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Journal of Business and Psychology, Vol. 21, No. 3, Spring 2007 (2006) DOI: 10.1007/s10869-006-9033-6
Central Michigan University
ABSTRACT: We examined human resource (HR) practitioners subjective evaluations of job applicants as a function of specic traits and the assessment methods used to measure those traits. HR practitioners (N = 277) rated the hirability of a hypothetical job applicant who was described according to one trait (intelligence, conscientiousness, or agreeableness) assessed by one method (interview, paper-and-pencil test, or assessment center). We found main effects for trait and method as well as an interaction. HR practitioners gave highest hirability ratings to job applicants described as conscientious and to those assessed by an interview. Job applicants evaluated on conscientiousness assessed by an interview were rated more highly than all other combinations of trait and method.
KEY WORDS: assessment methods; traits; selection and assessment; interaction of traits and assessment methods; hirability.
INTRODUCTION
Research on personnel selection over the past century has focused on the effectiveness of traits and assessment methods for predicting job performance (Guion & Gottier, 1965; Schmidt & Hunter, 1998). It is now well established that cognitive ability and some personality traits correlate with job performance and other outcomes across a variety of occupations (Barrick & Mount, 1991; Gottfredson, 1997). Similarly, some assessment methods can reliably measure traits and skills (e.g., job
Address correspondence to Stephen M. Colarelli, Department of Psychology, Central Michigan University, Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859, USA. E-mail: [email protected]
This article is based on a doctoral dissertation by the rst author submitted to Central Michigan University in partial fulllment of the requirements for a doctoral degree in psychology.
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0889-3268/07/0300-0361/0 2006 Springer Science+Business Media, Inc.
INFLUENCES OF TRAITS AND ASSESSMENT METHODS ON HUMAN RESOURCE PRACTITIONERS EVALUATIONS OF JOB
APPLICANTS
David J. Topor Stephen M. Colarelli
Kyunghee Han
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JOURNAL OF BUSINESS PSYCHOLOGY
sample tests), whereas other methods are less reliable (e.g., unstructured interviews; Gatewood & Field, 1998). Yet, despite a century of research on psychological traits and selection methods, few studies have examined how they actually inuence practitioners hiring decisions. Understanding how practitioners think about traits and methods is important because they often make hiring decisions as well as recommendations about which traits and assessment methods organizations should use.
Harris, Dworkin, and Park (1990) report that...