Chapter 6

Selection

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 Learning Objectives
6.1 Explain the significant of selection process.
6.2 Explain the importance of preliminary screening
6.3 Describe the use of tests in the selection process.
6.4 Explain the use of the employment interview.
6.5 Explain the selection decision
6.6 Metrics for evaluating selection effectiveness.

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 The Significant of Selection Process.

• Process of choosing the individual best suited for particular

position and organization from a group of applicants
• The goal of selection is to properly match people with jobs
and organization.
• Select overqualified or underqualified candidates can be
costly.

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The Selection Process
• The selection process
varies from company
to company.

• A typical process might

include:
• Preliminary screening
• Review of application
and résumé
• Selection tests
• Employment interviews
• Reference and
background checks

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 Preliminary Screening and
Review of Applications and Resumes
• Preliminary screening is the process of eliminating
clearly unqualified job applicants early in the selection
process.

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 Preliminary Screening and Review of
Applications and Resumes
Application Form
• Essential information in a standardized format (name,
address, military service, education, and work history)
• Several preprinted statements such as accuracy of
information, employment at will, permission for
background/references check.
Resumes
• Applicant-tracking systems scan or save résumés into
databases, search the databases, and rank the résumés
according to the number of resulting “hits” they receive.

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 Selection Tests
• Selection test aims to identify attitudes and examine job
related skills in order to predict on-the-job performance.
• Selection tests may accurately predict an applicant’s ability
to perform the job (can do) NOT the individual’s motivation
when on the job (will do)
• Test anxiety may underestimate candidate true abilities.

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 Characteristics of Properly Designed
Selection Tests
• Standardization: Uniformity
• Objectivity: Everyone scoring a test obtains same results
• Norms: Frame of reference for comparing applicant's
performance with that of others
• Reliability: Provides consistent results
• Validity: Measures what it is supposed to measure
• Requirement for job relatedness: Tests must be job
related and consistent with business necessity.

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 Types of Employment Tests
• Cognitive ability tests
– General reasoning ability, memory, vocabulary, verbal
fluency, and math skills.
• Psychomotor abilities tests
– Capacity to connect brain or cognitive functions and
functions of the body such as physical strength
• Personality tests
– self-reported measures of traits, temperaments, or
dispositions, integrity

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 Types of Employment Tests
• Job knowledge tests
– Measure a candidate’s knowledge of the duties of the
job
• Work-sample tests
– Require an applicant to perform a task representative
of the job.
– Assessment center uses realistic simulations such as
in-basket exercises, leaderless discussion groups, and
mock interviews.

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 Unique Forms of Testing
• Genetic testing
– Tests given to identify predisposition to inherited
diseases, including cancer, heart disease, neurological
disorders, and congenital diseases.
– Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008
• Graphoanalysis (handwriting analysis)
– Use of handwriting analysis as a selection factor.
• Polygraph tests (lie-detector test)
– Used to confirm or refute the information contained in a
candidate’s application
– Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988
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 Employment Interview
• Goal-oriented conversation, typically focus on:
– Occupational experience: Candidate’s past
experience, which indicates, abilities, and willingness to
handle responsibility.
– Academic achievement: Especially for younger
applicants who are lacking in relevant knowledge, skills
and work experience.
– Interpersonal skills: Whether a person can work well
with others or on a team.
– Personal qualities: appearance, speaking ability,
adaptability, assertiveness, and cooperativeness.

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 Types of Interviews Format

1. Unstructured
– The interviewer asks probing, open-ended questions.
– It is comprehensive, and the interviewer encourages the
applicant to do much of the talking.

2. Structured
– The interviewer asks each applicant for a job the same
series of job-related questions.
– Reducing the subjectivity and inconsistency of
unstructured interviews.

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 Types of Interview Questions

1. Behavioral
– Is a structured interview that focuses on how an individual
handled circumstances in the past.
– Applicants are asked to provide a description of a
challenging situation, what the candidate did about it, and
measurable results.
2. Situational
– Creates hypothetical situations candidates would be likely
to encounter on the job and ask how they would handle
them.

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 Methods of Interviewing

• One-on-one interview: Applicant meets one-on-one with

interviewer
• Group interview: Several applicants interact in presence
of one or more interviewers
• Board interview: Several firm representatives interview
candidate at same time
• Multiple interviews: Applicants typically interviewed by
peers, subordinates, and supervisors

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 Realistic Job Preview (RJP)

• Many applicants have unrealistic expectations about the

prospective job and employer.
• During the interview, the interviewer should provide
information about the company, the job, and the
expectations of the position.
• Realistic Job Preview (RJP): provides both positive and
negative job information to applicant in unbiased manner.
• Realistic job previews can help to reduce high turnover
rates and the constant cost of replacing those individuals
who do not work out.

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 Potential Interviewing Problems
• Inappropriate questions: Ask only job-related questions.
• Permitting non-job-related information: Interviewer
should steer conversation back on course.
• Interviewer domination: Interviewers must first learn to
be good listeners.
• Lack of training: There should be a reason for asking
each and every job-related question.
• Nonverbal communication: Interviewer should avoid
sending inappropriate or unintended nonverbal signals.

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• Interviewer bias:
– Stereotyping bias: assumed the applicant has certain
traits because they are members of a certain class.
– Positive halo bias: generalized positive effect based
on first impression feature of the candidate.
– Horn error bias: the first impression of the candidate
creates a negative first impression that exists
throughout the interview.
– Contrast bias: Impression due to comparison.
– Premature judgment bias: Made judgment about
candidates in the first few minutes of the interview.
– Interview illusion bias: Interviewer’s exaggerated
their interview ability.

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 Concluding the Interview

• When interviewer has obtained necessary information and

answered applicant’s questions, he or she should conclude
the interview.
• Management must then determine whether candidate is
suitable for the open position and organization.
• Tell applicant he or she will be notified of the selection
decision shortly.
• Maintain a positive relationship with the applicant.

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Pre-Employment Screening and Background
Checks
• Determine accuracy of information submitted or determine
if vital information was not submitted
• Principal reason is to hire better workers.
• Background investigations involve obtaining data from
various sources.
• Intensity of background investigations depends on the
nature of the open position.

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 Continuous Background Investigation

• Some employers are screening their employees on an

ongoing basis.
• Financial devastation, marital collapse, or a medical crisis
can send a person with a clean record over the edge.
• Background investigations with social networking:
increasingly being used.
– Use an applicant’s Facebook, LinkedIn, and postings
made on an industry blog to find out about individuals
they are considering hiring

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 Reference Checks
• Applicants are usually required to submit the names of
several people who know them personally and can provide
additional information about them.
• Firms conduct these reference checks to gather
additional insight into the information provided by the
applicant and to verify its accuracy.
• A possible flaw with reference checking is that almost
everyone can name three or four individuals willing to
make favorable statements about them.
• Some firms have begun using automated reference
checking.

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 Negligent Hiring

• Liability company incurs when it fails to conduct

reasonable investigation of applicant’s background, and
then assigns potentially dangerous person to position
where he or she can inflict harm.

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 Selection Decision

• Making the selection decision

– Person whose qualifications most closely conform to
the requirements of the open position should be
selected.
• Medical examination
– Typically, a job offer is contingent on successfully
passing this examination.
• Notification of candidates
– Selection process results should be made known to
candidates as soon as possible.

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 Evaluating Selection Decisions

• Quality of hire — The question of how to measure quality

of hire and set standards for new-hire performance is
difficult to determine.
• Time required to hire — Shorter the time to hire shows
the efficiency of the HR
• New hire retention — New hire retention is determined by
determining the percent of the new hires that remain with
the company.
• Hiring manager overall satisfaction —The manager is
largely responsible for the success of his or her
department.

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 Evaluating Selection Decisions

• Turnover rate —The number of times on average

employees have to be replaced during a year.
• Cost per hire —The cost per hire is determined by
dividing the recruiting expenses (calculation of advertising,
agency fees, employee referrals, relocation, recruiter pay
and benefits costs) by the number of recruits hired.
• Yield rate — Percentage of applicants from a particular
source and method that makes it to the next stage of the
selection process.

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