Category Archives: Selection
When Reading Research Leads to a Brain Full of “What?!” (IO Psychology)
When you read scientific research, you should be left feeling as though you gained knowledge and/or have something new and shiny that can be applied to the real world. But once in a while you finish an article and there is nothing but unpoppable “What did I just read?!” bubbles floating in your brain.
This article focused on how applicants’ personality types might impact their reactions to assessment tests within a hiring process. Specifically, candidates for firefighter, dispatcher, and rescue management roles had to complete a series of personality and cognitive assessments as a part of the selection process. Immediately after, they were asked to complete a voluntary survey asking about their reactions to the tests. The researchers found that personality types had no impact on applicants’ perceptions that the assessments were related to the job and that the tests could predict future job performance. One personality type did perceive the tests as less fair than those with other personality types, but the difference may not have been large enough to have real meaning.
As I kept reading the article, I kept wondering how this information would be applied, or even how it would be useful. I kept wondering this because the authors never told me. The authors briefly mention previous research stating that applicant reactions can impact whether or not a candidate might accept a job offer and/or impact their future performance on the job. Yet they never relate their own findings to this previous research. I was left hanging.
The study also had a number of confounds, a few of which the authors acknowledged. Looking solely at rescue applicants isn’t representative of most jobs and applicants. Candidates had to first pass a physical test before they were allowed to begin the personality and cognitive assessments. The reactions survey only asked for their reactions to the personality and cognitive tests, but wouldn’t their perceptions of the physical test muck up their thoughts a bit?
Also, participants voluntarily completed the reactions survey, and not everyone completed it. Wouldn’t the thoughts of those who did NOT want to share their reactions be critical? Finally, their research found different reactions to the assessments based on gender and age, but they never investigated further, which I found disappointing.
Now I have to be fair and say that no research is perfect. All research has confounds. But when you feel as though you don’t get the “so what?” of the entire study and there are also lots of confounds, how are you supposed to react?
After reading this article I was left feeling a little icky inside. But it reminded me that reading research with a discerning amount of skepticism is not only healthy, it is mandatory. It reminded me of a wonderful quote by the philosopher George Santayana: “Skepticism, like chastity, should not be relinquished too readily.”
Should Your Spouse Interview for You? (IO Psychology)
How well can your spouse sing your praises? Well enough to help you get that job you’ve always wanted?
This article discussed the ethical and legal issues surrounding spousal interviews for employment. Ever heard of it? Some companies are choosing to include spousal interviews as a part of their hiring process, especially for sales roles. As sales jobs can include varying hours and unpredictable income, some organizations want to make sure that the spouse fully understands and is on board with what could come. I don’t personally know of any organizations doing this, but it honestly scares the crap out of me (that is one of those phrases I should probably try to stop using).
As a spouse-less individual, I am a bit overwhelmed by the idea of this. Are you telling me that in my hunt for a mate, I now have to add “awesome interviewer on my behalf” to my list of requirements? Isn’t dating hard enough already?!
The argued business rationale is that by making sure the spouse is on board, it will prevent salesperson turn and subsequent revenue loss. But what risk does this introduce? First of all, requesting a spousal interview reveals the candidate’s marital status before a conditional offer of employment. Marital status is not protected by federal law, but it is in many states. The simple act of revealing of whether or not a candidate has a spouse could lead to intentional or unintentional discrimination. In addition, what if that spouse happens to be a same-sex spouse? That could open a whole new can of legal worms (seriously, I need to update my phrases). And what if you don’t have a spouse to conduct an interview? Does that give you an advantage because there is no one the organization has to make sure is “on board”, or do you lose the opportunity to have someone speak on your behalf?
Regardless of the legalities, the author argues that it could cast a “veil of suspicion on the hiring process” (p. 123). And what could this veil do to the reputation of the organization? How do you even make a hiring decision…Think of the different scenarios to deal with; if a candidate is very qualified but the spouse isn’t on board, do you hire? What about the flip scenario? The organization could get screwed either way. The only way the organization wins is if they find an amazing candidate with a spouse who is up for the unpredictable nature of the job. Is it even worth it? Most likely not.
Think what job hunting and hiring processes would be like if they all included a spousal interview. Oh the madness…
Random Thoughts While Taking a Personality Test (IO Psychology)
Have you ever taken a personality test as part of a hiring process and found your mind wandering? Where did it go? Did you wonder how to best answer the questions to secure the job? Or did you ponder why puppies are just so damn cute? Or why the Flock of Seagulls hairstyle never took off?
In this study, researchers interviewed test takers to learn what they were thinking while taking a personality test. I was excited about this, because in industrial psychology we tend to fixate on how well personality tests succeed in identifying rockstar candidates, but we should also think about how candidates react when completing them. Here are a few of the findings:
- Some test-takers had a difficult time answering the questions, as no context was provided. For example, if they had to rate how likely they are to “start a conversation with a stranger” (with no other context), they felt as though their answer would differ if asked in a work setting versus their personal life. I can see this one.
- A few didn’t feel as though they knew themselves well enough to answer the questions. This one really threw me; I don’t know about you, but I’m not sure I would want to hire someone who lacks enough self-awareness to answer questions on a basic personality test.
- A number of individuals answered the questions in a way to make them look more favorable, to help secure the job in question. Others tried to answer as honestly as possible, thinking the test would catch them and figure out their devious plan. I see both reactions here; some assessment tests can, in fact, detect if someone is trying to cast themselves in a more favorable light; other tests do not. This is one of the great mysteries when taking an assessment test…Will the stats police uncover my lies?
- Many test-takers tried to figure out how their answers would be analyzed and interpreted. We all have this natural curiosity, but voodoo-magician test publishers keep this secret close. (Cueing “something D-O-O economics…”)
- Most individuals noticed questions that seemed to be similar and/or repeating, but assumed this was a way to detect how consistently they answered the questions. This is true; it helps test creators measure the consistency of your answers, see if you are paying attention whatsoever, or reveal if you are just having your cat select the answers for you (we all know how much cats love to sprawl out on keyboards).
So the moral of the story is: our reactions to personality tests are as different as our personalities themselves, which might mean that I am the only person out there that wants the Flock of Seagulls hairstyle to make a comeback.
Could Your Facebook Persona Cost You a Job? (IO Psychology)
Topic: Selection, Personality, Recruiting
Publication: Journal of Applied Social Psychology (MAY 2012)
Article: Social Networking Websites: Personality Ratings, and the Organizational Context: More Than Meets the Eye?
Authors: D. H. Kluemper, P. A. Rosen, and K. W. Mossholder
Reviewed By: Megan Leasher
We are used to companies having candidates take personality tests. Candidates answer a ton of seemingly annoying and repetitive questions about themselves, and poof! They magically and accurately clue companies in to whether or not they will be a strong performer and/or a good fit. (When I say “poof,” please envision the happy leprechaun opening his box of Lucky Charms and witnessing the jubilant rainbow explosion of marshmallows. It will ensure you are in the right frame of mind.) But have you heard of other people taking a personality test, answering the questions based on what they think YOUR personality is like? Holy creepy, Batman. And what if I told you the “other people” were complete strangers answering those questions about YOUR personality based on what they saw on YOUR Facebook page? Holy switcheroo, Batman!
We all make judgments of others based on what they post on their Facebook page. For example, if you post a picture of yourself doing the “I’m the king of the world” pose on a cruise ship, I will deem you an idiot. If you update your status with random movie quotes from Best in Show, I will proclaim your brilliance. This study took those judgments and morphed them into a scientific evaluation of a candidate’s personality.
Trained evaluators viewed an individual’s Facebook page then completed a personality test, answering the questions about the individual, utilizing only their impressions from seeing the Facebook page. The individuals themselves also took the same personality test answering the questions about their own personality. In addition, the researchers obtained on-the-job performance ratings from the individuals’ supervisors. Can strangers accurately rate your personality based on your Facebook persona? If so, do those perceptions of your personality statistically predict job performance?
The answer to the first question is yes. Sorta. Evaluators’ perceptions of individuals’ personalities based on their Facebook pages had some overlap with how individuals rated their own personalities, but they certainly didn’t agree 100%. So they had some similar impressions and some unique impressions, as well. To answer the second question, the study found that evaluator-rated personality was a slightly stronger predictor of job performance than an individual’s self-reported personality. But the difference wasn’t that large in a practical sense. I have to wonder, if evaluator ratings of a candidate’s personality don’t predict job performance much more than a candidate completing a personality test about themselves, why add all of those work hours to the organization? The time it takes a candidate to complete a personality test does not generally cost an organization anything.
But is a stranger rating a candidate’s personality from a Facebook page even the right thing to do? I feel like you are taking away a bit of the candidate’s say in the matter. Sure, they have full control over what they put on their Facebook page, but that’s certainly not the end-all-be-all of a person. (Note: If it is, don’t hire them.) Where is the candidate’s ability to speak up in all of this? If Facebook does all of the “talking” early on in the screening process, will the candidate ever get a chance to speak for themselves in an interview? Just playing devil’s advocate here, as I see both sides to this argument. And what about candidates who have their Facebook privacy settings up high and a random outsider can’t see it? Or don’t use Facebook? What might that mean about their personalities? Are they the savviest of all?
This study, despite its limitations, is hopefully one of many to come on this sexy and timely topic. But there are tons of caveats to consider, including potential adverse impact, ever-changing Facebook privacy settings, and how to implement consistent processes when social networking is involved…Many unknowns. Holy puzzlers, Batman.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
source for picture: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Dancing_g399-People_Dancing_In_Disco_Night_Club_p54133.html
Predictors of academic performance
Topic: Selection
Publication: Psychology in the Schools (2011)
Article: Successful graduate students: The roles of personality traits and emotional intelligence
Authors: Patrick M. Grehan, Rosemary Flanagan, & Robert G. Malgady
Reviewed By: Scott Charles Sitrin, M.A.
Typically, in graduate school settings, the students have a history of strong academic
performance and are regarded as having lots of potential for success in both academic and professional setting. Given that graduate schools are like all-star teams of students, what separates the great students from the good students? In exploring the predictors of academic performance in graduate school settings, Grehan, Flanagan, and Malgad studied the emotional intelligence, personality, and academic performance of 63 graduate students from the field of psychology.
Emotional intelligence, which includes a person’s capacity to read the emotions of another and be aware of his or her own emotions, was assessed through various measures, and for personality, the investigators focused on the big five personality traits: extraversion,
which relates to how outgoing someone is; openness, which relates to the level of curiosity; agreeableness, which is similar to levels of compassion and warmth; conscientiousness, which refers to the drive to succeed; and neuroticism, which relates to how secure someone feels.
The indicators of academic performance were graduate school grade point average (GSGPA) and ratings by supervisors from the students’ internships. Both emotional intelligence and the personality trait of conscientiousness were found to be related to academic performance. Specifically, emotional intelligence was significantly correlated with both GSGPA and supervisor ratings, and conscientious was significantly correlated with only supervisor ratings. In summary, higher levels of emotional intelligence and conscientiousness were related to higher levels of academic performance among graduate school students.
In many settings, it becomes challenging to differentiate the great from the good. For example, in a financial firm, how does a manager determine which of his analysts will generate the most revenue, given that they all have exceptional academic backgrounds and glowing letters of recommendations? Based on the results of the study above, the applicant’s personality – and their emotional intelligence and levels of conscientiousness – may be a good place to start, and the results will hopefully provide further bits of information that can be considered when deciding who to hire.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
Mental predictor of performance
Topic: Selection
Publication: Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (2004)
Article: Academic performance, career potential, creativity, and job performance: Can one construct predict them all?
Authors: Nathan R. Kuncel, Sarah A. Hezlett, & Deniz S. Ones
Reviewed By: Scott Charles Sitrin, M.A.
Cognitive ability – typically defined as a collection of mental skills such as memory, attention, reaction speed, and the capacity to learn – has been shown to predict academic performance. Does it predict performance in other domains, such as the workplace? Kuncel, Hezlett, and Ones set to find out, as they reviewed many studies related to predictors of performance from the current literature, a process known as a meta analysis, and evaluated a sample of over 20,000 subjects. In the studies reviewed, the Miller Analogies Test – which was related to other measures of cognitive capacity such as the Graduate Record Examination and the Raven’s Progressive Matrices – served as the indicator of cognitive ability. Results indicated that cognitive ability not only predicted academic performance in graduate school, but it also predicted job performance, career potential, and creativity.
These results provide further evidence that cognitive ability is a valid predictor of performance across various domains. So, as you decide whom to hire, make sure to assess the applicant’s cognitive ability and incorporate the results with other pieces of information, such as previous experience, personality, and education background.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
How Should I Measure That?
Topic: Selection, Assessment
Publication: Human Performance (2009)
Article: Not much more than g? An examination of the impact of intelligence on NFL performance
Authors: B.D. Lyons, B.J. Hoffman, & J.W. Michel
Reviewed By: Scott Charles Sitrin, M.A.
In most work, intelligence is a key a predictor of job performance. But what about when your job involves physically assaulting your opponent and not letting him say “uncle” until you have successfully moved a pigskin 100 yards into his end zone? For a football player, does intelligence predict performance? Do you, as an owner of a National Football team, select the genius in the tweed jacket with an Ivy League smile?
In investigating the relationship between intelligence and performance, Lyons, Hoffman, and Michel examined the general mental ability and performance of 762 football players drafted during the 2002, 2003, and 2004 NFL Drafts. Since there are relatively few kickers and punters, they were excluded. Cognitive ability was evaluated using the Wonderlic a performance was assessed three ways: future NFL performance, including position specific criterion such as total tackles and touchdowns over a three-year period; draft position, referring to when the player was selected by a professional team in the NFL Draft; and number of games started. Shockingly enough, cognitive ability did not relate to performance.
So, general mental ability does not appear to predict performance of professional players. That’s not to say that intelligence is not related to the performance of professional football players. (Confused yet?) Rather, this study shows that intelligence as measured by the Wonderlic does not relate to football performance. It is possible that intelligence as measured by another instrument could show a relationship to athletic performance. As a take home message, be thoughtful in selecting the tool that you use to measure something. The Wonderlic may be a helpful measure of intelligence in business settings, but its use in alternative contexts such as the world of the NFL may not be as valid.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
Personality and academic performance
Topic: Selection
Publication: Psychological Bulletin (2009)
Article: A meta-analysis of the five-factor model of personality and academic performance
Authors: Arthur E. Poropat
Reviewed By: Scott Charles Sitrin, M.A.
Does a student’s personality affect his or her academic performance? Poropat thinks so, and in investigating correlates of academic performance, he reviewed many studies from the current literature, a process known as a meta analysis, and evaluated a sample of over 70,000 students. For personality, the investigator focused on the big five: extraversion, which relates to how outgoing someone is; openness, which relates to the level of curiosity; agreeableness, which is similar to levels of compassion and warmth; conscientiousness, which refers to the drive to succeed; and neuroticism, which relates to how secure someone feels. It was found that agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness correlated with academic performance. Conscientiousness seemed particularly important, as it appeared to determine academic performance as much as levels of intelligence.
These results provide further evidence that personality is related to academic performance, and it follows that personality should be related to performance in other domains, such as business. So, as you decide who to hire, make sure to account for personality in addition to the applicant’s resume, references, and prior work experience.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
Why Are You Asking Me This? Investigating Reactions to Puzzle Interviews (IO Psychology)
Topic: Interviewing, Selection
Publication: Journal of Applied Social Psychology
Article: Why Are Manhole Covers Round? A Laboratory Study of Reactions to Puzzle Interviews (in press)
Authors: Chris W. Wright, Chris J. Sablynski, Todd M. Manson, & Steven Oshiro
Reviewed By: Thaddeus Rada
Despite controversy over their effectiveness, interviews remain a tool that many organizations rely on when making hiring decisions. There is a great deal of variability in the way that interviews are organized, and in the content that they assess. Familiar to many I-O psychologists is the distinction between structured and unstructured interviews; however, one type of interview that is less well-known is the puzzle interview. Originally pioneered by Microsoft in the 1990s, puzzle interviews continue to be used in many well-known organizations, such as Google and Amazon.com.
What is a puzzle interview? Essentially, it an interview consisting of unconventional questions that are designed to assess applicants’ creativity, problem-solving skills, and ability to handle unexpected circumstances (i.e. many job applicants may receive some coaching on how to perform well in an interview, but this training rarely includes coverage of puzzle interviews). An example of a question that might be asked during a puzzle interview is “How would you measure exactly 4 gallons of water using only a 3-gallon bottle and a 5-gallon bottle?”
Despite their popularity in some organizations, research on puzzle interviews is scarce. A recent study by Chris Wright and colleagues examined reactions to puzzle interviews, especially in terms of perceptions of fairness and effectiveness. The authors found that, among a sample of college students, reactions to the puzzle interview were quite poor when compared with reactions to a behavioral interview. As noted previously, research on puzzle interviews remains in its infancy, and a great deal more work remains to be done. However, at the present time, the authors conclude that organizations should use caution when using puzzle interviews; not only does their overall effectiveness remain unknown, but people appear to have rather negative reactions to them. Such reactions can contribute to a host of problems for organizations, and so it may be best for organizations to refrain from emphasizing puzzle interviews in their hiring process.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
Beyond Intelligence (IO Psychology)
Topic: Selection
Publication: Personality and Individual Differences (in press)
Article: When IQ is not everything: Intelligence, personality and academic performance at school
Authors: Patrick C.L. Heaven & Joseph Ciarrochi
Reviewed By: Scott Charles Sitrin, M.A.
Does the most intelligent person get the best grades? One would think that the person with the most intellectual horsepower would excel at a variety of subjects and attain a grade point average commensurate with his or her intellectual potential. But that is not always the case. Why not?
In investigating other predictors of academic performance, Heaven and Ciarrochi assessed the cognitive ability, which was measured by standardized tests that include five numerical and three verbal subtests; personality, which was assessed by the International Personality Item Pool that evaluates extraversion, openness, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and neuroticism; and school grades in the subjects of Religious Studies, English, Mathematics, Science, History, and Geography among 786 high school students in Australia. It was found that the predictors of academic performance were, in addition to cognitive ability, the personality characteristics of conscientiousness and openness. As a caveat, openness was a significant predictor of grades only among students who had high cognitive abilities.
These results infer that there is more to academic performance than just intelligence. In order to get a better understanding of the predictors of performance – whether it is in a schoolroom or any other context- a more holistic approach that considers factors such as personality may yield more accurate results.
human resource management, organizational industrial psychology, organizational management
