Are you satisfied with your employees?
The goal of personnel selection is to predict the performance and work behavior of future employees. The right person in the right place at the right time.
To recruit the right people, you must use valid and reliable methods.
According to some studies (Ryan and Tippins, 2004) the most valid methods to use in personnel selection are the following:
- Work samples
- Cognitive ability tests
- Structured interviews
Work samples
The most useful and valid selection method is work samples. You give candidates real job activities to do and assess their performance. Choosing the correct tasks, activities, and assessors is critical.
Work samples are valid selection tools and candidates like them.
Example
Salespeople selection: Simulate a cold call, a sales presentation, or a negotiation.
Cognitive ability tests
Cognitive ability tests are the psychological tests with the highest validity for personnel selection.
They can predict the performance of a future worker better that other tests such as personality or integrity tests.
These assessments measure a variety of mental abilities, such as verbal and mathematical ability, reasoning ability, and reading comprehension.
Some of the most common cognitive ability tests for personnel selection are:
- GAT-2 (General Ability Test)
- Raven’s matrices
- DAT-5 (Differential Aptitude Tests)
Other psychological tests, such as personality and integrity tests, can represent an additional source of information to help you make a decision.
Structured interviews
Structured interviews consist of a specific set of questions that are designed to assess work experience, qualifications, skills, and motivation required for a job. The set of questions is the same for all candidates.
Structured interviews should have standardized rating criteria to help interviewers judge the quality and effectiveness of the responses provided by the interviewees.
Interviewers must be trained in how to administer the structured interview properly, probe for additional information, and apply the rating criteria accurately in evaluating candidates.
The rating system to evaluate the candidates’ answers might have a scale from 1 (not satisfactory at all) to 5 (very satisfactory), for example.
The most common job interview techniques are behavioral and situational interviews.
The behavioral interview is based on questions about the past. Previous work behaviors predict future behaviors and outcomes.
If a salesperson made €1.000.000 in sales previously, he probably can do it again. If a clerk treated clients rudely in the past, he probably will do it again.
Example
Tell me about a challenging sales goal you achieved in the past. How much was it? What did you do to achieve it?
The situational interview provides candidates with situations that they might encounter or manage at work. They have to explain how they would handle that specific situation.
Example
A client hasn’t been paying for the company’s services for six months. How would you collect the money? How would you convince the client to pay?
CONCLUSIONS
Hiring the right people for your company is fundamental. A-players achieve great results, help you make money, and save you time. They improve the reputation of your company and brand image. They help you beat your competitors.
To identify the best candidates, you must use valid and reliable personnel selection methods. They should be scientifically proven and tested in the field.
If you want to make more money and save time, invest in recruitment and selection, and hire talented people.
Hire A-players.
Contact Andrea Miriello to develop and implement valid and effective personnel selection procedures.
Andrea Miriello
Business Psychologist (Industrial and Organizational Psychologist)
Consultant, Business Coach, and Corporate Trainer
www.andreamiriello.com