Staffing and Talent Management Exam 2

Logic of the assessment process

current KSAOs predict future job performance

Measurement

process used to gather and express information about people in numeric form

Objective Measurement

right/wrong answers; easily quantifiable

Subjective Measurement

no one right/wrong answer; involves judgement

Scores from measures

represent amount of the characteristic being measured

Standardization

fairness and consistency; measure content, administration, and calculation of scores is same for all applicants

Steps in the measurement process

select KSAO to measure; develop definition of KSAO; design measure of KSAO; evaluate measure; use measure for assessment

Reliability of measures

extent to which scores on a measure are consistent

Internal reliability

consistency of responses to different questions designed to measure the same KSA

Test-retest reliability

consistency of scores on the same measure taken at 2 different points in time

Alternate forms reliability

consistency of scores on 2 different versions of the same measure

Interrater reliability

consistency of 2 evaluators' ratings of the same individual

Validity of measures

extent to which a measure accurately addresses the KSAs it was developed to measure

Content validation

extent to which the content of the measure reflects content of the job

Contamination

measures something not important to the job

Deficiency

measure is not capturing some aspect of KSA or job

Criterion-related validation

assess extent to which scores on the measure correlate with scores on some criterion

Concurrent Design

two measures are taken at the same time

Predictive Design

one measure occurs earlier and is meant to predict some later measure

Assessment plans

plan for how we go about assessing applicants for the job

Elements of Assessment Plans

most critical KSAOs, needed at entry?, assessments to test KSAOs

Initial step in selection process

applicants fill out application; given initial assessments; determine if they are minimally qualified for the job (resume)

Substantive step in selection process

candidates that have minimal qualifications are given more rigorous, detailed assessments of KSAOs (tests, interviews, simulations)

Discretionary step in selection process

finalists are given extra assessments to narrow down the finalists (minority preference, hire internally)

Contingent step in selection process

offer receivers must pass drug tests, background checks, etc.

Factors to consider when choosing assessments

type of KSAO to be measured; distal vs proximal assessments; reliability and validity; faking/response distortion; fairness and EEO; applicant and manager reactions; cost and time

Study on face-to-face versus video interviews (article pdf in class module)

Resumes and cover letters

applicant controls information

Advantages of resumes and cover letters

initial assessment determines basic qualifications; screen out if obviously not qualified; low cost

Challenges of resumes and cover letters

easy to fake/distort; subjective; lack of standardization and comparability; distal to what they do on the job

How to use resumes and cover letters more effectively

ensure minimum qualifications are job-related; develop standardized ways to evaluate them

Meta-analysis on the criterion validity of previous work experience

it doesn't predict much about job performance

Advantages of application blanks

organization controls information; low cost

Challenges of application blanks

inclusion of problematic questions; don't give chance for applicants to elaborate

How to use application blanks more effectively

ensure questions are job relevant and legally defensible

Advantages of references

insight from another perspective; low cost

Challenges of references

rarely say anything negative about applicants; hard to differentiate KSAs; lack standardized information

How to use references more effectively

have some criteria/rubric to evaluate; have set questions for references to answer; include them in the process in case someone does raise a red flag

Advantages of background checks

due diligence to not bring in questionable people; relatively inexpensive

Challenges of background checks

exposure to job irrelevant information; inaccuracies; possibility of adverse impact

How to use background checks more effectively

consider what info is job-relevant and how you will use it; request exact info you want from external background check firm; decide how you will use info to screen applicants

Advantages of social media information

low cost and ease of access; information is less filtered

Weak situation

people behave more freely because they are not being evaluated

Strong situation

prompt similar behavior from everyone because they are being evaluated

Challenges of social media information

no evidence of criterion-related validity; doesn't predict job performance; lack of standardization

Findings from social media research study (article pdf in class module)

Personality tests

reflects how people think, feel, and act

The "Big Five" personality factors

conscientiousness, agreeableness, neuroticism, openness, extraversion

Conscientiousness

dependable, organized, reliable, ambitious, hardworking, persevering

Agreeableness

kind, cooperative, sympathetic, helpful, courteous, warm

Neuroticism

nervous, moody, emotional, insecure, jealous, unstable

Openness

curious, imaginative, creative, complex, refined, sophisticated

Extraversion

talkative, sociable, passionate, assertive, bold, dominant

Advantages of personality tests

can have criterion-related validity, minimal adverse impact, low cost and efficient

Challenges of personality tests

susceptible to faking; can produce negative applicant reactions; a lot of bad personality tests out there

How to make personality tests more valid

put the questions in the context of the job

Most predictive big 5 personality traits

conscientiousness and neuroticism

Conclusions from faking personality research

people can fake on personality tests; faking occurred most for 2 traits most directly related to performance; people fake more on tests than interviews

Ways to address issues of faking personality tests

warn applicants not to fake; forced-choice personality tests

Forced-choice personality tests

put more than one statement in the question and make applicant choose which is more true