INTERVIEW

An interview (conversation with a purpose) with a candidate for a job in which a manager or personnel worker
attempts to obtain and assess information about a candidate to make a valid prediction on the candidate’s future
performance in the job. Key questions are:

– Can the applicants do the job – are they competent?

– Will the applicants do the job – are they motivated?

– How will they fit into the organization?

Interviews also provide opportunity to exchange information (partly as a marketing tool)

ADVANTAGES OF INTERVIEWS

• Opportunity of probing questions

• Realistic job preview: describing the job & organization

• Enables face-to-face encounters: organization & team fitness

• Opportunity for candidates to ask

• Opportunity for candidates to assess the organization

PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTING IN INDUSTRY

Objectives

 Basic understanding of what I/O psychology is, and what an I/O psychologist does.
 Know the various types of selection tests in I/O psychology.
 Understand the process of validating an employment test.
 Know the legal issues associated with employee selection.

Types of Tests:
Psychological tests may be categorized into various groupings depending upon the particular purpose of the

classification system. Before proceeding further, it might be valuable to consider some of these classification

systems.

Type of Behaviour Measured:

Probably the most frequently used classification system is based on the type of behaviour that tests purport to

measure. Thus we find tests designated as intelligence tests, personality tests, interest tests, vision tests, music tests,

art tests, mechanical tests, verbal tests, etc., where each group is fairly behaviour specific.
Achievement and Aptitude Tests:
Very frequently authors will distinguish between tests of aptitude and tests of achievement. The former is

supposedly a measure of a person’s potential in a given area, while the latter is a measure of a person’s current skill

or ability at the moment of testing. Since the same test can often be considered both an achievement test and an

aptitude test depending upon use, this classification system is often a fuzzy one.

Thus, with many tests one can:

(1) Measure the amount of present skill, and

(2) Use the present score to predict future performance.

Paper-And-Pencil Tests and Performance Tests:

Many tests are of the paper-and-pencil variety:

The testee simply receives a test paper or printed booklet containing the test questions, and he records his responses

in some written manner on the answer sheet that is usually provided. Many other tests, however, do not require a

written response—rather they involve some sort of manipulation activity such as handling pegs or blocks, or

assembling mechanical objects. These latter tests are referred to as performance tests.

Speed and Power Tests:

Some tests are constructed so that every item is very easy—the task is to complete as many items as possible in a

short time. When test performance is based primarily upon the speed with which one works, the test is referred to as

a speed test. The other extreme would be a test where the items were difficult and the person was given as much

time as necessary to complete the items. In such tests a person’s score is based exclusively upon his ability to answer

the questions correctly, no matter how long (within reason, of course) it takes. This type of test is called a power

test.

Individual and Group Tests:

There are a number of tests which are designed to be administered individually; that is, they cannot be given

simultaneously to two or more people by a single examiner. An example would be the Stanford-Binet Intelligence

Scale. Very often individual tests are used for clinical evaluation. Group tests are those which may be taken by many
people at the same time. For industrial testing, group tests are generally preferred because they are more economical

to administer.

Language and Non-language Tests:

Sometimes it is important to distinguish between those tests which require a knowledge of a particular language

(such as English) in order to understand either the test instructions or the test items themselves. All such tests are

called language tests because performance on them depends partially upon the language ability of the testee,

regardless of the type of ability the test is designed to measure.

In some cases it is desirable or necessary to avoid the language bias of a test. For example, to test the mechanical

ability of people who are illiterate using a test that has implicated written instructions would be quite inappropriate.

To solve this problem, tests have been constructed in certain areas which are language-free tests. They require no

language skill on the part of the testee. These are referred to as non-language tests.

Counseling

1. It enables one to work on highly personal problems. Wonderful teaching and inspiration can be found in
books and lectures. But some topics do not lend themselves to public or mass discussion. When we 4

counsel with people individually, however, we reach their personal and innermost problems.

2. Counseling is important because it is two-way communication. The counselee as well as the counselor
talks. And we do not grow or change much unless we are given the opportunity to discuss our problems

thoroughly. A message or a lecture is one-way communication. We talk at people. We consider them

targets which we hope to “hit.” But when we counsel individually, the counselee also has something to say.

He thinks and talks with the counselor. This is two-way communication — and it brings results.
 3. Counseling is also important because it has a depth aspect. We can only go part way with such media as
books, lectures and television. Sometimes our efforts are, at best, only superficial. But work with

individuals is more thorough. The client gains a much greater depth of understanding. This brings about

sounder and more permanent solutions.

Counseling is very important for individuals and children and their caregivers, regardless of what the individual’s
circumstances are. Caregivers have many kinds of responsibilities and demands placed upon them that children
don’t have, which can be stressful all on its own.

For parents/caregivers, counseling can provide:

 Education in how to better respond to children’s struggles

 A safe environment to express and process emotions
 Knowledge of ways to better support the child’s siblings and/or family functioning
 Connections to/awareness of other community resources (financial, educational, child services, etc.)
 Support and help in making sense of experiences

For children, counseling can provide:

 A safe environment to express and process emotions

 Practice with emotional regulation skills
 Education about safety
 Another, sometimes easier way to communicate
 Support and help in making sense of experiences

Definition of Merit Rating:

Merit Rating assesses the merit of the person doing the job. Merit rating determines
the extent to which an employee meets job requirements. Job evaluation and Merit
Rating are two complementary aspects of a sound personnel policy.

The first, determines a suitable wage structure for the job and the second (i.e., merit
rating), decides the rewards an employee should get in addition to his wages,
depending upon his merits.

Merit Rating is a systematic and orderly approach to assess the relative worth of an
employee working in an organisation in terms of his job performance, integrity,
leadership, intelligence, behaviour, etc.

Merit rating is commonly referred to as Employee Rating, Employee Appraisal or

Staff Reporting.
Objectives of Merit Rating:
(1) Merit rating provides a record of the worth of employees; they, therefore, can be
put on the most appropriate jobs depending upon their capabilities.

(2) Merit rating unfolds the limitations of an employee and thus helps in employee
improvement.

(3) Merit rating records form a basis for:

(a) Wage-increase,

(b) Promotion,

(c) Special assignments,

(d) Training,

(e) Transfer, and

(f) Discharge.

Methods of Merit Rating:

The different methods of merit rating, merit rating plans or merit rating
systems are discussed below:
1. Rating Scale Method:
The steps involved in Rating Scale method are:
(a) Define the merit factors (i.e., standards) to rate the employees.

The different factors, according to the nature of job may be as follows:

i. Standard of output,

ii. Quantity of output,

iii. Intelligence,

iv. Job knowledge,

v. Leadership,
vi. Integrity,

vii. Dependability,

viii. Education and experience,

ix. Efforts and initiative,

x. Adaptability,

xi. Co-operation,

xii. Judgment,

xiii. Character,

xiv. Loyalty, and

xv. Health and appearance.

2. Check List Method:

The method employs a list of questions and several statements which are concerned
with the employee performance on various aspects of the job and which are
considered important for evaluating the merit of an employee for that job. The
questions are of Yes or No type. Each question or statement possesses certain points
which when totaled together for all the relevant questions indicate the rating of an
employee.

Advantages:
(i) It is a good method of merit rating.

(ii) It reduces Halo-Effect.

Disadvantages:
It is time consuming and very difficult to construct statements and prepare appro-
priate questions.
3. Employee Comparison Method:
The method compares a worker on a job with all other workers on the same job, in
pairs. Suppose there are four workers namely W, X, Y and Z.

Then,

W is compared with X and suppose

W is better W is compared with Y and suppose Y is better

W is compared with Z and suppose W is better Next,

X is compared with Y and suppose Y is better

X is compared with Z and suppose Z is better

Y is compared with Z and suppose Y is better

This method consumes much time especially when the number of employees to be
compared is large.

Advantages of Merit Rating:

Besides a few mentioned under objectives, other advantages of Merit
Rating are as listed below:
(1) Merit rating develops the ability of a rater,

(2) Meritorious employees are encouraged,

(3) Employee-employer relations improve.

(4) It is easy to deal with the unions as merit rating is a systematic method to rate
the employees.

(5) It involves lesser calculations as compared to other incentive schemes.

Disadvantages of Merit Rating:
(i) It entails Halo Effect. Halo effect means the tendency of the rater to rate an
employee consistently low, average or high in all jobs, simply basing upon the
general impression formed by him about the employee.

(ii) Correct results will not be obtained, if merit factors relevant to a particular job
are, somehow or other omitted or points allocated to them are not fair.

(iii) A rater may play safe and tend to impart average grade to an employee who
otherwise deserves unsatisfactory rating.

(iv) A rater, if he does not make enough personal contacts with each employee
cannot rate them correctly.

(v) A rater (i.e., supervisor) may not like to degrade his subordinates who maybe
excellent otherwise but not good at work.

(vi) Merit rating does not reward employees immediately for their performance.

Distinction between Merit Rating and Job Evaluation

Merit rating is quite different from job evaluation. The points of distinction between
them can be listed as follows:

Job Evaluation Merit Ratings

1. It rates the occupation to
determine job differentials.
2. The object of it is to fix a fair
base wage rate.
3. It is not concerned with the
promotion and transfer of
employees.
It gauges employee performance to
determine his relative contribution to
the job.
Its object is to decide on any differential
pay over and above the base wage.
It forms the basis for promotion and
transfer of employees.

The objectives of job evaluation, to put in a more systematic manner are to:

1. Establish a standard procedure for determining the relative worth of each job in an organization;
2. Ensure equitable wage for a job and reasonable wage differentials between different jobs in a
hierarchical organization;

3. Determine the rate of pay for each job which is fair and equitable with relation to other jobs in the
plant, community or industry;

4. Eliminate wage inequalities;

5. Use as a basis for fixing incentives and different bonus plans;

6. Promote a fair and accurate consideration of all employees for advancement and transfer;

7. Provide information for work organization, employees‟ selection, placement, training and other
similar purposes;

8. Provide a benchmark for making career planning for the employees in the organization and;

9. Ensure that like wages are paid to all qualified employees for like work. Principles of job evaluation

The job evaluation has certain principles. These principles are supposed to be kept in the mind of the job
evaluators. These principles are not only directives of proper job evaluation but also provide clarity in
the process of evaluation.

1. Rate the job and the jobber. Each element should be rated on the basis of what the job itself requires;

2. The elements selected for rating purposes should be easily explainable in terms and a few in numbers
as will cover the necessary requisites for every job without any overlapping;

3. The elements should be clearly defined and properly selected;

4. Any job rating plan must be sold to foremen and employees. The success in selling it will depend on a
clear-cut explanation and illustration of the plan;

5. Foreman should participate in the rating of jobs in their own departments;

6. Maxim mum co-operation can be obtained from employees when they themselves have an
opportunity to discuss job ratings and;

7. Too many occupational wages should not be established. It would be unwise to adopt an occupational
wage for each total of point values.
 1 of 17