2. chapter 8
Selection

3. Selection – the process by which an organization chooses from a list of applicants the person or persons who best meet the selection criteria for the position available, considering current environmental conditions

4. Internal Environmental Factors Influencing Selection
Organization characteristics that can influence the selection process:
Size
Complexity
Technological volatility
Attitude about hiring from within

5. External Environmental Factors Influencing Selection
Federal government employment laws and regulations
State-specific regulations
Size, composition, and availability of local labor markets
Economic, social, and political pressures on a community

6. Selection Ratio
Used by HRM staff to evaluate the effects of the labor market on selection decisions

7. Selection Criteria Experience and Formal Education Past Performance
Physical
Characteristics
Personal
Characteristics and
Personality Type 4

8. Reliability of Selection Criteria
Reliability – how stable or repeatable a measurement is over a variety of testing conditions
How to assess reliability:
Test-retest reliability
Alternative-form reliability
Inter-rater reliability

9. Validity of Selection Criteria
Validity – addresses the questions of:
What a selection tool measures
How well it has measured it
It is not sufficient for a selection tool to be reliable
The selection tool must also be valid

10. Types of Validity (1 of 2)
Content Validity – degree to which a test, interview, or performance evaluation measures the skill, knowledge, or ability to perform
Construct Validity – extent to which a selection tool actually measures the unobservable trait that it claims to measure

11. Types of Validity (2 of 2)
Criterion-Related Validity – extent to which a selection technique can accurately predict one or more important elements of job behavior
Predictive Validity
Concurrent Validity

12. Steps in the Selection Process
4. Background
and Reference
Checks
5. Selection
Decision
6. Physical
Examination
2. Employment
Interview
3. Employment
Tests
1. Preliminary
Screening 5

13. Typical Selection Decision Process
1. Preliminary
screening
Application blank Biographical Information Blank Interview
2. Employment
interview
3. Employment
tests
4. Background &
reference checks
5. Selection
decision
6. Physical
examination

14. Preliminary Screening
Application blanks
Useful selection tools
Subject to same legal standards as any other selection method
Biographical information blank (BIB)
Weighted application blank

15. Employment Interview Two strategies for effective us of interviews:
1. Structuring the interview to be reliable and valid
2. Training managers on best interview techniques
Unstructured interview
Structured interview
Behavioral description interview (BDI)
Situational interview (SI)

16. Employment Tests (1 of 2)
Mechanism that attempts to measure certain characteristics of individuals, e.g.,
aptitudes
manual dexterity
intelligence
personality
Should be validated before being used to make hiring decisions

17. Employment Tests (2 of 2) Job sample performance tests
Cognitive ability tests
Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale
Wonderlinc Personnel Test
California Test of Mental Maturity (adult level)
Psychomotor ability simulations
Personality inventories and temperament tests
Polygraph and honesty tests

18. Reference Checks and Recommendations
Do not always provide an organization with meaningful information about applicants
Concerns over the legality of asking for and providing confidential information about applicants
Legal status surrounding reference-checking and providing recommendations is not clear

19. Physical Examinations
Should be required only after a conditional offer of employment has been made
Can be used to screen out unqualified individuals
Careful adherence to the Americans with Disabilities Act
If used, all individuals who are conditionally offered employment should be required to have one

20. Drug Testing (1 of 2) Reliability of drug tests are a major concern
False positives
Personal consequences of being falsely labeled as a drug user
Legality of drug-testing programs has not been universally established

21. Drug Testing (2 of 2)
Steps to make good-faith drug testing program legally acceptable:
Inform all job applicants of the organization’s drug-testing screening program
Establish a high-quality control testing procedure with a reliable testing laboratory
Perform any drug tests in a professional, non-threatening manner
Keep all results confidential

22. Selection of Managers Assessment center
several interviews
work samples
simulations
paper-and-pencil tests of abilities and attitudes
Individuals evaluated on many dimensions
Shown to be a valid way to select managers

23. Cost-Benefit Analysis for the Selection Decision
Organizational Utility
Statistical Utility

24. Summary
The way that an organization hires employees is directly tied to other HR programs
The linkage with training is important
Putting more money into selection can significantly reduce the amount of money it must spend on training
A selection system will make some mistakes
No guarantee of successful job performance