Employment Testing

A brief history

Employment tests have been used for decades to test an individual’s potential for job performance, training possibilities, and general behavioral attitudes. The first wide scale tests in Canada were designed for the Canadian military. They were designed to screen recruits for military services, and placements in various military units. Since that time, employment tests have evolved and have been designed to test potential and current employees for almost all types of jobs, working conditions and KSAO's.

Over time, court challenges and ever-changing laws and regulations, combined with skepticism about the fairness and validity of these tests, has led to both government and professional associations to develop and administer separate standards to ensure that the tests used remain not only fair, reliable and unbiased, but that they also protect the validity of the results obtained and the decisions affected by them.

Major Standards

In the eyes of the courts, the only tests with any value in terms of hiring decisions are those that meet accepted professional standards for the development and use. (Catano, Wiesner, Hackett, & Methot, 2005) To develop a valid and reliable test, could take a considerable amount of time. It must be tested in a variety of ways to ensure consistent results. At this stage a test could be undermined by widespread publication or misuse. Most professional associations will only use a test that has met the 4 standards of: fairness, unbiased, reliability and validity. Most reputable test publishers require purchasers to establish their expertise in using a test before purchasing it. This helps safeguard it against misuse of tests and information collected.

The Canadian Psychological Association's "Guidelines for Educational and Psychological Testing" and their US counterpart’s "Standards for Educational and Psychological Testing" combined, are viewed as a professional consensus on appropriate procedures for conducting and interpreting test results. These guidelines must be followed by all personnel administering any and all tests used for recruitment practices.

For anyone using employment test is imperative that you are also familiar with the Society for Industrial and Organizational Psychology's "Principles for the Validation and use of Personnel Selection Procedures" as is the most influential policy relating to the personnel selection process. The "Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures" [US-based] has no legal standing in Canada, however it is referred to the most for cases involving discrimination and is considered best practice and professional consensus. Both provincial and federal agencies have cited this publication when assessing their recruitment procedures.

Other Standards

Although these guidelines represent the major standards surrounding employment testing, there are also several smaller professional associations that have adopted further policies/standards to protect the rights of employers and employees using employment tests, as well to protect a professional standing and that of its members. The CHRP has adopted its own code of ethics that clearly states “They must ensure that activities engaged in are within the limits of their knowledge, experience and skill. When providing services outside one’s level of competence, or the profession, the necessary assistance must be sought so as not to compromise professional responsibility”, (HRPA, 2008) they must obtain proper training or guidance from qualified professional employment testing before using any tests. The CHRP has also adopted an ethical code similar to that of the CPA that states CHRP's must:

• commit to the values of respect for human dignity and human rights, and promote human development in the workplace, within the profession and society as a whole

• acknowledge an obligation to the employer community to encourage and foster generally accepted codes of moral behavior

• strive to balance organizational and employee