Should IQ Tests be Used to Hire Employees?

Imagine yourself in this situation: You work in the human resources department of a large corporation. A proposal has been made to move to a hiring process for managers and executives based exclusively on IQ test scores, and you are meeting to discuss it. As a hiring manager, you will need to take a position for or against this proposal. Should IQ tests be used to make decisions about a individual's potential to do well at a job? Would this be an effective approach? Would this be a fair procedure? (From Kate Briggs)

According to our textbook, "IQ scores predict performance across a wide variety of occupations, with the average correlation being about .5" (Lilienfeld 333). The textbook also points out that, "the correlation between IQ and job performance is higher in more mentally demanding occupations, such as physician or lawyer, than in less mentally demanding occupations, like clerk or newspaper delivery person" (Lilienfeld 333).

In my opinion, I think that it is fair to require IQ tests for mentally demanding occupations because there is a pretty strong correlation between IQ and job performance, although I do not think that it would be fair to base hiring strictly on an IQ test. There are many other factors that go into whether a person is right for a job than their IQ scores. A doctor who scores extremely high on IQ tests and has horrible people skills would not be a good fit for primary care.

Recently, I applied to a nursing home to be a nursing assistant, someone who helps residents with their daily living activities like bathing and grooming. Before I could be interviewed I had to take a career readiness test that was written by ACT. This test was not the sole decider on whether or not I got the job, but it did allow the employer to be sure that they were hiring someone who could do basic math and problem solving. I think this is very important because people who work as a nursing assistant do not necessarily have to have even graduated from high school, so those standardized scores give them some idea of the mental capabilities of a future employee.