1. 1

2. Selection and Placement
Chapter 6
Selection and Placement
Establish the basic scientific properties of personnel selection methods, including reliability, validity, and generalizability.
Discuss how the particular characteristics of a job, organization, or applicant affect the utility of any test.
Describe the government’s role in personnel selection decisions.
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3. Selection and Placement
Chapter 6
Selection and Placement
List the common methods used in selecting human resources.
Describe the degree to which each of the common methods used in selecting human resources meets the demands of reliability, validity, generalizability, utility, and legality.
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4. Selection Method Standards for Evaluation Purposes
Reliability
Validity
Generalizability
Utility
Legality
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5. Reliability
Reliability is the degree to which a measure of physical or cognitive abilities, or traits, is free from random error.
The correlation coefficient is a measure of the degree to which two sets of numbers are related.
A perfect positive relationship equals +1.0
A perfect negative relationship equals - 1.0
Knowing how scores on the measure at one time relate to scores on the same measure at another time refers to test-retest reliability.
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6. Validity
Validity is the extent to which performance on the measure is associated with performance on the job.
Criterion-related validation is demonstrated by a correlation coefficient that indicates a significant relationship between scores on the selection measure and job performance scores. The types include:
Predictive validation
Concurrent validation
Content validation
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7. Criterion-Related Validity
Predictive Concurrent
Measure
Performance
of those Hired
Test
Existing
Employees
Measure
their
Performance
Test
Applicants
TIME TIME
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8. Content Validation
Content validation is performed by demonstrating that the items, questions, or problems posed by the test are a representative sample of the kinds of situations or problems that occur on the job.
Best for small samples
Content validity is achieved primarily through a process of expert judgement.
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9. Generalizability
Generalizability is the degree to which the validity of a selection method established in one context extends to other contexts such as different situations, different samples of people, and different time periods.
Three contexts include:
different situations
different samples of people
different time periods
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10. Utility
Utility is the degree to which the information provided by selection techniques enhances the effectiveness of selecting personnel in organizations.
It is impacted by reliability, validity, and generalizability.
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11. Legality
All selection methods must conform to existing laws and legal precedents.
Three acts have formed the basis for a majority of the suits filed by job applicants:
Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991
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12. Civil Rights Act of 1991
This act protects individuals from discrimination based on race, color, sex, religion, and national origin.
The 1991 act differs from the 1964 act in three different areas:
It establishes employers' explicit obligation to establish neutral selection methods.
Allows a jury to decide punitive damages.
It explicitly prevents the use of race norming as a means of giving preferential treatment to protected groups.
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13. Age Discrimination in Employment Act
Covers individuals who are between the ages of 40 and 69.
Litigation related to this act has surged because of the general aging of the work force and downsizing.
There is no protection for
younger workers.
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14. Americans with Disabilities Act
Protects individuals with physical or mental disabilities.
Reasonable accommodations are required by the organization to allow the disabled to perform essential functions of the job.
An employer need not make accommodations that cause undue hardship.
Restrictions on preemployment inquiries.
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15. Executive Orders
Executive Order parallels the Civil Rights Act of 1964 but goes beyond it by:
requiring affirmative action to hire qualified protected group applicants, and
allowing the government to suspend all business with a contractor while an investigation is going on.
The Office of Federal Contract Compliance (OFCC) issues guidelines and monitors compliance.
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16. Types of Selection Methods
Interviews
Honesty Tests
and Drug Tests
References and
Biographical Data
Work Samples HR
JOBS
Physical Ability
Tests
Personality
Inventories
Cognitive Ability Tests
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17. Interviews
Selection interviews are defined as a dialogue initiated by one or more persons to gather information and evaluate the qualifications of an applicant for employment.
The utility of an interview can be increased by the following suggestions:
Interviews should be structured, standardized, and focused on goals oriented to skills and behaviors that are observable.
Ask questions that force the applicant to display job-required behaviors or knowledge.
Use multiple, trained interviewers who can avoid personal bias.
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18. Situational Interview
A situational interview confronts applicants on specific issues, questions, or problems that are likely to arise on the job.
These interviews consist of:
experience-based questions
future-oriented questions
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19. Other Selection Methods
References and Biographical data gather background information on candidates.
Physical ability tests are relevant for predicting not only job performance but occupational injuries and disabilities. Types of physical ability tests include:
muscular tension, power, and endurance
cardiovascular endurance
flexibility
balance
coordination
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20. Other Selection Methods
A cognitive ability test differentiates candidates on mental ability. Abilities most commonly assessed are:
verbal comprehension
quantitative ability
reasoning ability
Personality inventories categorize individuals by their personality characteristics.
Work samples simulate the job in miniaturized form.
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21. Honesty Tests
The Polygraph Act of 1988 banned the use of polygraph tests for private companies except pharmaceutical and security guard suppliers.
Paper-and-pencil honesty testing attempts to assess the likelihood that employees will steal.
Since these tests are new, there is little evidence on their effectiveness.
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22. Drug Tests Drug-use tests tend to be reliable and valid.
The major controversies are whether drug tests represent an invasion of privacy, an unreasonable search and seizure. or a violation of due process.
Tests should be administered systematically to all applicants applying for the same job.
Testing is likely to be more defensible when there are safety hazards associated with the failure to perform.
Test results should be reported to the applicant, who should have an opportunity to appeal and be re-tested.
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