Why do IQ scores predict job performance?

During the past century, IQ testing has become a pervasive tool for allocating scarce resources in the United States and beyond. IQ-reflective tests are used in primary and secondary schools to sort students into groups, and by universities and employers to select between applicants. Drawing on several sociological literatures (i.e. the diffusion of institutions, social stratification, and self-fulfilling dynamics), we argue that the current applications of IQ-reflective tests allow individuals with high IQ scores to receive greater access to developmental resources, enabling them to acquire additional capabilities over time, and ultimately perform their jobs better. This institutional explanation for the IQ-job performance link is an alternative to the prevailing assertion that IQ facilitates job performance through on-the-job learning. Further, this explanation suggests that the frequently repeated prescription “select on intelligence” may be institutionally contingent.