Evaluation and Refinement of a Screening Instrument for U.S. Army Recruiters: Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Skills Inventory

Abstract : The U.S. Army Research Institute for the Behavioral and Social Sciences (ARI), the U.S. Army Recruiting Command (USAREC), and their contractor, Personnel Decisions Research Institutes, Inc. (PDRI) have collaborated to implement the online administration of the Noncommissioned Officer Leadership Skills Inventory (NLSI). The NLSI measures skills and abilities related to NCO performance, including work orientation, interpersonal skills, and leadership capability. They also conducted research to validate the NLSI as a predictor of U.S. Army recruiter performance. The NLSI was successfully implemented as the first online recruiter test administered in proctored settings worldwide. The validation results indicate that the NLSI predicts recruiter training attrition and recruiters' duty performance, as measured by individual recruiter production (e.g., signed contracts).