Employee Testing and Selection specify the human traits and skills you believe are abilities.
lieve are abilities. They measure not a single trait but
BASIC TESTING CONCEPTS
A test is one popular selection tool. A test is basically
a sample of a person’s behaviour. Using a test (or any
selection tool) assumes the tool is both reliable and
valid.
I. Reliability
Reliability is a test’s first requirement and refers to
its consistency: A reliable test is one that yields
consistent scores when a person takes two
alternate forms of the test or when he or she
takes the same test on two or more different
occasions.
II. Validity
Reliability is indispensable but only tells you that the
test is measuring something consistently. It does not
prove that you are measuring what you intend
to measure.
 In employment testing, there are two main
ways to demonstrate test’s validity: criterion
validity and content validity.
I. CRITERION VALIDITY
Criterion validity involves statistically a relationship
between scores on a selection procedure and job
performance of a sample of workers. The test has
validity to the extent that the people with higher test
scores perform better on the job.
II. CONTENT VALIDITY
Content validity is that the content of a selection
procedure is representative of important aspects of
performance on the job.
 The basic procedure here is to identify job
tasks that are critical to performance, and
then randomly select a sample of those
tasks to test. If the content you choose for
the test is a representative sample of what
the person needs to know for the job, then
the test is probably content valid.
Evidence-Based HR: How to Validate a Test
STEP 1: ANALYZE THE JOB
The first step is to analyse the job and write job
descriptions and job specifications. The point is to
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required for job performance.
STEP 2: CHOOSE THE TESTS
Once you know the predictors (such as manual
dexterity) the next step is to decide how to test for
them.
They usually don’t start with just one test. Instead,
they choose several tests and combine them into a
test battery.
STEP 3: ADMINISTER THE TEST
Next, administer the selected test(s).and we have
two options:
I. concurrent (at the same time) validation.
 Its main advantage is that data on
performance are readily available.
 The disadvantage is that current
employees may not be representative of new
applicants (who, of course, are really the
ones for whom you are interested in
developing a screening test).
II. Predictive validation is the second and more
dependable way to validate a test.
STEP 4: RELATE YOUR TEST SCORES AND
CRITERIA
The next step is to as certain if there is a significant
relationship between test scores (the predictor) and
performance (the criterion). Which shows the
degree of statistical relationship.
STEP 5: CROSS-VALIDATE AND REVALIDATE
Before using the test, you may want to check it by
cross-validating in other words, by again performing
steps 3 and 4 on a new sample of employees. At a
minimum, have someone revalidate the test
periodically.
TYPES OF TESTS
1. Tests of Cognitive Abilities
Cognitive tests include tests of general ability
(intelligence) and tests of specific mental abilities like
memory and inductive reasoning such as:
A. INTELLIGENCE TESTS Intelligence (IQ)
tests are tests of general intellectual
rather a range of abilities.
B. SPECIFIC COGNITIVE ABILITIES
2. Tests of Motor and Physical Abilities
You might also want to measure motor abilities, such
as finger dexterity or manual dexterity, and reaction
time.
3. Measuring Personality and Interests
A person’s cognitive and physical ability alone seldom
explain his or her job performance. Other factors, like
motivation and interpersonal skills, are very
important.
A. Some of these tests are projective. The
psychologist presents an ambiguous stimulus
(like an inkblot or clouded picture) to the
person.
B. Other personality tests are self-reported:
applicants fill them out themselves
C. THE BIG FIVE
Industrial psychologists often focus on the big five
personality dimensions: extraversion, emotional
stability/neuroticism, agreeableness,
conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
 DO PERSONALITY TESTS PREDICT
PERFORMANCE?
In fact, personality traits do often correlate with job
performance. In one study, extraversion,
conscientiousness, and openness to experience were
strong predictors of leadership. In another study,
neuroticism was negatively related to motivation,
while conscientiousness was positively related to
it.
4. Achievement Tests
Achievement tests measure what someone has
learned. Most of the tests you take in school are
achievement tests. They measure your job knowledge
in areas like economics, marketing, or human
resources. Achievement tests are also popular at
work.
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I.
II.
Interviewing Candidates
BASIC FEATURES OF INTERVIEWS
An interview is more than a discussion. An
interview is a procedure designed to obtain
information from a person through oral responses to
oral inquiries.
 Types of interviews
 A selection interview is a selection
procedure designed to predict future job
performance based on applicants oral
responses to oral inquiries.
 An appraisal interview is a discussion,
following a performance appraisal in which
supervisor and employee discuss the
employees rating and possible remedial
actions.
 When an employee leaves a firm for any
reason, one often conducts an exit
interview: This interview aims at eliciting
information that might give the employer
some insight into what’s right or wrong about
the firm.
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Puzzle questions are popular. Recruiters like to use
We can classify selection interviews according to them to see how candidates think under pressure.
How structured they are
III. How Should We Administer the Interview?
A. Unstructured or nondirective Employers also administer interviews in various ways:
interview one-on-one or by a panel of interviewers,
An unstructured conversational-style interview in sequentially or all at once, and computerized or
which the interviewer pursues points of interest as personally.
they come up in response to questions
B. Structured or directive  Most selection interviews are one-on-one
interview and sequential. In a one-on-one
An interview following a set sequence of questions interview, two people meet alone, and one
interviews the other by seeking oral responses
Interview Content (What Types of Questions to oral inquiries. Employers tend to schedule
these interviews sequentially. In a
to Ask)
We can also classify interviews based on the content sequential (or serial) interview, several
or the types of questions you ask: persons interview the applicant, in sequence,
one-on-one, and then make their hiring
decision.
 SITUATIONAL QUESTIONS
In a situational interview, you ask the candidate
what his or her behavior would be in a given
situation.
 A panel interview, also known as a board
interview, is an interview conducted by a
team of interviewers (usually two to three),
 BEHAVIORAL QUESTIONS who together interview each candidate and
then combine their ratings into a final panel
Whereas situational interviews ask applicants to
describe how they would react to a hypothetical score.
situation today or tomorrow, behavioral interviews
ask applicants to describe how they reacted to
 An even more stressful variant is the mass
actual situations in the past.
interview. Here a panel interviews several
candidates simultaneously.
 Job-related interview
In a job-related interview, the interviewer asks
applicants questions about relevant past
 PHONE INTERVIEWS
experiences.
Employers do some interviews entirely by
telephone. These can actually be more accurate
 Stress interview than face-to-face interviews for judging an
applicant’s conscientiousness, intelligence, and
In a stress interview, the interviewer seeks to make
interpersonal skills.
the applicant uncomfortable with occasionally rude
questions. The aim is supposedly to spot sensitive
applicants and those with low (or high) stress  In a typical study, interviewers tended to
tolerance. evaluate applicants more favorably in
telephone versus face-to-face interviews,
particularly where the interviewees were
 Puzzle questions less physically attractive.
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 COMPUTERIZED INTERVIEWS
A computerized selection interview is one in
which a job candidate’s oral and/or computerized
replies are obtained in response to computerized
oral, visual, or written questions and/or
situations.
THE ERRORS THAT
INTERVIEW S USEFULNESS
UNDERMINE AN
One reason selection interviews are often less than
useful is that managers make predictable,
avoidable errors. We‘ll look at these next:
 First Impressions (Snap Judgments)
Perhaps the most consistent finding is that
interviewers tend to jump to conclusions make snap
judgments about candidates during the first few
minutes of the interview (or even before the interview
starts, based on test scores). First impressions are
especially damaging when the prior information about
the candidate is negative. Add to these two more
interviewing facts:
 First, interviewers are more influenced by
unfavorable than favorable information
about the candidate.
 Second, their impressions are much more
likely to change from favorable to
unfavorable than from unfavorable to
favorable.
 Misunderstanding the job
 Candidate-Order (Contrast) Error and
Pressure to Hire
 Nonverbal Behavior and Impression
Management
The applicant’s nonverbal behavior (smiling, avoiding
your gaze, and so on) can also have a surprisingly
large impact on his or her rating.
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 IMPRESSION MANAGEMENT
Clever candidates capitalize on that fact. One study
found that some used ingratiation to persuade
interviewers to like them.
 Effect of Personal Characteristics:
Attractiveness, Gender, Race
Interviewers also must guard against letting an
applicant’s attractiveness and gender distort their
assessment.
 Interviewer Behavior
Finally, the interviewer s behavior also affects the
interviewee s performance and rating.
HOW TO DESIGN AND CONDUCT AN
EFFECTIVE INTERVIEW
There are two basic ways to avoid interview errors:
1. One is obvious: Keep them in mind and
avoid them (don’t make snap judgments, for
instance).
2. The second is not so obvious: Use
structured interviews.
How to Conduct an Effective Interview
1) STRUCTURE THE INTERVIEW
Any structuring is better than none. If pressed for
time, you can do several things to ask more
consistent and job-relevant questions, without
developing a full-blown structured interview.
2) Prepare for the interview
The interview should take place in a private room
where telephone calls are not accepted and you can
minimize interruptions. Prior to the interview, review
the candidate’s application and resume and note any
areas that are vague or that may indicate strength or
weaknesses.
3) ESTABLISH RAPPORT
The main reason for the interview is to find out about
the applicant. To do this, start by putting the person
at ease. Greet the candidate and start the interview
by asking a no controversial question, perhaps about
the weather or the traffic conditions that day.
4) ASK QUESTIONS
Try to follow the situational, behavioral, and job
knowledge questions you wrote out ahead of time.
You'll find a sampling of other technical questions
(such as What did you most enjoy about your last job?
). As a rule,
 Don't telegraphs the desired answer.
 Don't interrogates the applicant as if the
person is on trial.
 Don't monopolizes the interview, nor let the
applicant do so.
 Do ask open-ended questions.
 Do encourage the applicant to express
thoughts fully.
 Do draw out the applicant s opinions and
feelings by repeating the person s last
comment as a question (e.g., you didn’t like
your last job?
 Do ask for examples.
 Do ask, If I were to arrange for an interview
with your boss, what's your best
5) CLOSE THE INTERVIEW
 Leave time to answer any questions the
candidate may have and, if appropriate, to
advocate your firm to the candidate.
 Try to end the interview on a positive note.
Tell the applicant whether there is any interest
and, if so, what the next step will be.
 Make rejections diplomatically for instance,
although your background is impressive, there
are other candidates whose experience is closer
to our requirements.
 In rejecting a candidate, one perennial question
is, should you provide an explanation or not? In
one study, rejected candidates who received an
explanation detailing why the employer rejected
them felt that the rejection process was fairer.
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 Unfortunately, providing detailed explanations
may not be practical. As the researchers put it

6) REVIEW THE INTERVIEW

After the candidate leaves, review your interview
notes, score the interview guide answers (if you used
one), and make a decision. Reviewing the interview
shortly after the candidate leaves can also help
minimize snap judgments and negative emphasis

Employee engagement guide for Managers

A. Building Engagement: A Total Selection

Program
Many employers create a total selection program
aimed at selecting candidates whose totality of
attributes best fits the employer’s total requirements.
The program Toyota Motor uses to select employees
for auto assembly team jobs illustrate this.

B. The Toyota Way

Toyota’s hiring process aims to identify such
assembler candidates. The process takes about 20
hours and six phases over several days:
Step 1: an in-depth online application (20–30
minutes)
Step 2: a 2–5-hour computer-based assessment
Step 3: a 6–8-hour work simulation assessment
Step 4: a face-to-face interview
Step 5: a background check, drug screen, and
medical check
Step 6: job offer

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