Selection for Service and Sales Jobs

Abstract

This chapter provides a review of selection research for service and sales occupations. It describes the nature of service and sales work and define the competencies that underlie success in these jobs. The chapter summarizes past research concerning the methods that have been used to select service and sales employees with attention to issues of validity, applicant reactions, and adverse impact. It discusses the implications of this body of work for practice and future research, highlighting several important but often overlooked issues concerning selection system design for this critical workforce segment. In contrast, knowledge of sales and marketing concepts is essential for many sales jobs but is rated as much less important for service positions. Associations between Big Five personality dimensions and performance in sales jobs have been summarized using meta-analysis. Situational judgment tests present candidates with various job-related scenarios and ask how they would respond to each situation.