Purchase Solution

Human Resources: Organizational and Training Development

Not what you're looking for?

Ask Custom Question

Tests of general cognitive ability are good indicators of recruitment and selection, and job performance success for a wide variety of jobs. They sometimes can be efficient and economical methods for targeting and screening a large volume of applicants. Some tests measure cognitive abilities and personality traits to see whether a candidate is a right fit for a position and for the company while others benchmark skills. Many types of commercial tests are available to organizations for use in the selection process. Many of these tests have undergone validation and reliability studies (Byars and Rue, 2008). Byars and Rue (2008) discuss five categories of tests: aptitude, psychomotor, job knowledge and proficiency, interests, and personality.

1) Why do you think it is important to have these tests validated and be deemed reliable? Which of these tests do you think is LEAST beneficial in the recruitment process and why?

During the recruitment phase, human resource professionals attempt to match applicant's skills with those of the needs of the organization and to find candidates that "fit" within their organization. Many organizations have implemented an actual recruitment and selection plan or process, so that they can hire individuals who have the necessary skills or have the capacity to learn the necessary skills in order to perform within the organization. Organizations seek out a variety of resources both internally and externally when seeking candidates. Companies that emphasis internal recruitment seeks to find employees currently within the organization that can transitioned into other positions within the company. Some companies seek to find external candidates to fill roles. Both of recruitment sources have their benefits.

2) As a member of management /HR professional which do you think is more beneficial to an organization when seeking to fill vacant positions with an organization in order to meet its goals, internal or external recruitment? What are some steps that you would take to create a recruitment plan for your organization? Are there any specific components that you may find necessary to incorporate into your recruitment and selection plan? What selection methods will you use when seeking to hire potential employees and why?

Purchase this Solution

Solution Summary

This solution discusses various aspects of human resources and the recruitment and selection strategy. Each question is comprehensively addressed and references are provided for student expansion.

Solution Preview

1 -- Why do you think it is important to have these tests validated and be deemed reliable?

As with any type of test, reliability and validity are critical factors. If our test is not deemed reliable and valid, we are not able to make use of the information in a meaningful way because it has limitations. We need information collected (data) reliable in order to use the information for decision making purposes. If we give Candidate A our test and the test has not been validated, it is possible that we may give Candidate B the same test and compare the results. The results may or may not be accurate until the test has been determined to be both reliable and valid. The same holds true for scientific experiments. If the experiment used in one setting cannot be repeated with the same results in a similar setting, the test is not reliable. The results of the test would not be of much use to the scientific community. We have the same basic principles with employment testing.

Which of these tests do you think is LEAST beneficial in the recruitment process and why?

In my opinion, the interests test is the least beneficial in the recruitment process. The other tests offer greater insight in relation to the applicant's potential. Tests that measure aptitude are gauging ability, tests that measure job knowledge and proficiency are determining levels of expertise for the job, and tests that measure interests and personality are attempting to gauge several ...

Purchase this Solution


Free BrainMass Quizzes
Six Sigma for Process Improvement

A high level understanding of Six Sigma and what it is all about. This just gives you a glimpse of Six Sigma which entails more in-depth knowledge of processes and techniques.

Organizational Leadership Quiz

This quiz prepares a person to do well when it comes to studying organizational leadership in their studies.

Balance Sheet

The Fundamental Classified Balance Sheet. What to know to make it easy.

Learning Lean

This quiz will help you understand the basic concepts of Lean.

Writing Business Plans

This quiz will test your understanding of how to write good business plans, the usual components of a good plan, purposes, terms, and writing style tips.