingness to rehire the
applicant.
The use of these methods is on the decline
because they tend to be overly positive and are
often uninformative.
Employee Screening


The second step in screening is employee testing,
which typically uses standardized instruments to
measure characteristics that are predictive of job
performance.
Any screening test or method must demonstrate
that it is a reliable and valid predictor of job
performance.
 A measurement instrument is reliable if it
repeatedly gives the same or similar results
when applied repeatedly to the same quantity.
 A measurement instrument that is valid is
accurately measuring what it purports to
measure.
Employee Screening


Three methods for establishing reliability are
test-retest reliability, parallel forms, and
internal consistency.
Two forms of validity that are most important
for development and use of screening tests
are:
 Content validity, or whether the test content
adequately measures the knowledge, skills
and abilities required by the job.
 Criterion-related validity, or the relationship
between screening test scores and some
criterion of job success.
Employee Screening



Employee screening tests vary greatly in format and
in characteristics they measure.
Categories of such tests include:
 Cognitive ability tests.
 Mechanical ability tests.
 Motor and sensory ability tests.
 Job skills and knowledge tests.
 Personality tests.
 Miscellaneous instruments such as polygraphs.
Standardized tests are often used in combinationin
test batteriesto help select the best qualified
candidates.
Employee Screening
An important issue regarding the
effectiveness of employee screening
tests is validity generalization, or a
test's ability to predict job performance
in settings different from the one in
which it was validated.
 Another concern is test utility, an
estimate of the dollars gained in
increased productivity and efficiency
because of the use of screening tests.

Employee Screening
Faking is trying to beat an
employment test by distorting
responses.
 Assessment centers use the test
battery approach to offer a detailed,
structured assessment of applicants'
employment potentialmost often for
high-level managerial positions.

Employee Screening



Employment screening for most jobs
includes at least one hiring interview, which
is a measurement tool just like any other
screening device.
Unfortunately, research indicates that hiring
interviews (as they are typically used)
generally have low levels of reliability and
validity.
One of the greatest sources of problems
with hiring interviews stems from interviewer
biases.
Employee Selection and Placement

Statistical models of decision-making
include:



The multiple regression model, an
approach that allows predictors to be
combined statistically.
The multiple cutoff strategy, a method of
setting minimum cutoff scores for each
predictor.
The multiple hurdle approach, a stringent
method that uses an ordered sequence
of screening devices.
Employee Selection and Placement


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Regardless of the screening and selection
procedures used, an overriding concern in all
personnel decisions is to protect against
discrimination in employment.
The federal Equal Employment Opportunity
Commission (EEOC) has established guidelines to
ensure against discrimination against ethnic
minorities and other protected groups.
To take preventive steps to avoid employment
discrimination, many organizations have adopted
affirmative action plans to ensure jobs are made
available to members of protected groups.