Chapter 6: Selection Flashcards
selection process
deciding who does and does not make it into the company
what are the 5 steps in the selection process?
1) screening applications and resumes
2) Testing and reviewing work samples
3) Interviewing candidates
4) checking references and background
5) making a selection
what is the goal of the selection process?
the maximize hits!
the two variables here are future job performance and predicted success
miss: inaccurate prediction (person would have succeeded on the job)
miss: inaccurate prediction (person fails on the job)
hit: accurate prediction (person would not have succeeded on the job)
hit: accurate prediction (person succeeds on the job)
how do you know when the tools you’re using to select people are effective?
person-organization fit, person-job fit, reliability, and validity tests
positive correlation
weak to strong is 0 to +1
as one variable increases, so does the other
negative correlation
weak to strong is 0 to -1
as one variables increases, the other decreases
no correlation
0 means there is no observable relationship between the two variables
reliability/consistency of a test
test-retest reliability: consistency of scores over time using the same metric
inter-rater reliability: consistency of scores across judges
validity
degree to which your test measures what it is supposed to measure
Validity in the selection context: degree to which a selection test predicts actual job performance
content validity
the extent to which the content on a test is representative of actual job content
criterion validity
correlation between selection test and and job performance scores
there are TWO ways of getting this information: concurrent and predictive validity
concurrent validity
Extent to which scores on a selection test is RELATED to job performance (both measured at roughly the same time, usually with current employees).
predictive validity
Extent to which scores on a selection test correlates with future job performance.
what selection tools to company’s use?
Cover Letters and Resumes (normal & video resumes)
Applications
Interviews (phone, computer, in-person, various structures)Interviews (phone, computer, in-person, various structures)
Employment TestsEmployment Tests
Ability, personality, knowledge, work samples & assessment centers, integrity
Background Investigations
Drug tests (May be best for safety-related or high risk or high security positions
letters of recommendations and contacting references
generally poor validity
better validity when they are focused on job-related KSA’s
can be risky (there is a chance that the person interviewing could sue and file for defamation of character)
application forms
Background – education, job experience, previous employers, and accomplishments
Moderate validity
Companies should avoid asking for religion, age, race, marital status
good applications focus only on job-related information
physical ability tests
generally valid
exclude women and those with disabilities
need to be certain that physical requirements that are essential to job performance (business necessity)
cognitive ability tests
verbal and math skills, cognitive reasoning
very controversial
valid especially for complex jobs
adverse impact (mainly on the basis of race)
some companies give cognitive ability tests less weight than other predictors
personality tests
can be valid depending on the bob and job analysis results
big 5 personality inventory tests agreeableness, conscientiousness, neuroticism, extraversion, openness
conscientiousness and extraversion have been linked to job performance in most cases
can someone fail a personality test?
High Narcissism
High Neuroticism
Low Agreeableness
integrity tests
identify applicants who might steal from the company
theft tolerance, attitudes towards dishonest behavior
moderate validity
polygraphs
extremely low validity and reliability
employee polygraph protection act (1988)
interviews
unstructured/non-directive have low validity and reliability
structured have better validity and reliability
based on job analysis, consistent questions
Situational questions: Uses critical incidents to assess decision-making in dilemma-type hypothetical situations.
what doe an interview uniquely capture?
critical thinking and rationale
interpersonal skills and motivation
detailed behavioral examples
challenges of interviewing
We bring in a lot of error into the process of interviewing
Halo and horns (personal biases we bring to interview)
Focusing on negative information
Biases based on race, sex, age, appearance
1st impression error
Faulty memory
And many more!
what can help combat errors in the interview process?
interview training
assessment centers
highly representative job sample of the job content
simulations (in basket, leaderless group discussion, dimensions to measure important parts of the job like critical thinking and teamwork)
nowadays, they give you an inbox of tasks and watch you tackle it
what is unique about assessment centers?
they put real behaviors on display. performance in assessment centers are strongly related to future job performance and has low AI
legal issues in selection
any preemployment test can be challenged legally if connection to the job is not obvious
negligent hiring
company gets in trouble for hiring someone without a troubled past
if they don’t do their due diligence, this can happen easily
company is responsible for losses if an incident occurs on work time
thorough accurate background checks can help prevent these
discrimination law (ADA, age discrimination act, title VII protect against this)
Now that we know several methods that companies use to hire the right people for the job, consider this: Which of the methods that we discussed are: The most expensive or time consuming? Highest validity? How would you decide which method to choose for the job?
use the multiple hurdle selection - applicants go through several stages before getting hired
