The Use of Predictors in Employee Selection Essay

Introduction

I have chosen the topic of “Predictors” from the given selection of topics. The use of predictors in employee selection is crucial to forecasting who is likely to succeed in a job based on available data. Predictors such as cognitive ability tests, personality tests, and work samples have been found to be valid predictors of job performance.

Discussion

However, the issue of racial differences in cognitive ability test scores has been a long-standing controversy (Borup, & Schütte, 2022). Additionally, personality tests can be faked, which calls into question their validity as predictors. It is important to consider the appropriateness of each type of predictor for a specific job and to conduct a thorough job analysis to identify the key knowledge, skills, and abilities required for success in the job.

Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia, is one court case that discusses the problem of occupational discrimination based on sexual orientation. Gerald Bostock, a child welfare advocate, lost his position as Clayton County, Georgia’s county child welfare services coordinator in 2013, not long after he started playing in a homosexual recreational baseball team. Bostock filed a lawsuit against the county, alleging that his dismissal was motivated by his sexual orientation. The case ultimately reached the US Supreme Court (Cahill, 2020). The Court concluded in June 2020 that Section VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 shields workers against discrimination based on sexual orientation, making it unlawful for businesses to terminate employees or treat them differently in any other way due to their sexual orientation.

Conclusion

This case is important to selection and Industrial-Organizational (IO) psychology because it highlights the potential for adverse impact on selection processes, particularly in the use of cognitive ability tests. The court’s ruling emphasized that selection procedures must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. The case also underscored the importance of conducting validation studies to ensure that selection tests do not have a disparate impact on protected groups, such as racial minorities (Cahill, 2020). As such, the case provides an important reminder to IO practitioners to ensure that their selection procedures are valid and do not result in discrimination against any group.

Reference

Borup, D., & Schütte, E. C. M. (2022). In search of a job: Forecasting employment growth using Google Trends. Journal of Business & Economic Statistics, 40(1), 186-200. Web.

Cahill, S. (2020). “The Best of Times… the Worst of Times”: What Bostock v. Clayton County, Georgia and the Repeal of Federal Nondiscrimination Rules Mean for LGBT Health. LGBT health, 7(7), 345-348. Web.