Abstract

Most organizations have strategic goals that determine the kind of selection program they need. An organization that achieves its competitive advantage by delivering goods to consumers with a high level of service may focus on how its selection program can identify the best service workers. In contrast, another organization that pursues a goal of low-margin, high-volume sales of goods may be less concerned about a high level of service skills among employees and instead value a low-cost program for identifying employees with minimal skills to do the job efficiently. These overall objectives for the selection program, in turn, determine the goals for a specific assessment tool or test. An organization whose selection program goals relate to high levels of job performance is likely to set goals for the tests it uses related to validity and reliability and may attend less to their costs. There can be many selection program goals. Some examples include enhancing employee productivity, minimizing error, reducing accidents, complying with Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) regulations, minimizing staffing costs, and supporting the employment brand. Once the organization’s strategic goals are understood and the selection program goals defined, the organization can begin the process of determining the characteristics of the assessment tools constituting a selection program that meets those goals.