Week 3: Personal Selection Methods

Question 1

Personal selection

Answer 1

process of collecting and evaluating information about an individual in order to extend and offer of employment. Such employment could be either a first position for a new employee or a different position for a current employee. The selection process is performed under legal and environmental constraints and addresses the future interests of the organisation and of the individual

Question 2

Two general approaches to personnel selection

Answer 2

Predictive and Constructivist

Question 3

Predictive approaches

Answer 3

Jobs seen as a given and are stable (i.e.an objective thing). Organisations establish selection process to identify candidate with KSAO’s (i.e. person-job fit). Organisation “controls” selection process; all decisions made by hirer. Selection methods important as need to “predict” actual job performance

Question 4

Constructivist approaches

Answer 4

Increased interest in approach due to globalisation. Prospective candidates recognised as active decision-makers in selection process. Candidates as assessing organisation and role resulting in need for organisation to also “sell”. Selection process provides opportunity for both individual and organisation to learn about each other

Question 5

Constructivist approaches

Psychological contract

Answer 5

: the implicit contract between an individual and organisation which specifies what each expect to give and receive from each other in their relationship

Question 6

The need for reliable and valid selection methods

Answer 6

Sound selection methods result in the selection of an applicant who can perform the job well, fit in with the group and organisational culture, and remain with the organisation. Reliable and valid methods effectively distinguish between applicants and identify the right person for the job

Question 7

Most common selection methods

Answer 7

Application forms (CV’s, weighted application forms, bio-data)

Interviews

Psychometric tests (cognitive ability tests and personality tests)

Work sample tests

Assessment centres

Reference checks

Question 8

Application forms and CV’s

Answer 8

Used to initially assess applicant KSAO’s with job KSAO requirements.

Question 9

Job Application forms

Answer 9

Serve to structure information for hirers.Hurdle for low motivated potential applicants and those who cannot address required KSAO’s

Question 10

Weighted Application forms

Answer 10

Scoring applicants in a quantitative manner against established criteria

Question 11

Biodata techniques example

Answer 11

Work experiences assessed against requirements of role

Question 12

3 interview types

Answer 12

Structured

Semi-structured

Unstructured

Question 13

Structured interview

Answer 13

Standardised set of questions in predetermined order for every candidate, Question assess required KSAO’s. Responses objectively coded using a behaviourally anchored rating scale (BARS)

Question 14

Unstructured interview

Answer 14

More casual, free-flowing discussion. Different questions asked across candidates therefore less objective candidate comparisons

Question 15

Cognitive Ability Tests

Answer 15

Tests of intelligence commonly consisting of mathematical abilities, reading comprehension, clerical skills, spatial skills and verbal skills. Type used will depend on required job KSAO’s. Can be broadly broken into tests of power and speed

Question 16

• Power tests

Answer 16

contain items of increasing difficulty so that fewer and fewer people will make it to the end of the test.

Question 17

Speed tests

Answer 17

contain items that are all pretty much equal in difficulty. The outcome measure is “how many” you can answer correctly in a given amount of time

Question 18

Personality tests

Answer 18

Personality tests measure features of a person’s character or psychological makeup

Question 19

Personality tests can be

Answer 19

Objective or projective

Question 20

Objective personality tests

Answer 20

Measure an individuals personality characteristics through the use of a set of standardised item.

Question 21

Projective personality tests

Answer 21

Individuals asked to respond to ambiguous stimuli on the assumption that this will uncover their psychological characteristics.

Question 22

Two approaches to personality tests design and scoring:

Answer 22

Ipsative (or ‘forced choice’)

Normative

Question 23

Ipsative (or ‘forced choice’)

Answer 23

respondents can choose between two (or more) possible options; applicant chooses their preferred answer (e.g. Would you rather: A) Read a book OR B) go parachuting?)

Question 24

Advantages and disadvantages of ipsative

Answer 24

Advantages; identify faking; use in individual/career development

Disadvantages: scores cannot compare scores across individuals; consequently, not. Useful for personnel selection

Question 25

Normative

Answer 25

approach facilitates comparisons between test takers. Depend on a normative (norm) group to compare individual to a Standardisation Sample (name for large norm groups used when working with major standardised tests)

Question 26

Advantages and disadvantages of normative

Answer 26

Advantages: facilitates comparisons between individuals

Disadvantages: more prone to faking especially considering high-stakes nature for candidates

Question 27

• The majority of personality tests assess the ‘big five’ traits:

Answer 27

Openness

Conscientiousness

Extroversion

Agreeableness

Neuroticism

Question 28

Work Sample Test

Answer 28

Test consisting of a sample of the actual work to be conducted in the job

Question 29

Advantages of work sample test

Answer 29

Good predictor of performance

Face validity for candidates

Question 30

Disadvantages of work sample test

Answer 30

Complex to develop

Some evidence of bias when tests assess cognitive and written skills

Question 31

Assessment Centres

Answer 31

a standardised evaluation of behaviour on multiple inputs. Multiple trained observers and techniques are used. Judgements about behaviour are made, in part, from specially developed assessment simulations. These judgements are pooled by the assessors at an evaluation meeting during which assessment data are reported and discussed and the assessors agree on the evaluation of the dimension and any overall evaluation that is made. It is expensive and time-consuming where multiple selection methods are administered over an extended period

Question 32

Reference Checks

Answer 32

Candidates nominate references from previous employers or suitable character references (e.g. teachers).

Uses: Confirm candidate information, cover matters not mentioned by the candidate or not measured by other methods

Question 33

Two types of reference checks

Answer 33

Structured: referees answer a set of standardised questions relating to the actual position and/or the candidate’s previous job performance

Unstructured: refers are engaged in a more free-flowing discussion, typically on performance of candidate performance

Question 34

Reliability of selection methods

Answer 34

the degree to which test scores are free from errors of measurement (i.e. consistency, accuracy, repeatable). Reliable personnel selection measures important. Low reliability means we cannot be confident in our selection method

Question 35

Measuring Internal Reliability – Cronbach’s Alpha

Answer 35

Cronbach’s Alpha is a measure for assessing internal reliability. Scale test items divided into all possible combinations of two groups, each group pair is correlated, and these correlations are averages to produce a single average correlation

Question 36

Which methods are valid predictors of job performance? (Top 3)

Answer 36

Work sample tests

Cognitive ability tests

Structured interviews

Question 37

Discrimination and adverse impact

Answer 37

• Adverse impact refers to where there are differences between demographically different individuals or groups with regard to the outcome of some selection procedure or process

Question 38

Other considerations of selection

Answer 38

Cost

Time

Number of applicants

Type of applicants

Question 39

Contingency graph for personnel selection methods

Answer 39

There’s a graph on the document but I really don’t know at all how much you need to know