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Full-Text Articles in Social and Behavioral Sciences

Identifying Critical Psychological Characteristics Related To Successful Performance As A Contact Tracer: A Job Analysis, Dev K. Dalal, Jason Randall, Gabrielle C. Danna, Josh Ash May 2023

Identifying Critical Psychological Characteristics Related To Successful Performance As A Contact Tracer: A Job Analysis, Dev K. Dalal, Jason Randall, Gabrielle C. Danna, Josh Ash

Personnel Assessment and Decisions

The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the need for a massive workforce of contact tracers to help end the global pandemic. Rapidly accelerating the recruitment, selection, and training of contact tracers proved to be difficult, though, due in part to the lack of a valid, structured, and systematic approach to hiring and training contact tracers. This demonstration presents the results of the first steps in developing a systematic selection and training program: a combined (worker- and task-oriented) job analysis of the contact tracer job. Using archival records and structured interviews with 15 subject matter experts, we identified 25 unique characteristics related to …


"That Is An Interesting Question!" Oddball Interview Questions And Organizational Personality Perceptions, Don C. Zhang, John-Luke Mccord May 2023

"That Is An Interesting Question!" Oddball Interview Questions And Organizational Personality Perceptions, Don C. Zhang, John-Luke Mccord

Personnel Assessment and Decisions

Oddball interview questions have gained both popular and academic traction in recent years. Regardless of the intentions behind these questions, job seekers will form judgments about the employer based on its selection tactics. This paper examined the effect of oddball interview questions on organizational personality perceptions and subsequent attraction to the organization. In a time-lagged online experiment, we found organizations that asked oddball interview questions (vs. traditional interview questions) were perceived as more innovative and stylistic, which had a positive indirect effect on organizational attraction. Despite the positive effect of oddball interview questions on these organizational personality perceptions, oddball interview …


Effects Of Background Cues On Videoconference Interview Ratings, Deborah M. Powell, Maria V. Kavanagh, Bethany E. Wiseman, Audrey Hodgins May 2023

Effects Of Background Cues On Videoconference Interview Ratings, Deborah M. Powell, Maria V. Kavanagh, Bethany E. Wiseman, Audrey Hodgins

Personnel Assessment and Decisions

Interviewers regularly make personality-related attributions in interviews, whether purposefully or not. In this study, we examined whether changing a contextual cue in a videoconference interview (the cleanliness of the room where the interviewee is located) influenced interviewers’ ratings of interviewee conscientiousness and interview performance ratings. We conducted a between-subjects experiment (N = 389) and manipulated three factors: background cleanliness (clean vs. messy) x location (office vs. home) x gender of job candidate (man vs. woman). The dependent variables were conscientiousness ratings and interview performance ratings. There was a main effect of cleanliness on conscientiousness and on interview performance ratings; …


Personnel Selection In Australia: Identifying Research-Practice Gaps And Understanding The Importance Of Culture Fit, Jaymon D. Kirk, Serena Wee, Patrick D. Dunlop May 2023

Personnel Selection In Australia: Identifying Research-Practice Gaps And Understanding The Importance Of Culture Fit, Jaymon D. Kirk, Serena Wee, Patrick D. Dunlop

Personnel Assessment and Decisions

This study examined current personnel selection practices in Australia including (a) the types of assessments used, (b) the factors considered when choosing assessments, and (c) the characteristics targeted in successful applicants. Participants from 68 organizations responded to a questionnaire that asked about current selection practices. Several areas where current practice deviated from research-supported best practice were identified. First, psychometric tests were used rarely: Cognitive ability tests were used by 26% of organizations and self-report questionnaires (e.g., personality inventories) by 18% of organizations. Second, when choosing assessments, the three most important considerations (in order) were the candidate experience, reducing bias, and …


Interventions To Improve The Candidate Experience Of Structured Videoconference Interviews, Amanda Deacon, Jordan Moore, Deborah Powell May 2023

Interventions To Improve The Candidate Experience Of Structured Videoconference Interviews, Amanda Deacon, Jordan Moore, Deborah Powell

Personnel Assessment and Decisions

Intense competition for talent has led to increased organizational focus on improving how applicants perceive and respond to selection tools. Because of the recent increased use of technology in selection, we tested whether modifying aspects of videoconference interviews could improve applicant reactions. We tested two interventions—structured rapport building and question provision—with 205 applicants applying for a research assistant position. Applicants were randomly assigned to either an experimental condition (rapport or question provision) or the control condition and participated in a structured videoconference interview, followed by a survey. Structured rapport building had no significant effect on applicant reactions. However, question provision …