Recruitment 4.

Blind box Recruitment ads

attracting people with the right qualifications that instruct applicants to send their résumé
(as determined in the job analysis) to apply to a box at the newspaper; neither the name
for the job. The process of attracting nor the address of the company is provided.
employees to an organization.

External recruitment (Applicants are asked to respond by

Recruiting employees from outside the calling when an organization wants to
organization. either quickly screen applicants or hear an
applicant’s phone voice (e.g., for
Internal recruitment telemarketing or receptionist positions).
Recruiting employees already employed by Organizations use apply-in-person ads
the organization. when they don’t want their phones tied up
by applicants calling (e.g., a travel agency
Although most of our discussion will focus or pizza delivery restaurant), want the
on recruiting new employees to the applicants to fill out a specific job
organization (external recruitment), it is application, or want to get a physical look at
important to understand that many jobs are the applicant. Applicants are asked to send
filled by transferring or promoting someone a résumé directly to the company
from within the organization (internal (send-résumé ads) when the organization
recruitment). expects a large response and does not
have the resources to speak with thousands
1. Respond by calling of applicants.) The fourth type of ad, Blind
Recruitment ads in which applicants are box ads are used when companies want to
instructed to call rather than apply in person keep their identity confidential in job
or send résumés. “I saw your help wanted postings. This is done to avoid receiving too
ads in the local newspaper and would like to many irrelevant applications, to prevent
get more information.” potential bias against the company's name,
and in rare cases, to discreetly replace an
2. Apply-in-person ads employee without alerting them.)
Recruitment ads that instruct applicants to
apply in person rather than to call or send Writing recruitment ads
résumés. Ads containing realistic information about
the job, rather than information that is “too
3. Send-résumé ads good to be true,” increase applicant
Recruitment ads in which applicants are attraction to the organization.
instructed to send their résumé to the
company rather than call or apply in person. Making fun of the job openings, C. Rinker
Send-Résumé Ads Always Include A Paving, a Virginia asphalt company, ran a
Cover Letter, type the envelope if possible. help-wanted advertisement asking for
applicants who “have hair short enough to
see and hear, are able to gulp down a
sandwich in 30 minutes and be able to work
at least 30 minutes without going to the Recruiters: Campus Recruiters
restroom or drinking something, andhave Many organizations send recruiters to
nose and earrings light enough not to college campuses to answer questions
interfere with their work.” - may increase the about themselves and interview students for
recruitment yield from help-wanted ads. available positions. Not surprisingly, the
behavior and attitude of recruiters can
Electronic Media greatly influence applicants’ decisions to
Television and radio are powerful tools for accept jobs that are offered.
recruiting employees. For example,
McDonald's uses TV ads to show that it's (Because of cost concerns, many
a great place for retirees to work part-time. employers have reduced on-campus
This not only attracts job applicants but also recruiting efforts. As a result, more
improves their public image. Similarly, the colleges are hosting virtual job fairs where
military has used TV ads like "Be all that students and alumni can connect with
you can be" to recruit soldiers. - The recruiters from numerous organizations
advantage of using electronic media for online. In these virtual events, applicants
recruitment is that many people watch TV can chat or message with recruiters, gather
and listen to the radio every day. This information about the company, and submit
means ads can reach a wide audience. their resumes.)

Point-of-Purchase Methods Virtual job fair

are like the ads you see while shopping. A job fair held on campus in which students
Just like you might see displays for potato can “tour” a company online, ask questions
chips or cookies in a grocery store, of recruiters, and electronically send
businesses post job vacancy notices where résumés.
customers or current employees are likely to
see them, like on store windows, bulletin Executive search firms
boards, or even restaurant placemats. Employment Agencies, often also called
(The advantage of this method is that it's headhunters, that specialize in placing
inexpensive and targets people who already applicants in high-paying jobs.
visit the business. For example, Cabela's, a
hunting and fishing goods retailer, recruits (Many organizations utilize external
from its customer base because they recruiting sources like private employment
already have the knowledge and interest in agencies, public employment agencies, and
those areas. Plus, they offer perks like executive search firms. Private
product discounts to attract avid hunters employment agencies and executive
and fishermen.) - These methods are clever search firms aim to generate profits from
ways to reach potential employees where their recruitment services, while public
they already are, and they often come at employment agencies are run by state and
minimal cost to the company. local government agencies and operate on
a nonprofit basis.)
Executive Search Firms: Public employment agency
(Executive search firms, also known as An employment service operated by a state
"headhunters," specialize in recruiting for or local government, designed to match
higher-paying, non-entry-level positions like applicants with job openings.
executives, engineers, and computer
programmers. Unlike employment agencies, (Organizations often depend on public
executive search firms focus on filling employment agencies for hiring laborers
top-level roles.) Second, reputable and clerical staff. These agencies have
executive search firms always charge simplified job hunting by installing kiosks in
their fees to organizations rather than to malls and public places. Job seekers can
applicants. Third, fees charged by use these kiosks to find local job openings
executive search firms tend to be about and apply. Employers dealing with many
30% of the applicant’s first-year salary. It's walk-in applicants are now using recruiting
important to be careful when working with kiosks, enabling applicants to search and
both employment agencies and executive apply for jobs electronically on the spot.) -
search firms. They make money by placing Public employment agencies often offer
applicants in jobs, so they may pressure candidates at no cost to employers.
applicants to accept offers. But applicants Additionally, they may provide government
shouldn't feel pressured to accept a job that programs to assist with covering training
doesn't seem right for them. expenses for hired candidates.

Employee referral
Employment agency A method of recruitment in which a current
An organization that specializes in finding employee refers a friend or family member
jobs for applicants and finding applicants for for a job.
organizations looking for employees.
(Social media platforms like LinkedIn,
(They can charge either the company or the Twitter, and Facebook have made it easier
job seeker when a job is found. If the to make referrals, contributing to an
agency charges the job seeker, it's like increase in their use. In fact, surveys show
paying a small fee to get a job. If the agency that employee referrals are rated as the
fails to find a suitable candidate, the most effective recruitment method by HR
organization hasn't wasted money but even professionals.) Some companies give
though it costs money, it can be worth it rewards to employees who refer successful
because being unemployed costs even job applicants, ranging from cash bonuses
more or lost income. However, there's a to vacations. On average, these bonuses
risk of getting a job that might not be the are usually less than $1,000, and the
best fit. (disadvantage of employment referring employee usually gets the bonus
angency) Overall, using an employment after the new hire stays with the company
agency can still be helpful or advantageous for three months.
for both job seekers and companies,
especially when they need extra help finding
or filling positions.)
Direct mail Job boards
A method of recruitment in which an are online platforms where companies
organization sends out mass mailings of list job openings and applicants submit
information about job openings to potential resumes. They're preferred over
applicants. newspaper ads for their cost-effectiveness
(Direct mail recruitment involves and wider reach. Popular job boards include
organizations sending help-wanted letters or Indeed, CareerBuilder, Monster, and
brochures through the mail to potential job SimplyHired.
candidates. Despite being an "old school"
method, it remains effective, especially for (One major advantage is cost-efficiency;
reaching passive job seekers who may advertising on job boards is typically
not be actively looking for work.) much cheaper than in newspapers.) 24/7

Internet (studies suggest that internet sources

The Internet continues to be a fast-growing generate more applications, and the
source of recruitment. Internet recruiting quality of applicants from job boards is
efforts usually take one of three forms: comparable to other recruitment methods,
employer-based websites, job boards, such as newspaper ads and career fairs.)
and social networking sites.

Job Fair
Employer-based websites A recruitment method in which several
serve as a platform for organizations to list employers are available at one location so
job openings and provide information about that many applicants can obtain
their company and job requirements. information at one time.
Applicants can upload resumes, complete
screening questions and tests, and
schedule interviews electronically. When traditional recruitment methods
fail, organizations often turn to
(Some organizations use blogs and nontraditional populations for potential
YouTube videos to expand their web applicants.
recruitment efforts. Blogging allows (Many organizations have found success in
recruiters to discuss career opportunities hiring welfare recipients and ex-convicts,
and corporate culture informally, while organizing job fairs specifically for these
recruiting videos on YouTube provide populations. Some companies, such as Cub
information and insight into the company's Foods in Illinois and Habitat International in
culture.) Tennessee, actively employ individuals with
disabilities, providing them with
opportunities for meaningful work.
Moreover, trucking companies address
driver shortages by recruiting married
couples as team drivers, offering enhanced
trucks with larger sleeping berths and
appliances.)
Recruiters often focus on attracting Employment interview
"passive" applicants: A method of selecting employees in which
who are not actively seeking employment. an interviewer asks questions of an
One strategy involves building relationships applicant and then makes an employment
with professional associations relevant to decision based on the answers to the
the fields they recruit from, such as SIOP for questions as well as the way in which the
I/O psychologists or SHRM for HR questions were answered.
professionals. By attending conferences,
reading newsletters, and engaging with Structured interviews
association platforms, recruiters can identify Interviews in which questions are based on
top talent and approach them about a job analysis, every applicant is asked the
potential job opportunities. This method same questions, and there is a standardized
allows companies to tap into a pool of scoring system so that identical answers are
skilled individuals who may not be actively given identical scores.
looking for work.
Unstructured interview
Cost per applicant An interview in which applicants are not
The amount of money spent on a asked the same questions and in which
recruitment campaign divided by the there is no standard scoring system to score
number of people that subsequently apply applicant answers.
for jobs as a result of the recruitment
campaign. Interview styles
vary based on the number of people
Cost per qualified applicant involved and the medium used. One-on-one
The amount of money spent on a interviews involve a single interviewer
recruitment campaign divided by the meeting with one applicant, while panel
number of qualified people that interviews feature multiple interviewers
subsequently apply for jobs as a result of questioning one applicant simultaneously.
the recruitment campaign. Return interviews are similar to serial
interviews but with a time gap between
Realistic job preview (RJP) them. Face-to-face interviews offer
A method of recruitment in which job personal interaction, while telephone
applicants are told both the positive and the interviews lack visual cues but are useful
negative aspects of a job. for screening. Videoconference interviews
provide remote communication, while
Expectation-lowering procedure (ELP) written interviews involve answering
A form of RJP that lowers an applicant’s questions via mail or email.
expectations about the various aspects of
the job. (Both RJPs and ELPs aim to
provide applicants with a clear
understanding of the job and organizational
expectations, ultimately contributing to
better recruitment outcomes.)
The unstructured interview often fails to Interviewer-interviewee similarity
predict future employee performance due to plays a role in interview outcomes, with
factors like poor intuitive ability, lack of research suggesting that similarity in
job relevance, primacy effects, contrast personality, attitude, gender, or race can
effects, negative-information bias, lead to higher interview scores.
interviewer-interviewee similarity,
interviewee appearance, and nonverbal Interviewee Appearance
cues. physically attractive and professionally
dressed applicants tend to receive higher
Poor intuitive ability in interviewers often interview scores, while obese applicants are
leads to inaccurate hiring decisions, as often rated lower and may face challenges
research indicates that human intuition is in securing employment. Appearance
unreliable in predicting future employee biases can impact hiring decisions
success or detecting deception. Contrary to significantly.
common belief, there are no individual
differences in interviewers' predictive Nonverbal cues, such as appropriate eye
abilities. contact and smiling, significantly impact
interview scores.
Lack of job relatedness is another issue,
with many interview questions being Nonverbal communication
unrelated to the specific job and lacking Factors such as eye contact and posture
empirical evidence of their effectiveness in that are not associated with actual words
predicting performance. Additionally, some spoken.
questions asked by interviewers are illegal
and not job-related, further undermining the Types of Structured Interview Questions:
validity of the interview process.
Clarifier
Primacy effect A type of structured interview question that
The fact that information presented early in clarifies information on the résumé or
an interview carries more weight than application.
information presented later.
Disqualifier
Contrast effect A type of structured interview question in
When the performance of one applicant which a wrong answer will disqualify the
affects the perception of the performance of applicant from further consideration.
the next applicant.
Skill-level determiner
Negative-information bias A type of structured-interview question
The fact that negative information receives designed to tap an applicant’s knowledge or
more weight in an employment decision skill.
than does positive information.
Future-focused question answers to any question is probably
A type of structured interview question in finite, it might be a good idea at this
which applicants are given a situation and stage to brainstorm all possible answers
asked how they would handle it. to a question and then benchmark each
of the answers.)
Situational question
A structured-interview technique in which
applicants are presented with a series of Key-issues approach
situations and asked how they would handle A method of scoring interview answers that
each one. provides points for each part of an answer
that matches the scoring key. (A problem
Past-focused question with the typical-answer approach is that
A type of structured-interview question that there are many possible answers to a
taps an applicant’s experience. question, and applicants often provide
answers that could fit parts of several
Patterned-behavior description interview different benchmarks. To correct this
(PBDI) problem, the key-issues approach can be
A structured interview in which the used. In this approach, SMEs create a
questions focus on behavior in previous list of key issues they think should be
jobs. included in the perfect answer. )

Organizational-fit questions Cover letter

A type of structured-interview question that A letter that accompanies a résumé or job
taps how well an applicant’s personality and application
values will fit with the organizational culture.
(Cover letters tell an employer that you are
Typical-answer approach enclosing your résumé and would like to
A method of scoring interview answers that apply for a job. Cover letters should never
compares an applicant's answers with be longer than one page.)
benchmark answers. (A typical-answer
approach is to create a list of all possible Salutation
answers to each question, have Address the recipient by name if possible. If
subject-matter experts (SMEs) rate the not, use "Dear Human Resource Director"
favorableness of each answer, and then or similar.
use these ratings to serve as
benchmarks for each point on a Paragraphs:
five-point scale.) Opening: Briefly mention enclosed resume,
job title applied for, and how you found out
Benchmark answers about the job.
Standard answers to interview questions, Qualifications: Highlight three reasons why
the quality of which has been agreed on by you're qualified for the job, avoiding
job experts. (benchmark answers will repetition of resume details.
greatly increase the scoring reliability. Interest: Express your interest in the
Because the number of possible company and why you're drawn to it.
Closing: End with a courteous sign-off and traditional, unstructured interview isn’t
provide contact information. valid, because of such factors as lack of
job relatedness, poor interviewer
Signature intuition, contrast effects, negative
Use words like "cordially" or "sincerely" information bias, use of nonverbal cues,
above your signature, and personally sign interviewer-interviewee similarity, and
each letter. Include typed name, address, primacy effects. The structured interview is
and phone number below the signature. a valid predictor of employee performance
because it is based on a job analysis, all
Résumé applicants are asked the same questions,
A formal summary of an applicant’s and applicant answers are scored with a
professional and educational background. standardized scoring procedure. To perform
well when being interviewed, you need to be
Types of Résumé: on time, learn about the company, dress
neatly, and use appropriate nonverbal
1. Chronological résumé behavior. There are three main types of
A résumé in which jobs are listed in order résumé: functional, chronological, and
from most to least recent. psychological.

2. Functional résumé Chapter 2

A résumé format in which jobs are grouped
by function rather than listed in order by Reference Check
date. The Process of confirming the accuracy of
résumé and job application information.
3. Psychological résumé
A résumé style that takes advantage of Reference
psychological principles pertaining to The expression of an opinion, either orally
memory organization and impression or through a written checklist, regarding an
formation. applicant’s ability, previous performance,
work habits, character, or potential for future
Averaging versus adding model success.
A model proposed by Anderson that
postulates that our impressions are based Letter of recommendation
more on the average value of each A letter expressing an opinion regarding an
impression than on the sum of the values applicant’s ability, previous performance,
for each impression. work habits, character, or potential for
success.
Chapter Summary
In this chapter you learned: Employees Résumé fraud
can be recruited by a variety of methods, The intentional placement of untrue
including help-wanted advertisements, information on a résumé
employee referrals, employment
agencies, the Internet, point-of-purchase
methods, direct mail, and job fairs. The
Negligent Hiring Negligent reference
A situation in which an employee with a An organization’s failure to meet its legal
previous criminal record commits a crime as duty to supply relevant information to a
part of his/her employment. prospective employer about a former
employee’s potential for legal trouble.
(reason to check references or obtain letters
of recommendation is to determine whether
the applicant has a history of such discipline (The attitudes of coworkers towards an
problems as poor attendance, sexual employee can heavily influence the
harassment, and violence. Such a history references they provide. In situations
is important for an organization to where co-workers generally have
discover to avoid future problems as positive feelings about the applicant,
well as to protect itself from a potential references are likely to be positive.)
charge of negligent hiring.)
(Despite these challenges, laws often
Validity coefficient protect reference providers as long as
The correlation between scores on a they provide truthful and reasonable
selection method (e.g., interview, cognitive evaluations. To encourage candidness,
ability test) and a measure of job applicants may waive their right to see the
performance (e.g., supervisor rating, reference letters, prompting more honest
absenteeism). assessments.)

Corrected validity (The issue with letters of

A term usually found with metaanalysis, recommendation is that the person writing
referring to a correlation coefficient that has the letter may lack sufficient knowledge
been corrected for predictor and criterion of the applicant or may have only
reliability and for range restriction. observed limited aspects of their
Corrected validity is sometimes called “true behavior.)
validity.”
(Letters of recommendation are often
Predicting Future Performance In influenced by extraneous factors that
psychology, a common belief is that the affect their writing and evaluation.
best predictor of future performance is Factors such as the method used by the
past performance. References and letters writer, the inclusion of specific examples,
of recommendation are ways to try to and the writer's affinity for the applicant can
predict future performance by looking at impact how positively the letter is perceived.
past performance. Implementing a structured reference check
approach, aligned with a job analysis, can
Leniency bias is when references tend to improve predictability in evaluating
give overwhelmingly positive evaluations of applicants. While letters of recommendation
job candidates. This happens because may not be highly predictive of
candidates usually choose their own performance)
references, selecting individuals who will
offer favorable endorsements.
Reliability Predicting Performance Using Applicant
The extent to which a score from a test or Knowledge:
from an evaluation is consistent and free
from error. Job knowledge tests assess applicants'
understanding of job-specific tasks. They're
Ethical considerations arise in providing like college exams, given in multiple-choice,
references and letters of recommendation essay, or oral formats. They predict training
due to their subjective nature. To address and on-the-job performance well. (Used
these, Raynes (2005) suggests three primarily in the public sector, especially
ethical guidelines. Firstly, clarify your for promotions, job knowledge tests are
relationship with the applicant to avoid designed to measure how much a
conflicts of interest or misleading person knows about a job.)
information. Secondly, honesty is
paramount in providing relevant details Job knowledge test
about the applicant, guided by what A test that measures the amount of
information the reference seeker needs. job-related knowledge an applicant
Balancing disclosure without unfairly possesses.
prejudicing the applicant can be
challenging. Lastly, allowing the applicant to Predicting Performance Using Applicant
review and decline the reference mitigates Ability:
liability and ensures fairness. However, this
may lead to uncomfortable conversations Ability tests measure an applicant's
regarding negative references. capacity to learn or perform job-related
tasks. They're used for roles where
Predicting Performance Using Applicant applicants are expected to acquire job skills
Training and Education: on the job. Examples include cognitive
ability for grasping legal knowledge,
Education and training are crucial psychomotor ability for typing or
factors in predicting job performance. assembling, perceptual ability for
Studies show that employees with higher distinguishing details, and physical
levels of education tend to perform better, ability for tasks like firefighting.
show more positive behaviors at work, and
have lower rates of absenteeism and Cognitive ability
substance abuse. Similarly, a strong GPA is Abilities involving the knowledge and use of
linked to better job performance, training information such as math and grammar.
outcomes, promotions, and salary.
Cognitive ability test
Tests designed to measure the level of
intelligence or the amount of knowledge
possessed by an applicant.
Wonderlic Personnel Test common methods for doing this are the
The cognitive ability test that is most work sample and the assessment center.
commonly used in industry.
Work samples involve applicants
(The Wonderlic Personnel Test is a completing real job tasks, like fixing a torn
popular cognitive ability test due to its fan belt for an automotive mechanic or
short duration (12 minutes) and group typing a letter for a secretary. They offer
administration capability) excellent content and criterion validity,
predicting actual work performance well.
Perceptual ability
Measure of facility with such processes as Assessment center
spatial relations and form perception. A method of selecting employees
inwhichapplicantsparticipatein several
Perceptual ability encompasses various job-related activities, at least one of which
skills including vision (near, far, night, must be a simulation, and are rated by
peripheral), color discrimination, depth several trained evaluators.
perception, glare sensitivity, speech (clarity,
recognition), and hearing (sensitivity, (An assessment center is a selection
auditory attention, sound localization). technique characterized by the use of
These abilities are valuable in occupations multiple assessment methods that allow
such as machinist, cabinet maker, die setter, multiple assessors to actually observe
and tool and die maker. applicants perform simulated job tasks)

Psychomotor ability In-basket technique An assessment center

Measure of facility with such processes as exercise designed to simulate the types of
finger dexterity and motor coordination. information that daily come across a
manager’s or employee's desk inorder to
Physical ability tests observe the applicant’s responses to such
Tests that measure an applicant’s level of information.
physical ability required for a job.
(During assessment, job-related paperwork
Job Relatedness Though few people would is placed in the basket, and the applicant
disagree that it is better for a police officer responds to each item as if they were on the
to be strong and fit than weak and out of job. For example, they might handle a
shape, many argue whether it is necessary phone message from an employee with car
to be physically fit. trouble or a missing expense voucher.
Assessors observe and score the applicant
Predicting Performance Using Applicant based on decision quality, execution, and
Skill: how they prioritize tasks. Research
Rather than measuring an applicant’s suggests moderate support for its reliability
current knowledge or potential to perform a and validity.)
job (ability), some selection techniques
measure the extent to which an applicant
already has a job-related skill. The two most
Simulation An exercise designed to place File approach The gathering of biodata
an applicant in a situation that is similar to from employee files rather than by
the one that will be encountered on the job. questionnaire.

Business game An exercise, usually found Questionnaire approach The method of

in assessment centers, that is designed to obtaining data from questionnaires rather
simulate the business and marketing than from employee files.
activities that take place in an organization.
Criterion group Division of employees into
( exercises that allow the applicant to groups based on high and low scores on a
demonstrate such attributes as creativity, particular criterion.
decision making, and ability to work with
others. A business game in one assessment Vertical percentage method
center placed computer programming For scoring biodata in which the percentage
applicants into small groups and asked of unsuccessful employees responding in a
them to develop a proposal for a new particular way is subtracted from the
iPhone application.) percentage of successful employees
responding in the same way.

Predicting performance based on prior Derivation sample

experience: A group of employees who were used in
creating the initial weights for a biodata
often involves evaluating experience ratings instrument.
from application materials or résumés, as
well as using biodata. While interviews and Hold-out sample
reference checks are commonly used A group of employees who are not used in
methods, we'll focus on experience ratings creating the initial weights for a biodata
and biodata in this discussion. instrument but instead are used to
double-check the accuracy of the initial
Biodata weights.
A method of selection involving application
blanks that contain questions that research Personality inventory
has shown will predict job performance. A psychological assessment designed to
measure various aspects of an applicant’s
(Criticisms of Biodata Even though biodata personality.
does a good job of predicting future
employee behavior, it has been criticized on Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
two major points. The first holds that the Inventory-2 (MMPI-2) The most widely
validity of biodata may not be stable—that used objective test of psychopathology
is, its ability to predict employee behavior
decreases with time.) “Big Five” or the five-factor model, these
dimensions are
1. openness to experience (bright,
inquisitive);
 2. conscientiousness (reliable, The process of helping an individual
dependable); choose and prepare for the most
3. extraversion (outgoing, friendly); suitable career.
4. agreeableness (works well with
others, a team player); and
5. emotional stability (not anxious, Integrity test
tense). Also called an honesty test;
psychological test designed to predict
Projective tests an applicant’s tendency to steal.
A subjective test in which a subject is
asked to perform relatively unstructured Polygraph
tasks, such as drawing pictures, and in An electronic test intended to determine
which a psychologist analyzes his or her honesty by measuring an individual’s
responses. physiological changes after being asked
questions.
Rorschach Inkblot Test
A projective personality test. Voice stress analyzer
An electronic test to determine honesty
Thematic Apperception Test (TAT) A by measuring an individual’s voice
projective personality test in which changes after being asked questions.
test-takers are shown pictures and
asked to tell stories. It is designed to Overt integrity test
measure various need levels. A type of honesty test that asks
questions about applicants’ attitudes
Objective tests toward theft and their previous theft
A type of personality test that is history.
structured to limit the respondent to a
few answers that will be scored by Personality-based integrity test
standardized keys. A type of honesty test that measures
personality traits thought to be related
Interest inventory to antisocial behavior
A psychological test designed to identify
vocational areas in which an individual Shrinkage
might be interested. The amount of goods lost by an
organization as a result of theft,
Strong Interest Inventory (SII) breakage, or other loss.
A popular interest inventory used to help
people choose careers.
Vocational counseling
Conditional reasoning test A method of controlling for order effects by
Test designed to reduce faking by giving half of a sample Test A first, followed
asking test-takers to select the reason by Test B, and giving the other half of the
sample Test B first, followed by Test A.
that best explains a statement.
Form stability The extent to which the
scores on two forms of a test are similar.
Graphology
Also called handwriting analysis, a Item homogeneity
method of measuring personality by The extent to which test items measure the
looking at the way in which a person same construct.
writes.
Kuder-Richardson Formula 20 (K-R 20)
A statistic used to determine internal
Drug testing reliability of tests that use items with
Tests that indicate whether an applicant dichotomous answers (yes/no, true/false).
has recently used a drug.
Split-half method A form of internal
reliability in which the consistency of item
Rejection letter responses is determined by comparing
A letter from an organization to an applicant scores on half of the items with scores on
informing the applicant that he or she will the other half of the items.
not receive a job offer.
Spearman-Brown prophecy formula
Characteristics of Effective Selection Used to correct reliability coefficients
Techniques: resulting from the split-half method.

Reliability Coefficient alpha A statistic used to

The extent to which a score from a test or determine internal reliability of tests that use
from an evaluation is consistent and free interval or ratio scales.
from error.
Scorer reliability
Test-retest reliability The extent to which two people scoring a
The extent to which repeated administration test agree on the test score, or the extent to
of the same test will achieve similar results. which a test is scored correctly.

Temporal stability Validity The degree to which inferences

The consistency of test scores across time. from test scores are justified by the
evidence.
Alternate-forms reliability
The extent to which two forms of the same Content validity The extent to which tests
test are similar. or test items samplethecontentthattheyare
supposed to measure.
Counterbalancing
Criterion validity The extent to which a test
score is related to some measure of job
performance. Barnum statements, such as those used in
Criterion A measure of job performance, astrological forecasts, that are so general
such as attendance, productivity,or that they can be true of almost anyone.
supervisor rating.
Mental Measurements Yearbook (MMY) A
Concurrent validity A form of criterion book containing information about the
validity that correlates test scores with reliability and validity of various
measures of job performance for employees psychological tests.
currently working for an organization.
Computer-adaptive testing (CAT) A type
Predictive validity A form of criterion of test taken on a computer in which the
validity in which test scores of applicants computer adapts the difficulty level of
are compared at a later date with a measure questions asked to the test taker’s success
of job performance. in answering previous questions.

Restricted range A narrow range of Establishing the Usefulness of a

performance score that makes it difficult to Selection Device:
obtain a significant validity coefficient.
Taylor-Russell tables A series of tables
Validity generalization (VG) The extent to based on the selection ratio, base rate, and
which inferences from test scores from one test validity that yield information about the
organization can be applied to another percentage of future employees who will be
organization. successful if a particular test is used.

Synthetic validity A form of validity Selection ratio The percentage of

generalization in which validity is inferred on applicants an organization hires.
the basis of a match between job
components and tests previously found Base rate Percentage of current employees
valid for those job components. who are considered successful.

Construct validity The extent to which a Proportion of correct decisions A utility

test actually measures the construct that it method that compares the percentage of
purports to measure. times a selection decision was accurate with
the percentage of successful employees.
Known-group validity A form of validity in
which test scores from two contrasting Lawshe tables Tables that use the base
groups “known” to differ on a construct are rate, test validity, and applicant percentile
compared. on a test to determine the probability of
future success for that applicant.
Face validity The extent to which a test
appears to be valid.
Utility formula Method of ascertaining the
extent to which organization will benefit from Compensatory approach A method of
the use of a particular selection system. making selection decisions in which a high
score on one test can compensate for a low
Tenure The length of time an employee has score on another test. For example, a high
been with an organization. GPA might compensate for a low GRE
score.
Determining the Fairness of a Test:
Rule of three A variation on top-down
Measurement bias Group differences in selection in which the names of the top
test scores that are unrelated to the three applicants are given to a hiring
construct being measured. authority who can then select any of the
three.
Adverse impact An employment practice
that results in members of a protected class Passing score The minimum test score
being negatively affected at a that an applicant must achieve to be
higherratethanmembersofthe majority class. considered for hire.
Adverse impact is usually determined by the
four fifths rule. Multiple-cutoff approach A selection
strategy in which applicants must meet or
Predictive bias A situation in which the exceed the passing score on more than one
predicted level of job success falsely favors selection test.
one group over another.
Multiple-hurdle approach Selection
Single-group validity The characteristic of practice of administering one test at a time
a test that significantly predicts a criterion so that applicants must pass that test before
for one class of people but not for another. being allowed to take the next test.

Differential validity The characteristic of a Banding A statistical technique based on

test that significantly predicts a criterion for the standard error of measurement that
two groups, such as both minorities and allows similar test scores to be grouped.
nonminorities, but predicts significantly
better for one of the two groups. Standard error of measurement (SEM)
The number of points that a test score could
Making the Hiring Decision: be off due to test unreliability.

Multiple regression A statistical procedure

in which the scores from more than one
criterion-valid test are weighted according to
how well each test score predicts the
criterion.

Top-down selection Selecting applicants in

straight rank order of their test scores.