The Use of Self Assessment in Selection

The Use of Self-Assessment in Selection

The use of self-assessment (SA) as a tool, whereby people rate themselves against a set of job competencies, is gaining popularity in organisations. It tends to be used as part of an employee's personal development, for example in 360-degree feedback and performance appraisal. However, in some organisations, self-assessment has also become a part of the selection process. This is due to research findings showing that an accurate assessment of self (i.e. self-awareness) is related to positive performance indicators, such as leadership effectiveness, increased promotion prospects and success at assessment centres. Individuals' self-assessment scores can therefore have value as an assessment dimension. Raw self-assessments can also be useful for assessors as they might identify possible areas of concern which can then be probed at interview.

As the use of self-assessment in a selection process is relatively new, there is still some debate about the best way to present a SA tool to candidates. The study we are reviewing here by Lee Jones and Clive Fletcher of Goldsmiths College look at how different measurement approaches affect self-assessment accuracy in a selection situation. The two variables that were focused on were leniency (the tendency for individuals to rate themselves more leniently than others rate them, e.g. managers, peers) and halo (the inability or unwillingness of raters to distinguish between dimensions). If halo and leniency are reduced in self-assessment, this is likely to result in self-evaluations that are more informative and usable.

The researchers gave different formats of questionnaires to candidates applying for junior management grades in a public sector organisation. Specifically, they varied the:

Design of the questionnaire
Instructions given to candidates
Type of rating scale used

Main Findings

Questionnaires that are based on dimensions (e.g. individual behaviours such as 'Shares information with others' that combine to form a competency) show less evidence of leniency than questionnaires based on competencies (i.e. 'Team playing and building - being able to interact easily with a wide range of people in a group situation').
Leniency increases when candidates are instructed to 'rate your behaviour in relation to most people of your age and experience'. This is probably because asking candidates to compare themselves to others introduces an element of competitiveness, resulting in candidates giving themselves more favourable ratings.
The amount of leniency and halo in candidates' ratings is affected by the type of scale used. A positively skewed rating scale (i.e. one with more positive than negative rating points) shows less leniency and halo than a balanced scale.
Motivational instructions, whereby candidates are told that 'an accurate awareness of your own strengths and weaknesses is considered to be an important quality, and evidence of this will be considered favourably' resulted in less lenient ratings.

Comments

Self-assessment is a tool that can add value to a selection process. Selection is now widely considered to be 'two-way' - candidates choose whether they want to work for an organisation, as well as vice versa. The use of a SA questionnaire can give organisations information about candidates, as well as provide candidates with the opportunity to put forward their own view of their abilities. It might also encourage them to assess their suitability for the position or role.

Organisations considering the use of a SA tool should ensure that:

Candidates rate themselves against the individual behaviours that combine to form a competency.
The rating scale is balanced towards more positive than negative ratings.
Candidates are informed of the importance of providing an accurate rating, but are not asked to compare themselves against their peers.

How can Human Assets help?

We can help you to decide whether a self-assessment tool would be a useful addition to your selection process. For example, we will explore with you the qualities required for the role that you are recruiting and what resources you have available. If we feel a type of self-assessment tool would be valuable, we can discuss exactly how the questionnaire will fit in with and benefit your selection processes. Human Assets can design the questionnaire and train your assessors to use the information and probe candidates further at interview.

We believe that a self-assessment questionnaire designed around your organisations' competencies is a better self-report measure to use in selection than, for example, a personality questionnaire. This is because the information you receive is clearly relevant to the specific role, and culture of your organisation. Furthermore a candidate is less likely to feel that they are being tested on their 'personality' which can put some applicants off.

A few words of caution

Information provided by a self-assessment questionnaire should not be accepted as evidence of competence in the same way as, for example, an exercise in an assessment centre. As with all self-report tools (e.g. Personality tests) there remains the possibility that the candidate is not entirely honest. Furthermore, candidates from backgrounds where self-promotion is not part of their culture may find self-assessment difficult and unfamiliar. In our opinion, self-assessment should be considered as a useful tool for providing information about a candidate's potential strengths and weaknesses. These can then be further explored at interview.

If you would like to find out more, please contact our consultants on 020 7434 2122 or by email enquiries@humanassets.co.uk

Reference

Jones, L. and Fletcher, C. (2002). Self-assessment in a selection situation: An evaluation of different measurement approaches. Journal of Occupational and Organisational Psychology, 75, 145-161.

Newsletter: 2003