Chapter 6 Selecting Applicants

1
Chapter 6Selecting Applicants
2
HRM and Competitive Advantage
HR Planning Job Analysis
Recruitment Selection
Output Retention Legal Compliance Company Image
Competence Motivation Work Attitudes
Cost Leadership Product Differentiation
Training/Develop. Performance App. Compensation Pr
oductivity Imp.
Workplace Justice Unions Safety
Health International
3
Linking Selection Practices to Competitive
Advantage
Firm Hires Most Suitable Candidates
Productive Employees Increase Overall Productivity
Competitive Advantage
Select High- Quality Applicants
Training Needs And Costs Are Minimized
Rejected Applicants Feel Fairly Treated
Legal Costs And Negative Reputation Are Minimized
4
Job Qualifications

• Job-specific
• Universal

5
Validity Defined

• The appropriateness, meaningfulness, and
  usefulness of selection inferences
• The technical term for effectiveness

6
How to Achieve Selection Validity

• Use job analysis to determine job qualifications.
• Use selection methods that reliably and
  accurately measure the needed qualifications.

7
Reliability Defined

• Consistency of measurement
• The degree of self-consistency among the scores
  earned by an individual
• When two people evaluating the same candidate
  provide the same ratings
• When the ratings of a candidate taken at two
  different times are the same

8
How to Achieve Selection Reliability

• Establish good rapport with candidates.
• Ask questions that are clear.
• Ask questions that are moderately difficult.
• Administer several measures to assess each
  important KSA.

9
Behavior Consistency Model

• The best predictor of future behavior is past
  behavior performed under similar circumstances.
• The most effective selection procedures are those
  that focus on the candidates past or present
  behavior in situations that closely match those
  they will encounter on the job.

10
How to Implement the Behavior Consistency Model

• Thoroughly assess each applicants previous work
  experience.
• Evaluate each applicants past success on each
  behavior relevant to the target job.
• Use assessments that simulate actual job
  behaviors.

11
Three Approaches to Assessing and Documenting
Validity

• Content-oriented strategy
• Criterion-related strategy
• Validity generalization strategy

12
Content-Oriented Strategy
Selection Program Content
Job Content
13
Content-Oriented Strategy

• Demonstrate that the selection devices were
  chosen on the basis of an acceptable job
  analysis.
• Demonstrate that the selection devices measured a
  representative sample of the KSAs identified.

14
Criterion-Related Strategy
Predictor Scores Criterion Scores High Hi
gh Medium
Medium Low Low
15
Predictive Validation Study
Time Period 1 (Collect predictor scores)
Time Period 2 (Collect criterion scores)
Collect applicant data using new selection
instrument but dont use to hire
Evaluate performance of new hires
Correlate predictor scores with criterion scores
Hire applicants using old selection procedure
16
Concurrent Validation Study
Time Period 1
Administer new selection instrument to
current employees
Obtain performance evaluation data on current
employees
Correlate predictor scores with criterion scores
17
Validity Generalization Strategy
Target Job
similarity
study 1
similarity
Studies summarizing selection measures validity
for similar jobs in other settings
Target Selection Measure
18
Equal Employment Opportunity Commission Functions
Enforcement Laws Interpretation Guidelines
19
EEO Guidelines

• The Uniform Guidelines
• National Origin Discrimination Guidelines
• Sexual Harassment Guidelines
• Pregnancy Discrimination Guidelines
• Age Discrimination Guidelines
• Religious Discrimination Guidelines
• Disability Discrimination Guidelines

20
The Uniform Guidelines

• Apply to nearly all organizations employing 15 or
  more people
• If employment decision results in disparate
  impact, organization must
• eliminate selection device(s) causing problem, or
• demonstrate validity of selection device.

21
National Origin Discrimination Guidelines

• Individuals rejected for employment have just
  cause if rejection based on
• place of origin.
• ancestors place of origin.
• marriage to a person of foreign origin.
• membership in an association seeking to promote
  the interests of a national origin group.

22
Sexual Harassment Guidelines

• The employer is liable for unlawful sexual
  harassment of applicants if
• employment opportunity granted because of
  candidates submission to an employers request
  for sexual favors, or
• employment opportunity withheld because of
  candidates refusal to grant such favors.

23
Pregnancy Discrimination Guidelines

• A female applicant who is temporarily unable to
  perform some job function due to her
  pregnancy-related condition must be treated in
  the same manner as any other applicant with a
  temporary disability. Examples
• Modified tasks
• Alternate assignments
• Disability leave

24
Age Discrimination Guidelines

• Prohibit disparate treatment directed toward
  applicants aged 40 and above
• Reasonable factor other than age

25
To Establish an Age-Based BFOQ

• Reasonably necessary to the essence of the
  companys business, and
• All or substantially all within the protected
  group would be unable to perform job safely and
  effectively, and
• Impossible or impractical to assess job
  capabilities of applicants on an individual basis

26
Religious Discrimination Guidelines

• Freedom to believe and freedom not to believe are
  both protected
• Reasonable accommodation
• Undue hardship
• de minimis principle

27
Disability Discrimination Guidelines

• Disabilities are broadly defined to include
• illnesses
• losses
• emotional and mental illness
• recovery

28
Constitutional Constraints on Selection

• Fourth amendment to the U.S. Constitution
• Fifth amendment to the U.S. Constitution
• Fourteenth amendment to the U.S. Constitution

Only apply to governmental units or public sector
employees
29
Tort Law Constraints on Selection

• Negligent hiring
• hiring an applicant who is somehow unfit for the
  job and because of this unfitness, commits an act
  that causes harm to another
• Defamation
• the unprivileged publication of a false oral or
  written statement that harms the reputation of
  another person

30
Selection Methods

• Application blanks
• Biodata inventories
• Background investigations
• Reference checks
• Employment interviews
• Employment tests
• Assessment centers

31
Application Blanks
Name_____________ __________________ Education__
________ __________________ Work
Experience____ __________________ Work
Skills_______ __________________ References_____
___ __________________
32
Uses of Application Blanks

• Determine whether minimum qualifications for job
  are met.
• Judge the presence or absence of certain
  job-related attributes.
• Red flag potential problem areas concerning the
  applicant.

33
Dont Ask Questions on an Application Blank

• ? regarding an applicants health.
• ? that reveal an applicants protected group
  membership.
• ? that are not directly job-related, yet affect
  protected groups disproportionately.
• ? that seek information to screen out protected
  group members.

34
Biodata Inventories

• Responses objectively evaluated
• Item weights are statistically determined
• Two types of biodata inventories
• weighted application blank
• biographical information blank
• Typically used as prescreening device to predict
  tenure
• Some legal concerns

35
Background Investigations
36
Background Investigations

• Primarily used for screening applicants for
  positions of trust or for special duty of care
  positions
• Must avoid violating legal rights of applicants
  (Federal Credit Reporting Act)

37
Reference Checks

• Verify information provided by applicants
• Get additional information about applicants which
  may be predictive of future job performance

38
Characteristics of Legal References

• Truthful and its truth can be proven
• Not conveyed with malicious intent
• Communicated only to interested parties
• Job-related

39
Four Types of Employment Interview Information

• Technical knowledge
• Self-evaluative information
• Situational information
• Behavior description information

40
Employment Tests

• Mental ability tests
• Personality tests
• Work-sample tests
• Assessment centers

If your can read this you have really good
vision.
41
Mental Ability Tests

• Measure intelligence or aptitude
• Entry-level jobs
• Jobs with no specific required skills
• Trainability
• Valid for many jobs
• May affect EEO goals

42
Personality Tests The Big 5

• Extroversion
• Emotional stability
• Agreeableness
• Conscientiousness
• Openness to experience

43
Personality Tests

• Validity evidence mixed
• Potential for faking
• Possible legal concerns

44
Work Sample Tests

• Perform some of actual job duties
• Manual skills
• Clerical skills
• Managerial skills

45
Creating Work Sample Tests

• Conduct job analysis
• Choose representative sample of tasks
• Develop scoring procedure
• Administer test under standardized conditions

46
Disadvantages of Work Sample Tests

• Expensive
• Safety concerns

47
Assessment Centers

• Leaderless group discussion
• Management games
• In-basket

48
Screening for Dysfunctional Behavior

• Applicant drug abuse
• Applicant honesty

49
Assessing Applicant Honesty

• Polygraph tests
• Paper-and-pencil honesty tests
• Overt tests
• Personality-based measures

50
Line Managers and Employee Selection

• Determine needed competencies.
• Assess job candidates.
• Provide input into selection decisions.
• Make job offers.
• Help ensure validity.

51
HRM Department and Employee Selection

• Provide technical support.
• Assist the manager.

52
Technical Support Provided by HRM Department

• Conduct job analyses
• Set minimum qualifications
• Determine selection methods
• Develop application blanks
• Administer tests

• Screen applicants
• Check references
• Approve selection decisions
• Monitor hiring practices