Selection of telemarketing employees by standardized assessment procedures

✍ Scribed by A. Ralph Hakstian; Linda S. Scratchley; Allison A. MacLeod; Roger G. Tweed; S. Siddarth

• Publisher: John Wiley and Sons
• Year: 1997
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 208 KB
• Volume: 14
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 0742-6046
• DOI: 10.1002/(sici)1520-6793(199710)14:7<703::aid-mar5>3.0.co;2-k

✦ Synopsis

Previous marketing research has focused on the optimal use of an existing salesforce, reflecting relatively little interest in the effects of salesforce selection on subsequent sales performance. A predictive validity study is described herein in which 85 telemarketing employees in a large telecommunications company were, prior to being hired, administered a battery of cognitive-ability and self-report trait measures. Three months later they were assessed on their job performance. Two cognitive-ability tests -one measuring perceptual speed and accuracy, the other, divergent thinking ability -and a number of scales from both a widely used personality questionnaire (the California Psychological Inventory [CPI] ) and a special-purpose telemarketing selection instrument (the Telemarketing Applicant Inventory) yielded significant validities (of between 0.18 and 0.41) for at least one of several aggregated job-performance measures. A predictively-effective composite was derived, consisting of the two cognitive-ability tests noted and three CPI scales (Self-Acceptance, Socialization, and Achievement via Conformance). The composite yielded statistically-significant and useful predictive validities (of between 0.32 and 0.49) for several aggregated job-performance criteria. Utility analysis -a technique often used to examine the organizational consequences of selection strategies -was performed, with the present results reflecting substantial gains to the hiring organization. The reported research highlights the importance of effective hiring practices in achieving optimal subsequent salesforce performance.