Employee Selection

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use.

Employee Selection

1–1

The Challenges of Human Resources Management

© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use. 2 of 36© 2012 Cengage Learning. All Rights Reserved. May not be copied, scanned, or duplicated, in whole or in part, except for use as permitted in a license distributed with a certain product or service or otherwise on a password-protected website for classroom use. 2 of 39

Chapter ObjectivesAfter studying this chapter, you should be able to

Explain the objectives of the personnel selection process.

Explain what it is required for an employee selection tool to be reliable and valid.

Illustrate the different approaches to conducting an employment interview.

Compare the value of different types of employment tests.

Describe the various decision strategies for selection.

LEARNING OUTCOME 1

LEARNING OUTCOME 2

LEARNING OUTCOME 3

LEARNING OUTCOME 4

LEARNING OUTCOME 5


Matching People and Jobs

• Selection The process of choosing individuals who have

relevant qualifications to fill existing or projected job openings.

• Selection Considerations Person-job fit: job analysis identifies required

individual competencies (KSAOs) for job success. Person-organization fit: the degree to which

individuals are matched to the culture and values of the organization.


The Goal of Selection: Maximize “Hits”


Begin with a Job Analysis

• Results of a Job Analysis Job Description

– A detailed list of tasks, duties, responsibilities, and authority

Job Specifications– the individual competencies employees need for

success—the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other factors (KSAOs) that lead to superior performance.


Steps in the Selection Process


The Selection Process

• Obtaining Reliable and Valid Information Reliability

– The degree to which interviews, tests, and other selection procedures yield comparable data over time and alternative measures.

Validity– Degree to which a test or selection procedure

measures a person’s attributes.


Initial Screening

• Cover Letters and Resumes

• Video Resumes• Application Forms• Online Applications• Biographical Information

Blanks (BIB)• Background

Investigations

• Polygraph Tests• Integrity and Honesty

Tests• Graphology• Medical Examinations• Employment Tests• Interviews• Internet Checks and

Phone Screening


Application/Resume Assessment Grid


Application Forms

• Application date• Educational background• Experience• Arrests and criminal convictions• National origin• References• Disabilities• EEO and at-will statements


Online Applications

• An Internet-based automated posting, application, and tracking process helps firms to more quickly fill positions by: Attracting a broader and more diverse

applicant pool Collecting and mining resumes with keyword

searches to identify qualified candidates Conducting screening tests online Reducing recruiting costs significantly


Employment Interviews

• Why the interview is so popular: It is especially practical when there are only a

small number of applicants.

It serves other purposes, such as public relations

Interviewers maintain great faith and confidence in their judgments.


Interviewing Methods

• Nondirective Interview The applicant determines the course of the

discussion, while the interviewer refrains from influencing the applicant’s remarks.

• Structured Interview An interview in which a set of standardized

questions having an established set of answers is used.


Interviewing Methods (cont.)

• Situational Interview An interview in which an applicant is given a

hypothetical incident and asked how he or she would respond to it.

• Behavioral Description Interview (BDI) An interview in which an applicant is asked questions

about what he or she actually did in a given situation.

• Panel and Sequential Interview An interview in which a board of interviewers

questions and observes a single candidate.


Hiring Managers Reveal Mistakes


Interviewing Methods (cont.)

• Phone Interview Phone interviews can be effective and actually help

expand a company’s pool of talent.

• Computer Interview Using a computer program that requires candidates to

answer a series of questions tailored to the job. Answers are compared either with an ideal profile or with

profiles developed on the basis of other candidates’ responses.

• Video and Digitally-Recorded Interviews Using video conference technologies to record and

evaluate job candidates’ technical abilities, energy level, appearance, and the like before incurring the costs of a face-to-face meeting.


Variables in the Employment Interview


Eleven Ground Rules for Employment Interviews

1. Understand the job2. Establish an interview plan3. Establish and maintain rapport and listen actively4. Pay attention to nonverbal cues5. Provide information as freely and honestly as possible6. Use questions effectively7. Separate facts from inferences8. Recognize stereotypes and biases9. Avoid the “halo error,” or judging an individual favorably or

unfavorably overall on the basis of only one strong point (or weak point) on which you place high value

10. Control the course of the interview11. Standardize the questions asked


How Candidates’ Physical Attributes Influence Employ


Diversity Management: Are Your Questions Legal?

• No questions are expressly forbidden. Questions related to race, color, age, religion, sex,

or national origin can be hazardous.

Questions are acceptable if job-related, asked of everyone, and do not discriminate against a protected class (e.g., females)

Consult EEOC and FEP information when constructing guidelines for interviewers



Appropriate and Inappropriate InterviewQuestions (cont.)


Sample Reference-Checking Questions


Background Investigations (cont.)

• Organizations using credit reports must:1. Check state laws to see if credit reports can legally be used.2. Advise and receive written consent from applicants if a

report will be requested.3. Provide a written certification to the consumer reporting

agency as to the purpose of the report.4. Provide applicants a copy of the consumer report as well as

a summary of their rights under the CCRRA.5. Must provide an adverse-action notice a person if that

person is not hired and contact information related to the reporting agency.


Preemployment Tests

• Preemployment Test An objective and standardized measure of a sample

of behavior that is used to gauge a person’s knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics (KSAOs) in relation to other individuals.

Pre-employment testing hasthe potential for lawsuits.


Types of Tests

• Job Knowledge Tests• Work Sample Tests• Assessment Center Tests• Cognitive Ability Tests• Biodata Tests• Personality and Interest Inventories• Honesty and Integrity Tests• Polygraph Tests• Physical Ability Tests• Medical Examinations• Drug Tests


Approaches to Validation

• Criterion-related Validity The extent to which a selection tool predicts, or

significantly correlates with, important elements of work behavior.– A high score indicates high job performance potential; a

low score is predictive of low job performance.• Predictive Validity

The extent to which applicants’ test scores match criterion data obtained from those applicants/employees after they have been on the job for some indefinite period


Correlation Scatterplots


Approaches to Validation (cont.)

• Content validity The extent to which a selection instrument, such as

a test, adequately samples the knowledge and skills needed to perform a particular job.– Example: typing tests, driver’s license examinations

• Construct validity The extent to which a selection tool measures a

theoretical construct or trait. Are difficult to validate

– Example: creative arts tests, honesty tests


Best Practices for employee Testing and Selection


Decision-Making Strategy

• Selection Considerations: Should individuals to be hired according to their highest

potential or according to the needs of the organization?

At what grade or wage level to start the individual?

Should selection be for employee-job match, or should advancement potential be considered?

Should those not qualified but qualifiable be considered?

Should overqualified individuals be considered?

What effect will a decision have on meeting affirmative action plans and diversity considerations?



“Can-Do” and “Will-Do’ Factors


Clinical and Statistical Approach

Multiple Cutoff Model - Minimum

Statistical Approach

Compensatory Model - Average

Multiple Hurdle Model- Sequential

Clinical Approach

Objectivity

Subjectivity


Statistical Approach

• Compensatory Model Permits a high score in one area to make up for a

low score in another area.

• Multiple Cutoff Model Requires an applicant to achieve a minimum level

of proficiency on all selection dimensions.

• Multiple Hurdle Model Only applicants with sufficiently high scores at

each selection stage go on to subsequent stages in the selection process.


Test Scores Scatter plot with Hypothetical Cutoffs


Selection Process (cont.)

• Selection Ratio The number of applicants compared with the

number of people to be hired.

• Cutoff Score The point in a distribution of scores above which

a person is considered and below which a person is rejected.


Selection Process (cont.)

• Final Decision Selection of applicant by departmental or

immediate supervisor to fill vacancy. Notification of selection and job offer by the

human resources department.


Key Terms

achievement testsaptitude testsbehavioral description interview (BDI)compensatory modelconcurrent validityconstruct validitycontent validitycriterion-related validitycross-validationmultiple cutoff modelmultiple hurdle model

negligent hiringnondirective interviewpanel interviewpredictive validityreliabilityselectionselection ratiosituational interviewstructured interviewvalidityvalidity generalization


Chapter 6 - Learning Outcomes

Learning Outcome Statements Related Outcomes from Body of the Text

1 Explain the objectives of the personnel selection process. Because managers often have a good deal of job knowledge, how important do you think it is for them to understand the selection process to make good decisions?

2 Explain what is required for an employee selection tool to be reliable and valid.

Many employers do Internet searches to turn up information on job candidates. Can you see any problem related to doing so?

3 Illustrate the different approaches to conducting an employment interview.

If you a know a candidate, in addition to interviewing the person, do you still need to check his or her job references and do a background check? Can any of these steps be skipped?

4 Compare the value of different types of employment tests. Personality tests, like other tests used in employee selection, have been under attack for several decades. Why do you think some applicants find personality tests objectionable? On what basis could their use for selection purposes be justified?

5 Describe the various decision strategies for selection. How have your skills, knowledge, aptitudes, and motivation affected the types of jobs you have applied for in the past or how well you did a particular job?

Employee Selection

Documents

classroom use

cengage learning

learning outcome

passwordprotected website

certain product

goal of selection

personnel selection

employee selection tool