The Preliminary Employment Interview as a Predictor of Assessment Center Outcomes

The current study examined the relationships between personnel employment interview scores (PEI), cognitive ability test scores (CAT) and assessment center (AC) scores, as well as the potential to circumvent the costly AC method for some of the candidates by using these less expensive selection methods. A total of 423 Israeli police force candidates participated in the study. Their PEI and CAT scores were collected in the first stage of the selection process. They subsequently participated in an AC and a final decision was made regarding their acceptance to the police force. It was found that PEI and CAT scores significantly correlated with the AC scores and the recruitment decision, although the PEI scores demonstrated stronger correlations with the criteria. An actuarial analysis demonstrated the benefit of using the AC procedure for those achieving middle range scores on the PEI and CAT, circumventing the costly ACs for those achieving high and low scores. This strategy resulted in minor costs of both ± and ² errors. Organizations can adopt this economical strategy when the AC costs exceed the manpower costs incurred by disposing of the AC.