To create a more structured, multidimensional setting for selection and evaluation purposes, many organizations use assessment centers, in which several applicants take part in a group of activities, such as written tests, situational tests, and role-playing exercises, that are monitored by a group of evaluators. Instead of one method (an interview) and one evaluator (an interviewer), multiple methods and evaluators are used. Assessment centers are widely assumed to be more effective than traditional interviews at identifying applicants who will succeed in a particular position. When companies struggle to cut hiring costs, assessments are sometimes stream- lined to involve fewer evaluators, fewer exercises, briefer exercises, and other types of shortcuts. Still, research shows that this multidimensional approach is a good way to make hiring decisions that ultimately are quite predictive of job performance.
structured interview An interview in which each job applicant is asked a standard set of questions and evaluated on the same criteria.
Assessment center A structured setting in which job applicants are exhaustively tested and judged by multiple evaluators.