Recruiting, valid criteria and internality norm: Effect of professional experience, professional testing, aptitude and causal explanation models of applicants

Hiring decisions depend on various criteria. Recent research based on the p aradigm of fictive persons shows that, according to an explanatory model of applicants, internal causal factors have a significant effect on recruitme nt. The interpretation given has been that an internality norm with valoris ed internal explanations influences the evaluation of applicants. Two exper iments test the effect of internal and external causal factors when assessi ng applicants, comparing this information with valid recruitment criteria. In the first experiment, twenty recruiting agents evaluated eight curriculu m-vitae belonging to eight applicants. These varied in a 2x2x2 within-subje cts design (with or without professional experience, internal vs external; very good or good professional testing). Recruiting agents had to rate appl icants, rank them and evaluate the importance of the given information. Reg ression analysis of ratings showed that internality was a greater contribut ory factor than professional experience, and that professional testing was the lowest contributory factor. Regression analysis of rankings showed that experience had a greater effect than internality. The second experiment is based on the same paradigm and on a 2x2x2 within subjects design (very goo d or good professional testing; internal vs external; very good or good apt itude). The ratings of thirty recruiting agents were influenced by professi onal testing and internality, and, least of all, by aptitude. Rankings show ed that professional testing had a decisive effect but that internality was an expected quality when making hiring decisions. The perspicacity of recr uiting agents was measured by comparing their Judgements of the importance of different criteria for making effective hiring decisions. The perspicaci ty of recruiting agents is confirmed in the two experiments. These experiments show that valid criteria have a strong effect on recruitm ent. If internality is not always the prevailing factor, it is shown that, in any case, the first ranking applicant is internal, provided that she is considered to be a capable performer.