Psy/435 Employee Selection

Week 3

Employee Selection and Training Paper

PSY/435

Gary Combs

September 20, 2015

Using psychology in the workplace is what a industrial/organizational (I/O) psychologist does. In making a workplace comfortable for the employee the employer benefits. An I/O psychologist can help an employer to increase productivity and refine processes in the production of a product. In doing so the employee becomes happier and feels important to the employer. The I/O psychologist helps the employee to feel as if the employer understand their needs in the workplace and what they feel may need changed. Communication between the employee and the employer becomes productive and promotes productivity.

An I/O psychologist uses a selection and training program. This process does vary according to the position but the core values of the selection and training program is the same. An I/O psychologist looks for employees that can add value to the company. An I/O psychologist scrutinizes candidates to find the perfect match for the company. Selection is important but training is important also. The company needs to be aware of the legal and ethical obligations they have when hiring the best of the best.

My first example in the real world is the position of a social worker. Million of dollars is spent each year to find social workers for open positions. Psychological testing is used in this selection. To avoid turnover companies are assessing the mindset, work ethics, sand motivation of their candidates. The passion of the person really comes into play in this field. The field is very stressful and it is imperative to make sure that the candidates have a way to handle stress and a passion to make a difference in the lives of others.

The selection process begins with an initial screening of candidates. This may include a personality test and aptitude testing. A personality test can show whether a person is a team player, be...