By Chantel Schirmer

How does an employer select the right candidate for an open position and what methods of selection can set up an employer for success? 

Photo by Hunters Race on Unsplash

To answer those questions we rely on this week’s course material as well as my experience to find ways employers can have interviews that minimize their bias while also helping them select their next right candidate for the job.

One key we learned in W5 Lecture 2: Introduction to Selection is that developing selection procedures that are systematic allow for reliable, valid, and good utility can enhance hiring outcomes by ensuring better alignment with job performance and productivity. This approach not only supports more legally compliant practices but also improves the predictive accuracy of selection methods. Let me explain, when I was being hired for a new position that oversaw confidential information, financials, such as accounting and the like the CFO came in to make sure that content validity was completed. Without knowing if I was reliable, or could pass his validity test he would not be certain they could hire someone who could meet the essential skills of the job that would impact my ability to perform well on the job. If they simply decided to overlook both of those matters the chances of choosing an employee with the skills required to do the job could be lacking and more over could threaten the overall production of the company. However, utilizing both of these steps allowed for the selection utility that ultimately made it worth the time and money. As the lecture stated, “The higher the validity, the better the test does at predicting performance so it would have higher utility.” 

Photo by Alesia Kazantceva on Unsplash

Additionally, understanding relevant legislation, such as the Oregon Equal Pay Act, which prohibits employers from asking about a candidate’s salary history, is essential for fair hiring. This was surprising to me as I can recall two previous job interviews where both employers used past pay as a negotiating ability. While it worked in my favor to increase my wages I did not know the state legislation regarding this and could have prevented myself from sharing information I didn’t need to. It is important that employers be cautious with social media checks, as these can introduce inconsistencies and unintentional bias, potentially leading to discrimination.

Then again when I recall my experience with the CFO attending my interview I must admit at first I was surprised he was there however, he that was his role as the Chief Financial Officer to oversee all money and though he would not be my direct supervisor he wanted to ensure and make each step of the procedure of the selection methods that allowed for decreasing risk of error in the position providing validity in being able to do the job while allowing the “reliability in the consistency and dependability of (my) performance” (W5 Lecture 2). I am confident if others include reliability, validity, and utility they too can be confident that their chances of selecting the right candidate will increase greatly.

References:

Bohnet, I. (2016, July 18). How to take the bias out of interviews. Harvard Business Review. https://hbr.org/2016/04/how-to-take-the-bias-out-of-interviews

Chamorro-Premuzic, T., & Steinmetz, C. (2013). The Perfect Hire. Scientific American Mind, 24 (3), 42-47

Swift, M. (n.d.). W5 Lecture 2 – Interview Selection. HRM. MGMT 453×400