Unit 1.5: Selection Flashcards
Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures
Released in 1978 by the EEOC, Civil Service Commission, Department of Justice, and Department of Labor. Apply to tests and other selection procedures that are used as a basis for any employment decision.
Types of Employment Interviews
- Patterned (or structured) Interview
- Semi-Structured Interview
- Situational Interview
- Targeted-Selection Interview
- Non-directive Interview
- Stress Interview
- Virtual Interviews
- Team and Group Interviews
- Working Interviews
Qualified Privilege Doctrine
How does it relate to background checks?
ADA Limitations
Physical Examinations in the Application Process
Employee Record Retention
Which Records and how long?
Basic Principles of Selection
- Past Behavior is the best predictor of future behavior
- Organizations should collect as much reliable and valid data as is economically feasible and then use it to select the best applicants
Typical Steps in the Selection Process
These ten steps can be used in the selection process. At each step, the applicant can be rejected or move on.
Step 1: Preliminary Screening
Step 2: Application Blanks
Step 3: Interviews
Step 4: Employment Testing
Step 5: Reference Checks
Step 6: Drug Testing
Step 7: Final Interview
Step 8: Selection Decision
Step 9: Post-offer Medical Exam
Step 10: Placement on the Job
Application Blanks
- Assist in preparing for the employment interview.
- Provide names, dates, and places that are subject to verification for reference checks
- Provide information for personnel records, such as vital statistics, SSN, address, in case of emergency
Patterned (or structured) Interview
Interviewer asks a series of pre-determined questions.
Semi - Structured Interview
An interview in which the interviewer determines the major questions beforehand, but allows sufficient flexibility to probe into other areas as needed to evaluate an applicant’s personality.
Behavior Interviews
Interviews that ask applicants to describe specific behaviors or actions they have displayed in the pas to demonstrate particular skills.
Situational Interview
A method of interviewing that involves asking job candidates to respond to a series of hypothetical situations.
Targeted Interviews
An employment interview that assumes that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior and focuses on what the person has done in previous situations.
Non-directive Interview
An unstructured interview in which the interviewer allows the interviewee to discuss whatever he or she wishes to discuss.
Stress Interview
A method of interviewing in which the interviewee is subjected to intentionally created stress to observe how well he or she performs in that situation
Empathic Listening
Two Levels
Expressed Level - Interviewer simply paraphrases, restates, or summarizes the content of the response
Implied Level - More Advanced. Involves attending not only to what the applicant expresses but also what was implied or left unstated as well
Legality of Questions
Federal law does not prohibit asking about race, religion, and gender but cannot discriminate using this information. Avoided, however.
Contrast Effect
An evaluation of one applicant is partially influenced by the previous applicant.
Anchoring Bias
An interviewer relies too much on the first piece of information received (the “anchor”) and discounts additional information that contradicts the anchor.
Negative Emphasis Bias
An interviewer is highly influenced by negative information, so an interview involves a search for negative rather than positive information about the candidate.
Similarity Bias
A candidate who reminds an interviewer of someone outstanding, such as an exceptional coworker, will be viewed more favorably.
Halo/Horn Effect
One characteristic about a person strongly influences all other perceptions the interviewer has of the candidate.
Halo = positive perceptions
Horn = Negative perceptions
Cultural noise bias
A candidate answers questions based on what he or she thinks the interviewer wants to hear.
Stereotyping
An interviewer assumes that because a candidate is a member of a particular group, he or she has specific traits
Intuition Bias
An interviewer trusts his or her intuition more than objective data in evaluating a job candidate
Ideal employee bias
An interviewer has a preconceived notion of what an “ideal employee” looks like, and evaluates the candidate against this set of skills and attributes
Confirmation bias
An interviewer draws a conclusion about a candidate based on early information and then searches for, favors, and remembers information that confirms that conclusion
Racial and gender bias
The interview process is occasionally used as an opportunity to discriminate against minorities and women who may be underrated, particularly when applyinging for management positions that have traditionally been dominated by white males.
Achievement Test
Measures how individuals have achieved or learned. Used extensively in education.
Aptitude/Ability Tests
Measures an individual’s capacity for learning.
Assessment Centers
Identifies management potential.
Background Investigations
Components
- Employment history verification
- Education Verification
- Professional credential verification
- reference checks
- driver license verification and driving records
- social security number trace
- credit report
- national, state, and county criminal records
- FBI Fingerprint database
- sex offender registry
Qualified Privilege Doctrine
Allows previous employers to describe former employees’ work record to prospective employers provided the information is factual and relevant and serves a legitimate business purpose
Kadlec Medical Center v. Lakeview Medical Center
Concluded that people who write letters of reference do not have an affirmative duty to disclose negative information since applicants do not ask someone to write a letter unless they are certain that the person will make a favorable evaluation
Legal Questions
- dates of employment, gaps in employment, suspicious entries or omissions
- the reasons for leaving the previous employers
- whether the individual is eligible for rehire by a former employer
- educational background including schools attended, degrees awarded
- military service and training
- verification of positions held, titles, salary, and experience
- incidences of anti-social behavior, such as dishonesty, fighting, or illegal drug use
- criminal background
Negligent Hiring
Employers can be held responsible for their employee’s wrongdoing. Can be sued for negligent hiring claims that employers knew or should have known that their employees were dangerous.
Investigative Consumer Report
Includes information on a consumer’s character, general reputation, personal characteristics, and mode of living
Physical Examinations
Can be required, but not until after a conditional offer of employment has been made.
Can be rescinded only if the employer can prove the applicant can’t perform essential job functions
Drug Testing
Wilkinson v. Times Mirror Corporation Testing Program
- The samples were collected in a medical environment by persons unrelated to the employer
- Applicants furnished the samples unobserved by others
- The results were kept confidential
- The medical lab informed the employer if the applicant passed or failed the entire exam
- The applicants were notified of the portions of the test they failed
- Applicants could question and challenge the test results.
- Applicants could reapply for employment in six months
Legal and Privacy Issues
Health Insurance and Accountability Act (1996)
Places restrictions on the dissemination of protected health information by covered entities, which include health plans, health care providers, and health care clearinghouses
Records Retention
