Selection

1
Selection

• There is perhaps no more important topic than
  employee selection.
• If it is true that organizations succeed or fail
  on the basis of talents of employees, then
  managers directly influence that success by the
  people they hire.
• Matching People and Jobs
• In conjunction with the recruitment process,
  which is design to increase the number of
  applicants whose qualification meet job
  requirement and the needs of the organization,
  selection is the process of reducing that number
  and choosing from among those individuals who
  have relevant qualifications.
• While the overall selection program is often the
  formal responsibility of the HR department, line
  managers typically make the final decision about
  hiring people in their unit.
• It is important therefore that managers
  understand the objectives, policies, and
  practices used for selection.
• Person-Job Fit Beginning with Job Analysis
• We discussed the process of analyzing jobs to
  develop job descriptions and specifications, Job
  specifications, in particular, help identify the
  individual competencies employees need for
  success ?the knowledge, skills, abilities, and
  other factors (KSAOs) that lead to superior
  performance.

2
Selection

• By identifying competencies through job analysis,
  managers can then use selection methods such as
  interviews, references, psychological tests, and
  the like to measure applicant KSAOs against the
  competencies required for the job. This is often
  referred to as person-job fit.
• Person-Organization Fit
• In addition to the requirements of the job, many
  organizations also place a priority on finding
  individuals that meet broader organizational
  requirements.
• The need for team work and flexibility has
  created a keen interest in this type of
  person-organization fit.
• In many instances, managers will pass up
  potential employees if they dont embrace the
  values of the organization ?even if they have
  excellent technical skills for the job.
• The Selection Process
• In most organizations, selection is an ongoing
  process. Turnover inevitably occurs, leaving
  vacancies to be filled by applicants from inside
  or outside the organization.
• It is common to have a waiting list of applicants
  who can be called when permanent or temporary
  positions become open.
• The number of steps in the selection process and
  their sequence will vary, not only with the
  organization but also with the type and level of
  jobs to be filled.

3
Selection

• Obtaining Reliable and Valid Information
• The degree to which interviews, tests and other
  selection procedures yield comparable data over a
  period of time is know as reliability.
• Reliability also refers to the extend to which
  two or more methods yield similar results or are
  consistent.
• In addition to having reliable information
  pertaining to a persons suitability for a job,
  the information must be as valid as possible.
  Validity refers to what a test or other selection
  procedure measures and how well it measures it.
• Criterion-Related Validity
• The extend to which a selection tool predicts, or
  significantly correlates with, important elements
  of work behavior is known as criterion-related
  validity. There are two types of
  criterion-related validity, concurrent and
  predictive.
• Concurrent validity involves obtaining criterion
  data from current employees at about the same
  time that test scores are obtained. A supervisor
  is asked to rate a group of clerical employees on
  the quantity and quality of their performance.
  These employees are then given a clerical
  aptitude test, and the test scores are compared
  with the supervisory ratings to determine the
  degree of relationship between them.
• Predictive validity, on the other hand, involves
  testing applicants and obtaining criterion data
  after those applicants have been hired and have
  been on the job for some indefinite period.

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Selection

• Regardless of the method used, cross-validation
  is essential. Cross-validation is a process in
  which a test or battery of tests is administered
  to a different sample for the purpose of
  verifying the results obtained from the original
  validation study.
• Sources of Information About Job Candidates
• Many sources of information are used to provide
  as reliable a picture as possible of an
  applicants potential for success on the job.
• Application Forms
• Most organizations require application forms to
  be completed because they provide a fairly quick
  and systematic means of obtaining a variety of
  information about the applicant.
• Application forms serve several purposes. They
  provide information for deciding whether an
  applicant meets the minimum requirements for
  experience, education, and so on. They provide a
  basis for questions the interviewer will ask
  about the applicants background. They also
  offer sources for reference checks.
• The following are some suggestions for putting
  together an application form
• Application Date
• Education Background
• Experience
• Arrest and Criminal Convictions
• Country of Citizenship
• References
• Disabilities

5
Selection

• Online Applications
• A recent study by Recruitsoft/iLogos Research
  shows that 71 percent of Fortune 500 companies
  have adapted their web sites to accept job
  applications.
• The practice speeds up the application process
  for potential employees, and importantly, allows
  the organization to track applicants, combine
  information, and disseminate possible leads to
  managers more quickly and efficiently than
  before.
• Background Investigations
• When the interviewer is satisfied that the
  applicant is potentially qualified, information
  about previous employment as well as other
  information provided by the applicant is
  investigated.
• Checking References
• Organizations ranging from Canon to the Boston
  Philharmonic use both the mail and the telephone
  to check references.
• While references are commonly used to screen and
  select employees, they have not proved successful
  for predicting employee performance.
• Written letters of reference are notoriously
  inflated, and this limits their validity.
  Generally, telephone checks are preferable
  because they save time and provide for greater
  candor.

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Selection

• Requiring Signed Requests for References
• Based on the Privacy Act of 1974, individuals
  have a legal right to examine letters of
  references about them.
• As a legal protection to all concerned, it is
  important to ask the applicant to fill out forms
  permitting information to be solicited from
  former employers and other reference sources.
• Using Credit Reports
• The use of consumer credit reports by employers
  as a basis for establishing an applicants
  eligibility for employment has become more
  restricted.
• Under the 1997 Consumer Credit Reporting Reform
  Act (CCRRA), the term credit report extends
  beyond the financial arena to include almost all
  compilation of information on an individual that
  is prepared by a third-party agency.
• To rely on a report such as this, organizations
  must follow four important steps
• Organizations must advise and receive written
  consent from applicants if such a report will be
  requested.
• The organization must provide a written
  certification to the consumer reporting agency
  about the purpose of the report and must assure
  them that it will mot be used for any other
  purpose.
• Before taking any adverse action due to
  information on the report, organizations must
  provide applicants a copy of the consumer report
  as well as a summary of their rights under the
  CCRRA.
• If the organization decides not to hire the
  applicant based on the report, it must provide
  and adverse-action notice to that person.

7
Selection

• Polygraph Tests
• The polygraph, or lie detector test, is a device
  that measures the changes in breathing, blood
  pressure, and pulse of a person who is being
  questioned.
• The growing swell of objections to the use of
  polygraphs in employment situations culminated in
  the passage of the federal Employee Polygraph
  Protection Act of 1988. The act generally
  prohibits the use of a lie detector test for
  pre-hire screening and random testing and applies
  to all private employers except pharmaceutical
  companies and companies t hat supply security
  guards for health and safety operations as well
  as government agencies.
• Honesty and Integrity Tests
• In response to the Employee Polygraph Protection
  Act, many employers have dramatically increased
  their use of pencil-and-paper honesty and
  integrity tests.
• These tests have commonly been used in settings
  such as retail stores where employees have access
  to cash or merchandise.

8
Selection

• Graphology
• Graphology, a term that refers to a variety of
  handwriting analysis, is used by some employers
  to make employment decisions.
• Graphologists obtain a sample of handwriting and
  then examine such characteristics as the size and
  slant of letters, amount of pressure applied, and
  placement of the writing on the page.
• From their observations, Graphologists draw
  inferences about such things as the writers
  personality traits, intelligence, energy level,
  organizational abilities, creativity, integrity,
  emotional maturity, self-image, people skills,
  and entrepreneurial tendencies.
• Medical Examinations
• A medical examination is generally given to
  ensure that the health of an applicant is
  adequate to meet the job requirements.
• It also provides a baseline against which
  subsequent medical examinations can be compared
  and interpreted. The latter objective is
  particularly important in determinations of
  work-caused disabilities under workers
  compensation law.
• Drug Testing
• The number of U.S. companies that test employment
  candidates for drug use has increased
  significantly.
• Since passage of the Drug-Free Workplace Act of
  1988, applicants and employees of federal
  contractors, Department of Defense contractors,
  and those under Department of Transportation
  regulations are subject to testing for illegal
  drug use.

9
Selection

• Employment Tests
• A recent American Management Association survey
  showed that 43 percent of responding firms assess
  applicants with basic math and/or literacy tests
  60 percent required specific job-skill testing of
  applicants and 31 percent use psychological
  tests.
• Nature of Employment Tests
• An employment test is an objective and
  standardized measure of a sample of behavior
• that is used to gauge a persons knowledge,
  skills, abilities, and other characteristics
• (KSAOs) in relation to other individuals.
• Classifications of Employment Tests
• Aptitude tests measure a persons capacity to
  learn or acquire skills.
• Achievement Tests measure what a person knows or
  can do right now.
• Cognitive Ability Tests
• Cognitive ability tests measure mental
  capabilities such as general intelligence, verbal
  fluency, numerical ability, and reasoning
  ability.
• Personality and Interest Inventories
• Years of research show that five dimensions can
  summarize personality traits

10
Selection

• Extroversion The degree to which someone is
  talkative, sociable, active, aggressive, and
  excitable
• Agreeableness The degree to which someone is
  trusting, amiable, generous, tolerant,
  cooperative, and flexible
• Conscientiousness the degree to which someone
  is dependable and organized and perseveres in
  tasks
• Neuroticism the degree to which someone is
  secure, calm, , independent, and autonomous
• Openness to experience the degree to which
  someone is intellectual, philosophical,
  insightful, creative, artistic, and curious
• Physical Ability Tests
• This types of tests are reportedly being used
  widely today for selection than ever before.
• Particularly for demanding and potentially
  dangerous jobs like those held by firefighters
  and police officers, physical abilities such as
  strength and endurance tend to be good predictors
  not only of performance, but of accidents and
  injuries.
• Job Knowledge Tests
• Government agencies and licensing boards usually
  develop job knowledge tests, a type of
  achievement test designed to measure a persons
  level of understanding about a particular job.

11
Selection

• Work Sample Test
• Work sample tests, or job sample tests, require
  the applicant to perform tasks that are actually
  a part of the work required on the job.
• The Employment Interview
• Interview methods differ in several ways, most
  significantly in terms of the amount of
  structure, or control, exercised by the
  interviewer.
• The Nondirective Interview
• In the Nondirective interview, the interviewer
  carefully refrains from influencing the
  applicants remarks. The interviewer ask broad,
  open-minded questions-such as Tell me more about
  your experiences on your last job- and permits
  the applicant to talk freely with a minimum of
  interruption.
• The Structured Interview
• More attention is given to the structure
  interview as a result of EEO requirements and a
  concern for maximizing validity of selection
  decisions. A structured interview has a set of
  standardized questions and an establish set of
  answers against which applicants responses can be
  rated, it provides a more consistent basis for
  evaluating job candidates.
• The Situational Interview
• With this approach, an applicant is given a
  hypothetical incident and asked how he or she
  would respond to it. The applicants response is
  then evaluated relative to pre-established
  benchmark standards.

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Selection

• The Behavioral Description Interview
• A behavioral description interview (BDI) focuses
  on actual work incidents in the interviewees
  past Tell me about the last time you disciplined
  an employee.
• The Panel Interview
• In a typical panel interview the candidate meets
  with three to five interviewers who take turn
  asking questions. After the interview the
  interviewers pool their observations to reach a
  consensus about the suitability of the candidate.
• The Computer Interview
• A computer interview requires candidates to
  answer a series (75 to 125) of multiple-choice
  questions tailored to the job. These answers are
  compare either with an ideal profile or with
  profiles developed on the basis of other
  candidates responses.
• Video Interviews
• Employers can make preliminary assessments about
  candidates technical abilities, energy level,
  appearance, and the like before incurring the
  costs of a face-to-face meeting.

13
Selection

• Apart from the characteristics of the interviews
  themselves, there are several important tips for
  interviewers.
• Establish an interview plan
• Establish an maintain rapport
• Be an active listener
• Pay attention to non-verbal clues
• Provide information as freely and honestly as
  possible
• Use questions effectively
• Separate facts from inferences
• Recognize biases and stereotypes
• Control the course of the interview
• Standardize the questions asked
• Summarizing Information about Applicants
• Fundamentally, an employer is interested in what
  an applicant can do and will do. An evaluation
  of candidates on the basis of assembled
  information should focus on these two factors
• The can-do factors include knowledge and
  skills, as well as the aptitude for acquiring new
  knowledge and skills.
• The will-do factors include motivation,
  interests, and other personality characteristics.

14
Selection

• Decision Strategy
• While many factors are to be considered in hiring
  decisions the following are some questions that
  managers must consider
• Should individuals be hired according to their
  highest potential or according to the needs of
  the organization?
• At what grade or wage level should the individual
  be started?
• Should initial selection be concern primarily
  with an ideal match of the employee to the job,
  or should potential for advancement in the
  organization be considered?
• To what extend should those who are not qualified
  but are qualifiable be considered?
• Should overqualified individuals be considered?
• What effect will a decision have on meeting
  affirmative action plans and diversity
  considerations?
• Clinical Approach
• In the clinical approach to decision making,
  those making the selection decision review all
  the data on applicants. Then, on the basis of
  their understanding of the job and the
  individuals who have been successful in that job,
  they make a decision.
• Statistical Approach
• It involves identifying the most valid
  predictors and weighting them through statistical
  methods such as multiple regression.