Tools for Successful Selection

1. Tools for Successful Selection Employment Testing: General

2. Types of Employment Tests • Ability Tests • Mental (Cognitive) Ability • Psychomotor Ability • Physical Ability • Sensory Ability • Achievement and Skill Tests • Job Knowledge • Performance/Work Sample

3. Selecting Employment Tests • Which KSAs are relevant to testing? • Search sources of tests • General • Tests: A Comprehensive Reference... • Web-based information sources • Reviews • Mental Measurement Yearbook • Useful article on using the MMY • British Psychological Society • Test Critiques

4. Evaluating Test Manuals • Evidence of reliability • Relevant evidence of validity • Use of appropriate criteria • Norms, based on appropriate samples • Evidence of test fairness • Practicality

5. Tools for Successful Selection Cognitive Ability (Intelligence) Tests

6. What is “Intelligence”? And is it relevant to job performance??

8. “Successful” Intelligence • Ability to achieve success in life and work; requires a balance among: • Analytical intelligence • “Academic” intelligence • Practical Intelligence • “Common sense” as well as social or emotional intelligence; “street smarts” • Creative Intelligence

9. Analytical Intelligence • Traditional aspects of intelligence measured by standard tests • Verbal and numerical ability, memory, processing speed • Predicts job performance in nearly all jobs • More important as jobs become more complex • Probably due to: • Broader knowledge base • Ability to learn on the job more quickly • Ability to problem-solve

10. Practical Intelligence • Ability to deal with everyday life challenges • E.g., computing lowest price/unit when grocery shopping, or interpreting a bus schedule • Social/emotional intelligence • Ability to understand people and relationships • Impression management skills • Ability to persuade others • Adaptability to different social situations • Shown to add to predictive power of analytical intelligence for sales and execs • May be culture-specific

11. Creative Intelligence • Relies on a base of knowledge + ability to apply it to new situations or problems • Ability to generate novel high-quality ideas • Ability to recognize opportunities or define challenges in new ways • Ability to adjust to new situations

12. Measuring Intelligence • Wide variety of measures of analytical intelligence/general mental ability • Wonderlic Personnel Test is most popular • Sternberg Multidimensional Abilities Test measures all 3 intelligences • Sternberg and Wagner’s test of Practical Managerial Intelligence: • ability to write effective memos • ability to motivate people • knowledge of when to delegate • ability to “read” people

13. Lingering Controversies about IQ • Is intelligence testing fair? • Is intelligence—even when measured more broadly—sufficient? • Do you want “bright” or “well trained” employees?

14. Fairness and Intelligence Testing: A Dilemma • CA predicts performance in a wide variety of jobs • Measures knowledge • Measures ability to learn, reason, and solve new problems • Few alternative predictors with comparable utility for entry-level jobs • But are they “fair” to all groups?

16. Definitions of Test “Fairness” 1. Differences between groups’ average test scores • ~1 SD difference for African-Americans • ~.75 SD for Latinos But what do these differences mean? • Groups differ in ability? • Test discriminates against one group?

17. Definitions of Test “Fairness” 2. Differential Validity: Group differences in validity of test

18. Definitions of Test “Fairness” 2. Differential Validity: Group differences in validity of test White Black Job Perf Test Scores

19. Definitions of Test “Fairness” 3. Test Bias: Group differences in predicted job performance with same cutoff score

20. Definitions of Test “Fairness” 3. Test Bias: Group differences in predicted job performance with same cutoff score Black Job Perf White Test Scores

21. Definitions of Test “Fairness” 3. Test Bias: Group differences in predicted job performance with same cutoff score Black Job Perf White Test Scores

22. Typical CA Test Situation • Adverse Impact • No differential validity • No test bias White Black Job Perf Test Scores

23. Typical CA Test Situation • Adverse Impact • No differential validity • No test bias White Black Job Perf Test Scores

24. Minimizing Adverse Impact • Recruit high quality applicants • Use tests only when appropriate • Use tests as one part of process • Use to eliminate unqualified (rather than to differentiate among most qualified) • Be sure test is valid (job-related)!!

25. Lingering Controversies about IQ • Is intelligence testing fair? • Is intelligence—even when measured more broadly—sufficient? • Do you want “bright” or “well trained” employees?

26. Why Intelligent People Fail • Lack of motivation • Lack of impulse control • Lack of perseverance • Fear of failure • Procrastination • Inability to delay gratification • Too little/too much self-confidence Source: Sternberg (1986)

27. Lingering Controversies about IQ • Is intelligence testing fair? • Is intelligence—even when measured more broadly—sufficient? • Do you want “bright” or “well trained” employees?

28. Intelligence or Training? • Is being smart a pre-requisite for learning? • Is being smart sufficient for learning?

29. Tools for Successful Selection Personality Testing

30. Invasiveness • Employer right to know vs. right to privacy • Over-emphasis on individual items • Reducing invasiveness: • Use only for job-related traits • Use employment (not clinical) measures • Use as part of overall system • Explain purpose as matching not screening

33. Is Personality Job-Relevant? • The “Big Five” Personality Traits • Conscientiousness • Emotional Stability • Extraversion • Agreeableness • <Openness to Experience> • Others may apply in particular jobs • e.g., customer service, safety, attention to detail

34. Do Personality Tests Predict? • Is the situation weak or powerful? • Is the measure valid? • Validities typically in low .20s (when based on job analysis)

35. Faking & Personality Tests • Applicants often distort their answers to look good • Some applicants more than others • This can affect who is hired • Reducing faking: • Use faking (lie) scales • Reduce motivation to fake • Use less transparent questions

37. Fairness of Personality Tests • Little evidence of racial discrimination • Men and women differ on many scales • but no evidence of “discrimination” • Watch out for adverse impact due to: • religious beliefs • disability

38. Tools for Successful Selection Assessing Deviance: Drug Testing Integrity (Honesty) Testing

39. General Rationale • Employee deviance is a costly problem • $6 to 200 billion annual cost • 33-75% of employees

40. Screening out Deviant Employees • Some are based on past behavior • analysis of drug metabolites in urine; past theft; reference and background checks • Others focus on likely future behavior • attitudes toward theft, drug use; personality • Only a few focus on current behavior • impairment testing

41. Physiological Drug Tests • Urinalysis • Quick screening • Confirmatory: Gas Chromatography/Mass Spectrometry (GC/MS) • Hair analysis • Blood analysis • Breath analysis

42. What’s Measured (& for how long?) • The “NIDA 5”: • Cannabis • Cocaine • Amphetamines • PCP • Opiates

43. Other Forms of Drug Tests • Paper-and-pencil integrity tests • Impairment testing • based on person’s own “baseline” performance on a computer task

44. Types of Drug Testing Programs • Pre-employment • “For cause” testing • mandatory post-accident • based on supervisor’s observations • Fitness for duty • daily (impairment testing) • post-rehabilitation • Random

45. Types of Honesty/Integrity Tests • “Clear Purpose” tests • “Disguised Purpose” tests • Attitudes about deviance • Personality • Polygraph/Voice Stress Analyzer

46. Clear Purpose Test - Honesty/Morality Items • If you received an extra $1.00 in change when you purchased groceries, would you keep it? • If you saw a co-worker stealing, would you turn her in? • How many people have you known who have stolen valuables at work? • Most people cheat on their income tax.

47. Clear Purpose Test: - Drug-Related Items • I have never been a heavy drinker. • On occasion I have used alcohol/drugs excessively • If I thought I could get away with it, I'd probably try cocaine • Have you ever missed work because you were too high/drunk?

48. Types of Honesty/Integrity Tests • “Clear Purpose” tests • “Disguised Purpose” tests • Attitudes about deviance • Personality • Polygraph/Voice Stress Analyzer

49. Disguised Purpose Test - Drug Attitude Items • A drug addict who steals to support his habit should get the same penalty as a person who steals for profit. • Employers expect a certain amount of drug and alcohol use among their workers. • How many people have you known who drink or do drugs while working?

50. Disguised Purpose Test: - Personality Items • I enjoy making people feel better. • I don't care if others like the things I do. • I shouldn't do many of the things I do. • I have never been in trouble with the law. • Sometimes I enjoy going against the rules.