HRM: Selection

horns effect

A negative trait dominates the decision of the assessor

halo effect

A positive trait dominates the decision of the assessor

compensatory approach

A process for deriving a final score for each candidate in the selection process by weighting outcomes of multiple selection measure differentially so that some items are weighted more heavily than others and a high score on one part can offset a low score on another

Screening interviews / Telephone screens

A short phone interview conducted by the HR specialist or hiring manager to weigh an applicant' fit and actual interest in the position

expensive

Also, the selection methods might be strong predictors, yet ______. Thus, a cost-benefit analysis is needed to assess its utility

multiple hurdle approach

An approach in which applicants have to successfully pass each step (hurdle) to continue in the selection process

host-country national

An employee who is a citizen in which the international company's branch or plant is located (other than the headquarter).

parent-country national

An employee who is a citizen of the country in which the company is headquartered but working for the company in another country

negligent hiring

An employer does not conduct a background check on an employee and that person commits a crime at work similar to the crime committed in the past

contrast effect

An evaluation of one or more job applicants is artificially inflated or deflated compared to another job applicant

third-country national

Foreign national who work in countries other than their home country or their company home country

Knowledge tests

Measure the extent to which an applicant has mastered the subject matter required to do the job

Extroversion

Person's outgoing, sociable behavior -jobs requiring large amts of social interaction

Civil Rights Act of 1964 & 1991

Protects individuals from discrimination based on race, color, religion and national origin with respect to hiring, compensation and working conditions

Biodata

Standardized questionnaire that asks applicants to provide personal and biographical information to be compared with the same information for successful employees

substance and form of selection process

The industry might have a direct influence on the selection methods utilized. For example, a defense contractor must conduct extensive background check

higher

The more generalizable the predictor, the _____ utility it has

personality test

asks questions in a more disguised way to identify traits known to be related to counterproductive behaviors

Interviews

assess a variety of characteristics, including interpersonal skills, decision-making style, and leadership style

Integrity (Honesty) tests

assess candidates' attitudes and experiences related to their reliability, trustworthiness, honesty, and moral character -polygraph tests -overt honesty test -personality test

background checks

assess personal and credit characteristics, character, criminal history and reputation

behavioral interviews

based on the premise that past behaviors are good predictors of future behaviors and involves asking the candidates to respond to questions about how they have handled specific job-related types of situations in the past

case interviews

candidate is presented with a business situation, challenge or problem and asked to a well thought out solution

finalist factors

compensation requirements, qualifications and experience, needs, other job offers

Reference checks

confirm candidates' past performance and applicant reported information

external factors

labor market, cost of living, risk of being recruited by others, rewards market benchmarking

Achievement/Competency tests

measures of an applicant's knowledge or skill in relation to the job requirements -work sample -work simulations -knowledge tests

Combining Scores

multiple predictors improves the prediction of job success. A candidate's scores on the different assessments must be meaningfully combined to derive an overall score that can be compared across candidates or to a minimum hiring standard -compensatory approach -multiple-hurdle approach

impression management

occurs when job applicants engage in actions to present themselves in a positive light to the interviewer with the idea of biasing the outcome of the interview in their favor

rank

order candidate from highest to lowest scores

personal inventories

personality tests that weigh candidates on various personality dimensions

organizational factors

policies, internal equity, urgency to fill the position, union contracts, business strategy

American with Disabilities Act of 1991

protects individuals with physical and mental disabilities

Cognitive Ability tests (Aptitude tests)

tests that measure general intelligence of level of specific aptitudes, such as numeric fluency, general reasoning, verbal comprehension, mechanical reasoning, logical evaluation, and memory span

Content validity

the extent to which the selection test focuses on job relevant information that mirrors aspects of the job. -Usually this is attained through Subject Matter Experts

person-vocation fit

the fit between a candidate's interests, abilities, values and personality and the occupation and its career projection

Person-Organization Fit

the fit between a candidate's values, beliefs and personality and the values norms and culture of the organization

degree of structure

-Larger organizations tend to have more resources which enable them to utilize extensive selection methods and complex, structured and validated selection process. -Large organizations might even construct their own selection tools

Selection methods used

-Low-cost strategies focus on efficient and standardized selection methods, such as simple job applications and short interviews -Differentiation strategies might use more effective methods that assess in-depth candidates such as behavioral and situational interviews, personality tests...etc.

Initial Screening

-Preliminary review of information provided by job applicants and collection of additional information to decide which applicants to give more serious consideration -Aim is to reduce the pool to a manageable number of qualified candidates

fair and equal treatment

-Remember that the psychological contract starts to form throughout the recruitment and selection process as the candidate grasp the signals. -Always ensure that your recruiters are bias-free and that they abide by the process and well trained to ensure procedural fairness.

agreeableness

-Tendency to be courteous, forgiving, tolerant, trusting and softhearted -Help teams function more smoothly: keeping communication channels and resolve intragroup problems

person-group fit

the match between a candidate and their work group and supervisors

Final/Evaluative Screening/Assessment Methods

-Use of various selection methods to narrow down the number of job candidates to the number of employees the company actually needs -Utilizes several assessment methods aiming to achieve an in-depth assessment of predictors to make an informed selection decision

structured interviews

use a set of predetermined questions related to the job and usually includes a scoring system to track and compare applicant responses -situational -behavioral -case

Ability Tests

-aptitude (cognitive ability) tests -physical ability (psychomotor) -sensory tests

globalization

-breadth of labor market -staffing international operation (parent-country, host-country, third-country)

Selection Strategy

-core competencies -person-job fit -selection methods used

core competencies

-defined to apply for all jobs within a firm. -Based on the organizational strategy of each firm the core competencies might differ. -Low-cost strategies might focus on efficiency, dependability and cooperation. -Innovation strategies might focus on flexibility and creativity.

company characteristics

-degree of structure -substance and form of selection process

employee concerns

-fair and equal treatment -impact of the job on work/life balance

Person-organization fit

-looks at how well the candidate fits with the broader organizational culture. -Organizations try to match their new recruits with their values. This match has a direct correlation with the success and productivity of the new recruit.

culture

-person-organization fit -promotion-from-within policy -who is involved in selection process

work/life balance

-provide a realistic job preview, emphasizing the real expectations, working conditions, stressors of the job and time required. -Failing to do so might result in dissatisfaction, imbalance between work and life commitments, and higher turnover

Standards for an effective selection process

-reliability -validity -unbiased -generalizability -utility -legality

overt honesty test

test that is designed specifically to predict honesty and integrity

Sensory tests

tests assessing visual, auditory and speech perception

openness to experience

Extent to which an individual is broadminded, creative, curious and intelligent -Affects willingness to develop and acquire new skills

unbiased

Extent to which selection measure is bias-free -personal characteristics -contrast effect -halo/horns effect -impression management

Validity

Extent to which selection measure measures what it is supposed to measure and how well it does so -content validity -criterion-related validity -construct validity

Reliability

Extent to which selection measure yields consistent results over time or across raters; i.e. free from random error -test-retest reliability -inter-rater reliability

Criterion-related validity

(also referred to as empirical validity) establishing a statistical relationship between the selection test and some measure of job performance

medical exams

*only after offer made* -A physician should review the job requirements; the physician will decide if the person cannot perform the job tasks and if there is a possible reasonable accommodation that can be offered. -may result in disqualification if they are a direct threat to others

Emotional Stability

-Ability to be calm, serene, relaxed and secure -Affects job satisfaction and motivation

Why selection is important

-Among others, new employees that are not a good fit with the job, team and organization might: -Voluntarily or Involuntarily leave the organization soon -Commit major mistakes -Experience lower morale -Be less productive -Report absenteeism frequently -Influence the productivity and morale of the team -Generally, cause financial and customer loses

legality

-Civil Rights Act of 1964 & 1991 -Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967 -American with Disabilities Act of 1991

promotion-from-within policy

-Current employees are familiar with the culture and structure of the firm. -Remember that new blood is sometimes needed to keep the culture flexible

Drug tests

-Drug-Free Workplace Act of 1988; requires all federal contractors to ensure that their employees are drug free. -Ensure that you have a written policy and candidates must sign a consent form before being tested. -ADA protects recovering drug users and alcoholics; but not the ones who currently use drugs and alcohol

The Big Five

-Extroversion -Emotional Stability -Agreeableness -Conscientiousness -Openness to experience

who is involved selection process

-If the culture is team-oriented, then it is best to include the team-members in the selection process. -If the culture is bureaucratic, then usually hiring managers are the sole decision maker

labor market

-who is available to hire and how selective the company can be -how willing employees are to accept jobs

What to Offer

Assessing the likely reaction of the job offer recipient is important, and the offer should be created in a way that he or she will find maximally appealing -job type, organizational, finalist, external and legal factors

Personal characteristics

Interviewer preferences, stereotypes and poorly designed selection methods might discriminate (directly or indirectly) based on the candidates' personal characteristics

person-job fit

Strategy affects the job designs and accordingly within the same occupation different KSAOs might be required at various organizations

selection

Systematic process of deciding which applicants to" -Hire as new employees -Consider for promotion (vertical moves) -Move to other jobs (lateral moves)

conscientiousness

Tendency to be dependable, organized, thorough and responsible -Affects performance, motivation, satisfaction, retention

Physical Ability (Psychomotor)

Tests that focus on physical attributes of job candidates such as candidate's endurance, strengths, general fitness and coordination

prediction

The aim of the selection process is to obtain the most accurate ___________ of the performance of candidates: -Making a determination about how likely it is that candidates selected will be successful in the job based on their current ability to do the job or the potential they have to be able to learn to do the job and do it well

Negotiating Employment Contracts

The degree to which a job offer is negotiable depends on the job, the hiring manager, the organization, and the candidate's perceived value to the organization

utility

The degree to which the information provided by selection methods enhances the effectiveness of selecting personnel in real organizations

generalizability

The degree to which the validity of a selection method established in one context extends to another contexts

Person-Job Fit

The extent to which the candidate's characteristics match the requirements of a job. The extent to which the candidate will be motivated by the job rewards

lower

Usually, the utility of any test increases as the selection ratio gets _____

Behavioral assessments

Utilizing information from current employees to create personality profile for evaluating which applicants are likely to be a good fit with the organizational culture

situational interviews

asking about how a candidate will behave in a hypothetical situation and gauges the candidate's responses to how the individual would be expected to respond in a similar situation on the job

Cut Score

a minimum assessment score that must be met or exceeded to advance to the next assessment phase or to be eligible to receive a job offer

work sample

a test in which the person actually performs some or all aspects of the job

Resumes and Cover Letters

an overview o the applicant's qualifications and typically includes contact information and information on education, previous experience and special skills and interests

Steps in Selection process

applicant pool--> initial screening/assessment methods--> final/screening methods--> combining scores/making a final choice--> contingent job offer--> negotiation/approval--> contingent screening/assessment screenings--> final offer--> new recruit

job type

full or part time, exempt or non-exempt, position level...etc

Construct validity

how well a selection tool, such as a test, measures the job-related characteristic that it claims to measure

polygraph tests

illegal to use in most occupations

inter-rater reliability

indicates how consistent scores are likely to be if the responses are scored by two or more raters using the same item, scale, or instrument

work simulations

is an assessment that presents applicants with realistic, job-related situations and documents their behaviors or responses to help determine their qualifications for the job

Assessment centers

put candidates through a variety of evaluation techniques to evaluate their potential fit with and ability to do the job

Unstructured interviews

questions are asked without a defined format and the same type of information is not collected from all interviewees

Test-retest reliability

reflects the repeatability of scores over time and the stability of the underlying construct being measured

credit checks

review of the applicant credit report

panel interviews

several people interviewing the applicant at the same time - as a way to increase the reliability of the interview process

Job Applications

standardized forms employers use to collect job-related information about the applicants