Module 04: Predictors

Description: This module examines the various tools and techniques used to assess job candidates, including cognitive ability tests, personality assessments, integrity tests, work samples, and structured interviews. Students will learn about test reliability and validity, adverse impact, and how to evaluate the effectiveness of different predictors for various jobs and organizational contexts.

Why this Module is Important: Selecting the right people is one of the most important decisions organizations make – and this includes mental health settings where future counselors will work. Understanding selection principles helps you in multiple ways: you’ll be better prepared for your own job interviews and career advancement, you’ll understand how to evaluate potential colleagues or supervisees, and you’ll be able to help clients who struggle with job interviews or career transitions.

Many counseling students don’t realize they’ll be involved in hiring decisions throughout their careers – selecting group co-facilitators, choosing supervisees or interns, or hiring support staff for private practices. Understanding assessment tools, interview techniques, and bias prevention makes you more effective in these roles and helps you build stronger professional teams.

Additionally, many clients present with employment-related concerns – difficulty finding jobs, interview anxiety, or feeling discriminated against in hiring processes. Understanding how selection actually works makes you a more informed counselor who can help clients navigate these challenges more effectively. This knowledge also helps you recognize when clients’ employment difficulties might stem from systemic issues versus individual factors.

Module Learning Objectives: By the end of this module students will be able to…

• MLO1: List types of predictors, interview techniques, and assessment tools used in employee selection, including emotional intelligence and integrity tests. (ULO4, CLO1, APA1)
• MLO2: Analyze legal and illegal interview questions, evaluate emotional intelligence and integrity tests as selection predictors based on research evidence. (ULO4, CLO1, CLO2, APA1, APA2)
• MLO3: Design a comprehensive selection and assessment strategy to address absenteeism through evidence-based hiring practices and communicate findings through professional reporting. (ULO4, CLO3, CLO4, APA4, APA5)