Abstract
On the surface, hiring practices may have changed dramatically since the mid-1990s due to a number of social, economic, and technological trends. Skill and demographic shifts among labor market occupants and changes in job and occupational requirements have led employers to source applicants for jobs in wider markets (and even globally). Technological developments have facilitated and accelerated staffing processes. Greater use of computer- and particularly Internet-based testing has provided organizations with greater efficiency in resource allocation, quicker processing of applicants, and access to a larger pool of potential applicants. Technology has allowed for new and varied ways of presenting assessment content to applicants, but has also heightened concerns regarding test security and potential cheating. Given that these trends have reshaped hiring and staffing over the past 20 years, this chapter provides an updated description of the practices and policies used by organizations around the world. A 54-item survey on selection practices was translated into 15 languages and data was collected from HR professionals in more than 25 countries. This chapter focuses on trends in test use around the globe; specific country differences are not detailed as sample sizes varied across countries, with many too small to make specific inferences about trends in individual countries.
James A. Grand
Associate Professor, Psychology
A scientist at heart, an organizational psychologist by training, and a lucky dad and husband all the time.