The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 2 - 50

Reverse-Engineering the RA Hiring Process

based on a weighted scale can alleviate unintentional bias in the process infrastructure.

EVALUATION METRICS AND
DEFINITIONS
For the purpose of clearly articulating the evolution of RA hiring at the studied institution,
the following definitions delineate different
scoring mechanisms referenced throughout.
Although group process was not employed as
an evaluation tool in the studied institution's
hiring process, some of the provided explanations use group process-or evaluating candidates assigned to small groups to complete
an objective together-to explain differences
in scoring options because group process is a
generally understood concept. Each of the following definitions uses the same example candidate (who received 89 out of a maximum 112
points in the individual interview component)
to demonstrate how the earned score would be
altered under each described adjustment.
Raw score represents the total score received
in a component without any adjustments.
In the case of the example candidate, the individual interview score remains unaltered
at 89. Total raw score tabulates by summing
the raw scores for each process component.
Raw scores as the overall evaluation metric
should be used with caution, as the process
infrastructure ultimately dictates the value
(or weight) of each component as a contributing factor to the candidate's overall score (and
not intentional design with consideration to
departmental values and position responsibilities). For example, a hiring process with a
maximum group process raw score of 300 and
a maximum individual interview score of 100
necessarily biases group process performance

as three times more valuable than individual
interview performance. Although candidates
prefer a multifaceted interview approach so
they can balance out their strengths and weaknesses (Stone & Hanson, 2002), the default
scoring mechanisms may-unknowingly to
the candidate-render this feeling moot. Raw
score is represented by the formula
Raw Score = Total Points Earned

Standardized score is the earned point total
converted to a 100-point scale. In other words,
a standardized score represents the percentage
of earned points. The example candidate's individual interview score converts from 89 (out
of 112) to 79.46 (out of 100). Applied to each
component, standardized scores balance all
components within the candidate evaluation
process so that they receive equal consideration
(e.g., all components receive equal weight on
a 100-point scale). Component standardized
scores can then be converted and combined to
form a total standardized score on a 100-point
scale. The formula to generate a standardized
component score is
Standardized Score =

(

Raw Score
Maximum
Possible Score

(

∑100

A total standardized score considering n components, where SS represents a component
standardized score, follows the formula
Total Standardized Score =

(SS ∑ ( + (SS ∑ (
1

1
n

+ ... +

(SS ∑ (
n

1
n

Limitations exist with both raw and standardized scores, as they essentially represent

V O L U M E 4 5 , N O. 2 * 2 0 1 9

The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 2

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of The Journal of College and University Student Housing - Volume 45, No. 2