Biographical constructs for predicting employee suitability.

Abstract

The use of background investigation data in personnel screening is reviewed. Background investigations are routinely conducted on persons seeking positions of trust in law enforcement, the nuclear power industry, and military and civilian occupations requiring government-issued security clearances. The application of background investigation information in personnel screening differs in many important ways from biodata applications developed by psychologists. In this article, these differences are reviewed, and the construct and criterion-related validity of a survey-based measure are examined. This measure taps content domains typically explored in background investigations. Seven background factors were identified. The background scales showed acceptable reliability, informative interscale relationships, and useful levels of criterion-related validity. Using background data as a predictor of human performance has a long history in psychology (Owens, 1976). Use of background data is based on the premise that an individual's past behavior and experiences are useful predictors of future behavior and experiences. The results of hundreds of studies have shown background data to be an effective predictor for a variety of human performance domains (for reviews, see Asher, 1972; Owens, 1976; Reilly & Chao, 1982). Although data from background investigations are routinely used for screening applicants for positions of trust, background investigation data have received little attention from personnel psychologists (Lipman, 1988; Overman, 1988). In this paper I review the differences between background investigations and the type of biodata applications (hereafter called biodata inventories) that are more familiar to personnel psychologists. Then, using a survey instrument that measures content domains typically explored in background investigations, I evaluate the construct and criterion-related validity of the background domains. The first difference between biodata inventories and background investigations is the type of occupation for which screening is conducted. Biodata inventories have been used to screen applicants for a diverse set of occupations, including taxicab drivers, secretaries, airplane pilots, and managers. In contrast, background investigation data are primarily used when screening personnel for positions of trust in which integ