Personnel Assessment and Selection in the Service of the Applicant (PASSA): Shifting the Applicant Perspective on Selection from Reaction to Action

Attracting and retaining talented employees has become one of the most pressing challenges for companies in their struggle for achieving and sustaining competitive advantage. Personnel assessment and personnel selection plays an important role in this context. On the one hand, its methods can help, to distinguish between suitable applicants and less suitable ones. On the other hand, personnel assessment and selection affects the perceived attractiveness of the employer. Therefore, it is closely related to employer branding. In the course of digitization, artifcial intelligence is now increasingly used in personnel attraction and selection. New instruments are being introduced. For example, computeraided speech recognition can allegedly be used to generate personality profles of applicants. However, the scientifc debate on this topic seems to lag far behind the marketing of corresponding instruments. From a scientifc point of view, it is questionable not only whether such instruments are prognostically valid, but also whether they are accepted by applicants. Within the framework of an experimental study, two important questions are thus investigated: What effect do job advertisements have on the perceived attractiveness of an employer if the use of computer-aided speech recognition for personnel selection is explicitly pointed out? To what extent is the relationship between job advertisements with and without reference to speech recognition on the attractiveness of employers moderated by technology acceptance, country-specifc differences and qualifcation? Answers to these questions will enhance our understanding of applicant reactions to selection procedures. In addition, they provide important information for the practice of human resource management in the context of employer branding.

Social media evaluation on which foreign human resources experts have done a lot of research is a new way of personnel selection in the Internet Plus” age and its application in personnel selection is increasing. More and more organizations, in foreign countries, begin to assess the content of candidates’ social media like Facebook to collect relevant information of potential employees and take that information as a basis for judgment of making personnel decisions. Based on a review of personnel assessment technology in our country, problems of personnel assessment which the process is complicated and the content lacks accuracy are outstanding increasingly along with the rapid development of computer and internet technologies, so it is necessary to learn about personnel assessment technology which is the latest, in order to promote further innovation and development of China’s personnel assessment. This paper analyzes the newest personnel assessment technique, namely social media evaluation technique. Firstly, it discusses two theoretical models that social media evaluation technique uses, namely lens model and realistic accuracy model. In the lens model, social media information of the candidates is regarded as visible behavior, the candidates’ personalities, intelligence, emotional intelligence and work motivations are taken as potential characteristics and the candidates’ future work performance is seen as distal variable; in the realistic accuracy model, the target object can be obtained from social media information which is described as behavior information. This behavior information is self-expression that is associated with certain personality traits, and the assessor can use this information to obtain the characteristics that may be related to job performance. Secondly, it presents the specific application mode of this technique; researchers often use structural classification to divide the content collected from the social media of candidates into structures including cognitive ability, knowledge and skills related to work, personalities, social application skills and interest, organizational adaptability and physical quality, and so on, and then find out the correlation between position and these structures. And then it summarizes the advantages and disadvantages. Its advantages mainly include that savings on economic and time costs of personnel selection, and the provision of more real information about personnel selection; its disadvantages mainly include three aspects: firstly, the non-standardized characteristic of social media evaluation determines that the reliability of this technique is affected by the subjective impact of the assessors; secondly, the mismatch of the social media evaluation determines that its validity is affected by the candidates’ disguise; thirdly, the reliability and validity of this evaluation technique is affected by the number and type of information. Finally, this paper puts forward relevant enlightenment and thinking according to the analysis, that is to say, the application of social media evaluation technique in China must protect the privacy of those who will be evaluated, and the objection of this evaluation technique should be the youth because they have higher usage frequency of social media, the use of social media evaluation technique is more suitable to evaluate the candidates’ personalities and values, the development of this evaluation technique in the future can be inclined to the workplace social platform assessment, such as LinkedIn, tenderness, and street network in our country; furthermore, organizations and researchers can also further explore the development of an objective social media tool, and at the same time, cannot regard social media evaluation technique as the only means of evaluation in personnel selection. Those enlightenment and thinking would help people, organizations or the society to have a better understanding of this new way of personnel selection, namely social media evaluation technique, and its application and development in the internet and information age. Overall, in the internet era, there is still great potential value of social media evaluation, and the organizations and researchers in China have further exploration and application space.

This paper takes a Foucauldian approach to current discussions on the use of machine learning in personnel selection, with a focus on pre-selection assessment. It problematizes two central themes in this debate: the objectivity and the accuracy of machine learning–supported personnel assessment. A Foucauldian perspective is employed to offer an alternative and critical approach to these themes and to allow for a reformulation of their underlying questions. From this perspective, the paper analyzes how ML-based personnel assessment tools reflect broader developments in governmental practices and technologies, conceptualized as elements of algorithmic governmentality. Drawing on the empirical example of HireVue, it critically examines HireVue’s operations. It also traces the historical development of 20th-century personnel testing and statistical procedures to show how contemporary ML-based personnel selection systems are embedded in longstanding practices of data-driven governance in the workplace. By situating the discourse on ML in personnel selection within the broader context of algorithmic governmentality and its prehistory, the paper highlights key implications for the study and practice of personnel assessment.

Essentials of Personnel Assessment and Selection Robert M. Guion and Scott Highhouse Lawrence Erlbaum Associates (2006) 379 pages, Softcover, $49.95 Reviewed by: Josephine Sosa-Fey Texas A&M University-Kingsville-San Antonio System Center Employees are at the heart of the organization, and those who have the skills and commitment to excel in the performance of their jobs contribute to the bottom line by creating value for their organizations. The crux of the matter is how to identify and select the right people - those value-creating job applicants who will help the organization accomplish its goals. Essentials of Personnel Assessment and Selection provides a state-of-the-art guide for making wise personnel selection decisions. It is an excellent resource for students and practitioners of management, human resource management, organizational studies, and industrial/organizational psychology. It extensively examines the basics of employee assessment and selection processes that are critical in correctly assessing personal characteristics predictive of desirable work-related behaviors of job applicants. It focuses on the importance of identifying predictor attributes, building hypotheses, and using psychometric methods to determine applicants best qualified for the job, thus optimizing utilization of human resources. The first of three primary sections, Deciding What to Assess contains the following topics: understanding personnel assessment, analyzing organizations and jobs, developing predictive hypotheses, and knowing what is and what is not legal. The reader also gets a brief historical retrospective back to Plato, who devised procedures for selecting the Guardians in his Republic, as well as a biblical reference to Gideon. He followed God's advice, was able to cut the number of candidates for his army from 22,000 to 10,000 and ultimately, based on a behavioral exercise, selected only 300. The authors decry the fallacy of some contemporary testers who behave as though their tests were God-given and ignore research evidence. The authors argue for hiring based on merit, although they recognize that this standard might be viewed by some as elitist. They propose the use of psychometric methods that give standardized results and yield even-handed assessments of job candidates. They discuss the role of research and its problems, and the gap that separates academicians from practitioners in their perceptions of the practicality and validity of research in staffing decisions. They argue for a symbiotic relationship between theory and practice and between basic and applied research. Other topics discussed are: organizational need analysis, job and methods analyses, and the linkage between KSAs (knowledge, skills, and abilities) and job activities, as well as the role and selection of the job expert. An entire chapter is dedicated to developing hypotheses in terms of cognitive and noncognitive abilities, personality, and the job criteria. The discussion of predictors for team selection contains excellent references for those interested in further study of the subject matter. Although not all aspects of the legal context for hiring practices are presented, the legal aspects of assessment and selection are discussed in terms of laws promoting equal employment opportunity (EEO, with particular emphasis on the Civil Rights Act of 1964. …

Unique legal mandates and public expectations have led the public sector to develop personnel assessment, selection, and promotion methods and systems that are unknown in the private sector or differ substantially from private-sector practices. We present a practitioner’s view of the assessment issues before the public sector: (1) the context in which testing operates in the public sector; (2) special conflicts in public-sector personnel testing; (3) the promise, status, and technological, practical, and political constraints of current selection methods; and (4) some areas where new and improved assessment methods are most needed. Finally, we make a suggestion for improving public-sector personnel assessment and selection. This chapter will focus on the type of personnel assessment typically used for hiring civil service employees in the public sector, excluding the military. A similar system is often used for promotion.

An integrated parallel big data decision support tool using the W-CLUS-MCDA: A multi-scenario personnel assessment

The paper investigated Job Advertisement, Selection, Recruitment and Placement of Personnel in Sokoto State Agency for Mass Education. Three objectives and three research questions were formulated to guide the study. The study adopted descriptive survey design with the total population of 129 staff 14 management staff and 115 supporting staff out of which 93 are senior staff while 36 are junior staff. The sample size of the study were all 129 staff using purposive sample to select all the staff from the Agency since they belong to one organization. The researcher developed one instrument title: Job Advertisement, recruitment, selection and placement of personnel (JARSPP) for data collection. The findings from the research question one indicated that the process of advertisement and selection of personnel for recruitment in sokoto state agency for mass education is commendable. While finding from research question two also indicated that placement procedures of successfully recruited personnel in sokoto state agency for mass education is admirable. And the findings from research question three also revealed that welfare and job satisfaction of personnel in Sokoto state agency for mass education is appreciable. Therefore, the study recommended among others that the state agency for mass literacy sokoto should improve the process used for recruitment and selection in using technology and be more transparent in their process. And the study further recommended that placement after successfully recruitment should follow due process by considering individual area of specializations, provision of required needed resources for job satisfaction.

The effective recovery of Ukraine must be based on harmoniously combined modern technologies, human resources and strategic planning, which will allow not only to restore the destroyed infrastructure, but also to lay the foundation for the sustainable development of the country in the future.Тhe work is devoted to solving the scientific and practical problem of personnel management, which takes into account modern processes of digitalization and the capabilities of network technologies in the selection, assessment and training of personnel for the post-war reconstruction of Ukraine. The issues of developing models and tools for personnel management taking into account modern processes of digitalization and the capabilities of network technologies in the selection, assessment and training of personnel are considered. The main goal of the research is to create an automated decision support system for optimizing the processes of personnel selection and training. For this purpose, a generalization and systematization of existing models, methods and approaches in the field of personnel management was carried out, which allows forming a scientific and methodological basis for increasing the efficiency of personnel management. The proposed conceptual model ensures a high-quality level of candidate training, their adaptation and the efficiency of performing the assigned tasks. A generalized scheme for implementing a personnel selection system implemented in a web environment has been developed. In the above scheme, identification is understood as monitoring the user's compliance with the entered data and visual image.During identification, data on user behavior (answers, previous training) that were obtained earlier are pulled up. A correspondence scheme is built that allows the system to compare information obtained earlier with information that will be obtained when using the system.

It is highly important for a professional team to have each person in the right position in the organization in order to be able to receive competent support in accordance with their abilities and specializations, so that this helps the organization achieve its predetermined goals. The article discusses the psychological methods in personnel placement organization process within a company through looking into the stages of personnel selection and stuff assessment. A complex recruitment process that requires great attention and correct determination of all functions is described from a scientific point of view based on research data. The theoretical and methodological aspects of selection and hiring processes are highlighted in the works of several other scientists Chaudhuri K.K., Huffcut A.I, Podsakoff N.P., Whiting, S.W., Podsakoff P.M., A.P. Egorshina, S.I. Samygina, A.Ya. Kibanova et al. who have enriched the theory and practice of personnel management. Practical examples are given of how personnel selection is carried out under real conditions, the pros and cons allowed by managers are analyzed. The stages and procedures for personnel selection are considered. A study was conducted to determine the modern psychological methods of personnel assessment that are most frequently used in public service institutions with different national background when selecting candidates. The possibilities of the biographical method as an assessment tool used by organizations in assessing candidates are revealed. The principle of past behavioral sequence which is at the same time a predictor of future behavior is substantiated. Information about past events and behavior, reflecting personal qualities, attitudes, experience, interests, skills and abilities and cultural peculiarities are explained in terms of prognostic parameters of overall productivity. The importance of psychological selection methods to determine employees’ qualification level and their knowledge is revealed. Key words: рersonnel assessment, personnel assessment, assessment sources, tools, biographical method, multicultural environment.

The purpose of the article is to identify and substantiate the implementation of human resource management strategy in accordance with the competitive strategy of an enterprise and to develop its characteristics. The analysis of the essence of a company's competitive strategies has been made: cost leadership, differentiation, optimal costs, targeted strategy of low costs and differentiation as well as requirements for qualification and assessment of personnel that are determined in accordance with these strategies. The competitive strategy of the enterprise determines the human resources management strategy, which should ensure the achievement of competitive strategy. The corresponding human resources management strategy is carried out by realization of following objectives: recruitment and selection of personnel, development and enhancement of skills and competences, determining the required level of expertise, development of personal qualities, ensuring the adaptation of personnel, further training, maintaining the necessary motivation of personnel and establishment of corporate culture. The constituent elements that are necessary in order to implement the human resources management strategy – the requirements for each of the objectives – were identified. These sets of requirements were developed in 2019 for the enterprises of the Kropyvnytskyi city „LLC Agrokhim“ and „LLC Astra-S“ (Ukraine). It is of a great importance for the modern enterprises to implement a strategic human resources management. Along with the ongoing improvement of the personnel management it is necessary to introduce strategic management and to provide conformity with competitive strategy of an enterprise. In order to forecast the needs of an enterprise regarding the personnel and to define the requirements to the personnel it is necessary to have a clear description of distinctive features for the realization of the human resources management strategy and to analyse the corelation of the human resources management strategy with competitive strategy of the enterprise. The level of importance of the specific requirements to the personnel changes depending on the competitive strategy of the enterprise, since different strategic directions or preferences cause the need for different types of employees. The developed guidelines for the realization of the human resources management strategy shall contribute to ensuring its compliance with the competitive strategy of the enterprise as well as achievement of competitive advantages.

In this study, we examined the validity and reliability of a domestically-derived biodata assessment tool targeted to recruitment in China. The use of biodata provides an important and key assessment method in personnel assessment and selection. It focuses on an individual’s personal history. One’s past behaviors are critical predictors in predicting individual’s future behaviors. Consequently, biodata uses facts from an individual’s past to predict future working behaviors. Despite of the promise of biodata as an assessment tool, its validity and reliability within China has been limited. In the assessment and selection of government officials in China, biodata methods are mainly used during the first step of screening potential candidates. During the early stages of screening, it will lead to subjective and unstable results without defining proper criteria. In universities in China, millions of resumes were received during annual campus recruitment require processing. An implementation of biodata resume filtering is the primary choice in determining the first pool of applicants’ competency level. Biodata methods also have a long history of effectively coordinating personnel assessment. However, the usage of biodata tools derrived from outside of China have not been valid or reliable for personnel recruitment within China. In order to promote accuracy during the utilization of biodata information in making proper decisions, this study developed a biodata assessment tool for use in China’s campus recruitment. We developed an application form using a standardized coding tool to measure biodata information. During implementation we first developed biodata assessment tools, selecting 250 applicants’ data consisting of an individual’s cognitive ability, personality, biodata and interviewing ability. Secondly, we coded the application forms with a standardized coding tool. In the semi-structured application form, the biodata information, such as academic records, computer skills, rewards and social experiences, were used by a score scaling method. We then statistically tested the validity with a verification method which is seeking the relationship between biodata and other assessment tools. After the logarithmic transformation of the scaling data and the reliability analysis was completed, a validity analysis was conducted from the biodata, cognitive ability, personality and the interview results. The results revealed that the relationship was congruent with previous research results verifying the validity and incremental value of biodata. It explained reliable variance of personnel recruitment decsions. The statistical result showed that the validity of our domestically-derived biodata tools in prediction was effective, and, in turn, revealed that biodata can be an effective tool for personnel assessment. We also determined that biodata would account for distinct incremental variance in the selection result in comparison with the variance contributed by GMA or FFM personality data. We then concluded that biodata’s joint use of other assessment would increase its prediction significance. Based on this conclusion, the study provides implementation solutions for biodata scoring and it’s use with other measuring tools based on empirical research. In conclusion, the scaling tools developed and the methods used in this research can supply significant validity in assessment. The instruments are both cost effective and easy to operate. We verify the incremental validity based on empirical research using Chinese data which offers both theoretical and practical contributions.

Over the past 15 years, a considerable body of literature has built up concerning the automation of psychological tests. Most of this research has been in the area of clinical testing, and may be unfamiliar to many of those involved in occupational assessment. However, the growth of office automation over the past few years has provided the hardware support needed for the development of automated personnel assessment techniques in industry and commerce. The present paper: (1) reviews the major developments in the field of automated testing, bringing together the literature from the clinical and occupational fields; (2) describes the potential provided by microcomputers for the development of new forms of testing; (3) outlines certain problems peculiar to automated testing; and (4) describes the possible future development of ‘expert’ personnel assessment and selection decision support systems.

PurposeThe article makes a conceptual contribution to the substantiation of the foundations in personnel management for the development and decision-making in personnel assessment based on the biographical method.Design/methodology/approachWhen substantiating the scientific direction, a comparative analysis, a comparison of the theoretical provisions of leadership and the methodology of personnel assessment, a critical appraisal of the assessment centre and biographical method were used.FindingsModern science contains information about effective leadership and few grounds for objective selection for leadership positions. Why do some individuals become leaders in the churches, while others become leaders of business corporations? The accepted assessment tools allow obtaining information about the candidate, but do not have a scientific basis for making a decision about leadership in recruiting. Biographical psychology brings together leadership theories and assessment tools; it allows to establish a connection between developmental psychology, social, applied and organizational psychology and provides the integration of various directions in science. It allows a deeper understanding of the relationship between a person's biographical facts and his/her suitability in the profession to justify the reasons for leadership, as well as the grounds for selection for managerial positions.Originality/valueSubstantiation of biographical psychology will allow in the future to legitimize the conduct of such studies, to come closer to the truth in the selection for leadership and not only positions, to understand the connection between the biography of leader and organizational culture. Biographical psychology will contribute to the creation of scientific basis for recruiting. To consider biographical factors more significantly (gender, age, sexual orientation, differences in personal development, and not just executive experience in the resume), this will reduce the economic costs of introducing and supporting costly procedures in organizations, as well as increasing the objectivity of the assessment and selection of personnel in organizations.

Personnel selection and assessment (PSA) is an applied field of Work and Organizational Psychology used by organizations to decide which of the applicants for a job is the most appropriate for a particular position. This chapter is organized into four main sections. The first section starts with the ‘systems view’ of recruitment and selection, highlighting stages in the process. The second section describes what job performance is and the structure of job performance. The third section reviews the most relevant PSA procedures according to the criterion-oriented validity. The fourth section summarizes the research on the applicant perceptions and reactions. Finally, we suggest two conclusions. First, PSA is capable of predicting over 60% of job performance variance based on individual differences. Second, future rises in the explained variance will be probably based on the development of new assessment technologies and, particularly, on the development of new theoretical approaches for occupational situations.

The article examines innovative approaches to personnel management in the context of the digitalization of enterprises. The level of possession of digital skills of the population of Ukraine had positive dynamics during the years of research. However, this is not happening as rapidly as the world’s digital technologies are developing, so the number of people with primitive knowledge is high (almost half of the respondents), which does not allow them to fully use digital technologies and apply them in the process of work and education. The authors highlighted the most in-demand employees’ skills, dividing them into three main blocks – technical, informational, and communication, making it possible to comprehensively describe the list of requirements for competencies and skills of search results with the application of a practical assessment of employment opportunities. Described modern methods of personnel selection and the expediency of their application by domestic enterprises and proposed using different personnel selection ways depending on the size of domestic enterprises (large, medium, and small). New advanced methods of personnel evaluation, that allow determining the level of skills of employees as quickly and efficiently as possible were considered and should be used depending on the goal pursued by the enterprise during personnel assessment because such methods focus on competencies, mainly for the performance of tasks set by job duties. The latest professional training methods of personnel were analyzed using two groups of directions – on-the-job and off-the-job (training at the workplace or outside of it using digital technologies). Described methods of personnel training in the conditions of digitalization are perspective for domestic enterprises and showed high efficiency in their practical application process. Therefore, the authors recommend these methods for implementation to comprehensively develop the skills of employees of enterprises under current operating conditions.