CHAPTER

5 Methods for Assessing

and Selecting Employees

CHAPTER OUTLINE
EMPLOYEE SCREENING AND ASSESSMENT Mechanical ability tests
Evaluation of Written Materials Motor and sensory ability tests
References and Letters of Recommendation Job skills and knowledge tests
Employment Testing Personality tests
Considerations in the Development and Use of Honesty and integrity tests
Personnel Screening and Testing Methods Other employee screening tests
Types of Employee Screening Tests The Effectiveness of Employee Screening Tests
Test formats Assessment Centers
Biodata instruments Hiring Interviews
Cognitive ability tests SUMMARY

Inside Tips
UNDERSTANDING THE HIRING AND ASSESSMENT PROCESS

In this chapter we will continue our look at how employees are selected into organizations, by focusing directly
on assessment techniques used in hiring. As mentioned earlier, we will be applying some of the research and
measurement methods discussed in Chapter 2.
A study hint for organizing and understanding the many screening and testing procedures presented
in this chapter is to consider those processes in the context of some of the methodological issues discussed

96
 Employee Screening and Assessment 97

previously. In other words, much of the strength or weakness of any particular employment method or
process is determined by its ability to predict important work outcomes, which is usually defined as “job
performance.” The ability to predict future employee performance accurately from the results of employment
tests or from other employee screening procedures is critical. However, other important considerations for
screening methods concern their cost and ease of use, or in other words, their utility. Hiring interviews,
for example, are considered to be relatively easy to use, whereas testing programs are thought (rightly or
wrongly) to be costly and difficult to implement. Often, our own experiences in applying for jobs give us only
a limited picture of the variety of employee screening methods.

Y
ou have found what you consider to be the perfect job. You polish up
your resume (and hopefully have some friends, and perhaps your career
services counselor, read it over and make suggestions) and spend a lot
of time crafting a dynamic cover letter. You then begin the online application
process. A week later, you receive an e-mail scheduling you for an “employment
testing session and interview.” You begin to wonder (and worry) about what the
testing session and interview will be about.
In this chapter, we will focus on the methods used in assessing and
screening applicants for jobs. This is an area where I/O psychologists have
been greatly involved—in the development of employment tests, work simu-
lations, hiring interview protocols, and other methods used to predict who,
among a large pool of applicants, might be best suited for success in a par-
ticular job.

Employee Screening and Assessment

As we saw in Chapter 4, Employee screening is the process of reviewing infor-
mation about job applicants to select individuals for jobs. A wide variety of
data sources, such as resumes, job applications, letters of recommendation,
employment tests, and hiring interviews, can be used in screening and select-
ing potential employees. If you have ever applied for a job, you have had
firsthand experience with some of these. We will consider all these screening
methods in this section, except for employment tests and interviews. Because
of the variety and complexity of tests used in employee screening and selec-
tion, we will consider employment testing and hiring interviews in a separate
section.

EVALUATION OF WRITTEN MATERIALS

The first step in the screening process involves the evaluation of written materi-
als, such as applications and resumes. Usually, standard application forms are
used for screening lower-level positions in an organization, with resumes used
to provide biographical data and other background information for higher-
level jobs, although many companies require all applicants to complete an
98 CHAPTER 5 Methods for Assessing and Selecting Employees

application form. The main purpose of the application and resume is to collect
biographical information such as education, work experience, and outstand-
ing work or school accomplishments. Often, these applications are submitted
online. Such data are believed to be among the best predictors of future job
performance (Feldman & Klich, 1991; Knouse, 1994; Owens, 1976). However,
it is often difficult to assess constructs such as work experience to use it in
employee screening and selection. Researchers have suggested that work expe-
rience can be measured in both quantitative (e.g., time in a position; number of
times performing a task) and qualitative (e.g., level of complexity or challenge
in a job) terms (Quinones, 2004; Quiñones, Ford, & Teachout, 1995; Tesluk &
Jacobs, 1998).
It is also important to mention, however, that first impressions play a big
role in selection decisions. Because written materials are usually the first contact
a potential employer has with a job candidate, the impressions of an applicant’s
credentials received from a resume or application are very important. In fact,
research has shown that impressions of qualifications from written applications
influenced impressions of applicants in their subsequent interviews (Macan &
Dipboye, 1994).
Most companies use a standard application form, completed online or
as a hard copy (see the sample application form in Figure 5.1). As with all
employment screening devices, the application form should collect only
information that has been determined to be job related. Questions that are
not job related, and especially those that may lead to job discrimination (as we
discussed in Chapter 4), such as inquiries about age, ethnic background, reli-
gious affiliation, marital status, or finances, should not be included.
From the employer’s perspective, the difficulty with application forms is
in evaluating and interpreting the information obtained to determine the
most qualified applicants. For example, it may be difficult to choose between
an applicant with little education but ample work experience and an educated
person with no work experience.
There have been attempts to quantify the biographical information
obtained from application forms through the use of either weighted
weighted application forms or biographical information blanks (BIBs). Weighted
application forms application forms assign different weights to each piece of information on
forms that assign the form. The weights are determined through detailed research, conducted
different weights to the
various pieces of infor-
by the organization, to determine the relationship between specific bits of
mation provided on a biographical data, often referred to as biodata, and criteria of success on the
job application job (Breaugh, 2009; Mael, 1991, Stokes, Mumford, & Owen, 1992). We will
discuss the use of biodata in more detail in the section on employment tests.
Another type of information from job applicants is a work sample. Often
a work sample consists of a written sample (e.g., a report or document), but
artists, architects, and software developers might submit a “portfolio” of work
products/samples. Research suggests that work samples can be valuable in
predicting future job performance (Jackson, Harris, Ashton, McCarthy, &
Tremblay, 2000; Lance, Johnson, Douthitt, Bennett, & Harville, 2000; Roth,
Bobko, & McFarland, 2005). Work samples can also be developed into stan-
dardized tests, and we will discuss these later in the chapter.
 APPLICATION FOR EMPLOYMENT
FOR THE POSITION OF 4. EDUCATION AND TRAINING
Job Title Job Number Circle highest level completed 9 10 11 12 GED College: 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Institutions of higher education, trade, vocational, or professional schools attended (other than high school):
1. INSTRUCTIONS School Dates Attended Major/Concentration Degree/Certificate
Print in dark ink or type

Name: Last, First, Middle Initial

Applicants failing to complete all sections of this form will be disqualified from consideration for positions

2. NAME, ADDRESS AND TELEPHONE

Name: Last, First, Middle Initial Area Telephone Number
Code
Home ( )
Address: Number, Street, Apartment or Space Number 5. SKILLS, LICENSES, AND CERTIFICATES
Work ( )
City, State, Zip Code Message ( ) Please list all skills related to this position. For licenses and certificates, list the type, class, state, level
and expiration date.
Ask for

3. EMPLOYMENT HISTORY
Please show all employment within the last ten years plus other related experience. Include military or volunteer experience. Begin with your current employer.
A resume may be attached, but will not be accepted in lieu of completion of any section of this form. 6. GENERAL INFORMATION
Firm Name (Department) From: Mo/Yr Title

Street To: Mo/Yr Duties 1. Have you ever been employed under any other name? No Yes
If yes, please indicate name(s):
City, State, Zip Code Total: Yrs & Mos

Job Title:
(This information will be used to facilitate verification of work records.)
Telephone (include area code) Starting salary
2. May we contact your current employer? Yes No Previous employers? Yes No
Supervisor's Name Final Salary
3. Please describe in detail how your experience, knowledge, and abilities qualify you for this position.
Supervisor's Title Hrs Worked per Week Reason for Wanting to Leave

Firm Name (Department) From: Mo/Yr Title

Street To: Mo/Yr Duties

City, State, Zip Code Total: Yrs & Mos

Telephone (include area code) Starting salary 4. Check all appropiate boxes which indicate your interest:
Full-Time Part-Time Permanent Temporary
Supervisor's Name Final Salary

5. How soon are you available for employment?

Supervisor's Title Hrs Worked per Week Reason for Wanting to Leave

Firm Name (Department) From: Mo/Yr Title

7. CLERICAL AND SECRETARIAL APPLICANTS ONLY
Street To: Mo/Yr Duties
Indicate which of the following you are skilled in using:
Job Number:

City, State, Zip Code Total: Yrs & Mos Typewriter (cwpm) Shorthand (wpm) Wordprocessor Dictating machine

Telephone (include area code) Starting salary Other

Supervisor's Name Final Salary

Supervisor's Title Hrs Worked per Week Reason for Wanting to Leave

FIGURE 5.1
A Sample Application Form
99
100 CHAPTER 5 Methods for Assessing and Selecting Employees

REFERENCES AND LETTERS OF RECOMMENDATION

Two other sources of information used in employee screening and selection
are references and letters of recommendation. Historically, very little research
has examined their validity as selection tools (Muchinsky, 1979). Typically,
reference checks and letters of recommendation can provide four types of
information: (1) employment and educational history, (2) evaluations of the
applicant’s character, (3) evaluations of the applicant’s job performance, and
(4) recommender’s willingness to rehire the applicant (Cascio, 1987).
There are important reasons that references and letters of recommen-
dation may have limited importance in employee selection. First, because
applicants can usually choose their own sources for references and recom-
mendations, it is unlikely that they will supply the names of persons who will
give bad recommendations. Therefore, letters of recommendation tend to
be distorted in a very positive direction, so positive that they may be useless
in distinguishing among applicants. One interesting study found that both
longer reference letters and letters written by persons with more positive dis-
positions tended to be more favorably evaluated than either short letters or
those written by less “positive” authors (Judge & Higgins, 1998). In addition,
because of increased litigation against individuals and former employers who
provide negative recommendations, many companies are refusing to provide
any kind of reference for former employees except for job title and dates of
employment. Thus, some organizations are simply foregoing the use of refer-
ence checks and letters of recommendation.
Letters of recommendation are still widely used, however, in applications
to graduate schools and in certain professional positions. One study examined
the use of reference letters by academics and personnel professionals in selec-
tion. As expected, letters of reference are used more frequently for selection of
graduate students than for selection of employees, although both groups did
not rely heavily on reference letters, primarily because most letters tend to be so
positively inflated that they are considered somewhat useless in distinguishing
among applicants (Nicklin & Roch, 2009).
In many graduate programs steps have been taken to improve the effective-
ness of these letters as a screening and selection tool by including forms that
ask the recommender to rate the applicant on a variety of dimensions, such as
academic ability, motivation/drive, oral and written communication skills, and
initiative. These rating forms often use graphic rating scales to help quantify
the recommendation for comparison with other applicants. They also attempt
to improve the accuracy of the reference by protecting the recommender from
possible retaliation by having the applicants waive their rights to see the letter
of reference.
The use of background checks for past criminal activity has been on the rise,
and has fueled an industry for companies providing this service. Although more
common for applicants for positions in law enforcement, jobs working with
children and other vulnerable populations, and positions in government agen-
cies, many companies are routinely conducting background checks on most
or all candidates for jobs before hire, in an attempt to protect employers from
 Employee Screening and Assessment 101

litigation (Blumstein & Nakamura, 2009). Interestingly, although background

checks are becoming commonplace, there has been very little research
examining the impact on organizations.

EMPLOYMENT TESTING
After the evaluation of the biographical information available from resumes,
application forms, or other sources, the next step in comprehensive employee
screening programs is employment testing. As we saw in Chapter 1, the his-
tory of personnel testing in I/O psychology goes back to World War I, when
intelligence testing of armed forces recruits was used for employee placement.
Today, the use of tests for employment screening and placement has expanded
greatly. A considerable percentage of large companies and most government
agencies routinely use some form of employment tests to measure a wide range
of characteristics that are predictive of successful job performance. For exam-
ple, some tests measure specific skills or abilities required by a job, whereas oth-
ers assess more general cognitive skills as a means of determining if one has the
aptitude believed to be needed for the successful performance of a certain job.
Still other tests measure personality dimensions that are believed to be impor-
tant for particular occupations. Before we discuss specific types of screening
tests, however, it is important to consider some issues and guidelines for the
development and use of tests and other screening methods.

CONSIDERATIONS IN THE DEVELOPMENT AND USE

OF PERSONNEL SCREENING AND TESTING METHODS
Any type of measurement instrument used in industrial/organizational psychol-
ogy, including those used in employee screening and selection, must meet certain
measurement standards. Two critically important concepts in measurement (that
were introduced in Chapter 2) are reliability and validity. Reliability refers to the reliability
stability of a measure over time or the consistency of the measure. For example, the consistency of a
if we administer a test to a job applicant, we would expect to get essentially the measurement instru-
ment or its stability
same score on the test if it is taken at two different points of time (and the appli- over time
cant did not do anything to improve test performance in between). Reliability
also refers to the agreement between two or more assessments made of the same
event or behavior, such as when two interviewers independently evaluate the
appropriateness of a job candidate for a particular position. In other words, a
measurement process is said to possess “reliability” if we can “rely” on the scores
or measurements to be stable, consistent, and free of random error.
A variety of methods are used for estimating the reliability of a screening test–retest reliability
instrument. One method is called test–retest reliability. Here, a particular test a method of determin-
or other measurement instrument is administered to the same individual at two ing the stability of a
different times, usually involving a one- to two-week interval between testing measurement instru-
ment by administering
sessions. Scores on the first test are then correlated with those on the second the same measure to
test. If the correlation is high (a correlation coefficient approaching +1.0), the same people at two
evidence of reliability (at least stability over time) is empirically established. Of different times and
course, the assumption is made that nothing has happened during the adminis- then correlating the
tration of the two tests that would cause the scores to change drastically. scores