The Influence of Age, Work Experience, Education Level, and Score on a Standardized Pre-employment Competency Exam on the Outcome of a Pre-employment Polygraph Exam

This study examined the influence of age, work experience, education level, and score on a standardized pre-employment competency exam on the outcome of a pre-employment polygraph exam. Due to the strict selection requirements and competitive nature of sensitive government and public safety positions, organizations compete in the costly endeavor to hire qualified applicants efficiently and effectively. As these organizations fail to meet the required hiring levels, their responsibilities in public and national security cannot be carried out. This study was conducted in an effort to reduce the time and financial resources an organization must appropriate on applicants that cannot successfully navigate the stringent pre-employment screening process. The data were obtained from the human resources department of an organization that concentrates on national security and public safety. These data were de-identified, anonymous archival data derived from a random sample of three hundred (n = 300) applicants during the period between 2015 and 2016. This study utilized binary logistic regression, a discriminant analysis, and a multiple linear regression to analyze the data. The quantitative analysis utilized in this study accounted for the variables of age, work experience, education level, and score on a standardized pre-employment competency exam. The results of these analyses indicated that certain characteristics did influence the likelihood of whether an applicant would continue in the hiring process after the pre-employment polygraph examination. Work experience, education level, and score on a standardized pre-employment competency exam were all found to be significant