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

2. Hiring Process

3. 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

4. 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

5. 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

6. 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

7. 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 )
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

8. 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