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Whether it's morning's bleary-eyed gaze hovering above the vanity; the crisp, confident pre-commute image from the hallway mirror; or the whimsical spirit floating across some storefront window, the surprising fact is that many of us hold our reflections unexcitingly familiar yet deeply personal.
Executive Network Group's (ENG's) February 17 meeting explored a different reflective facet when Wonderlic Vice President Tom Macfadden presented, "Personnel Assessment: Is there a science to selecting employees?"
Stating that pre-employment testing is simply a self-portrait, Macfadden assured ENG's membership that "there are no right or wrong answers."
As Macfadden calmly ticked off the reasons companies utilize pre-employment testing services, he reminded ENG members that testing plays only a supporting role to the larger cast of applicant selection criteria. Whether using so-called Cognitive, Integrity, Personality, or Knowledge testing, Macfadden declared that these statistically validated tools are merely one portion of the palette used to paint an objective portrait of the applicant or employee.
Macfadden urged ENG members to explore the Occupational Information Network's resources (developed for the U. S. Department of Labor by the National O*Net Consortium and available at http://online.onetcenter.org/), explaining that O*Net's data form the foundation for the services Wonderlic and similar firms offer.
Macfadden catalogued the incentives for both applicant and employee testing: · Finding the "best fit" candidate for a company's particular needs · Building effective, successful teams · Improving individual and team motivation, job satisfaction, and productivity
To conclude his presentation Macfadden used "business case" workshops to elicit ENG team assessments of two mock-candidates' test results.
Macfadden's contact information and presentation outline follow: Tom Macfadden, Vice President Voice: 847/247-2475 -- by R. T. Jones (3/2/2005) Agenda · Introduction to Personnel Assessment · Assessment Workshop & Discussion · Close
What kinds of things to tests measure in business? · Job Fit - Employers sometimes use certain tests to help judge an applicants suitability for a particular kind of job or level of responsibility in other words, to match persons to the jobs for which they are best suited. · Specific Aptitudes - Tests may also measure specific aptitudes such as cognitive ability, mechanical skills or sales abilities, or characteristics such as trustworthiness. · Training Needs - Tests are also used to determine the training needs of organizations, their departments or sections, and employees. · Job Knowledge - Test results can indicate whether individuals know how to do their jobs and which specific tasks need additional improvement. o Human resource departments can use this information to target training needs and implement interventions that support increased productivity. o Tests can also measure the effectiveness of training that has been conducted in the organization.
Guiding Principles · Optimizing the fit between individuals and specific occupations o All Occupations · Importance of identifying and understanding job requirements o Employer Specific Job Requirements · Measurement of individual attributes that are critical for job success o Key Abilities and Traits
Why do companies rely on tests? · Advantages over Interviews - Tests have several advantages over traditional interviews and other commonly used employee hiring and placement procedures. · Even-handed - Tests are even-handed; they ask the same questions of everyone and measure everyone the same way. · Time efficient - Tests typically require less time than interviews, so they are more efficient in obtaining job-related information. · Fair and Unbiased - Appropriate tests have been carefully screened to be fair and unbiased and not to ask for improper information. · Standards - Tests allow the persons answers to be compared with hundreds or even thousands of other peoples answers to the same question under the same standard conditions. · Research-based - Finally, the decisions made from test results are based on research studies that prove their accuracy and effectiveness. · Effective - They are proven to predict actual job success. · Advantages over Interviews - Tests have several advantages over traditional interviews and other commonly used employee hiring and placement procedures. · Even-handed - Tests are even-handed; they ask the same questions of everyone and measure everyone the same way. · Time efficient - Tests typically require less time than interviews, so they are more efficient in obtaining job-related information. · Fair and Unbiased - Appropriate tests have been carefully screened to be fair and unbiased and not to ask for improper information. · Standards - Tests allow the persons answers to be compared with hundreds or even thousands of other peoples answers to the same question under the same standard conditions. · Research-based - Finally, the decisions made from test results are based on research studies that prove their accuracy and effectiveness. · Effective - They are proven to predict actual job success.
Why test? -- Validation Study - Tangible Sales Personnel · Significant multiple correlation was found between CPP scale scores and sales performance criteria.
Score Average Commission Above Regression $404,073.00 Below Regression $266,063.00
· Sample Size = 112 · Total sales commissions over 13 month period. · Length of Service = 11.72 months average · (r=.38, p<.05)
Why test? -- Validation Study - Career Life Insurance Agents · Individuals with high compatibility with ideal employee profile had 2 to 2.5 times higher monthly commissions than did individuals in the low compatibility group.
Compatibility Group N Mean Std. Dev. Low 44 $360.41 419.78 Medium 209 $718.71 896.02 High 134 $889.78 1154.78
· Sample Size = 532 · 3 year period individuals hired to profile. · U.S. Nationwide · Length of Service = 11.72 months average
Why test? -- Validation Study - Telecommunications/Dispatchers · Trust, Intuition, and Sensitivity predict job performance and turnover for public safety Telecommunications/Dispatchers.
· Sample Size = 200 · Five public safety communication centers · New hires (78%) and existing employees (22%) · CPP results not used in hiring selection process · Criterion measures consisted of supervisor ratings of job performance and a measure of voluntary and involuntary turnover. · Multiple r = .31, p< .01
What is a Test? · Questions to assess or measure a specific characteristic or ability. · Administered to a large number (often thousands) of individuals in field studies, and the results are analyzed by measurement experts.
· Valid - usefully measures what it is stated to measure. · Reliable - The test must prove to give the same accurate results time after time. · Fair - Equally applicable to all groups who take it.
· Professionally developed instruments. · Responsive to existing professional standards · Clear and easy-to-follow administration, scoring, and interpretation materials are created for test users.
Are Tests Accurate? · Highly Accurate - While no assessment procedures are perfect, tests developed properly and used within the limits for which they were designed are highly accurate. · Accumulated Research - Professionally developed tests are constructed on a foundation of research results and previous test outcomes that have often taken many years or decades to accumulate. · Documented Strengths and Weaknesses - Tests can be easy to criticize, sometimes for the very reasons that they are so useful. o For example, professional guidelines on test development require that the tests underlying research be described in the test users manual. o This manual must include scientific evidence that makes clear both the strengths and weaknesses of the test. o These days, there are few products that document their true characteristics, the strengths and weaknesses, so clearly and openly. · Professional Responsibility - The professionals who administer and use the test are responsible for understanding and evaluating the underlying characteristics of the test.
Is it possible for a test taker to manipulate or cheat on a test? · Hard to Fool - Although some people believe they can outsmart a test, it is seldom the case. · Checks and balances - are constructed that identify inconsistent or inappropriate answers for tests that are used in settings where there may be an incentive to manipulate or cheat. · Alerts - These alert the test administrator that someone has attempted to answer questions deceptively. · Test Security - Test publishers and test users are also careful to maintain the security of tests that may be used in these situations, making sure that test materials are properly kept in secure places and are not released to non-professionals.
Should a person be hired or promoted on the basis of the results of the tests alone? · Multiple Decision Factors - Even a battery of tests should not be the sole deciding factor in hiring or promotion. · Comprehensive Selection Process - Properly used, tests are only one part of a process that includes other steps such as: o Application forms, o Assessments: Ability, Personality, Integrity o Structured Interview, o Personal interviews, o References, o and Background checks. · Balance and Judgment - Considered together, the results of these techniques can provide a more comprehensive picture of an individual to help an employer make the right decision for both the employee and the company.
Do tests prevent qualified people from getting hired or promoted? · Selectivity - Employment screening involves the selection of some people over others. · Competition - Sometimes there will be more qualified people applying for a position than can be hired. · Best Fit - A properly chosen test has an important place in selecting the candidate with the best fit to the position. · Best Method - Using other procedures without considering the results of a good test will tend to rule out more qualified people than will a procedure that includes an appropriate test.
Can I use assessment results for developmental purposes? · Manager Relationship - What are the key factors for a good fit with a manager? · Awareness of Personal Preferences - What are the individual's "comfort zones" and where will the person need to "stretch" for success on the job? · Company Culture - How well with the individual fit with the culture, environment, and demands of the department or company? · Team Building - How do you systematically improve the knowledge and appreciation of other individual's traits and characteristics to improve team design. · Diversity by design - How does an organization learn to recognize and value diverse characteristics, traits, and abilities?
Tips for the Test Taker. · Read the instructions! o Don't Guess (SAT), Educated Guess (WPT), Answer all (Personality). o No random guessing. · State your opinion · Your first instinct is probably the best · Be prepared o Extra pencil, scratch paper, etc. · Be rested - Relax · Age Scoring Factor o Response time factor for timed tests (a plus). o Not a legal selection criteria. · Non-disruptive Test Environment
What rights does a test taker have? · Voluntary Participation - A person should voluntarily agree to a test administration, just as he or she would to sitting for an interview. · Valid Purpose - It is also a right of a test taker to receive some information about the purpose of the test and how the results will be used. · Confidentiality - It is the test takers right to have the results of the test kept confidential except for the test taker, the experts who are authorized to give and interpret the test, and the individuals who are involved in the decision making process for which the test was administered.
Types of Assessment · Top Three . o Cognitive Ability o Personality o Reliability/Integrity · Other o Leadership o Entrepreneurship o Technical Skills o Occupational Knowledge o Simulation - Assessment Center · and . o Basic Skills o Interview o Reference o Background Check o Drug Test
Workshop (Business Case)
Selecting Employees -- Is there a science to selecting employees? · Selecting people is both a science and an art o . use all your resources and your experience. o . there are no "absolute" predictors, o . job success depends on individual's attributes, external circumstances and how you manage differences when they are on the job.
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