Personal-History Data
Biographical information has been used widely in managerial selection---capitalizing on the simple fact that one of the best predictors of future behavior. Unfortunately, the approach has been characterized more by raw empiricism than by theoretical formulation and rigorous testing of hypothesis. On the positive side, however, the items are usually nonthreatening and, therefore, are probably not as subject to distortion as are typical personality inventories (Cascio, 1975)