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2. Chapter Objectives After studying this chapter, you should be able to
Explain the objectives of the personnel selection process.
Identify the various sources of information used for personnel selection.
Compare the value of different types of employment tests.
Illustrate the different approaches to conducting an employment interview.
Describe the various decision strategies for selection.
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3. 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.
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4. Steps in the Selection Process
FIGURE 6.2
Steps in the Selection Process
Note: Steps may vary. An applicant may be rejected after any step in the process.
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5. Sources of Information about Job Candidates
Application Forms
Online Applications
Biographical Information Blanks (BIB)
Background Investigations
Polygraph Tests
Integrity and Honesty Tests
Graphology
Medical Examinations
Employment Tests
Interviews
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6. 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
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7. Background Checks Negligent hiring Sources of Information
The failure of an organization to discover, via due diligence, that an employee it hired had the propensity to do harm to others
Sources of Information
Social Security verification
Past employment
Educational verification
Criminal records
Motor vehicle records
Credit check
Military records
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8. Most Common Types of Background Checks
FIGURE 6.4
Most Common Types of Background Checks
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9. Background Checks (cont’d)
Checking References
Telephone, mail, and checks
Specific job-related information
Letters of reference
Online computerized databases
Privacy Act of 1974
Requires signed requests for reference letters and signed consent to background checks.
Applies to both educational and private employers.
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10. Employee Polygraph Protection Act (1988)
Use of “lie detectors” is largely prohibited.
Act requires qualified examiners.
Act requires disclosure of information where used.
Encouraged employers’ use of paper and pencil integrity and honesty tests.
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11. Background Investigations (cont’d)
Graphology
The use of a sample of an applicant’s handwriting to make an employment decision.
Medical Examinations
Given last as they can be costly.
Ensure that the health of an applicant is adequate to meet the job requirements.
Provides a baseline for subsequent examinations
ADA requires all exams be job-related and conducted after an employment offer is made.
Testing for illegal drugs is allowed.
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12. Employment Tests Employment 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 has the potential for lawsuits.
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13. Classification of Employment Tests
Cognitive Ability Tests
Aptitude tests
Measures of a person’s capacity to learn or acquire skills.
Achievement tests
Measures of what a person knows or can do right now.
Personality and Interest Inventories
“Big Five” personality factors:
Extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, openness to experience.
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14. CPI Personality Facets and Sample Items
Agreeableness
Trust—I believe people are usually honest with me.
Conscientiousness
Attention to detail—I like to complete every detail of tasks according to the work plans.
Extroversion
Adaptability—For me, change is exciting.
Neuroticism
Self-confidence—I am confident about my skills and abilities.
Openness to Experience
Independence—I tend to work on projects alone, even if others volunteer to help me.
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15. Classification of Employment Tests (cont’d)
Physical Ability Tests
Must be related to the essential functions of job.
Job Knowledge Tests
An achievement test that measures a person’s level of understanding about a particular job.
Work Sample Tests
Require the applicant to perform tasks that are actually a part of the work required on the job.
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16. The Employment Interview
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.
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17. Interviewing Methods Nondirective Interview Structured 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.
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18. Interviewing Methods (cont’d)
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 Interview
An interview in which a board of interviewers questions and observes a single candidate.
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19. 3 Sample Situational Interview Question QUESTION:
It is the night before your scheduled vacation. You are all packed and ready to go. Just before you get into bed, you receive a phone call from the plant. A problem has arisen that only you can handle. You are asked to come in to take care of things. What would you do in this situation?
RECORD ANSWER:
SCORING GUIDE:
Good: “I would go in to work and make certain that everything is OK. Then I would go on vacation.”
Good: “There are no problems that only I can handle. I would make certain that someone qualified was there to handle things.”
Fair: “I would try to find someone else to deal with the problem.”
Fair: “I would go on vacation.”
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20. Interviewing Methods (cont’d)
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.
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21. Ground Rules for Employment Interviews
Establish an interview plan
Establish and maintain rapport
Be an active listener
Pay attention to nonverbal cues
Provide information freely
Use questions effectively
Separate facts from inferences
Recognize biases and stereotypes
Control the course of the interview
Standardize the questions asked
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22. “Can-Do” and “Will-Do” Factors in Selection Decisions
FIGURE 6.10
“Can-Do” and “Will-Do” Factors in Selection Decisions
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23. Reaching a Selection Decision
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?
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24. Selection Decision Strategies
Clinical Approach
Subjectivity
Statistical Approach
Objectivity
Compensatory Model - Average
Multiple Cutoff Model - Minimum
Multiple Hurdle Model- Sequential
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25. Selection Decision Models
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.
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26. Selection Process (cont’d)
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.
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27. Selection Process (cont’d)
Final Decision
Selection of applicant by departmental or immediate supervisor to fill vacancy.
Notification of selection and job offer by the human resources department.
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