Preselection Methods Prior to the Internal Assessment Center for Personnel Selection in German Companies

Abstract

Companies frequently use preselection methods in order to identify eligible candidates before conducting assessment centers (ACs). The present study was the first to investigate current practices of preselection in German companies that use ACs for internal selection. Results of a survey among 109 German companies show that companies typically apply general qualification criteria (e.g., work experience), appraisals, or unstructured interviews for preselection, but rely less on trait‐oriented methods (e.g., intelligence tests) and structured interviews. In their subjective evaluations, however, companies rate structured interviews and trait‐oriented methods as particularly valid methods. The results also show that the number of preselection methods used is positively correlated with company size, diagnostic skills of the responsible persons in the preselection, and DIN (Deutsches Institut für Normierung [German Institute for Standardization]) 33430 certification status. The implications of these findings for practice and research are discussed.

The Role of Talent Management Comparing Medium-Sized and Large Companies – Major Challenges in Attracting and Retaining Talented Employees

“…The recognition of talented current employees is most often based on managers’ proposals and the expression of a desire to develop in interviews conducted by HR. Similar to the German study ( Benit et al, 2014 ), a little less than one third of the participating companies use psychometric testing to identify talent, and even fewer use evaluation centers. Medium-sized companies report the use of a 9-box grid matrix, but the use is probably more appropriate at companies with fewer employees, as it could be extremely time-consuming at large companies.…”

“…Many companies when planning talent management think first of all about attracting talented individuals from the labor market, but pay less attention to using scientifically proven methods and approaches to recognizing talent ( Pulakos, 2005 ). A study conducted in Germany ( Benit et al, 2014 ) indicated that when selecting employees companies seldomly employ quality-oriented methods such as annual evaluation discussions, psychometric testing or evaluation centers. Some organizations use a 9-box grid to identify “high-potentials,” who are described as competent, engaged and striving to become leaders, and “high-performers,” who have already demonstrated such skills, viewpoints and behaviors.…”

Different Worldviews Explain Perceived Effectiveness of Different Employment Tests

“…According to the survey author, Henry Dennison, this is because ‘…no single simple method would suffice to discover and test the subtle and varied qualifications of men’ (National Bureau of Economic Research, ; p. 519). Nearly a century later, views about the usefulness of standardized tests have changed surprisingly little (Benit et al, ; Lodato et al, ; Rynes et al, ). This is despite the volumes of research suggesting that psychologists have achieved considerable success reducing error in the prediction of job performance (Schmidt & Hunter, ).…”

“…519). Nearly a century later, views about the usefulness of standardized tests have changed surprisingly little (Benit et al, 2014;Lodato et al, 2011;Rynes et al, 2002). This is despite the volumes of research suggesting that psychologists have achieved considerable success reducing error in the prediction of job performance (Schmidt & Hunter, 1998).…”

“…Even many human resources (HR) professionals appear to hold negative views about the usefulness of some tests (Lodato, Highhouse, & Brooks, ; Rynes, Colbert, & Brown, ). Although estimates of test use in private organizations are difficult to find, cognitive ability tests appear to be rarely used in most countries, including the United States (Benit, Mojzisch, & Soellner, ; König, Jöri, & Knüsel, ; König et al, ; Ryan, McFarland, Baron, & Page, ) . With regard to personality testing, only 18% of HR professionals reported using them (in any capacity) in a recent survey of members of the Society for Human Resources Management (SHRM, ).…”