Week 3 Selection

Question 1

What are the purposes of interviews?

Answer 1

They are an opportunity to assess job competencies (only those best suited to interview format).
Promote the organisation to the interviewee.

Question 2

What are the limitations of interviews?

Answer 2

Interviews are prone to biases such as:
stereotypes
Halo effect
Verbal fluency
Attention to personality rather than competency
Group effects/ internal politics.

Question 3

What are the 4 different categories of personnel selection interviews?

Answer 3

Structural (structured/ unstructured)
Questions (Situational/Behavioural)
Interviewers (1-on-1/panel)
MMI

Question 4

How does a structured interview differ from unstructured?

Answer 4

Unstructured interviews allow more flexibility and fewer constraints, but they increase the chance of missing relevant questions and there is little consistency between interviews. Also, they are a weak predictor of job performance.
Structured interviews are consistent, reliable, and valid. It also increases the ability to ask competency-relevant questions.

Question 5

What is the difference between a single interviewer and a panel?

Answer 5

A single interviewer is less intimidating, cheaper, more flexible, and no negative/positive group effects, increase accountability for poor decisions, fewer people feel they had input, bigger impacts from interviewers biases, perceived bias/error harder to disprove (legal issues)

Question 6

What is involved in multiple mini interviews

Answer 6

Multiple interview stations with one interviewer
Each station assess one competency
Candidates visit each station

Question 7

What are the strengths of MMI’s?

Answer 7

Competency specific evaluation
Less halo effect
Reduced memory/context effects
Eliminates interviewer group effects
Efficient use of resources

Question 8

What are the 5 types of interview questions?

Answer 8

General
situational
behavioural
contrary/challenge
knock out/problematic

Question 9

What is the purpose of the selection process?

Answer 9

To fairly and effectively evaluate each candidate, to predetermined competencies.

Question 10

What are general questions used for?

Answer 10

A starting point for discussion, that are easy and build candidates confidence. Remind the interviewer of background and context.

Question 11

How are situational questions different from behavioural?

Answer 11

Situational are future-focused, while behaviour are past focused.

Question 12

What is an issue with situational questions?

Answer 12

It assumes that intentions predict behaviour, but this isn’t true.

Question 13

What are the 3 components of behavioural questions?

Answer 13

Antecedent (tell me about a situation in which)
Behaviour (What did you do)
Consequence (What was the result?)

Question 14

What is another acronym for ABC?

Answer 14

ST (situation/task)
A (action)
R (result)

Question 15

What makes behavioural questions so good?

Answer 15

They are derived from a list of key competencies
Appropriate answers determined by SME’s
Past behaviour are the best predictor of future behaviour
Hard to lie/fake good.

Question 16

What is the difference between and contrary question and a challenge question?

Answer 16

A challenge question is used when a candidate has misunderstood your question. Use it to clarify what you are asking. (this suggests there may be an issue with your question)
A contrary question is used to assess our forming negative beliefs of the candidate. We would ask a question in the opposite to try and get them to disprove this belief.

Question 17

Are K.O q’s good or bad?

Answer 17

They are bad. They don’t clearly measure competencies we are interested in, they are hard to interpret/evaluate.
They should be avoided at all costs.

Question 18

What are the two meanings of K.O. q’s?

Answer 18

Unexpected hard to answer questions.

questions to eliminate inappropriate people (how much travel are you willing to do for this job?)

Question 19

How do we know what answers should be given?

Answer 19

We use JA to decide what competencies best fit the job.

Question 20

What do we need to be careful of in interviews?

Answer 20

Covering competencies that are better covered in other ways.

Question 21

What are the strengths and weaknesses of resumes?

Answer 21

Strengths: wide applicability, cheap to obtain and process, minimal training to interpret, moderate validity.
Weaknesses: no standard formatting, can be hard to find relevant information, irrelevant info distraction, style influences perception of content.

Question 22

What are the strengths and limitations of application forms?

Answer 22

Strengths are similar to resumes, except they are more standardised, and relevant info easy to find.
Limitatiions are to do with restrictions of freedom and technical aspects of online application. Also, that it is usually done alongside a resume.

Question 23

What are the strengths and weaknesses of biodata?

Answer 23

Can create a data base of previous applicants and assess performance to that. Compare new applicants to this.
Not great for legal basis

Question 24

What are two types of individual-administered GMA tests?

Answer 24

Stanford-Binet, WAIS

Question 25

What are four type of group-administered GMA tests?

Answer 25

ASVAB, GATB, Raven’s progressive matrices, wonderlic.

Question 26

What are the strengths of using GMA testing?

Answer 26

GMA may allow people to learn faster, use existing knowledge better, apply principles to solve novel problems. It is also cheap and easy.

Question 27

What are some limitations of using GMA testing?

Answer 27

Specific abilities not measured, may overemphasise g.

Fairness and adverse impacts (cultural)

Question 28

What is the difference between an aptitude and a ability test?

Answer 28

Aptitude measures potential to do something new.

Ability measures things you can already do.

Question 29

Why would you use an aptitude test over an ability test?

Answer 29

If the person is inexperienced we need to use an aptitude test.

Question 30

What is a work sample test?

Answer 30

sample of work similar to real world situation.

Question 31

What are the benefits and limitations of assessment centres?

Answer 31

Uses multiple methods to assess competencies. Popular with manager selection
It is expensive and time consuming.

Question 32

What do integrity tests aim to do and what are two types?

Answer 32

identify the potential for engaging in incivility.

Covert and Overt

Question 33

What is a problem with integrity tests?

Answer 33

Content validity problems (what is being measured?)

Predictive validity problems (what’s the criterion)

Question 34

What are resumes, psychometric tests and assessment and work sample tests good for? Think which stage of selection.

Answer 34

Resumes and application are good for shortlisting.
Psychometric tests are good for preliminary selection phase.
Assessments centres and work sample tests are good for showing competencies.