For instance, if there is a candidate who after interviewing appeared to be a good fit for a position, but the testing came back with poor results, there is the tendency to pass up the candidate. However, by making personnel managers aware of this tendency, they can really consider whether the candidate is still a good hire, even if the testing was not as desired.
Protecting the legal and appropriate use of personality testing: A practitioner perspective
Jones and Arnold (2008) explore the issue of legally and appropriately using personality testing. There are risks that must be managed to ensure personality testing doesn't become restricted, or worse outlawed, by state or federal law. The authors note that "I-O psychologists should never get myopic as to where the real threats might come from in terms of the ongoing use of personality testing or other selection tools used in the workplace." For this reason, Jones and Arnold put forth several recommendations. First, it is necessary to remind test users that combined sex norms should be utilized with job-related personality tests and not tests with separate sex test norms. Although there is a movement to increase the use of Big Five testing assessments in more clinical research and interventions, it is recommended that I/O psychologists make a distinction between these tests used for preemployment selection and those for clinical assessment and diagnosis. I/O psychologists need to be careful how these tests are marketed. In Massachusetts, certain personality tests are restricted if they meet certain criteria, such as: marketing themselves as impacting employee theft and shrinkage, testing items that reflect an individual's honest, or link to employee theft criteria....
These are important considerations for organizations.
As personality assessments are a valuable tool organizations can utilize to help in the selection process of new employees, it's important to ensure they are used legally and appropriately, in order to minimize the chance that they will be outlawed in the future. Implementation of this information into the organization involves making certain HR personnel and hiring managers charged with selecting and giving these tests know the vulnerability of these tests. In addition, they need to be informed of the recommendations Jones and Arnold (2008) purpose to help prevent this tool from being removed from the organizational arsenal.
Conclusion
The selection of new employees is a critical process for any organization. Choosing the right employees can increase competitiveness in the marketplace. Choosing the wrong employees can cost the organization dearly. The three articles reviewed center on the employee selection process and give implementation ideas connected with the information presented.
References
Jones, W. & Arnold, J. (Sept 2008). Protecting the legal and appropriate use of personality testing: A practitioner perspective. Industrial & Organizational Psychology, 1(3). Retrieved October 22, 2009, from Business Source Complete.
Martin, S. (Sept 2008). Managers also overrely on tests. Industrial & Organizational Psychology, 1(3). Retrieved October 22, 2009, from Business Source Complete.
Ryan, a. & Tippings, M. (Winter 2004). Attracting and selecting: What psychological research tells us. Human Resource Management, 43(4). Retrieved October 22, 2009, from Business Source Complete.
