I wouldn’t necessarily say this is the most important thing that was taught in this class because there was so much valuable lessons I learned, but to me it is the most valuable. More specifically, some of the topics during week 6, about the foundation of employee selection. I think I am pretty interested in the recruiting process, so that is what made this a valuable topic for me. Last summer I had the opportunity to help in the recruiting process, so that is why I find it helpful.
One of the biggest takeaways for me was learning about what makes a pre-employment test effective. We covered reliability, validity, cost efficient, and fairness. Understanding these helped me see that not hiring tools are made equal, and just because a test is widely used doesn’t necessarily mean it is actually useful or fair.
A lesson I took was that the idea of hiring should not be only based on who scores the highest on a test or looks the best during an interview. It should be about finding a candidate who will contribute to the organization’s long-term success.
This lesson is important because psychological and skills-based testing are becoming more common in the hiring process. However, these tests can be expensive and if chosen poorly, it might not improve the hiring process or outcome. It was insightful to learn that good hiring decisions aren’t about fairness or fit, and they have a real financial impact on organizations.
This topic stood out to me because I can see myself using this knowledge in a future HR or analytics role.
Hiring has a lasting impact on a company. A strong process that balances all the things mentioned is more likely to bring in people who will help the company grow, not just those who perform well. If companies only hire based on test scores, they can risk missing out on great candidates with unique backgrounds and perspectives. On the other hand, hiring without standards could hurt performance.