Unlocking Organizational Success: Exploring the Link Between Employee Performance and Selection Tools

Introduction

In the past, the success of an organization was measured using production and sales. In today's world, the key to success is creating a competitive advantage by improving goods and services. This can only be achieved by hiring the right people, which is key to improved employee performance(Farago, 2013). Finding the proper method of hiring employees becomes the key for a company to advantage over other competitors. This study uses a selection interview and selection test to assess employee performance, skills, and abilities. Using a wrong selection criterion will negatively impact the organization, including low productivity, which leads to loss of profit margins (Tiffin et al., 2020). These known challenges should make organizations find new and improved means to fill positions. The changing business environment the existing used in selection interviews is that if there were no variability in physical and physiological characteristics, there would be very little need for hiring. A lack of variability between individuals would make people perform the same. Research shows that the more complex a job becomes, the more variability in skills between individuals (Tiffin et al., 2020). Human resource management plays a significant role in the selection and hiring processes. Studies show that employee performance at work plays an essential role in reaching an organization's goal (Langer, König & Krause, 2017). The selection process should involve so much more than just choosing a person with talent. The concept of hiring is the process of finding the right person to fit a job description. There are many ways the selection process should be carried out but should not be limited to selection tests and interviews. Studies show that selection processes could be the best way to assess employee performance (Tiffin et al., 2020). The British Physiological Society advises organizations that the nature of the tests should be based on their ability to meet the four criteria; sensitivity, reliability, validity, and standardization selection test uncovers what is unknown during the interviewing process. Studies also show that organizations that have aligned their human resource needs and organizational goals enjoy high employee performance (Farago, 2013).

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Recently, job performance has received attention from managers and organizations seeking to increase job performance and employee retention. One majorly ranked means of employee selection tests is asking the same question to every employee in the same order using the same language (Cerovic, 2018). Results from significant studies show the validity of any interview relies upon content quality during the interviews. An unstructured interview is found to be more valid than an unstructured one (Tiffin et al., 2020). Standardization refers to the existing uniformities of the tests administered. Results from predictive validity indicate that the selection test indicates general organizational behavior (Langer, König & Krause, 2017). This paper looks to determine the relationship between job performance and selection tools using various methodologies.

Methodology

In carrying out this study, the ex post facto design was used. A total of two hundred employees and an employee were identified and used as participants. The selection criteria were random. The participants consisted of a hundred females and a hundred males with an age range of between 22 to 58 years. The selection interview and test were the independent variables in the process. This study was designed as a survey study where two hundred participants were chosen using random sampling. Purposive sampling was also used to select members of staff. The questionnaires used were structured into three parts, where the first section measured demographic characteristics. The second section was designed to determine the participant's take on selection interviews and tests. The final selection was used to measure participants' views on the existence of a relationship between selection tests, interviews, and general job performance at a place of work.

Results

The t-tests and one-way ANOVA were used to test for the three hypotheses presented during the study. The first hypothesis stated that there would be significant differences between the views of both males and females on the link between selection tests, interviews, and job performance at work. The t-test was used for testing the hypothesis, and the results showed that females held a more excellent perception that there existed a link between job performance and selection tests and interviews. The idea was accepted.

The second hypothesis stated that there existed differences between the married and single employees on the perception of a relationship between the variables, job performance, employee selection tests, and selection interviews. T-tests were used to test the hypothesis, and the results revealed that single employees agreed to the existence of a link between job performance, selection tests, and selection interviews. The results of the study supported that second hypothesis.

The third hypothesis was that there was an influence of ag groups on the perception of the existence of a link between job performance and selection interviews and tests. The theory was tested using one-way ANOVA, and the results showed that employees between age group 20 -25 had the highest perception that there existed a link between job performance and selection tests and interviews (Langer, König & Krause, 2017). The hypothesis was, therefore, supported by the results of the study.

Discussion

This study aims to create an understanding of different perceptions of the existence of a link between job performances and selection interviews and tests' (Bye & Sandal, 2016). The results of the existence of a correlation between selection interviews and selection tests and job performances offer a means to expound on previous research on the topic. The results of the study presented numerous findings which further promoted the understanding of all concepts. In hypothesis 1, there existed differences in the perception of male and female employees. The results indicated that female employees believed that there existed a link between job performance and selection interviews, and bias. The explanation could be that in a setting where gender bias exists, females have been denied job opportunities despite their qualifications and experience (Langer, König & Krause, 2017). It is an indicator that more females are likely to get job opportunities when compared to the numbers being hired now by using selection interviews and tests as the selection criteria for employment. Female employees who participated in the study showed an understanding that compelling selection interviews and standards would subsequently lead to better performances at the organizational level. This supports research that optimizes employee performance and can only occur if employees are appropriately placed in job settings (Bye & Sandal, 2016).

Hypothesis two showed that single employees showed a higher percentage of a link between job performance and selection interviews and tests. Marriage is associated with responsibilities, and during hiring, married people are at an advantage because they are thought to be more responsible(Bye & Sandal, 2016). Many single people are at a disadvantage when they have to compete with married people to get a job. The hypothesis, single people believe that if criteria for assessment during the employment process are adjusted to selection interviews and tests, the notion of culture is eliminated, putting them at an advantage (Langer, König & Krause, 2017).

The third hypothesis showed that age group greatly influenced the view of a link between job performance and selection interviews and tests. These findings indicate that employee performance is a result of many correlated factors. Using only selection interviews and selection tests cannot be enough to predict the performance of an employee. Academic intelligence differs significantly from the experience and skills needed to perform a job. Studies support this hypothesis by claiming that high jib performance is a result of individual abilities and demand. The ability to correlate such personal accounts with a market leads to better job performance (Langer, König & Krause, 2017). On the other hand, where employees possess inadequate ability to perform leads to lower relative skills. These results relate to models that suggest that job performance is positively related to organizational and behavioral outcomes.

Conclusion and Recommendations

There should exist a fit between organizational strategies and the people expected to implement them. According to the Work Physiology Institute, some aspects involve high job performance in an organization's management practices. These practices include developing strategies to attract, hire, and keep the right employees. The study has established that using selection interviews and selection tests can assess performance as they are good predictors of employee performance. The test theories indicate that employee performance is due to correlated factors between individual and organizational characteristics higher the competencies to the job requirement. The higher the job performance. Human resource management plays an essential role in the selection process and serves to create a competitive advantage through highly qualified employees' best selection process.

Further studies show that employee performance can be affected by personal needs. Higher job performances correlated to organizational needs meet their aspirations and needs. The personality of an interviewee can help human resource management decide the best position for the candidate. This study shows that personal attributes like gender, age, and marital status have been used to determine the relationship between employee performance and selection interviews and tests.

Since job performance correlates with an individual and organizational characteristic, an organization should foster activities like teamwork, motivation, coaching, leadership, and training if high performance must be observed. The organization should also seek to improve its human resource management models that ensure that competitive advantage is attained. Having the right employee in the right job plays a crucial role in fostering high performance.

Limitations

Like all other studies, the study above has limitations. Selection tests and interviews were the only tools used to assess employee performance leaving out other potential predictors. Not all job categories were sampled in the study. Examples include the support staff such as security. The inclusion of such candidates could have provided a wide range of data to compare. This study was initially meant to compare employees of two institutions but due to funds insufficient only one institution was involved.

References

Bye, H. H., & Sandal, G. M. (2016). Applicant personality and procedural justice perceptions of group selection interviews. Journal of business and psychology, 31(4), 569-582.

Cerovic, P. (2018). Assessing the candidate in the selection interview: The role of interviewer's personality. Psihologija, 51(1), 91–105. https://doi.org/10.2298/PSI161112005C

Farago, Z. (2013). SELECTION INTERVIEWS: ROLE OF INTERVIEWER WARMTH, INTERVIEW STRUCTURE, AND INTERVIEW OUTCOME IN APPLICANTS' PERCEPTIONS OF ORGANIZATIONS. Consulting Psychology Journal, 65(3), 224–239. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0034300