Personality And Cognitive Ability As Predictors Of Future Job Performance

Personality And Cognitive Ability As Predictors Of Future Job Performance

Introduction

Most organizations use Cognitive ability and personality tests to predict future job performance for their employees. Many studies and meta-analysis support the validity of cognitive ability and personality tests in the prediction of job performance. Potential candidates should be screened out to determine those who possess the right skills required in meeting the job performance standards. Having talented prospective employees is a vital requirement for any organization wishing to make a profit from its activity. The availability of the right human resources is a significant strategy applied by most successful organizations, which gives them a competitive advantage to thrive in the competitive market. But what is the validity of Personality constructs and cognitive ability in predicting future job performance? A review of the literature on the ‘General cognitive abilities and personality measures as predictors of future job performance’ will help in answering the question. The analysis also explores the tools used by employers during the hiring process to determine the future success of the employees.

Measurement of performance

The domain of job performance is complex and challenging to measure. The high rate of employee turnover is an expensive problem faced by many employers and is caused by hiring poor employees. In an attempt to solve this problem, organizations have turned to use different assessment methods for measuring employee’s job performance. A study by XXX resolved that the method used to assess job performance is an essential factor.

One of the most critical metrics for evaluating performance is the quality of hire. It is not an easy task to predict the quality of a candidate by examining his profile, as indicated in the CV. Therefore, the employer needs to perform candidate assessments to recruit the right person for the right role. The metric measures the value that the new candidate brings to the organization. In other words, the recruiting metric evaluates the contributions of the new hire towards the long-term success of the organization.

To ensure the right candidates are hired for the right role, findings from the studies suggest that the Talent Acquisition Team should measure, track, and then analyze the quality of hire over a specified time. The assessment also improves the hiring processes for the organization in the future. The best indicator for the quality of hire is considering job performance, as indicated by various researchers. The measurement for the quality of hire is done through collecting new employee’s data in multiple forms.

The results of the study by XXX showed the motivation of the new employee towards work as a significant indicator of job performance. The researchers indicated that smart hiring engages the role of a candidate alongside his skills. Adequate consideration of both the role and motivation attracts a selection of all-round personnel, who has not only the skill but also willingness to utilize the skill. Smart hiring depends on the employer’s understanding of the skills and motivators of the candidate. Future organizational success depends on the employees’ performance. The study concluded that hiring a new employee for the roles that fit his skills and interests is a source of motivation to work.

Measurement of predictors

The responsibility of recruiters is to assess each candidate during the hiring process to determine whether he would be of any value to the organization. Studies have approved various predictors for the high performance of a task. Firstly, it is essential to assess the cognitive ability of an applicant in all kinds of industries. It predicts how well a candidate will perform a wide range of mental processes at the workplace. A high cognitive ability helps in solving problems, planning, organizing, and working with other team members towards a common goal. Findings by XXX approved the use of online tests by recruiters to determine the cognitive ability level of a candidate.

Secondly, an employee’s Conscientiousness is a vital predictor of job performance. A conscientious candidate performs his tasks accurately by planning things ahead, acting responsibly and meeting deadlines. Studies by various scholars suggested the use of a personality questionnaire in assessing a candidate’s Conscientiousness. Thirdly, a growth mindset of an employee is a great predictor of job performance. A candidate with a growth mindset is always ready to learn new things that can help to achieve the organization’s objective. He strives to advance his career and grow both personally and professionally. An applicant’s growth mindset is measured by looking at past performances and through interview questions.

The forth predictor is an employee’s active learning skills. According to the World Economic Forum, active learning skills determine how best the candidate is in applying the information they are learning to real-life scenarios.  A study by XXX points at interview questions and past performance as the best measures for an individual’s Active learning skills. The fifth predictor is a creative problem-solving skill which shows how potential candidate is most efficient in his position. Being able to solve complex problems in an organization can increase its productivity. The skill is measured using sample tests and scenario assessments. The last predictor of job performance is the track record of the candidate’s past performance. Having a strong track record in different complex areas means the skill of the potential candidate can translate.

Personality

Studies by different researchers show that the relationship between personality and work behavior is a complex but fundamental matter to master in an organizational setting. The significant influences of personality in an organization are the social, cultural, family, and hereditary forces. The combination of such variables at the workplace can be used to explain the differences and commonalities in the behavior of team members. The findings from studies confirmed the validity of ‘Emotional Stability’ and ‘Conscientiousness’ in predicting job performance across all job occupations.

Different researchers have studied the Big Five Personality Model in an attempt to show the relationship between the personality of employees and job performance. Some personality traits have been resolved to be robust predictors of performance in an organization. The Big Five are ‘conscientiousness, extraversion, and openness to experience, emotional stability, and agreeableness.’ Various scholars have invested in pointing on the personality traits that are best in predicting job performance.

Meta-analysis studies have confirmed Conscientiousness as the modest predictor of job performance among the Big Five. But the degree of job complexity matters a lot on the trait to be applied. High complexity jobs are performed best by employees with a high score in Conscientiousness and emotional stability. Consequently, such individuals show lower job performance in low complexity jobs. The Internet is the best criterion in administering personality tests.

General Cognitive Ability

There is much evidence from various research works validating the use of General Cognitive Ability in predicting job performance and training success. GCA is essentially the individuals’ ability to learn new skills through critical thinking. Aptitude tests have been confirmed to be applicable in identifying employees who can make independent decisions. The cognitive aptitude tests are used by employers to choose the best persons who can make situational judgments and manage other team members.

Cognitive ability skills are applied in solving complex problems, working with numbers, remembering learned ideas, organizing, and planning activities. The qualification enables an employee to pick up on training materials, understand instructions, and communicate effectively with other team members. The skill also helps during decision making to solve complex problems in the organization.

Finding by XXX shows general cognitive ability can only be applied to predict supervisor ratings and training success in the assessment. GCA tests measure general intelligence and apply to every type of job. The tests are commonly associated with job roles that require frequent decision-making and problem-solving. The major limitation of using the test is that it is less predictive for some job roles that need a lot of repetition and routine. The test is also not applicable for a few high complexity jobs.

Studies comparing Personality and Cognitive predictors of Job performance

Numerous studies and meta-analyses findings have shown that personality tests for job performance have significant incremental validity. Contrarily, a review by psychologist Malcolm Ree resolved that General Cognitive Abilities has more influence and is much broad than the little information from specific employee’s abilities that is less relevant to the job content. Therefore, the use of GCA to predict job performance has more advantages than Personality traits. Employee’s general cognitive ability has a significant influence on job performance because of its acquisition role and use of information on how to do the job. Conversely, employees with a higher level of GCA can quickly get new information and use it effectively. An individual’s cognitive ability is of great importance for most complex jobs that require critical thinking to solve problems and manage team members.

Conclusion

Predictors of job performance have been seen to vary from role to role due to various job families. Each job family has a set of skills that it looks for during the hiring process. Cognitive ability tests are widely used in most complex jobs that involve making situational judgments. Some of these sectors are the military and civilian units. The use of cognitive ability tests usually poses controversies because the ability test score shows ethnic group differences.

On the other hand, Personality inventories have been approved by researchers as they do not show the differences. However, the use of personality tests has its limitations.Therefore, I would wish to propose the combination of the two assessment tests in predicting job performance. The combination will increase the validity of employers’ decisions on the selection process and also reduce the differences observed in selection outcomes due to the use of cognitive tests alone. Further research is also needed to determine the validity of both tests in predicting job performance.