MGTO 231 Human Resources Management Personnel selection II Dr. Kin Fai Ellick WONG

Outline In Personnel selection II –Validity –Selection tools Letter of recommendation, ability tests, personality tests, interviews, handwriting analysis, etc.

Outline In Personnel selection II –Validity –Selection tools Letter of recommendation, Ability tests, personality tests, interviews, handwriting analysis, etc.

The concepts of validity TargetInstrument LengthIncome HealthRuler IntelligenceGPA Academic PerformanceBlood Pressure Social Status IQ test

We have the sense of the match-up between the targets and the instruments measuring them. How can we know we are in fact measuring something we want to measure? What do we need to demonstrate other than our subjective feelings so that we can claim a measurement really measures what it is supposed to measure?

Defining validity The agreement between a test score or measure and the quality it is believed to measure In the selection context, validity is the extent to which a selection tool measures the intended knowledge, skill or ability it is purported to measure.

Validity is the evidence for inferences made about a test score Three types of evidence –Content-related –Criterion-related –Construct-related

Validation Establishment of the validity Process examining the extent to which a test is valid May or may not be statistical, depending on which types of evidence being examined

Face validity

Type of Validity Face Validity Content- related Validity Criterion- related Validity Construct- related Validity

Definition: appearance that a measure has validity –A subjective validity –It “looks like” valid

Type of Validity Face Validity Content- related Validity Criterion- related Validity Construct- related Validity

Content-related validity The extent to which a test provides adequate representation of the conceptual domain it is intended to measure The degree to which the items of a test is a representative sample of the domain Used frequently in educational testing

Knowledge of HRM –Items 1 ： Discuss the importance of validity in personnel selection –Items 2 ： Discuss the importance of validity in psychological testing –Items 3 ： Discuss the importance of psychological testing in psychological therapy

Type of Validity Face Validity Content- related Validity Criterion- related Validity Construct- related Validity

Criterion-related validity How well a test corresponds with a well- defined criterion A valid test of marital success should correspond with whether a couple will have successful marriage (yes or no, the criterion) The appropriateness of using a test to predict another behavior (i.e., the criterion)

Predictive validity Present test scores are used to predict future performance or behaviors –A-level results  university final GPA (Present)(Future)

Type of Validity Face Validity Content- related Validity Criterion- related Validity Construct- related Validity

Construct validity Construct –Something constructed by mental synthesis –Does not exist as a separate thing we can touch or feel –Cannot be used as an objective criterion –Intelligence, love, curiosity, mental health

Construct validity –The extent to which a test measures a theoretical concept/construct –What does it mean? –What are the relationships with other constructs?

Convergent evidence –Different tests measuring same construct should correlate with each other Aggressiveness and Need for Power Discriminant (divergent) evidence –Tests measuring different constructs should not correlate with each other

Good example of convergent and divergent evidence –Target Construct: Aggressiveness Correlation: –Convergent Evidence ».5 with Need for Power ».3 with Conscientiousness –Divergent Evidence ».01 with Openness to Experience »-.03 with Neuroticism

I will not discuss in details about the methods, however the following terms may be useful –Factor analysis, multi-trait multi-method analysis

Outline In Personnel selection II –Validity –Selection tools Letter of recommendation, ability tests, personality tests, interviews, handwriting analysis, etc.

Selection tools Ability test Personality test Interview –Structured vs. unstructured

Selection Tools Ability Test Personality Test Interview

Cognitive ability General cognitive ability –G factor vs. S factor –The commander of all domains –High in G tends to be high in many Ss The strongest and reliable predictor of job performance

Some components of GCA Several specific factors (S) –Memory Span –Verbal reasoning –Visual-spatial –Common Senses

Selection Tools Ability Test Personality Test Interview

Personality test Big-five model of personality –Openness to experience –Conscientiousness –Extroversion –Agreeableness –Neuroticism

Conscientiousness Highly motivated persons Dependency –Planful, organized Volition –Achievement oriented, persistent and persevering Positively correlated with job performance in various kinds of work

Selection Tools Ability Test Personality Test Interview

Interviews Unstructured interviews –Low in validity and reliability, why? –No standard for the interviewees, they may disagree with each other (low reliability) –The questions are not so relevant to the job (“Tell me about yourself”, “Why did you quit from the previous job?”, “Introduce yourself to me”)

Structured interviews –Questions based on job analysis, thus they are job-related –The answers of the questions have been predetermined (based on job analysis), a minimum disagreement is expected –Same basis and so it is consistent across all interviewees and interviewers (much more reliable)

Cortina, et al. (2000). The incremental validity of interview scores over and above cognitive ability and conscientiousness scores. Personnel Psychology

Combined predictors Job performance = –Motivation x ability O’Reilly & Chatman (1994) –Job performance (current salary, salary increment, and promotion) = GMAT total x conscientiousness

Conclusion I’ve asked: –A more realistic objective for selection seems to be: Minimizing the probability of making an incorrect selection How? –Last lesson, we have discussed how we can reduce the probability of making incorrect selection by considering the reliability of a test

Conclusion Considering reliability alone is not enough: –You still have a very high probability of making incorrect selections if you just consider the reliability of a test –in addition to reliability, you need to consider the test’s validity

Conclusion 樂壇孖寶 (Twins in pop-music) – 左麟右李 (Alan Tam, Hacken Lee) –Sa + Gil Test 壇孖寶 (Twins in testing) –Reliability + Validity