Does your company use assessments to evaluate new hires or existing employees? Are you assessments legal and approved by the Department of Labor? This article talks about the thirteen standards set forth by the Department of Labor for assessments. Whether you're an executive, a manager or a team leader, the following information will be beneficial to you.
The Department of Labor recommends a set of standards for behavioral trait, interest, and other employment or educational selection tools in the United States. Thirteen standards are referenced by the department and summarize the aspects of proper assessment development and usage. By considering these standards, assessment companies endeavor to provide quality instruments that offer dependable and relevant results for our users.
For instance, interviews can be very difficult to administer legally if you don't have the proper tools. Planning and preparation are the keys to effective interviewing. All interviewers should be taught proper interviewing techniques and know what they can and cannot ask. To guard against discriminatory hiring decisions and discrimination claims, keep in mind that employment laws restrict the scope and purpose of interview questions. Job interviews can become a legal and practical nightmare if not approached carefully. A seemingly innocent interview question may actually be inappropriate or even illegal, and may culminate in a costly discrimination lawsuit. Such a situation can easily be avoided by using appropriate job interview questions.
As an employer, you must be certain that all job interview questions are in alignment with the law. Despite this, the variety of job interview questions an employer can ask is extensive and contingent upon the specific needs of a particular position. If you are unsure about which questions to ask candidates in an interview, don't worry - it's very common. While sample interview questions can help, having specific questions tailored for a particular candidate for a first or second interview makes the process even more effective.
The Department of Labor expects a level of reliability that provides both accurate and consistent results, called a reliability coefficient. The higher the reliability coefficient, the more reliable the instrument.
To be considered reliable, assessment instruments must fit within these four areas:
- The tools must measure what they say they measure. For example, if an instrument claims to assess mental ability, it should apply specifically to mental ability.
- Assessment instruments must be consistent in their measurement. This means consistently reliable results.
- The tools must be relevant to the jobs that applicants seek. For a job in which excellent customer service is important, an assessment might test how well the applicant relates to and empathizes with others.
- Finally, assessment tools must allow for more effective employment decisions in hiring the most qualified workers. For example, in a position in which accurate measurements are important, the test should focus on an applicant's aptitude for taking measurements and recording them accurately.
The most highly regarded assessments are regularly validated in the workplace. Often our research provides advances that lead to the creation of newer versions of assessments. We maintain reliability in each new version.
Ensuring that these standards are met is important, for each is significant in assuring quality assessment development and accurate measurement. These standards were not established by the Department of Labor lightly, nor should they be lightly interpreted by any business.
Jim Sirbasku is co-founder and CEO of Profiles International, a leading provider of human resource management solutions and employment assessments for businesses worldwide. For more information, visit our website.
Orignal From: Using Department of Labor Approved Assessments
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