Personnel Selection in Organizations

Book excerpt: Unprecedented advances in the scientific study of personnel selection have given researchers and practitioners new ideas and tools to achieve greater success in measuring and linking skills, knowledge, and abilities to job performance requirements. Personnel Selection in Organizations is a timely presentation of emerging issues in research and practice, providing new and exciting perspectives on the theoretical, empirical, and societal changes that will affect the study and practice of virtually every personnel selection topic. The careful analysis of current procedures and practices, joined with an insightful identification of areas where ongoing research is needed, will be a valuable resource for all those interested in the continuing development of the field. In sixteen original chapters, leading experts highlight the personnel selection issues that will receive increasing attention in the years ahead. The authors thoughtfully explore key subjects in this rapidly changing field, including job analysis, criterion development, biographical and personality measures, the concept of validity, the changing demographics of the work population, the decline of the manufacturing economy, and the development of small organizations. They examine specific topics such as recruitment and retention, structured versus unstructured interviews, the ethics and effectiveness of computerized psychological testing, perceptions of selection fairness, productivity, turnover, and absenteeism. They also cover broader, less traditional concerns including downsizing and retirement, selection and staffing as a corporate strategy, promoting job and life satisfaction, organizational citizenship, and commitment.