EMPLOYEE TESTING

AND SELECTION
Prepared: JEAN B. DENADO, MBM
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
1. Explain what is meant by reliability and validity.
2. Explain how you would go about validating a test.
3. Cite and illustrate our testing guidelines.
4. Give examples of some of the ethical and legal
considerations in testing.
5. List eight tests you could use for employee selection,
and how you would use them.
6. Give two examples of work sample/simulation tests.
7. Explain the key points to remember in conducting
background investigations.
WHY CAREFUL SELECTION IS IMPORTANT
1. Performance
2. Cost
3. Legal Obligations
Person and Job/Organization Fit

Person-job fit refers to matching (1) the knowledge,

skills, abilities (KSAs), and competencies that are
central to performing the job (as determined by job
analysis) with
(2) the prospective employee s knowledge, skills,
abilities, and competencies. The aim is to achieve a
match.
BASIC TESTING CONCEPTS

1. 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.
2. Validity - tells you whether the test (or yardstick) is
measuring what you think it s supposed to be measuring.
Test validity answers the question Does this test measure what
it s supposed to measure? Put another way, validity refers to the correctness
of the inferences that we can make based on the test.

Criterion validity involves demonstrating statistically a relationship

between scores on a selection procedure and job performance of a sample
of workers.

Content validity is a demonstration that the content of a

selection procedure is representative of important aspects of performance
on the
job.

Construct validity means demonstrating that (1) a selection procedure

measures a construct (an abstract idea such as morale or honesty) and (2)
that the construct is important for successful job performance.
Evidence-Based HR: How to Validate a Test

The validation process consists of five steps:

1. Analyze the job
2. Choose the tests
3. Administer the test
4. Relate the test scores and criteria
5. Cross-validate and revalidate
expectancy chart
A graph showing the relationship between
test scores and job performance for a group
of people
WHO SCORES THE TEST

BIAS
1. there may be bias in how the test measures the trait it purports
to measure
2. the predictions one makes based on the test may be biased

UTILITY ANALYSIS
The information required for utility analysis generally includes, for
instance, the validity of the selection measure, a measure of job
performance in dollars, applicants average test scores, cost of
testing an applicant, and the number of applicants tested and
selected.
VALIDITY GENERALIZATION

Validity generalization refers to the degree to which

evidence of a measure’s validity obtained in one
situation can be generalized to another situation
without further study.
Test Takers Individual Rights and Test Security

Test takers have the following rights:

The right to the confidentiality of test results.
The right to informed consent regarding use of these
results.
The right to expect that only people qualified to interpret
the scores will have access to them, or that sufficient
information will accompany the scores to ensure their
appropriate interpretation.
The right to expect the test is fair to all.
TYPES OF TESTS
1. Tests of Cognitive Abilities
2. Tests of Motor and Physical Abilities
3. Measuring Personality and Interests
4. Achievement Tests
Tests of Cognitive Abilities

1. INTELLIGENCE TESTS (IQ) tests are tests of general

intellectual abilities.
They measure not a single trait but rather a range of
abilities, including memory, vocabulary, verbal
fluency, and numerical ability.
An adult s IQ score is a derived score.
It reflects the extent to which the person is above or
below the average adult s intelligence score.
2. SPECIFIC COGNITIVE ABILITIES

There are also measures of specific mental abilities,

such as deductive reasoning, verbal comprehension,
memory, and numerical ability.

Psychologists often call such tests aptitude tests,

since they purport to measure aptitude for the job in
question.
Tests of Motor and Physical Abilities
You might also want to measure motor abilities, such as
finger dexterity, manual dexterity, and (if hiring pilots)
reaction time.
The Crawford Small Parts Dexterity Test is an example. It
measures the speed and accuracy of simple judgment as
well as the speed of finger, hand, and arm movements.
Other tests include the Stromberg Dexterity Test, the
Minnesota Rate of Manipulation Test, and the Purdue Peg
Board.
Measuring Personality and Interests
A persons cognitive and physical abilities alone seldom
explain his or her job performance. Other factors, like
motivation and interpersonal skills, are very important.

WHAT DO PERSONALITY TESTS MEASURE?

Personality tests measure basic aspects of an applicant s

personality, such as introversion, stability, and motivation.
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.
WORK SAMPLES AND SIMULATIONS
1. Work sampling technique tries to predict job
performance by requiring job candidates to
perform one or more samples of the job’s tasks.

Advantages:
It measures actual job tasks, so it’s harder to fake answers.
Work sampling doesn’t delve into the applicant s personality, so
there s almost no chance of applicants viewing it as an invasion of
privacy.
Designed properly, work samples also exhibit better validity than
do other tests designed to predict performance.
2. Situational judgment tests are personnel tests
designed to assess an applicant’s judgment
regarding a situation encountered in the workplace.

3. A management assessment center is a 2- to 3-day

simulation in which 10 to 12 candidates perform realistic
management tasks (like making presentations) under
the observation of experts who appraise each
candidate’s leadership potential.
4. Situational tests require examinees to respond
to situations representative of the job.
5. The video-based simulation presents the
candidate with several online or PC-based video
situations, each followed by one or more multiple-
choice questions.
6. Miniature job training and evaluation means
training candidates to perform several of the job s
tasks, and then evaluating the candidates
performance prior to hire.
BACKGROUND INVESTIGATIONS AND OTHER
SELECTION METHODS

1. Performing background investigations and reference checks.

Commonly verified data include legal eligibility for employment (in

compliance with immigration laws), dates of prior employment, military
service (including discharge status), education, identification (including date
of birth and address to confirm identity), county criminal records (current
residence, last residence), motor vehicle record, credit, licensing verification,
Social Security number, and reference checks.
Some employers are checking executive candidates civil litigation records,
with the candidate’s prior approval.
How to Check a Candidate s Background

Most employers at least try to verify an applicant s current (or former)

position and salary with his or her current (or former) employer by
phone (assuming you cleared doing so with the candidate).

Others call the applicant s current and previous supervisors to try to

discover more about the person s motivation, technical competence,
and ability to work with others (although again, many employers have
policies against providing such information).
The Social Network: Checking Applicants Social
Postings

1. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, Tiktok

2. LinkedIn
3. Google
HR IN PRACTICE: MAKING THE BACKGROUND CHECK MORE
VALUABLE
1. Include on the application form a statement for applicants to sign
explicitly authorizing a background check.
2. (Since telephone references apparently produce assessments that are
more candid), it s probably best to rely on telephone references.
3. Persistence and attentiveness to potential red flags improves results.
4. Compare the application to the résumé; people tend to be more
imaginative on their résumés than on their application forms, where
they must certify the information.
5. Try to ask open-ended questions (such as, How much structure does
the applicant need in his/her work? ) in order to get the references to
talk more about the candidate.
6. Use the references offered by the applicant as a source for other
references.
CHECKING FOR HONESTY: WHAT YOU CAN DO
1. Ask blunt questions
2. Listen, rather than talk
3. Do a credit check
4. Check all employment and personal references
5. Use paper-and-pencil honesty tests and psychological
tests
6. Test for drugs
7. Establish a search-and-seizure policy and conduct
searches.
Graphology is the use of handwriting analysis to
determine the writer’s basic personality traits. Graphology
thus has some resemblance to projective personality tests,
although graphology’s validity is highly suspect.

Some employers are using so-called human lie detectors.

These are experts who may (or may not) be able to identify
lying just by watching candidates.
Physical Exams

There are several reasons for preemployment medical exams:

To verify that the applicant meets the positions physical
requirements,
To discover any medical limitations you should consider in
placing him or her, and to establish a baseline for future
insurance or workers compensation claims.
By identifying health problems, the examination can also
reduce absenteeism and accidents and, of course, detect
communicable diseases.
Substance Abuse Screening
Many employers conduct drug screenings. The most
common practice is to test candidates just before they
re formally hired.

Many also test current employees when there is reason

to believe the person has been using drugs after a
work accident, or in the presence of obvious behavioral
symptoms such as chronic lateness.