Pschological Testing; worthwhile or worthless?
Is psychological testing of any use in making a hiring decision? The short answer is, no.
As a recruiter, I deal with experienced employees, not those who wish to become sales reps, fundraising department managers, or executive directors, that’s what a career counselor does and psychological tests may be of value in that context.
My clients wish to hire employees who already posses significant experience, and have performed well on the job. The way to find out if someone has performed well is not to roll out some psychological test, but to carefully examine past performance by checking references–including references other than those provided by the candidate.
I have read the recent scientific literature regarding pre-employment testing and learned that the only tests shown to have any predictive ability are those which measure intelligence and integrity. (Skills testing is a different matter, but not the topic here.)
Rather than restate the research findings, I list below several excellent papers on the subject. If you have any difficulty finding copies of these papers, email or call and I will forward a copy for your personal use.
- “The Validity and Utility of Selection Methods in Personnel Psychology; Practical and Theoretical Implications of 85 Years of Research Findings”, by Frank L. Schmidt, Department of Management and Organization University of Iowa, and John E. Hunter, Department of Psychology Michigan State University; Psychological Bulletin, American Psychological Association, September 1998, Vol. 124, No. 2, 262-274.
“Job Experience Correlates of Job Performance”, by: Michael A. McDaniel, Frank L. Schmidt, John E. Hunter, Journal of Applied Psychology, American Psychological Association, May 1988, Vol. 73, No. 2, 327-330, ISSN: 0021-9010, Number: apl732327.
“General Mental Ability in the World of Work: Occupational Attainment and Job Performance”, by Frank L. Schmidt, University of Iowa, and John E. Hunter, Michigan State University; Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, American Psychological Association, 2004, Vol. 86, No. 1, 162–173.
“Intelligence and Job Performance; Economic and Social Implications”, by Frank L. Schmidt, John E. Hunter, Psychology, Public Policy, and Law, American Psychological Association,
September/December 1996 Vol. 2, No. 3-4, 447-472, ISSN: 1076-8971, Number: law23-4447.
“Individual Differences in Output Variability as a Function of Job Complexity”, by John E. Hunter,.; Frank L. Schmidt, and Michael K. Judiesch, Journal of Applied Psychology, American Psychological Association, February 1990, Vol. 75, No. 1, 28-42, ISSN: 0021-9010, Number: apl75128.
