Topic 5

Chapter 8

Selecting Effective

Employees

McGraw-Hill/Irwin Copyright © 2013 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

Decisions must be made efficiently and within the boundaries of EEO laws

The process by which an organization choosesthe person who best matches the selection

criteria for the position

Selected applicants should have the best chance of meeting or exceeding the

organization’s standards of performance

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Regardless of the method chosen, information must be reliable & valid

Once criteria havebeen decided on, a

technique for assessingthem must be chosen

Application blanks& biodata forms

Referencechecks

Interviews Physical andmedical tests

Aptitude &personality

testsWork sample

tests

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Refers to how stable or repeatable a measurement is over a variety of testing conditions

Reliability is also

determined by using

interrater reliability

A somewhat unreliable tool

can still be useful

Test-retest is a common

way to assess reliability

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Construct

How accurate its predictions are about the future success or failure of

an applicant

How well it has measured itTo be useful, measures must

also be valid

Types of validity

Criterion-related

Content

What a test measures

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In the past, hiring decisions were based on subjective likes and dislikes of the boss

• Selection tools were designed to aid gut reactions

The selection decision is a series of steps through which applicants pass

• At each step, more applicants are screened out

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Nearly all ask for enough information todetermine minimal qualifications

The application eliminates the need forinterviewers to gather basic information

Application blanks vary in length and sophistication

Application blanks are subject to the same legalstandards as any other selection method

They generally limit questions that imply somethingabout the applicant’s physical health

The first step in most selection processes involves completing an application form

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The biographical information blank (BIB):• Has more items than typical application blanks• Asks for information related to a wider array of

attitudes and experiences

BIB items based on an assumption that prior experiences are related to future behavior

• Example: People who preferred English in school will perform differently on a given job than those who preferred science or math

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Applicants who are judged minimally qualified proceed to the next phase of the selection process

The weighted application blank is designed to be scored more systematically and is more like the BIB

The weights are totaled for each applicant, and

the one with the highest score is

the preferred choice

Current high and low performers

are compared on a variety of

characteristics known at the

time they applied for the job

Weights are then assigned to the

degree of difference on

each characteristic

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The interview is the selection technique most often encountered by persons applying for jobs

• Structure the interview to be reliable and valid

• Train managers to use good interviewing techniques

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Interviews Vary Along Two Dimensions

1. How structured it is 2. Whether it focuses on historical information or

hypothetical situations

An unstructured interview has no predetermined script or protocol

1. Structured interviews are more reliable and valid than unstructured interviews

2. Standardization lowers the possibility that biases have been introduced by the interviewer

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Questions about past experience have higher validity than future-oriented hypothetical questions

Behavioral description interview— applicants relate actual incidents from their past work

experience to the job for which they are applying

Situational interview—seeks to identify

whether an applicant possesses relevant job

knowledge and motivation by asking

hypothetical questions

Two types of structured interviewshave gained popularity

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Employment tests attempt to measure…

Some cost as little as $1 per applicant

The Mental Measurements Yearbook summarizes the tests and their effectiveness

It can be expensive to develop an employment test, so many employers purchase existing tests

Aptitudes Manual dexterity Intelligence Personality

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Any testing device should be validated beforebeing used to make

hiring decisions

1. Validation studies are expensive; even more so if questions of discrimination arise

2. Despite the cost, tests can more than pay for themselves through increased efficiency in selection

The type of test ultimately used depends on

1. Budgetary constraints 2. The complexity and

difficulty of the job 3. The size and quality of

applicant populations 4. The KSAOs required

by the job

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Applicants are often asked to run the machines they would run on the job

Requires applicants to do a sample of the work that the job involves in a controlled situation

Face validity is how good a test looksfor a given situation

Tests that look valid may be otherwise

Face validity is not the same as actual validity

Has high validity among selection tests

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The best known cognitive abilities are math and verbal

• The basis of the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT) and the Graduate Record Examination (GRE)

Verbal and math abilities are also measured by tests developed specifically for HR use:

• Weschler Adult Intelligence Scale • Wonderlic Personnel Test • California Test of Mental Maturity (adult level)

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The Minnesota Paper Form Board Test (MPFB) measures spatial relations

Exhibit 8-6 Excerpt from Revised Minnesota Paper Form Board Test

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Exhibit 8-68-8-2222

Psychomotor ability tests are not as popular as they once were

• Choice reaction time • Speed of limb movement • Finger dexterity

Exhibit 8-8O’Connor Finger and

Tweezer Dexterity Test Equipment

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A different approach utilizes projective techniques to vague stimuli • Psychologists base

assumptions and interpretations of personality on reactions

• Stimuli are purposely vague to reach unconscious aspects of the personality

• The most common are the Rorschach Inkblot Test and the Thematic Apperception Test

Exhibit 8-9

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Exemptions

The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 made it illegal for most private organizations to use

the polygraph as a selection device

Polygraph use is legal during an ongoing investigation of dishonesty if employee rights are safe-guarded

Government agencies

Certain Dept. of Defense and Dept. of Energy contractors

Private employers whose business involves security and controlled substances

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Organizations searching for an alternative to the polygraph are turning to paper-and-pencil tests

• Overt integrity tests ask direct questions and gather a history of theft and other illegal activities

• Personality-based integrity tests assess a predisposition toward deviant and disruptive behavior

Honesty tests have acceptable levels of validity and reliability

• They can also be used to predict future job performance

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Fear of being sued led many managers to refuse to provide references for former employees

Organizations must also be wary of any policy suggesting that all references be neutral

Many organizations include statements in employee

handbooks about reference checking policies

Managers often give out only verifiable kinds of

information, such as date of employment and job title

They could be sued for a “negligent referral”

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Multiple-hurdle approach

Choose among finalists for the job

Put offer in writing

Include salary, benefits, start date, job responsibilities

Communicate decision to “winner”

Compensatory model

Set deadline for offer acceptance

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If offer isrejected

Make counter-offer or

Extend offer to the runner-up

If offer is accepted

Notify the otherjob candidates that they were

not chosen

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The Americans with Disabilities Act indicates that

If an organization uses such examinations,

everyone who is conditionally offered

employment should be required to have one

Physical examinations can be used to screen

out unqualified individuals, but only

after a conditional offer of employment is made

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Utilitythe degree to which using

a selection system improves thequality of the individuals being selected

Statistical Utilitythe extent to which a selection

technique allows a company to predictwho will be successful

Organizational Utilitya matter of costs and benefits

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