Early Careers:
Reviewing Your Opportunities
and Recognizing the Constructive Ones
Lori Foster Thompson
East Carolina University
Dawn L. Riddle
Institute of Human Performance, Decision Making, and Cybernetics
Does personality predict job performance? Many say yes, as evidenced by
Dr. Deniz Oness recent SIOP talk titled Controversial No More: Personality
in Personnel Selection. Dr. Ones graciously agreed to be featured in this
edition of Early Careers, offering us the opportunity to gather a bit of
personality and performance data on one of our professions top I-O
psychologists. Fresh out of NEO-PIs and work sample tests, we were admittedly
limited to a phone interview and a vita. Nevertheless, we obtained tons of
interesting personality data including a penchant for aromatherapy candles, a
fondness of Laphroaig, a need for sleeping bags, and a soft spot for saints
(okay, so we took a bit of liberty with the personality variables), and we
gathered some impressive professional performance data as well (e.g.,
publications, awards, and international recognition). The
Industrial-Organizational Psychologist segment of this column describes the
results of our research, which confirms the hypothesis that Dr. Ones is quite a
remarkable person!
After providing her professional and personal data, Dr. Ones offered a
topic for this issues Career Gear segment: the importance of becoming
an ad hoc reviewer. Most early-career folks have experienced only one side of
the review processwere authors submitting manuscripts. In fact, many of us
dread peer review. Sure, its designed to provide a critical assessment of our
work, and such feedback can be instrumental in improving our research and
writing skills. All the same, we submit our manuscripts and then spend the
following weeks on pins and needles, fingers crossed, awaiting reviewers
comments, hoping for the best. Upon receiving the letter, we gingerly open
the envelope, peering through squinted eyes, bottom lip caught between
bicuspidswe know you know what were talking about. Thankfully, this
issues Career Gear segment focuses on a slightly less
anxiety-provoking aspect of the review process. We discuss the opportunities and
benefits that occur when early-career psychologists serve as ad hoc reviewers
for conference program committees and scholarly journals. As youll see,
becoming an ad hoc reviewer is not terribly difficult, and there are a number of
developmental perks that go along with this type of work. But before we get into
all of that, we simply must tell you what we found out about Dr. Ones. Here
goes
The Industrial-Organizational Psychologist
Dr. Deniz S. Ones: The Professional
Education
PhD, Business Administration, University of Iowa, 1993.
BA, Business Administration (Management) and Economics, Augustana College, Rock
Island, IL, 1988.
Academic Positions
Dr. Ones is currently the Hellervik Professor of I-O Psychology in the
Department of Psychology at the University of Minnesota. Prior to joining UMN,
Dr. Ones spent 3 years as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Management
at the University of Houston.
Publications and Awards
Dr. Ones began her publishing career in 1991, and already her vita lists 62
journal article publications (18 of which are currently in press!), 32 summaries
or abstracts in refereed journals and proceedings, 25 technical reports, 188
papers and posters presented at national and international conferences, 35
invited presentations, and 5 invited and/or keynote addresses in national and
international forums.
But wait, were not done yet. Not only is Dr. Ones prolific, but shes
good, too! She received the Best Research Paper award at the 1993 International
Personnel Management Association & Assessment Councils conference.
Shes also the 1994 recipient of SIOPs S. Rains Wallace Best Dissertation
Award, and she earned the 1998 Ernest J. McCormick Award for Distinguished Early
Career Contributions, an accolade that is bestowed upon persons who have made
exceptional contributions to the science and/or practice of I-O psychology
within 7 years of receiving the PhD (She was awarded this honor only 5 years out
of grad school!) Furthermore, her work has been cited in over 400 journal
articles and more than 60 books.
Research Focus
Most of Dr. Oness research falls under one or more of the following
categories: (a) pre-employment integrity testing and counterproductive work
behaviors, (b) personality measurement in I-O psychology, (c) personnel
selection, (d) international cross-cultural I-O psychology, and (e) psychometric
meta-analysis and applied methodology.
Professional Service
Dr. Ones is very active in the service of our profession. She has served on
the Editorial Boards of Personnel Psychology, the International Journal of
Selection and Assessment, the European Journal of Work and Organizational
Psychology, Public Personnel Management, and Zeitschrift fr
Personalpsychologie (Journal of Personnel Psychology, in German). She has just
started her term as joint editor (with her Spanish colleague Jesus Salgado) of
the International Journal of Selection and Assessment. Shes worked as an ad
hoc reviewer for other top-tier journals as well. She is a fellow of SIOP and
APA and has served on numerous committees for professional associations such as
SIOP and the Academy of Management.
Deniz Ones, the Person
As you can see, Deniz Ones has accomplished more in a few short years than
most people do in a lifetime! Just how does she do it? Determined to find out,
we set up a time to teleconference with Deniz. We finally caught up with her one
evening in July. She was in her office, preparing for an 8:30 p.m. meeting with
a grad student. Yes, p.m., as in post meridiem. We soon found that it is not
unusual to find Deniz working in her office when most people are at home
watching Frazier. In response to our standard interview questions,
heres what else we discovered
What do you do to relieve stress? I feel that my life is
constant stress. But, I happen to do my best work under stress, especially when
I have deadlines and am put under pressure. Although her life involves lots
of stress, Deniz finds relief in lifes aesthetics (such as the nice view from
her office window). Pleasing surroundings help her manage the pressure. In fact,
her office includes a tranquility fountain, incense, and aromatherapy candles.
Theres a positive correlation between the number of candles I have burning
and the amount of pressure Im under, she offered, explaining that at the
time of the interview she had one candle lit and four on standby. All five
going at once is a bad sign.
What do you do during your time off? The rather long pause
following this question suggested that the concept of time off was
throwing Deniz for a loop. So, we decided to rephrase.
What do you like doing and wish you could do more of? It turns
out that Deniz loves to travel abroad, and she is getting good at combining her
sightseeing with conferences. Her research has attracted quite a bit of
international attention, and she has been invited to a number of conferences
overseas. After attending faraway conferences, she likes to put in a few extra
days, sometimes even a week, touring the area and nearby countries. She is
well-traveled in Europe, and 2 years ago she visited Australia, a land with
which she instantly fell in love. They have a vibrant I-O community there,
and I was really impressed with the quality of work and the intellectual
stimulation they provided. Throughout her travels, Deniz has developed close
ties with foreign colleagues. I try to keep up with them and rely on them as
a network. Its important to get feedback from a different perspective. In
addition to traveling, Deniz loves to cook. She owns tons of cookbooks and
subscribes to Gourmet, yet she is proud to say that shes never followed a
recipe in her life! Cooking is a creative exercise, she explained.
Its an art, like painting.
If you were stranded on a desert island and had one piece of reading
material, what would it be? Id take an electronic reader, Deniz
responded pragmatically. One that you can load a lot of books into. And,
Id make sure there was a back-up plan in case the technology fails. If the
books on her nightstand are any indication of her interests, youd likely see
a wide range of nonfiction loaded into her readerand not just the I-O stuff.
At the time of this interview, for example, she was immersed in three
half-finished books. The first is called The English. Its a book, given to
me by one of my English friends. It pokes fun at the British character. The
second book describes French cultural history during the 1700s. Finally, the
third is a book that elucidates the manner in which genes and languages can be
used to trace the dissemination of people around the world.
Do you have a nickname? If so, how did you get it? Deniz
doesnt have a nickname. With so few Denizs walking around these
parts, she probably doesnt need one! Denizs Turkish ancestry is
responsible for her rather unusual name. Unlike the American name Denise,
which stands for the goddess of wine, the word Deniz represents the sea or
the ocean. Denizs last name is a Turkish word that is unpronounceable in
English. Toward the beginning of her professional career, Deniz decided that she
would have everyone mispronounce her last name consistently. When introducing
herself, she therefore pronounces her last name so that it sounds like the word
owns.
What is your favorite beverage? Not to be limited to a single
option, Deniz declared she has four favorite drinks: (a) Starbucks latt
with organic milk; (b) frozen margaritas with lots of salt and lime; (c) scotch
(Laphroaig is her favorite kindyes, we had to look that up before we could
figure out how to spell it!); and (d) the conference drink. This time the rather
long pause on our end of the line suggested her last response had thrown us for
a loop. Deniz laughed and continued, At conferences, I have this thing. I
order vodka with tonic and lime. Its the only cocktail I have at conferences.
Yet, I dont order this drink at any other time, and I never crave it at
home.
Do you have a routine that you like to follow? Deniz isnt
rigid when it comes to routines, yet she does have a few patterns that she tends
to follow. Lets start at the beginning. On Sundays, she goes into the office
in the afternoon and stays until midnight. Sound intense? You aint heard
nothing yetcheck out the rest of her week! During the academic year, she
usually wakes up at 6 a.m. or so, does some work at home and then drives to
school. Arriving at the office between 9:30 and 10:30 a.m., shes right back
at it. She rarely goes out for lunch; instead, she opts for something from
the Universitys Vendo-land and takes her vending machine cuisine back to
the office to continue working. Around 10:00 p.m. or so, she calls Vish
(referring to Chockalingam Viswesvaran, her longtime friend and colleague) to
discuss various projects and such.1 Hes also an important part of my
social support system, she noted. Following her phone chat, Deniz completes
another hour or so of work, then she heads back home around midnight or 1 a.m.
Fortunately, her husband is something of a night owl himself. If he hasnt had
dinner yet, they eat together, and then its bedtime. Of course, impending
conferences and massive deadlines cause Deniz to bump up the pace just a tad, as
indicated by the sleeping bag in her office. When it gets to be 3 or 4
oclock in the morning, it just doesnt make sense to go home, she
explained.
Deniz never works on Saturdays. Instead, she tends to do house chores and/or
she takes a trip to the farmers market. In fact, shes something of a
farmers market aficionado. I love the atmosphere, she said.
Everything is fresh, and it makes me feel alive. It really gets the
adrenaline going. Its the next best thing to the data analysis rushyou
know, that feeling you get when youve spent a lot of time gathering data, and
you see the results for the first time. Hmmwere wondering if farmers
sense the same connection with us I-O types as they peruse the effect sizes and
correlations in JAP on the weekends!
What factor(s) contributed significantly to your success? Deniz
loves her work and is driven by her intense interest in I-O psychology. In
addition, Denizs dictum for life has likely contributed to her success. It
goes something like this: In life, one ought to do everything that, on
balance, increases ones options and opportunities, and one should shy away
from anything that, on balance, decreases those opportunities and options. An
examination of Denizs career and her many accomplishments in such a short
period of time is testament that she lives true to those words. Ive tried
to recognize opportunities when they were presented, and Ive seized upon
them, she said.
Deniz also feels that much of her success can be attributed to being in
the right place at the right time. (She cites all sorts of coincidences that
have worked in her favor, such as sharing an office with Vish during grad school
and studying under Frank Schmidt.) She feels indebted to good mentors as well as
supportive friends and colleagues. Incidentally, we have a hunch that Denizs
coincidence, luck, and good social/professional support networks (all common
themes heard from column features over the past year and a half) are by-products
of hard work, careful choices, and concern for others.
Indeed, Deniz admitted that effort is another ingredient in her recipe for
success (figuratively speakingwe all know she doesnt use recipes). I
believe in the importance of doing your homework prior to anything youre
called upon to do as a professional. Evidence of this philosophy crept into
our chat when we discovered that prior to the interview Deniz not only went back
and reviewed past Early Career columns, but she also pretested the interview
questions on friends and colleagues, who helped provide insights on her
behavior, habits, and so forth.
Finally, Deniz feels that over the years she has developed a sense of what is
important to practitioners, and this has contributed to her success as an
academic. Were a field that is so applied. You cant call your research
successful in I-O if it doesnt find some life in practice.
Oh yeah, one more thing. Deniz believes that having her very own saint has
had a little something to do with her success! Well okay, he hasnt been
canonized yet, but shes pretty sure itll happen some day. I have an
incredibly supportive husband, she explained. I think he is a saint!
Hes been my biggest backer up in everything.
What factor(s) do you think might be critical to the success of others,
in general? All of the above, plus g and conscientiousness, Deniz
responded. Anyone who has followed her research saw that one coming.
Describe a dark professional hour in your early career. What did
you do to get through it? Youd think dark professional hours would be
few and far between for someone who keeps candles in her office and a saint in
her abode. Nevertheless, Deniz managed to recollect a rather nerve-racking
dark anecdote during our talk. At the end of her first year as an
assistant professor in Houston, Deniz offered to provide feedback to her
students on their SIOP submissions, suggesting they turn in their drafts a month
or two before the deadline. Four days before the proposals were due at SIOP, she
received six first drafts! It was the students first attempt at SIOP, and
I didnt want to discourage them, Deniz explained, so I worked with them
to revise the papers. She didnt go home for 4 days. She didnt even pull
out the sleeping bag. Finally, six submissions and several sleepless days later,
she started to hallucinate. I dont even recall the 26-mile drive home,
she confessed. When my husband got home, he found me on the doorstep, asleep
on the sidewalk with the keys in my hand. There are probably a few lessons to be
learned here, she mused, adding that as much as she cares about her graduate
students, she wont make this mistake twice.
Career Gear
When asked to choose a topic for this issues Career Gear segment,
Deniz recommended that we focus on the importance of becoming a reviewer of
others research. Reviewing was on Denizs mind perhaps because she has just
been named the editor-in-chief (along with Jesus Salgado) of the International
Journal of Selection and Assessment (IJSA).
Now, we all know that peer review is an extremely important service activity.
Without volunteer reviewers, our conferences and journals would include lower
quality presentations and articles, and our science would progress at a much
slower rate (Spector, 1998). As vital as all of this is, Deniz suggested that
peer reviewers gain more than just a line item under the Professional
Service heading of their vita. She urged us to research some of the hidden
benefits enjoyed by those who choose to serve as ad hoc reviewers for
conferences and journals.
We began our investigation by contacting several top-10 journals, as well as
the folks from SIOP. The following people took the time out of their busy
schedules to answer a variety of questions concerning conference and journal
reviews: Adrienne Colella (SIOP 2002 conference program chair), Carole McCoy
(managing editor, Journal of Organizational Behavior), Micki Kacmar
(editor, Journal of Management), and Greg Northcraft (editor, Academy
of Management Journal). The following pages summarize what we learned.
A Review Primer
For those whove had limited exposure to the world of research-oriented
peer review, we begin with a bit of background information. Ad hoc reviewers are
not formally affiliated with a journal (i.e., they are not members of the
editorial board). They are volunteers who are used to evaluate all types of
submissions to journals and conferences. The exact review procedure varies
depending on the outlet, but heres how the process generally works. The
manuscript in question is received in an editorial office, where it is perused
and sent to two or three reviewers, who are selected based on the fit between
their areas of expertise and the submission content. Once the reviewers have
read the manuscript and submitted their evaluations, they are often able to read
the comments that the editor and the other reviewers provided to the author. If
the author revises and resubmits, the modified manuscript is sent back to the
original reviewers along with the authors account of how he or she dealt with
each reviewers concerns. The reviewers evaluate the revised document and
again provide suggestions and feedback to the author and editor.
The Hidden Benefits of Review Work
Although reviewing others research requires a significant amount of time
and energy (especially early in your career), various sources indicate that the
benefits are well worth the effort. From a developmental standpoint, this role
can help to improve your research, your practice, and your skills as a reviewer.
It also increases your chances of being appointed to an editorial board later
down the line.
Improving Your Research
Review gigs can improve your research on a number of different levels. First,
they can enhance your research design. You learn others methods in detail
(youre forced to pay attention), and as Dr. Colella pointed out, You get
to see the most current research being done in your area. Even though you
cant use the papers you review (theyre usually confidential), you can get
an idea of what people are focusing on right now, as opposed to waiting the
12 year lag time that it usually takes for an article to appear in print.
Dr. Ones agreed, adding that this sneak preview can really give new
psychologists important insights.
Second, review work can improve writing skills. You may recall that the Career
Gear segment of our last column focused on the importance of developing good
writing skills. While researching that topic, one of our correspondents, Ann
Howard, made a comment that really hit home. One way to sharpen your skills
is to learn from professional editors, she said. Whether writing academic
books or chapters or creating (other professional) publications, Ive
scrutinized editors corrections and questions and taken notes on my recurring
errors. My goal is to receive fewer editorial corrections with subsequent
writings! Indeed, theres lots to be learned from mistakes. Expanding on
this, it is possible to learn from others mistakes, and review projects give
you the opportunity to do so. In fact, some feel that it is easier to detect and
learn from the mistakes or problems with others work than your own.
Youre more objective (with others work), explained Dr. Colella.
Third, working as a reviewer enhances your publication savvy. As Dr. Colella
indicated, You usually get to see the reviews of others and editors, so you
learn what reviewers tend to focus on. You gain a better grasp of the
difference between a fatal and an acceptable flaw, and you get an up-close look
at what it takes to get a paper accepted. Furthermore, you learn how to respond
to others suggestions and criticisms when you are given the opportunity to
revise and resubmit your own work. You get to see how other authors respond
to reviews, which is something you dont get a lot of exposure to when you
just begin writing, noted Dr. Colella. Youll get to see both effective
and ineffective author responses, which you can learn from.
Improving your Practice
Dr. Ones was quick to point out that academicians are not the only
professionals who benefit by volunteering as ad hoc reviewers. Shes talked to
a number of practitioners who have noted how valuable they find review work.
The best practitioners pay attention to what others are doing, and review
work gives them the heads up, Dr. Ones said. For example, they may not
have been exposed to a new measure in their practice, and they can see the ins
and outs of the measure early in the review process.
Improving your Review Skills
Reviewing involves a set of skills that you dont always acquire in
graduate school. It requires you to be objective, critical, and courteous at the
same time. Naturally, you get better with practice and exposure, suggesting yet
another benefit to ad hoc review work. You get to see how other reviewers
respond to authors, allowing you to model good techniques and avoid ineffective
ones. As Dr. Northcraft pointed out, You can learn a lot by comparing your
own review to the other reviews for a submission you reviewed.
Increasing your Professional Responsibilities
Fact of life: good reviewers get promoted to coveted positions on editorial
boards. If you ever want to get on an editorial board, Dr. Colella
explained, reviewing papers in a competent, thorough, and timely fashion is
the only way I know of to get on one. Dr. Kacmar seconded this sentiment.
It is the fastest way to get promoted to the editorial board (at least at JoM).
If an ad hoc reviewer returns a series of thorough, insightful reviews in a
timely fashion, he or she will very likely be promoted to a board member. AMJ
follows a similar philosophy, keeping records on the quality and timeliness of
their ad hoc reviewers performance. These records are used to determine
editorial board membership opportunities.
How to Become a Reviewer
Whos Eligible to Review?
The eligibility requirements for ad hoc reviewers vary slightly from one
place to the next. For SIOP conference submissions, any member (except student
members) can serve as a reviewer. In the Journal of Management (JoM),
eligibility is restricted to those with a PhD in an area of relevance to the
field of management, who have published in a refereed journal. The Journal of
Organizational Behavior (JOB) accepts researchers in organizational
behavior with advanced graduate education and expertise in the content domain
represented in JOB. Finally, the Academy of Management Journal (AMJ)
and IJSA welcomes all professionals who are qualified to write
high-quality, developmental reviews (including newly minted PhDs). Those who do
a good job are called upon subsequently.
How do I Sign up?
Signing up to become an ad hoc reviewer is really quite simple, as indicated
by the procedures described by our contacts. As of this year, SIOP handles the
process electronically. They send an e-mail request to all members during the
summer before the Conference, asking them to serve as reviewers. If youre
willing, all you have to do is go to a Web site to sign up. When you go to sign
up, you are asked to indicate the topic areas you wish to review. At JOB,
interested professionals should notify the editor of their interests and attach
a vita. At JoM, there are a variety of ways to become an ad hoc reviewer.
One of the most successful ways is to have someone who already reviews for JoM
nominate you. However, the journal also takes self-nominations (if you
self-nominate, be sure to include a vita). At IJSA, both self-nominations
and board member nominations are welcome. The editors also regularly rely on ad
hoc reviewers when specific expertise is sought. AMJs process is
equally painless. Many of our ad hoc reviewers are simply volunteers, said
Dr. Northcraft, who explained AMJs procedures in detail. Someone
has whispered in their ear about the benefits in terms of developing ones own
research skills, so they write us to make themselves available. Or maybe they
introduced themselves at an editor panel at a conference to let us know they
would like to participate. In that case, we would send them a questionnaire that
asks about their areas of primary and secondary expertise.
Dr. Northcraft also noted that many ad hoc reviewers are referrals,
Perhaps we ask a regular reviewer to review, and she or he is too busy and
recommends a replacementmaybe a student or colleague. Anyone wanting to
review might let their busy senior colleagues know that they would be happy to
fill in in the event that a review is required in their own area of
expertise. Finally, good conference review work can lead to journal review
opportunities, as indicated by AMJs procedures. We regularly ask
conference program chairs to forward us the names of any promising scholars that
we should consider adding to our ad hoc reviewer pool, based on the quality of
their conference reviews, Dr. Northcraft explained.
Embarking on Your First Review?
Your reputation as a reviewer begins with your first attempt. If you do a
good job, you increase your chances of being asked again. If youve never
reviewed before, check out Paul Spectors guidelines (www.chuma.cas.usf.edu/~spector/gradcourses/reviewguide.html).
Its also a good idea to study the mission statement of the journal you are
reviewing for, and check to see if that journal has suggestions for reviewers
(e.g., AMJ provides tips, pointers, and rules for their reviewers at www.aom.pace.edu/amj/reviewer_guidelines.html).
If the journal doesnt offer information in this area, take a peek at the Personnel
Psychology article written by Michael Campion back in 1993 (www.personnelpsychology.com/ted77.htm).
It supplies a detailed checklist of criteria to use when reviewing research
articles in applied psychology. Also, take advantage of conference reviewing
workshops (the national Academy of Management meetings offered one this
year), which help young scholars develop their reviewing skills. Finally,
consider asking an experienced senior colleague about how to approach the
process (e.g., what to include). If your colleague is willing, have him or her
examine your draft review, to ensure that it has an appropriately developmental
tone.
Conclusion
And, thats the news from your Early Careers headquarters, where were
busily spamming Michael Campion (Purdue University and Campion Services, Inc.)
with requests for an interview. Will he divulge the secrets to his success? Only
the January 2002 issue will tell. Until then, feel free to contact the Early
Careers editors with questions, kudos, and criticisms: Lori Foster Thompson
(FosterL@mail.ecu.edu) and Dawn L.
Riddle (riddle@luna.cas.usf.edu).
Reference
Spector, P. E. (1998). Guidelines for
Journal Article Reviewing [Online]. Available: www.chuma.cas.usf.edu/~spector/gradcourses/reviewguide.html.
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