1. Testing...
Why Bother?
Testing for Selection
Presented by:
William (Chip)Valutis, PhD

2. When would business
organizations benefit
from the use of testing?

3. 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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4. 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

5. 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...

6. 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
www.collegegrad.com

7. 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

8. 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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9. 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

10. 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

11. 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

12. 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

13. High reliability and validity
Tests that meet all EEO laws
Job related
Accuracy
Testing - What to Look For

14. 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

15. The degree to which a tool accurately reflects or assesses the
specific concept that the developer is attempting to measure.
FaceValidity: Appearance - what’s it “look” like?
CriterionValidity: Demonstrated accuracy by comparing it
to another proven measure
ConstructValidity: Seeks agreement between a theoretical
concept and specific measure (ex. Must define “intelligence”
before measuring it)
ContentValidity: The degree to which a measure reflects
the specific intended domain - “are you measuring what you
say you are measuring”
Validity

16. 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 ofADA
Compliance with EEO Laws

17. Known and unknown variables
Requirements/Fit for the job
Strength andApplicability of the tool(s)
Accuracy

18. 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
www.prchicagoblog.com

19. 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

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