Testing...Why Bother?

Testing for Selection

Presented by:William (Chip) Valutis, PhD

When would business organizations benefit

from the use of testing?

Scenario:

You’re having trouble hiring good help.

You’ve dabbled in some testing but it hasn’t

made your problems go away.

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Engage in a job description process.

Specify what qualities are needed in successful applicants.

Seek valid ways to assess those qualities.

Use multiple methods to help evaluate candidate/job match (tests are one tool).

If unsure about legal parameters and test usage, seek consultation.

Solution: Assess Applicants During Selection Process

As much as 40% of applicants lie about work history and educational background on resumes

About 20% of applicants present false credentials and licenses during the interview process

Replacing a full-time, private sector employee costs at least 25% of their total annual salary

About 90% of behaviors are explained by factors that cannot be easily observed on the surface

Some Statistics...

Too many companies rely on an interview to predict an applicant’s job performance

An unstructured interview does not ensure the most qualified person gets the job

Inherent Flaws in Traditional Selection Process

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Many studies have shown that the validity of choosing candidates by only using an unstructured interview process is about the same as simply picking someone at random

Interviews are rarely done consistently from interviewer to interviewer or candidate to candidate

Inherent Flaws in Traditional Selection Process

Cannot believe everything written in a resume or said in an interview. Candidates will always try to present themselves in a favorable light and may even lie to get the position

A well-structured behavioral interview can be effective, but will not measure personality factors or a willingness to do the work

Inherent Flaws in Traditional Selection Process

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Research has shown three main personality traits that relate to high performance in almost all jobs:

Conscientiousness

Extroversion

Low neuroticism

Personality tests are able to assess applicants on those and many more dimensions

How Testing Can help

Cost Saving: Save by hiring the right person the first time

Time Savings: Screen out unsuitable candidates earlier in the process in order to focus time on more suitable candidates

Ensures Objectivity: Assessments offer greater objectivity, reliability and validity than interviews

Predicts behavior: Assessments have the potential to predict future behavior which may impact the job

How Testing Can help

Assessments can provide consistent, in-depth objective information about candidates’:

Fit with organizational culture, job, manager and team

Knowledge, skills and developmental needs

Preferred learning and communication style

Response to conflict, stress and frustration

How Testing Can help

Better evaluate prospective employees or current employees being considered for promotion or redeployment

Highlight areas into which a manager should probe during the interview

Identify “high-potential” candidates and place them on specialized career tracks

How Testing Can help

High reliability and validity

Tests that meet all EEO laws

Job related

Accuracy

Testing - What to Look For

The extent to which a test/measure yields the same results on repeated trials.

Equivalency Reliability: two items measure identical concepts at an identical level of difficulty.

Test:Retest Reliability: the agreement over time.

Inter-rater Reliability: two or more individuals agree.

Reliability

The degree to which a tool accurately reflects or assesses the specific concept that the developer is attempting to measure.

Face Validity: Appearance - what’s it “look” like?

Criterion Validity: Demonstrated accuracy by comparing it to another proven measure

Construct Validity: Seeks agreement between a theoretical concept and specific measure (ex. Must define “intelligence” before measuring it)

Content Validity: The degree to which a measure reflects the specific intended domain - “are you measuring what you say you are measuring”

Validity

Must not cause an adverse impact

“4/5ths rule” - Compare hiring rates for different groups; if selection rate for a protected group (race, ethnic origin, sex, etc.) is less than 4/5ths of that for the group with highest selection rate, procedure is considered discriminatory

Must adhere to employment provisions of ADA

Compliance with EEO Laws

Known and unknown variables

Requirements/Fit for the job

Strength and Applicability of the tool(s)

Accuracy

Test questions which are overly personal, or non-related to the job

“Quick-hit” assessments that claim to analyze the value of an individual with a “10 minute online test”

Testing - What to Look Out For

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Conduct a job analysis to understand what skills, competencies and knowledge are needed for the job

Learn about different assessments and what assessments measure the competencies needed

Feel free to contact us to learn more about the different assessments offered and how they may benefit your organization

Suggestions to Start

Be sure to check out the rest of this series here:

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