Lecture 6 Employee Selection and Hiring Decisions PSYC 306 Lecture 6 Employee Selection and Hiring Decisions

Hiring Process

Planning and Recruitment Planning: Anticipating needs for human resources Expansion vs. replacements Labor markets Recruitment Advertising, recruiters, walk-ins, or the web In competitive jobs, many companies fight for same employees Inside sources (i.e. referrals & transfers) perform better The web has made recruiting more efficient

Selecting Employees Criterion – definition of a good employee (i.e., good performance) Predictor – anything that relates to the criterion Determine if predictor relates to criterion by using a validation study

Psychological Test Characteristics A standardized series of problems or questions that assess a particular individual characteristic Group vs. individual Objective vs. open-ended Paper and pencil vs. performance Power vs. speed

Test Types Ability tests Knowledge and skill tests Personality Cognitive ability Psychomotor ability Knowledge and skill tests Knowledge: what one knows Skill: what one is able to do Personality Personality is a predisposition to behave in a particular way Problems: Faking Job relevance

Assessing Quality of Selection Methods Reliability (Güvenirlik) Reliability is the consistency or stability of a measure. A measure should yield the same estimate on a repeated use. Most frequently used reliability tests are Test-retest reliability (ideal if exceeds r =.70) Internal consistency reliability (Cronbach’s alpha) (ideal if btw .75 - .90) Validity (Geçerlilik) Validity refers to accuracy and precision. A valid instrument measures what it is supposed to measure. *Important note* A test can be reliable but not necessarily valid There are three types of validity tests: Content validity Criterion related (ideal if exceeds r =.35) Construct validity (ideal if exceeds r =.55) Applicability Cost

Assessment of twelve personnel selection methods along four evaluative standards Validity Fairness Applicability Cost Intelligence tests Moderate High Low Mechanical apptitude tests Sensory/motor ability tests Personality tests Physical ability tests Interviews Assesment centers Work samples Situational exercises (Unknown) Biographical information Peer assessments Letters of recommendation