EMPLOYEE SELECTION: RECRUITING AND advertising principles used to

market products to consumers.

INTERVIEWING
Job vacancy notices are posted in
attracting people with the right places where customers or current
Recruitment qualifications (as determined in the job employees are likely to see them
analysis) to apply for the job. Point-Of-Purchase Advantage: inexpensive and it is
promoting someone from within the (POP) Method targeted toward people who
Internal Recruitment
organization frequently drops by the business.
to hire someone from outside the Disadvantage: Only limited
External Recruitment number of people is exposed to
organization
the sign.
▪ Internal promotions can be a great source of
motivation, but if an organization always promotes Organizations sends recruiters to
employees from within, it runs the risk of having a campuses for face-to-face
stale workforce that is devoid of the many ideas interview and job vacancies.
that new employees bring Campus Recruiters The behavior and attitude of
Media Advertisements recruiters can greatly influence
Running ads in periodicals such as local applicants’ decisions to accept
newspapers or professional journals is jobs that are offered
a common method of recruiting students and alumni can use the
employees. It has four ways of asking Web to “visit” with recruiters
Newspaper Ads applicants: Virtual Job Fairs from hundreds of organizations
1. Respond by calling- an organization wants to either quickly at one time.
screen applicants or hear an applicant’s phone voice (e.g., for organizations use such outside
telemarketing or receptionist positions). recruiting sources as private
2. Apply-in-person ads- organization want the applicants to fill Outside Recruiters employment agencies, public
out a specific job application, or want to get a physical look at employment agencies, and
the applicant. executive search firms
3. Sending résumé- when the organization expects a large An organization that specializes
response and does not have the resources to speak with in finding jobs for applicants and
thousands of applicants. Employment
finding applicants for
4. Blind box- Organizations use blind boxes for three main Agencies organizations looking for
reasons: employees.
▪ the organization doesn’t want its name in public. Employment agencies, often also
▪ the company might fear that people wouldn’t apply if Executive Search called headhunters that
they knew the name of the company. Firms specialize in placing applicants in
▪ a company needs to terminate an employee but wants high-paying jobs.
first to find a replacement. are designed primarily to help the
unemployed find work, but they
Public Employment
often offer services such as
Agencies career advisement and
Writing Recruitment Ads résumé preparation.
A method of recruitment in
▪ Display the company emblem: include the salary Employee Referrals
which a current employee refers
range and phone number. a friend or family member for a
▪ Contains realistic information about the job. job.
A method of recruitment in
▪ Detailed description of the job and provision of idea
which an organization sends out
on how they would fit into the organization and
result in positive thoughts about it. Direct Mail mass mailings of information
about job openings to potential
▪ Contains information about the selection process.
applicants.
continues to be a fast-growing
source of recruitment by
appear to be a useful way of looking for Internet receiving resume electronically.
a job, and given that they don’t cost an It has two forms:
organization any money, they may be a
Situation-Wanted beneficial method of recruitment. Employer-Based Websites:
Ads They are placed by the applicant rather
▪ an organization lists available job openings and
than by organizations.
provides information about itself and the minimum
requirements needed to apply to a particular job.
Internet Recruiters: Interview Classifications:
An Internet recruiter is a private company whose website • Highly Structured- all three criteria are met
lists job openings for hundreds of organizations and • Moderately Structured- two criteria met
résumés for thousands of applicants. • Slightly Structured- one criterion met
• Unstructured- none of the three criteria met
are designed to provide information The style of an interview is determined by
in a personal fashion to as many the number of interviewees and number
Job Fairs applicants as possible. Job fairs are Style
of interviewers.
typically conducted in one of three
ways:
One-on-One involve one interviewer interviewing one
• Organizations have booths at the same location applicant.
Interview
• Many organizations in the same field in one location
• An organization hold its own job fair Serial Interviews involve a series of single interviews.
Realistic Job Preview involve giving an applicant similar to serial interviews with the
an honest assessment of a job. Return difference being a passing of time
(RJP)
Interviews between the first and subsequent
Example: interview.
Instead of telling the applicant how much fun she will have
have multiple interviewers asking
working on the assembly line, the recruiter honestly tells her
Panel Interviews questions and evaluating answers of the
that although the pay is well above average, the work is often
same applicant at the same time
boring and there is little chance for advancement.
have multiple applicants answering
Lowers an applicant’s expectations Group
Expectation- questions during the same interview.
about work and expectations in Interviews
Lowering Procedures general
Interviews also differ in the extent to which
Example: Medium
they are done in person.
We often start a new job with high expectations, thinking the
job will be perfect. As you will discover, no job is perfect and both the interviewer and the applicant are
there will be times when you become frustrated by your in the same room. It provides a personal
supervisor or your coworkers. Prior to accepting this job, be Face-to-face setting and allow the participants to use
sure to give some thought regarding whether this job and our interviews both visual and vocal cues to evaluate
organization will meet the expectations that you have. Also, information.
give some thought to whether your expectations about work
are realistic. are often used to screen applicants but do
Telephone
Effective Employee Selection Systems not allow the use of visual cues.
Interviews
Characteristics: They are valid
are conducted at remote sites. The applicant
It reduces the chance of a legal challenge
and the interviewer can hear and see each
They are cost-effective. Videoconference other, but the setting is not as personal, nor
Employment Interviews Interviews is the image and vocal quality of the
It is the most commonly used method to select interview as sharp as in face-to-face
employees interviews.

Types of Interview involve the applicant answering a series of

Written written questions and then sending the
is one in which (1) the source of the answers back through regular mail or
Interviews
questions is a job analysis through email.
(jobrelated questions), (2) all
Structured Interview applicants are asked the same Advantages of Structured Interviews:
questions, and (3) there is a • It is more valid than unstructured interview.
standardized scoring key to • It is viewed more favorably by the courts
evaluate each answer. • It taps job knowledge, job skills, applied mental skills
is one in which interviewers are free and interpersonal skills
to ask anything they want are not Problems with Unstructured Interviews:
Unstructured required to have consistency in • Poor intuitive ability
Interview what they ask of each applicant, and
• Lack of job relatedness
may assign numbers of points at
• Primacy effects- “first impressions”
their own discretion.
• Contrast effects- the interview performance of one
applicant may affect the interview score given to the
next applicant
 • Negative-Information Bias- The fact that negative are summaries of an applicant’s
information receives more weight in an employment Resumes professional and educational
decision than does positive information. background.
• Interviewer-Interviewee Similarity- an interviewee Chronological list previous jobs in order from the
will receive a higher score if he or she is similar to the Resume most to the least recent.
interviewer.
organizes jobs based on the skills
• Nonverbal Cues- use of appropriate nonverbal required to perform them rather
communication is highly correlated with interview Functional Resume
than the order in which they were
scores. worked.
Types of Interview Questions it contains the strengths of both the
allow the interviewer to clarify Psychological chronological and functional styles
information in the résumé, cover Resume and is based on sound psychological
Clarifiers letter, and application, fill in gaps, theory and research.
and obtain other necessary
information.
are questions that must be
Disqualifiers answered a particular way or the
applicant is disqualified.
Skill-level tap an interviewee’s level of
determiners expertise.
metimes referred to as patterned
behavior description interviews
(PBDIs), differ from situational
interview questions by focusing on
previous behavior rather than future
Past-Focused
intended behavior. That is,
applicants are asked to provide
specific examples of how they
demonstrated job-related skills in
previous jobs
also called situational questions, ask
Future-Focused an applicant what she would do in a
particular situation.
tap the extent to which an applicant
will fit into the culture of an
Organizational Fit
organization or with the leadership
style of a particular supervisor.
Methods of Scoring Answers
Scoring simply on the basis of
Right/Wrong
whether the answer given was
Approach correct or incorrect.
Creates a list of all possible answers
to each question, have
subjectmatter experts (SMEs) rate
Typical-Answer
the favorableness of each answer,
Approach and then use these ratings to serve
as benchmarks for each point on a
fivepoint scale.
SMEs create a list of key issues they
think should be included in the
Key-Issues
perfect answer. For each key issue
Approach that is included, the interviewee gets
a point.
 EMPLOYEE SELECTION: REFERENCES AND TESTING There is more agreement between recommendations
written by the same person for two different
Reference Check is the process of confirming the accuracy of applicants than between two people writing
information provided by an applicant. recommendations for the same person
Extraneous Factors:
is the expression of an opinion, either orally • Extraneous factors affect the writing and
or through a written checklist, regarding an evaluation of the person providing it.
Reference applicant’s ability, previous performance, • The method used by the letter writer is often more
work habits, character, or potential for important than the actual content.
future success.
Three Ethical Guideline that Reference Providers should
follow
is a letter expressing an opinion regarding an 1. First, explicitly state your relationship with the person
applicant’s ability, previous performance, you are recommending.
Letter of
work habits, character, or potential for 2. Second, be honest in providing details. A referee has
Recommendation future success.
both an ethical and a legal obligation to provide relevant
information about an applicant.
lying on their résumés about what 3. Finally, let the applicant see your reference before
Resume Fraud experience or education they actually have. sending it, and give him the chance to decline to use it.
An organization’s failure to meet its legal Predicting Performance Using Applicant Knowledge
duty to protect its employees and customers Jon are designed to measure how much a
from potential harm caused by its Knowledge person knows about a job.
Negligent Hiring employees.
Tests
If an organization hires an applicant without
checking his references and background; Predicting Performance Using Applicant Ability
thus, the organization is found to be liable. tap the extent to which an applicant can
learn or perform a job-related skill. It is
An organization’s failure to meet its legal Ability Tests used primarily for occupations in which
Negligent duty to supply relevant information to a applicants are not expected to know how
Reference prospective employer about a former to perform the job at the time of hire.
employee’s potential for legal trouble.
includes such dimensions as oral and
written comprehension, oral and written
Cognitive expression, numerical facility, originality,
Four Main Problems as to Why References and Letter of
Ability memorization, reasoning (mathematical,
Recommendation has Low Validity
deductive, inductive), and general
learning.
Leniency: are commonly used because they are
• Most letters of recommendation are positive. excellent predictors of employee
• Although coworkers are willing to say negative things about performance. They are easy to administer,
unsatisfactory employees, confidentially concerns can hold and are relatively inexpensive. It is thought
them back.
Cognitive to predict work performance in two ways:
Ability Tests by allowing employees to quickly learn job-
• A person providing references fear of legal ramifications
related knowledge and by processing
(defamation or libel).
information resulting in better decision
Means that people providing making.
recommendations have the right to express
Conditional
their opinion provided they believe what consists of vision (near, far, night,
Privilege they say is true and have reasonable grounds peripheral), color discrimination, depth
for this belief. Perceptual perception, glare sensitivity, speech
Knowledge of the Applicant: Ability (clarity, recognition), and hearing
The person writing the letter often does not know the (sensitivity, auditory attention, sound
applicant well, has not observed all aspects of an localization)
applicant’s behavior, or both. includes finger dexterity, manual dexterity,
control precision, multilimb coordination,
Reliability: response control, reaction time, arm-hand
Psychomotor steadiness, wrist-finger speed, and speed-
References and letters of recommendation involve the
lack of agreement between two people who provide
Ability of-limb movement
references for the same person.
 are often used for jobs that require are the real backbone of the
physical strength and stamina, such assessment center because they
Physical Ability Tests as police officer, firefighter, and enable assessors to see an applicant
lifeguard. Physical ability is “in action” It can include such
measured in one of two ways: Simulations diverse activities as role plays and
• Job Simulations- applicants actually demonstrate work samples, place an applicant in
jobrelated physical behaviors. a situation that is as similar as
• Physical Agility Tests- further divided into two possible to one that will be
categories: encountered on the job.
o Athletic Requirements- are easy to simulate applicants meet in small groups and
because they involve such behaviors as Leaderless Group are given a job-related problem to
running, crawling, and pulling. Discussion solve or a job-related issue to
discuss.
o Defensive Requirements- are difficult to
safely and accurately simulate because they An exercise, usually found in
involve such behaviors as applying assessment centers, that is designed
restraining holds, kicking, and fending off to simulate the business and
marketing activities that take place
attackers.
Business Games in an organization. It allows the
Physical Ability Tests are Criticized on Three Major Points: applicant to demonstrate such
1. Job Relatedness attributes as creativity, decision
2. Passive Scores making, and ability to work with
3. Time at which they should be required others.
Job Relatedness: Predicting Performance Using Prior Experience
Critics of physical agility testing cite two reasons for The basis for experience ratings is
questioning the necessity of physical agility: current Experience Ratings the idea that past experience will
out-of-shape cops and technological alternatives. predict future experience.
Passing Scores: is a selection method that considers
• Passing scores for physical ability tests are set based an applicant’s life, school, military,
on one of two types of standards: relative or absolute. community, and work experience It
is an application blank or
• Relative standards indicate how well an individual
Biodata questionnaire containing questions
score compared with others in a group.
that research has shown measure
• Absolute passing scores are set at the minimum level the difference between successful
needed to perform a job. and unsuccessful performers on a
job.
When the Ability Must Be Present: Development of a Biodata Instrument:
Most police departments require applicants to pass • Information about employees is obtained in one of
physical ability tests on the same day other tests are two ways: the file approach or the questionnaire
being completed. However, the applicant doesn’t approach.
need the strength or speed until he is actually in the • File Approach- information from personnel files on
academy or on the job. employees’ previous employment, education,
Predicting Performance Using Applicant Skill interests, and demographics.
Some selection techniques measure the extent to which an • Questionnaire Approach- its drawback is that
applicant already has a job-related skill. information cannot be obtained from employees who
the applicant performs actual have quit or been fired.
Work Samples
jobrelated tasks. Criticisms of Biodata:
A method of selecting employees in • The validity of biodata may not be stable—that is, its
which applicants participate in ability to predict employee behavior decreases with
several job-related activities, at least time.
Assessment Centers
one of which must be a simulation, • Some biodata items may not meet the legal
and are rated by several trained requirements stated in the federal Uniform
evaluators. Guidelines, which establish fair hiring methods.
An assessment center exercise
designed to simulate the types of
information that daily come across a
In-Basket Technique manager’s or employee’s desk in order
to observe the applicant’s responses
to such information.
 Predicting Performance Using Personality, Interest, and Character Examples of Projective Tests:
A psychological assessment designed to • Rorschach Ink Blot Test
measure various aspects of an applicant’s • Thematic Apperception Test (TAT).
personality. It falls into one of two are structured so that the
categories based on their intended respondent is limited to a few
Personality purpose: measurement of types of normal Objective Tests
Inventory answers that will be scored by
personality or measurement of standardized keys.
psychopathology (abnormal personality).
Examples of Objective Tests:
• MMPI-2
• Millon Clinical Multiaxial Inventory (MCMI-III)
Tests of Normal Personality
Personality Assessment Inventory (PAI).
▪ Measure the traits exhibited by normal individuals in These tests are designed to tap
Interest Inventories vocational interests.
everyday life.
▪ Determination of the number and type of personality asks individuals to indicate whether
dimensions measured by an inventory can usually be Strong Interest they like or dislike 325 items such as
(1) based on a theory Inventory (SII) bargaining, repairing electrical
(2) statistically based- is determined through a statistical process wiring, and taking responsibility.
called factor analysis. helping people find the careers for
(3) empirically based- is determined by grouping answers given by Vocational
which they are best suited. Interest
people known to possess a certain characteristic. Counseling inventories are useful here.
also called honesty tests. It tells an
Myers-Briggs Type has four scales and is based on the employer the probability that an
personality theory of Carl Jung Integrity Tests applicant would steal money or
Indicator
merchandise.
Edwards Personal with 15 dimensions, is based on a theory by
Preference Henry Murray are based on the premise that a
Schedule Overt Integrity person’s attitudes about theft as well
was created by Raymond Cattell and, as its as his previous theft behavior will
Tests accurately predict his future honesty.
name implies, contains 16 dimensions.
16PF
are more general in that they tap a
variety of personality traits thought to
hundreds of items were administered to Personality-Based be related to a wide range of
groups of psychologically healthy people
Minnesota Integrity Tests counterproductive behavior such as
and to people known to have certain theft, absenteeism, and violence.
Multiphasic psychological problems such as paranoia.
Personality Items that were endorsed more often by developed by James (1998) to reduce
Inventory (MMPI) paranoid patients than healthy individuals these inaccurate responses and get a
were keyed under the paranoia dimension more accurate picture of a person’s
of the MMPI. tendency to engage in aggressive or
Conditional
counterproductive behavior. It provides
Common Measures of Normal Personality: Reasoning Tests test takers with a series of statements
• Big Five Personality Inventory and then ask the respondent to select
• Hogan Personality Inventory the reason that best justifies or explains
• California Psychological Inventory each of the statements.
• NEO-PI (Neuroticism Extraversion Openness A handwriting analysis. The idea behind
Personality Inventory) handwriting analysis is that the way
• 16PF
Graphology people write reveals their personality,
which in turn should indicate work
performance.
Predicting Performance Limitations Due to Medical and
Tests of Psychopathology Psychological Problems:
• Determine whether individuals have serious psychological • Drug Testing- uses EMIT (enzyme multiplied
problems such as depression, bipolar disorder, andschizophrenia. immunosary technique) or RIA (radioimmunoassay)
• Tests of psychopathology are generally scored in one of • Psychological Exams- should be used only to
two ways: objectively or protectively. determine if a potential employee is a danger to
himself or others.
provide the respondent with unstructured • Medical Exams- physician is given a copy of JD and
tasks such as describing ink blots and determines any medical conditions that will keep the
Projective Tests
drawing pictures. employee from safely performing a job.
 EVALUATING SELECTION TECHNIQUES the extent to which test items
AND DECISIONS Content Validity sample the content that they are
supposed to measure.
Characteristics of Effective Selection Techniques
refers to the extent to which a test
is the extent to which a score from a Criterion Validity score is related to some measure of
Reliability selection measure is stable and free job performance called a criterion.
from error.
A form of criterion validity in which
each one of several people take the test scores of applicants are
same test twice. The scores from the Predictive Validity
compared at a later date with a
first administration of the test are measure of job performance.
Test-Retest
correlated with scores from the
Reliability second to determine whether they the extent to which a test found
are similar. If they are, the test is said Validity valid for a job in one location is valid
to have temporal stability Generalization for the same job in a different
location.
The test scores are stable across
time and not highly susceptible to It is defined as the extent to which a
Temporal Stability such random daily conditions as Construct Validity test actually measures the construct
illness, fatigue, stress, or that it purports to measure.
uncomfortable testing conditions. is the extent to which a test appears
The extent to which two forms of the to be job related. This perception is
Alternate-Forms important because if a test or its
same test are similar. It measures Face Validity
Reliability form stability. items do not appear valid, the
testtakers and administrators will
The extent to which similar items are not have confidence in the results.
Internal Reliability answered in similar ways. It
measures item stability. statements so general that they can
Barnum Statement be true of almost everyone.
In general, the longer the test, the higher its internal
A type of test taken on a computer
consistency—that is, the agreement among
in which the computer adapts the
responses to the various test items. Computer-Adaptive
difficulty level of questions asked to
The extent to which test items Testing (CAT) the test-taker’s success in answering
Item Homogeneity measure the same construct. previous questions.
A form of internal reliability in which Establishing the Usefulness of a Selection Device
the consistency of item responses is
are designed to estimate the
Split-Half Method determined by comparing scores on
percentage of future employees
half of the items with scores on the Taylor-Russell
who will be successful on the job if
other half of the items. Tables an organization uses a particular
Used to correct reliability test.
Spearman-Brown
coefficients resulting from the split
Prophecy half method.
Tables that use the base rate, test
validity, and applicant percentile on
K-R 20 (Kurder- Statistic used to determine internal Lawshe Tables
a test to determine the probability
Richardson formula reliability of tests that use items with of future success for that applicant.
20) dichotomous answers (yes/no,
Determining the Fairness of a Test
true/false).
• The first step in determining a test’s potential bias is
A statistic used to determine
Cronbach’s finding out whether it will result in adverse impact.
internal reliability of tests that use
Coefficient Alpha interval or ratio scales. • An organization might also determine whether a test
has single-group validity, meaning that the test will
The extent to which two people
significantly predict performance for one group and
scoring a test agree on the test
not others.
Scorer Reliability score, or the extent to which a test is
scored correctly. Also called • The last test of fairness that can be conducted
interscorer reliability. involves differential validity. With differential
validity, a test is valid for two groups but more valid
Two factors that must be considered when deciding whether
for one than for the other.
a test demonstrates sufficient reliability:
1. The magnitude of the reliability coefficient
2. The people who will be taking the test
is the degree to which inferences
Validity from scores on tests or assessments
are justified by the evidence
 Making the Hiring Decision
A statistical procedure in which
the scores from more than one
Multiple Regression criterion-valid test are weighted
according to how well each test
score predicts the criterion.
applicants are rank-ordered on
the basis of their test scores.
Selection is then made by starting
Top-Down Selection
with the highest score and
moving down until all openings
have been filled.
the assumption is that if multiple
test scores are used, the
Compensatory
relationship between a low score
Approach on one test can be compensated
for by a high score on another.
the names of the top three
Rule of Three scorers are given to the person
making the hiring decision
are a means for reducing adverse
impact and increasing flexibility.
With this system, an organization
Passing Scores determines the lowest score on a
test that is associated with
acceptable performance on the
job.
the applicants would be
administered all of the tests at
one time. If they failed any of the
Multiple-Cutoff tests (fell below the passing
score), they would not be
considered further for
employment.
the applicant is administered one
test at a time, usually beginning
with the least expensive.
Applicants who fail a test are
eliminated from further
Multiple-Hurdle
consideration and take no more
Approach tests. Applicants who pass all of
the tests are then administered
the linearly related tests; the
applicants with the top scores on
these tests are hired.
A statistical technique based on
the standard error of
Banding
measurement that allows similar
test scores to be grouped.