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Proposal for Changing the Applicant Testing Process

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The company I work for is considering changing its applicant testing process. My supervisor has asked me to research testing methods and make my recommendation. This proposal will be submitted to the Vice President for review and consideration.

For the purpose of this task, it helps to have a specific type of organization in mind. I need to provide an opening paragraph stating the nature of the company I'm choosing for this assignment (i.e. a retail organization, factory, school, police department, etc?). I can be creative in what type of organization I choose.)

Select at minimum of 3 major types of tests (examples include cognitive abilities, motor and physical abilities, personality & interests, and achievement tests, work sampling, etc) and discuss the legal and ethical implications I see with each test.

What specific employment laws will be factors? What adverse impact (if any) may be created in using each test and how could that be minimized?

Based on the results of that compare/contrast, which testing method do you believe may be the most appropriate for my organization and why?

Remember to compare and contrast testing methods specifically to demonstrate how the methodologies I have not selected may have more negative ethical and legal consequences than the one I have selected.

Within the proposal I should also discuss ways in which advancements in technology have helped to make the applicant testing and selection process more efficient and effective. Must begin with introducing the type of company for which you are developing this testing proposal. Must see each test considered from a legal and ethical standpoint.

There are variety of tests and must compare/contrast those as I consider the legal and ethical impact presented by each (consider employment law, adverse impact, etc). Then I need to use that compare/contrast process to develop actual recommendations for the most effective testing process (what tests would I select for my organization and why is that better than the ones I did not select).

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Solution Summary

The proposal for changing the applicant testing process is examined.

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Applicant Testing Process

Introduction:

The applicant testing process is used to screen the candidates who have applied for the job or may be employed with an organization. According to Robert Guion (1998), an applicant test is an objective and standard procedure that is used to measure the psychological construct of the candidates using a sample of behaviors (Landy & Conte, 2009).

Wal-Mart Inc. is selected for the purpose of measuring its applicant testing process. Wal-Mart is the world's largest discount retail chain. In the current scenario, retail organizations are using various test methods to predict the future behavior of applicants that may assist to get a competitive advantage or survive in the market.

Methods of Applicant Testing:

It is a complex task with an organization to predict the psychology of the candidates. There are various methods that are used that make it easy to predict future behavior and the psychology of candidates. To measure the psychology and behavioral aspects of a candidate, several methods are used such as cognitive ability, personality tests, motor & physical ability, achievement tests, drug tests etc (Taylor, 2005). It is used to identify future performance and the behavior of candidates (Melton, Petrila & Poythress, 2007). Psychological tests assist to predict the success of a candidate on the job.

In the retail industry, several types of psychological tests are also conducted such as aptitude, trade, personality and interest test etc. These methods of applicant testing are as follow:

Cognitive Ability Test or Aptitude test: Cognitive ability or aptitude tests are used to measure one's mental capacity and aptitude to acquire knowledge from different available sources. This type of test represents the willingness to learn new skills of the candidate to do the job in an effective way. Testing for cognitive ability is the basis of staffing decisions. A cognitive test may be in the form of written and computerized or web-based etc. Web-based or computerized cognitive tests save money in comparison to written tests. Cognitive abilities include understanding, remembering, problem identification, problem solving skills, learning skills etc.

In contrast to this, in a web based or computerized aptitude test, everyone is not equally comfortable in using a computer. One of the biggest problems with a computer/web based cognitive test is the inability of applicants such as an inability to backtrack, difficulty with navigation and problem with software etc.

Psycho-Motor or Physical Ability Test: A psycho-motor or skill test is used to measure a person's ability to perform a specific job. It helps to determine mental alertness and intelligence of a person. It is used for selecting workers who have to perform semi-skilled and repetitive jobs like assembly work, packing, testing and inspection etc (O'Connor & Cohn, 2009).

A psychomotor test is a simple form to judge ability of an individual. On the other hand, in the cognitive test, complex and difficult decisions are required to judge an individual.

Achievement or Proficiency Test or Trade Tests: Are used to judge skills and knowledge of a candidate that he/she has already acquired through training and on the job experience (Hersen & Thomas, 2004). It is used to measure proficiency in typing, shorthand and in operating calculations, adding machines, dictating and transcribing ...

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