Criteria Development

Principles of Selection

Before reviewing resumes and applications, a company must have a clear idea of the person they want to hire for the position. Obviously, the job specifications derived from the job analysis will help to understand the qualifications (KSAO’s), such as education level and years of experience. However, in addition to knowing what KSAO’s are needed, it is also important to decide how these will be assessed. HR managers have access to a wide variety of tools to assess candidates’ KSAO’s, and when structuring the selection process, there are a few principles to keep in mind.

Sequencing Based on Cost

Some KSAO’s are objective and very easy to measure. For example, whether someone has a bachelor’s degree in Biology or a truck driver’s license is easy to assess by looking at resumes. Whether someone is a team player or is able to handle stress is not as straightforward to assess. This KSAO could be measured with an interview or a simulation, two relatively costly processes. In order to efficiently narrow down a list of applicants, HR managers will first screen for those objective, easy-to-assess KSAO’s and leave the more expensive tests for the end.

Validity and Reliability

Validity and reliability of assessment methods are considered the two most important characteristics of the assessment procedure. Validity is arguably the most important criteria for the quality of a test. The term validity refers to whether or not the test measures what it claims to measure. On a test with high validity the items will be closely linked to the test’s intended focus. For example, if you are interested in measuring intelligence, the test that you are using must demonstrate that those who score high are more intelligent than those who score low. Reliability, on the other hand, refers to whether an assessment instrument gives the same results each time it is used in the same setting, with the same type of subjects. Reliability essentially means consistent or dependable results. Reliability is a part of the assessment of validity. For example, if you ask the same interview question for every applicant for the project management position, and the “right” answer always yields similar, positive results, such as the hiring of a successful employee every time, the question would be considered reliable. An example of an unreliable test might occur with reference checks. Most candidates would not include a reference on their resume who might give them a poor review, making this a less reliable method for determining skills and abilities of applicants.

Organizational Fit

Fit includes not only the right technical expertise, education, and experience or the KSAO’s derived from the job analysis, but also fit in the company culture and team culture. This means that companies can select based on criteria that goes above and beyond the specific elements of the job. For example, at Facebook headquarters in Palo Alto, California, engineers are selected based on their willingness to take risks, as risk taking is nurtured at Facebook (McGirt, 2010). In addition to this component of their company culture, the company looks for the “hacker” personality, because a hacker is someone who finds ways around the constraints placed upon a system. At Amazon a core value in their company culture is a focus on developing leaders to grow with the organization. If a potential candidate is not interested in long-term career growth, he or she might not be deemed an appropriate strategic fit with the organization. In today’s organizations, most people are required to work within teams. As a result, fit within a team is as important as the fit with company culture. Microsoft, for example, does an immense amount of teamwork. The company is structured so that there are marketers, accountants, developers, and many others working on one product at the same time. As a result, Microsoft looks for not only company culture fit, but also fit with other team members.

Innovatank Publishing - Attributions

McGirt, E., “Most Innovative Companies,” Fast Company, February 2010, accessed July 12, 2011, http://www.fastcompany.com/mic/2010/profile/facebook.