SELECTION

Chapter Objectives
 Explain the significance of employee
selection.
 Identify environmental factors that
affect the selection process.
 Describe the general selection process.
 Explain the importance of the
preliminary interview.
 Describe the importance of the
application for employment.
 Chapter Objectives
(Continued)
• Describe the advantages, potential
problems, and characteristics of properly
designed selection tests.
• Explain the types of validation studies.
• Describe types of employment tests.
• Explain the importance of interview
planning and describe the content of the
interview.
• Describe the basic types of interviewing.
• Describe the various methods of
interviewing.
 Chapter Objectives
(Continued)
 Explain the legal implications of
interviewing.
 Describe assessment centers as a means
of selection.
 Explain why personal references,
professional references, and background
investigations are conducted.
 Explain negligent hiring and retention and
the use of polygraph tests.
 Describe the selection decision, the
physical examination, and notification of
candidates.
 Selection
• The process of choosing from a group of
applicants the individual best suited for a
particular position and an organization
• Goal of the selection process is to properly
match people with jobs and the
organization
• Individuals overqualified, underqualified,
or do not fit either the job or the
organization’s culture, will probably leave
the firm
Environmental Factors
Affecting the Selection
Process
• Legal considerations
• Decision making speed
• Organizational
hierarchy
• Applicant pool
• Type of organization
• Probationary period
 Legal Considerations
• Human resource management is
greatly influenced by legislation,
executive orders, and court
decisions
• Hiring managers must have
extensive knowledge of the legal
aspects of selection
• Intent of federal legislation is
generally not at odds with good
business sense
 Speed of Decision Making
• At times, speed is crucial and a few
phone calls, two brief interviews and a
prayer may constitute the entire
selection procedure
• Conducting a national search to select
a chief executive officer may take
months
• In bureaucracies, the selection process
often requires a considerable amount
of time
 Organizational Hierarchy
• Extensive background checks and
interviewing are conducted for the
executive position
• An applicant for a clerical position
would most likely take a word
processing test and perhaps have
a short employment interview
 Applicant Pool
• Selection Ratio - The number of
people hired for a particular job
compared to the individuals in the
applicant pool
• A selection ratio of 1.00 indicates
that there is only one qualified
applicant for each position
• A selection ratio of 0.10 indicates
that there are ten qualified
applicants for each position
 Type of Organization
• Prospective employees in private sector
are screened with regard to how they
can help achieve profit goals
• Government civil service systems
typically identify qualified applicants
through competitive examinations
• Individuals being considered for
positions in not-for-profit organizations
must not only be qualified but also
dedicated to this type work
 Probationary Period
• Practice may be either a substitute for
certain phases of the selection process
or a check on the validity of the process
• If an individual can successfully perform
the job during the probationary period,
other selection tools are not needed
• In unionized firms, a new employee
typically is not protected by the union-
management agreement until after a
certain probationary period
 The Selection Process
• Preliminary interviews
• Review applications and interviews
• Selection tests
• Employment interviews
• Reference and background checks
• Selection decision
• Physical examination
Preliminary Interview
• Removes obviously unqualified
individuals
• Ask a few straightforward questions
• May qualify to work in other open
positions
• Telephone interviews
• Videotaped interviews
• Computer interviews
 Review of Applications
• Each person completes an application
to determine if there is a match
between individual and the position
• Essential information included and
presented in a standardized format
• Certification that everything on the
form is true
• Employment at will
• Permission to have his or her
references checked
Administration of Selection
Tests
• Advantages
• Potential Problems using
Selection Tests
• Characteristics of Properly
Designed Selection Tests
Advantages of Selection
Tests
• Reliable and
accurate means of
selecting qualified
candidates
• Identify attitudes
and job-related skills
• Deficiencies in other
techniques
Potential Problems Using
Selection Tests

• “Can do” versus

“will do”
• Test anxiety
• Rarely, if ever,
perfect predictors
Characteristics of Properly
Designed Selection Tests
• Standardization - Uniformity of the
procedures and conditions
• Objectivity - Everyone scoring a test
obtains the same results
• Norms - Frame of reference for
comparing an applicant's performance
with that of others
• Reliability - Provides consistent results
• Validity - Measures what it is supposed
to measure
 Types of Validation
Studies
Criterion-related validity: comparing
the scores on selection tests to some
aspect of job performance
– Concurrent validity - Test scores and the
criterion data are obtained at essentially
the same time
– Predictive validity - Administering a test
and later obtaining the criterion
information
Types of Validation Studies
(Continued)
– Content validity - Test validation
method whereby a person performs
certain tasks that are actually required
by the job or completes a paper and
pencil test that measures relevant job
knowledge
– Construct validity - Test validation
method that determines whether a test
measures certain traits or qualities that
are important in performing the job
Types of Employment
Tests
• Cognitive aptitude
• Psychomotor abilities
• Job Knowledge
• Work-sample (simulation)
• Vocational interests
• Personality
Types of Employment
Tests (Continued)
• Drug and alcohol
• Genetic
• Internet
• Graphoanalysis
Cognitive Aptitude Tests
• General
reasoning ability
• Memory
• Vocabulary
• Verbal fluency
• Numerical ability
Psychomotor Abilities
Tests

• Strength
• Coordination
• Dexterity
Job Knowledge Tests
• Measure a candidate's
knowledge of the duties of
the position for which he or
she is applying
• Are commercially available
Work-Sample (Simulation)
• Tests that require an applicant to
perform a task or set of tasks
representative of the job
• Such tests by their nature are job
related
• Produces a high predictive validity,
reduces adverse impact, and is
more acceptable to applicants
 Vocational Interests
• Indicate the occupation in which a
person is most interested and is
most likely to be satisfied with

• Primary use has been in

counseling and vocational
guidance
Personality Tests

• Traits
• Temperaments
• Dispositions
 Drug and Alcohol Testing
• About 71 percent of alcohol and drug
abusers are employed
• Few issues generate more
controversy today than drug testing
• Drug testing in the U.S. is becoming
more commonplace
• There is a 2-6 percent positive rate
among tested applicants
 Genetic Testing
• Determines whether a person
carries the gene mutation for
certain diseases, including heart
disease, colon cancer, breast
cancer and Huntington’s disease
• 6 to 10 percent of employers were
conducting genetic tests
The Employment Interview
• Goal-oriented conversation in
which interviewer and
applicant exchange information
• Interview planning
• Content of the interview
 Interview Planning
• Compare application and resume with
job requirements
• Develop questions related to qualities
sought
• Step-by-step plan to present position,
company, division, and department
• Determine how to ask for examples of
past applicant behavior, not what future
behavior might be
Content of the Interview
• Occupational experience
• Academic achievement
• Interpersonal skills
• Personal qualities
• Organizational fit
• Candidate’s objectives
Types of Interviews
• Unstructured
(nondirective)
• Structured
(directive or
patterned)
• Behavior
Description
Unstructured (Nondirective)
Interview
• Asks probing, open-ended
questions
• Encourages applicant to do
much of the talking
• Often time-consuming
• Different information from
different candidates
• Potential legal woes
Structured (Directive or
Patterned) Interview
• Situational questions
• Job knowledge
questions
• Job-sample simulation
questions
• Worker requirements
questions
 Behavior Description
Interview
• Find knowledge, skills, abilities and
behaviors important for job success
• Determine which behavioral questions to
ask about particular job to elicit desired
behaviors
• Develop structured format tailored for
each job
• Set benchmark responses - examples of
good, average and bad answers
• Train interviewers
 Methods of Interviewing
• One-on-one interview - Applicant meets
one-on-one with an interviewer
• Group interview - Several applicants
interact in the presence of one or more
company representatives
• Board interview - Several of the firm’s
representatives interview one candidate
• Stress interview - Anxiety is intentionally
created
• Realistic job previews - Job information is
conveyed to the applicant in an unbiased
manner
 Legal Implications of
Interviewing
• Interview is considered to be a test
• Subject to same validity
requirements as any other step in
selection process
• Constraint presents special
difficulties
• Few firms are willing to pay the
cost of validating interview
Potential Interviewing
Problems
• Inappropriate questions
• Premature judgments
• Interviewer domination
• Inconsistent questions
• Central tendency
 Potential Interviewing
Problems (Continued)
• Halo error
• Contrast effect
• Interviewer bias
• Lack of training
• Behavior sample
• Nonverbal communication
 Assessment Centers
• Candidates subjected to exercises that
simulate actual job tasks
• In-basket exercises
• Management games
• Leaderless discussion groups
• Mock interviews
• Measures candidates’ skills in
prioritizing, delegating and decision-
making
Personal Reference
Checks
• Provides additional insight
into applicant information
• Verification of accuracy
• Applicant often required to
provide names of several
references
• More emphasis on previous
employment investigations
Professional References and
Background Investigations
• Previous employment
• Education verification
• Personal reference check
• Criminal history
• Driving record
• Civil litigation
• Workers’ compensation history
• Credit history
• Social security number verification
 Negligent Hiring and
Retention
• Negligent Hiring - Liability employer
incurs when no reasonable investigation
of applicant’s background is made and
potentially dangerous person is
assigned to position where he or she
can inflict harm
• Negligent Retention - Keeping persons
on payroll whose records indicate strong
potential for wrongdoing
• Employer responsible for actions outside
scope of employees’ duties
Polygraph Tests
• Confirm or refute
application information
• Employee Polygraph
Protection Act of 1988
severely limited use in
the private sector
 The Selection
Decision
• Most critical step of all
• Person whose qualifications
most closely conform to the
requirements of the open
position should be selected
Physical Examination
• Determine whether
applicant is physically
capable of working
• Legal liabilities
• Rehabilitation Act of 1973
• Americans with Disabilities
Act of 1990
Notification to Candidates
• Results should be made known to
candidates as soon as possible
• Delay may result in firm losing
prime candidate
• Unsuccessful candidates should
also be promptly notified