Personnel selection in the digital age: a review of validity and applicant reactions, and future research challenges

Abstract

We present a targeted review of recent developments and advances in digital selection procedures (DSPs) with particular attention to advances in internet-based techniques. By reviewing the emergence of DSPs in selection research and practice, we highlight five main categories of methods (online applications, online psychometric testing, digital interviews, gamified assessment and social media). We discuss the evidence base for each of these DSP groups, focusing on construct and criterion validity, and applicant reactions to their use in organizations. Based on the findings of our review, we present a critique of the evidence base for DSPs in industrial, work and organizational psychology and set out an agenda for advancing research. We identify pressing gaps in our understanding of DSPs, and ten key questions to be answered. Given that DSPs are likely to depart further from traditional nondigital selection procedures in the future, a theme in this agenda is the need to establish a distinct and specific literature on DSPs, and to do so at a pace that reflects the speed of the underlying technological advancement. In concluding, we, therefore, issue a call to action for selection researchers in work and organizational psychology to commence a new and rigorous multidisciplinary programme of scientific study of DSPs.

Job seekers' attitudes toward cybervetting: Scale development, validation, and platform comparison

“…Applicants made aware of cybervetting practices tend to be more careful about what they post online (Roulin, 2014), which counteracts what is arguably the main reason why hiring professionals tend to engage in cybervetting; to better understand who the applicant truly is (Berkelaar, 2017). If applicants perceive the selection process of an organization to be unfair, they may also be more likely to post negative opinions of the organization online (Woods et al, 2019). Finally, when applicants who are cybervetted experience increased privacy invasion or lower perceptions of fairness, they ultimately report higher intentions toward pursuing litigation (Stoughton et al, 2015; Stoughton & Van Overberghe, 2015).…”

“…Similarly, job seekers are likely to form general ATC, which seem to be largely negative as the literature shows. Unfortunately, validated and psychometrically sound measures of ATC specifically are lacking (Nikolaou, 2014; Woods et al, 2019).…”

“…This percentage is much higher for industrialized cultures and countries such as the United States, where approximately 80% of the population uses social media regularly. As these percentages continue to increase, it is no surprise that screening the social media profiles of job applicants (a process known as “cybervetting”) has become common practice in hiring and selection processes (Society for Human Resource Management, 2013; Woods, Ahmed, Nikolaou, Costa, & Anderson, 2019). According to Landers and Schmidt (2016), it is now widely acknowledged that many employers in industrialized countries consult social media when making selection decisions, and in most cases without the awareness of applicants.…”

“…Preliminary evidence also suggests that the reliability, validity, practicality, legality, and ethicality of cybervetting are mixed at best (Roulin & Levashina, 2019; Van Iddekinge, Lanivich, Roth, & Junco, 2016; Zhang et al, 2020). It is also unlikely that the selection systems put in place by organizations can evolve as quickly as social media does, which may make it difficult to establish standardized procedures for cybervetting that remain adequate and valid over time (Landers & Schmidt, 2016; Woods et al, 2019).…”

“…Unfortunately, existing research on attitudes toward cybervetting has mostly used ad hoc measurements or items borrowed from attitudes toward traditional selection methods. Thus, researchers have been calling for the development of psychometrically sound measures of attitudes toward cybervetting (ATC; Nikolaou, 2014; Woods et al, 2019).…”