Psychological assessment is used for selection of personnel (1), development of personnel (2), career choice (3), absence and reintegration of personnel (4), assessing motivation (5), assessing leadership (6) and improving performance (7).
Personal interest is related to occupational fulfilment and success. They promote better performance (1), greater productivity (2) and greater job satisfaction (3). It can be assessed using an interest measure (e.g. Strong Interest Inventory). Interest is less predictive of job performance and work outcomes than personality traits. A combination of test instruments increases the predictive validity for work outcomes.
Holland’s theory of vocational personality types states that there are six personality types and vocational choice reflects one of these personality types. Hunter states that there are five families of jobs; setting up (1), feeding and off-bearing (2), synthesising and coordinating (3), analysing, compiling and computing (4) and copying and comparing (5). The interest inventories could recommend a family of jobs to a person.
High school aptitude predicts job performance and not job satisfaction. Both are not predicted by interest inventories. A portfolio assessment refers to the evaluation of an individual’s work sample to make a decision regarding this individual (e.g. placement). The advantages of portfolio assessment are evaluating many work samples by the assessee (1), obtaining understanding of the assessee’s work-related thoughts and habits (2) and question the assessee further regarding aspects of the thought-processes (3).
An integrity test refers to a narrowly defined personality test to predict an employee’s integrity (e.g. theft). Overt integrity tests are asking straight-forward questions regarding integrity. Tests like these are characterized as criterion-focused occupational personality scales.
Screening refers to the superficial process of evaluation based on minimal standards. Selection refers to a process whereby each person evaluated for a position will be either accepted or rejected. Classification refers to categorization with respect to two or more criteria. Placement refers to a disposition, transfer or assignment to a group or category that may be made based on one criterion.
Cognitive performance, personality and motivation are predictors of work performance. However, cognitive performance tests are controversial because they may be biased towards a group. The personality and cognitive performance of a candidate can be assessed using a situational performance test. Motivation can be assessed using work preferences inventory or an interview.
There are differences in a person’s motivation to accept a job and to retain the job. These differences might be explained by the expectancy of outcomes through their efforts (e.g. efficacy).
Intrinsic motivation refers to having an internal driving force for motivation and effort. This consists of subfactors that concern the challenge of work tasks. Extrinsic motivation refers to having an external driving force for motivation and effort (e.g. money). This consists of subfactors that concern the compensation for work (1) and external influences (e.g. recognition) (2).
People can have controlled or autonomous motivation and the more autonomous motivation, the higher job performance
.....read more
Add new contribution