Reconsidering vocational interests for personnel selection: the validity of an interest-based selection test in relation to job knowledge, job performance, and continuance intentions

Chad H Van Iddekinge; Dan J Putka; John P Campbell

doi:10.1037/a0021193

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Reconsidering vocational interests for personnel selection: the validity of an interest-based selection test in relation to job knowledge, job performance, and continuance intentions

Journal article

Peer reviewed

Reconsidering vocational interests for personnel selection: the validity of an interest-based selection test in relation to job knowledge, job performance, and continuance intentions

Chad H Van Iddekinge, Dan J Putka and John P Campbell

Journal of applied psychology, Vol.96(1), pp.13-33

01/2011

DOI: 10.1037/a0021193

PMID: 20919794

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Abstract

Although vocational interests have a long history in vocational psychology, they have received extremely limited attention within the recent personnel selection literature. We reconsider some widely held beliefs concerning the (low) validity of interests for predicting criteria important to selection researchers, and we review theory and empirical evidence that challenge such beliefs. We then describe the development and validation of an interests-based selection measure. Results of a large validation study (N = 418) reveal that interests predicted a diverse set of criteria—including measures of job knowledge, job performance, and continuance intentions—with corrected, cross-validated Rs that ranged from .25 to .46 across the criteria (mean R = .31). Interests also provided incremental validity beyond measures of general cognitive aptitude and facets of the Big Five personality dimensions in relation to each criterion. Furthermore, with a couple exceptions, the interest scales were associated with small to medium subgroup differences, which in most cases favored women and racial minorities. Taken as a whole, these results appear to call into question the prevailing thought that vocational interests have limited usefulness for selection.

Adolescent

Adult

Aptitude Tests - standards

Career Choice

Employee Performance Appraisal

Female

Humans

Job Satisfaction

Male

Military Personnel - psychology

Personality Assessment

Personnel Selection - methods

Personnel Turnover

Professional Competence

Psychological Tests - standards

Reproducibility of Results

United States

Young Adult

Details

Title: Subtitle: Reconsidering vocational interests for personnel selection: the validity of an interest-based selection test in relation to job knowledge, job performance, and continuance intentions
Creators: Chad H Van Iddekinge - Florida State University College of Business
Dan J Putka - Human Resources Research Organization
John P Campbell - University of Minnesota
Resource Type: Journal article
Publication Details: Journal of applied psychology, Vol.96(1), pp.13-33
DOI: 10.1037/a0021193
PMID: 20919794
ISSN: 0021-9010
eISSN: 1939-1854
Grant note: name: US Army Research Institute; name: Human Resources Research Organization
Language: English
Date published: 01/2011
Academic Unit: Management and Entrepreneurship
Record Identifier: 9984380520402771

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