2003 IMTA Proceedings - International Military Testing Association

444
choice of media is important. The responses show that some traditional methods remain
popular, but that the choice of method differs depending on the activity. For example, it
would appear that for ability testing more students want to complete the tests at the
organisation (e.g. under traditional conditions at the HR department) compared with
personality testing, which they appear happy to do at home or via the Internet. Such
preferences may be related to different levels of confidence in the technology to support fair
or standardised assessment under the different conditions. For example, factors such as
standardisation and security, may be perceived to be more crucial for ability testing compared
with personality testing, but less reliable under Internet conditions. Some comments elicited
during the research referred to concerns about the possibility of others ‘cheating’ on the
Internet and accidental deletion of information.
Other selection preferences: When it comes to activities that tend to be administered later
within a selection process, e.g. Interviews; presentation; activities with others, the most
popular means of participation is on location at the organisation. Email was not popular (or
feasible) at this stage, but a significant minority stated they would be interested in using
Internet-supported groupware for presentations (33%) or activities with others (27%). For
interviews, 23% stated that they would be interested in using web-cam technology. Whilst
this figure is not great, it indicates that one fifth of participants are willing to consider
interviews supported by Internet technology.
This picture was also represented by usability trial participants. Their stated preferences for
Internet use in the selection process tended to be for obtaining information, and for the
process of application. They offered some support for using the Internet for testing and
communication activities, however less students supported the idea of using the Internet to
facilitate selection interviews.
Again, it would appear that preferred choice of media depends on the selection activity.
However, it also appears that some individuals may have a preference for modern technology,
whilst others tend towards more traditional approaches.
Impact of website on organisational perceptions:
To investigate if there was any affect of experience with the website and attitude towards
employment with the ‘host’ organisation, the researchers included a final question at the end
of the usability trial. This question was ‘would you consider a career with the Armed
Forces?’. Responses were compared with an item that had been posed at the beginning of the
usability trial, ‘Have you ever considered a career with the Armed Forces?’ There was no
significant increase in the number of students who responded ‘yes’, they would consider a
career with the Armed Forces (27% to 33%), but there was a decrease in those who gave a
categorical ‘no’ (71% to 38%), with more respondents expressing uncertainty (0% to 14%).
Whilst not conclusive, the results appear to support the notion that exposure to a satisfactory
organisational interface and a positive experience could create a more favourable view of an
organisation.
Self-disclosure and self-assessment
The degree to which potential applicants were willing to disclose personal information
through the Internet, and to what extent students would like to know more about their
suitability for a job prior to committing to an application, was investigated.
45 th Annual Conference of the International Military Testing Association
Pensacola, Florida, 3-6 November 2003