Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants

Some scholars suggest that organizations could improve their hiring decisions by measuring the personal values of job applicants, arguing that values provide insights into applicants’ cultural fit, retention prospects, and performance outcomes. However, others have expressed concerns about response...

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Main Authors: Anglim, Jeromy, Molloy, Karlyn, Dunlop, Patrick, Albrecht, Simon, Lievens, Filip, Marty, Andrew
Format: Journal Article
Published: 2021
Subjects:
Online Access:http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86827
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author Anglim, Jeromy
Molloy, Karlyn
Dunlop, Patrick
Albrecht, Simon
Lievens, Filip
Marty, Andrew
author_facet Anglim, Jeromy
Molloy, Karlyn
Dunlop, Patrick
Albrecht, Simon
Lievens, Filip
Marty, Andrew
author_sort Anglim, Jeromy
building Curtin Institutional Repository
collection Online Access
description Some scholars suggest that organizations could improve their hiring decisions by measuring the personal values of job applicants, arguing that values provide insights into applicants’ cultural fit, retention prospects, and performance outcomes. However, others have expressed concerns about response distortion and faking. The current study provides the first large-scale investigation of the effect of the job applicant context on the psychometric structure and scale means of a self-reported values measure. Participants comprised 7,884 job applicants (41% male; age M = 43.32, SD = 10.76) and a country-, age-, and gender-matched comparison sample of 1,806 non-applicants (41% male; age M = 44.72, SD = 10.97), along with a small repeated-measures, cross-context sample. Respondents completed the 57-item Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) measuring Schwartz’ universal personal values. Compared to matched non-applicants, applicants reported valuing power and self-direction considerably less, and conformity and universalism considerably more. Applicants also reported valuing security, tradition, and benevolence more than non-applicants, and reported valuing stimulation, hedonism, and achievement less than non-applicants. Despite applicants appearing to embellish the degree to which their values aligned with being responsible and considerate workers, invariance testing suggested that the underlying structure of values assessment is largely preserved in job applicant contexts.
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spelling curtin-20.500.11937-868272022-12-16T00:52:40Z Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants Anglim, Jeromy Molloy, Karlyn Dunlop, Patrick Albrecht, Simon Lievens, Filip Marty, Andrew 3507 - Strategy, management and organisational behaviour Some scholars suggest that organizations could improve their hiring decisions by measuring the personal values of job applicants, arguing that values provide insights into applicants’ cultural fit, retention prospects, and performance outcomes. However, others have expressed concerns about response distortion and faking. The current study provides the first large-scale investigation of the effect of the job applicant context on the psychometric structure and scale means of a self-reported values measure. Participants comprised 7,884 job applicants (41% male; age M = 43.32, SD = 10.76) and a country-, age-, and gender-matched comparison sample of 1,806 non-applicants (41% male; age M = 44.72, SD = 10.97), along with a small repeated-measures, cross-context sample. Respondents completed the 57-item Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ) measuring Schwartz’ universal personal values. Compared to matched non-applicants, applicants reported valuing power and self-direction considerably less, and conformity and universalism considerably more. Applicants also reported valuing security, tradition, and benevolence more than non-applicants, and reported valuing stimulation, hedonism, and achievement less than non-applicants. Despite applicants appearing to embellish the degree to which their values aligned with being responsible and considerate workers, invariance testing suggested that the underlying structure of values assessment is largely preserved in job applicant contexts. 2021 Journal Article http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86827 10.1080/1359432X.2021.2008911 fulltext
spellingShingle 3507 - Strategy, management and organisational behaviour
Anglim, Jeromy
Molloy, Karlyn
Dunlop, Patrick
Albrecht, Simon
Lievens, Filip
Marty, Andrew
Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants
title Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants
title_full Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants
title_fullStr Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants
title_full_unstemmed Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants
title_short Values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants
title_sort values assessment for personnel selection: comparing job applicants to non-applicants
topic 3507 - Strategy, management and organisational behaviour
url http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/86827