Employee Selection

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Employee Selection

• Determining the characteristics (KSAs) for
  successful job performance and then measuring
  applicants on those characteristics.

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Selection Process

• Identify major tasks, job requirements and
  performance outcomes via job analysis
• Rate importance of each KSA (Predictor) for
  performance (Criterion)
• Specify other characteristics needed for the job
  (licenses, personality, work schedule)
• Choose test(s) that measure important KSAs

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Importance of Employee Selection

• Economic
• Cost of selection process
• Opportunity cost of inappropriate choice and low
  job performance
• Turnover costs
• Training costs

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Importance of Employee Selection

• Legal
• Minimize EEO Exposure- Although validation is not
  required by law- all selection methods should be
  job related (valid) to defend against adverse
  impact charges
• Negligent hiring
• Defamation

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Selection A Two Way Street

• The Organization and the Candidate have a lot at
  stake in the Selection Decision
• Costs (Financial, Opportunity)
• Time (Effort/Energy)
• Job Expectations
• Contextual Expectations
• Personal
• Career
• Development
• Performance

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Selection v. Hiring

• Hiring is when a job offer is extended without
  evaluating an applicants KSAs to the job
  requirements.
• Selection involves both collecting and evaluating
  an applicants KSAs to the job requirements in
  order to make a decision whether or not to extend
  a job offer.

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MEASUREMENT DEVISE ASSESSMENT CRITERIA

• Reliability
• Validity

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Reliability of Selection Device

• Extent test or any measuring device provides
  consistent information across time and judges
• An individuals score on the same or like test
  should not vary significantly
• Degree of measurement error selection in
  instrument

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Reliability of a Selection Device

• Sources of measurement error
• poor sampling of material
• chance response tendencies
• changes in test conditions
• changes in the person
• Necessary but not sufficient condition for
  validity

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Validity of a Selection Device

• How well does the selection devise measure future
  job performance for a specific job
• Is it job related?
• Does it measure what its supposed to measure
• Is the test a good proxy for future performance?

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Types of Validity

• Criterion-Related (Empirical) Validity
• Indirect measures of future performance
• Extent of correlation of scores on selection
  measures and job performance
• Exp. GPA and sales revenue
• Type
• Predictive
• Concurrent

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Criterion-Related Validity
Predictive Concurrent
Measure Performance of those Hired
Test Existing Employees
Measure their Performance
Test Applicants
TIME TIME
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Types of Validity

• Content Validity
• Direct assessment of job tasks and behaviors
• Extent content of measure reflects content of job
• exp. Typing test

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Selection Methods

• Biographical data (biodata)
• Weighted Application Blanks
• Biographical information blanks
• Predictor of tenure and performance
• Legal Issues
• Application Forms
• Inexpensive
• Substantial information
• Items should be job related
• EEO Items cannot ask versus should not ask

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Selection Methods

• Background Checks
• Verification of information
• Letters of Recommendation/References
• In general not valid because most are positive -
  They do not discriminate on ability to perform
  the job.

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Reference Checks

• Negligent Hiring (Employer Liability)
• Privacy and Defamation Issues
• Employers have Qualified Privilege
• Must be accurate
• job related
• Avoid EEO information
• Provided to individuals with right to know

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Cognitive Ability Tests

• Intelligence and Mental Abilities
• Deductive reasoning, math/verbal comprehension
• A measure of ability to learn and adapt to
  changing conditions

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Special Ability/ Aptitude Tests

• Motor, Physical, Mechanical, Clerical, Sensory,
  Musical, Tools and Equipment
• Achievement/Job Knowledge Tests
• Work Samples and Simulations
• Assess ability to perform job directly
• Highly valid (Content Valid)

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Assessment Centers

• It is not a Test It is a Process!!!
• Multiple tests and multiple assessors
• Leaderless group, in-baskets, management games,
  paper and pencil tests, presentations, interviews
• Expenive, valid, unbiased predictor

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Personality Tests

• Historically low reliability and validity
• Self report
• Projective
• Validity depends on
• Type of job
• Type of job performance measure

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Honesty Tests

• Polygraph use restricted by Polygraph Protection
  Act
• Handwriting Analysis
• Paper and Pencil Honest Tests
• False Positives and Social Stigma
• Issue of Validity (for most)

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Medical Examinations

• Testing for Drugs and Alcohol
• Notify at the beginning of the selection process
• Administer at time of preliminary consideration
  or offer
• Physical Requirements
• Must be Job Related
• Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA)
• Can require exam after the job offer
• Key Issue Chain of Custody (Privacy)

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Departmental Interview

• Conducted by Managers, Supervisors or Employees
  of the Employing Department
• Purpose is to evaluate an applicants Technical
  Knowledge Skill
• Potential Problems
• Untrained departmental interviewers
• Assessment of non-job related criteria
• Prejudice

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The Employment Interview

• Most common selection device
• Criticized for Poor Reliability and Validity
• - because the interviewer is the
• measurement device
• Too many interviewing experts (at least
• within their own mind)
• Too much time too little acquired relevant
• information

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Type

• Unstructured- Nondirective interview
• questions are asked as they come to mind
• no set format
• may be a good measure of fit
• Structured
• questions and answers specified in advance
• more valid
• lack flexibility

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Interviewers

• Individual -One on One
• Single or serial
• Panel
• Interviewed simultaneously by a panel/group

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Common Interviewer Biases

• We All have them!!!
• Similarity
• First Impression
• Halo (Horns) Effect
• Contrast (compare to another candidate)
• Immediacy Effect (pressure to fill the job)

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Common Interviewing Mistakes

• Snap Judgements
• Negative Emphasis
• Poor Knowledge of the Job- Stereotyping
• Pressure to Hire
• Candidate Order- Contrast Effect
• Nonverbal Behavior
• Telegraphing
• Too much/Too little talking
• Being the DA or Psychologist

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How to Improve the Interview

• Restrict use of interview to KSAs interviewer can
  assess most effectively-oral communication,
  interpersonal relations
• Increase Structure
• Ask job related questions
• Formal scoring format
• Train interviewers to accurately receive and
  evaluate information

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Combining Predictors Multiple Hurdle Approach

• Treats each method as a screen before going
  to the next step or method
• More economical
• Screen In NOT a Screen Out Mentality
• Must validate each test if adverse impact

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Combining PredictorsCompensatory Approach

• Applicant can compensate for a poor performance
  on one test by doing exceptionally well on
  another
• Higher validity
• More expensive