Solution Manual for Human Resource Management

15th Edition Martocchio •

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Solution Manual for Human Resource Management 15th Edition Martocchio •

CHAPTER 6

SELECTION

CHAPTER OBJECTIVES

6.1 Explain employee selection and environmental factors that affect the selection
process
6.2 Explain the importance of preliminary screening as well as reviewing applications
and résumés
6.3 Describe the use of tests in the selection process
6.4 Explain the use of the employment interview
6.5 Explain the use of pre-employment screening and background checks
6.6 Explain the selection decision and the metrics for evaluating recruitment/selection
effectiveness

KEY TERMS

Selection: Process of choosing from a group of applicants the individual best suited for a
particular position and the organization.
Applicant pool: Number of qualified applicants recruited for a particular job.
Organizational fit: Management’s perception of the degree to which the prospective
employee will fit in with the firm’s culture or value system.
Preliminary screening: In employee selection, a review to eliminate those who
obviously do not meet the position’s requirements.
Résumé: Goal-directed summary of a person’s experience, education, and training
developed for use in the selection process.
Keywords: Words or phrases that are used to search databases for résumés that match.
Keyword résumé: Résumé that contains an adequate description of the job seeker’s
characteristics and industry-specific experience presented in keyword terms in order to
accommodate the computer search process.
Standardization: Uniformity of the procedures and conditions related to administering
tests.
Objectivity: Condition that is achieved when everyone scoring a given test obtains the
same results.
Norm: Frame of reference for comparing an applicant’s performance with that of others.
Reliability: Extent to which a selection test provides consistent results.
Validity: Extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.
Criterion-related validity: Test validation method that compares the scores on selection
tests to some aspect of job performance determined, for example, by performance
appraisal.

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Content validity: Test validation method whereby a person performs certain tasks that
are required by the job or completes a paper-and-pencil test that measures relevant job
knowledge.
Construct validity: Test validation method that determines whether a test measures
certain constructs, or traits, that job analysis finds to be important in performing a job.
Aptitude test: A test of how well a person can learn or acquire skills or abilities.
Achievement tests: A test of current knowledge and skills.
Cognitive ability test: Tests that determine general reasoning ability, memory,
vocabulary, verbal fluency, and numerical ability.
Personality: Individual differences in characteristic patterns of thinking, feeling, and
behaving.
Personality tests: Self-reported measures of traits, temperaments, or dispositions.
Job-knowledge tests: Tests designed to measure a candidate’s knowledge of the duties
of the job for which they are applying.
Work-sample tests: Tests that require an applicant to perform a task or set of tasks
representative of the job.
Assessment center: Selection technique that requires individuals to perform activities
similar to those they might encounter in an actual job.
Genetic tests: Tests given to identify predisposition to inherited diseases, including
cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, and congenital diseases.
Graphoanalysis: Use of handwriting analysis as a selection factor.
Employment interview: Goal-oriented conversation in which the interviewer and
applicant exchange information.
Unstructured interview: Interview in which the job applicant is asked probing, open-
ended questions.
Structured interview: Interview in which the interviewer asks each applicant for a
particular job the same series of job-related questions.
Behavioral interview: Structured interview in which applicants are asked to relate actual
incidents from their past relevant to the target job.
Situational interview: Gives interviewers better insight into how candidates would
perform in the work environment by creating hypothetical situations candidates would be
likely to encounter on the job and asking them how they would handle them.
Group interview: Meeting in which several job applicants interact in the presence of one
or more company representatives.
Board interview: An interview approach in which several of the firm’s representatives
interview a candidate at the same time.
Stress interview: Form of interview in which the interviewer intentionally creates
anxiety.
Realistic job preview (RJP): Method of conveying both positive and negative job
information to an applicant in an unbiased manner.
Reference checks: Validations from individuals who know the applicant that provide
additional insight into the information furnished by the applicant and verification of its
accuracy.

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Negligent hiring: Liability a company incurs when it fails to conduct a reasonable
investigation of an applicant’s background, and then assigns a potentially dangerous
person to a position in which he or she can inflict harm.

LECTURE OUTLINE

SELECTION AND ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECT IN THE

SELECTION PROCESS

THE SELECTION PROCESS

The selection process varies from company to company. However, a typical process
might include preliminary screening, review of application and résumé , selection tests,
employment interviews, reference and background checks, and the selection decision.

Selection is the process of choosing from a group of applicants the individual best suited
for a particular position and the organization. Properly matching people with jobs and the
organization is the goal of the selection process. If individuals are overqualified,
underqualified, or for any reason do not fit either the job or the organization’s culture,
they will be ineffective and probably leave the firm, voluntarily or otherwise.

ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS AFFECTING THE SELECTION PROCESS

Numerous environmental factors affect the selection process.

● OTHER HR FUNCTIONS—Selection process affects, and is affected by,

virtually every other HR function.

● LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS—Legislation, executive orders, and court

decisions have a major impact on human resource management.

● SPEED OF DECISION MAKING—Time available to make the selection

decision can have a major effect on the selection process.

● ORGANIZATIONAL HIERARCHY—Different approaches to selection are

generally taken for filling positions at different levels in the organization.

● APPLICANT POOL—Number of qualified applicants recruited for a particular

job.

● TYPE OF ORGANIZATION—Sector of the economy in which individuals are

to be employed—private, governmental, or not-for-profit—can also affect the
selection process.

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 ● PROBATIONARY PERIOD—Many firms use a probationary period that
permits evaluating an employee’s ability based on performance.

● ORGANIZATIONAL FIT—Organizational fit refers to management’s

perception of the degree to which the prospective employee will fit in with the
firm’s culture or value system. There are numerous reasons that a new hire does
not work out but none is as important as cultural fit. Knowledge and skill are
important but the most lasting side of the employment relationship is the cultural
fit.

● SELECTION TECHNOLOGY— Applicant tracking systems and candidate

relationship management systems are invaluable tools in today’s recruitment.

PRELIMINARY SCREENING AND REVIEW OF APPLICATIONS AND

RESUMES

The selection process often begins with an initial screening of applicants to remove
individuals who obviously do not meet the position requirements. Professional and
managerial applicants often begin the selection process by submitting a resume. Using
keywords will allow a database to search for resumes that match characteristics and
specific experience needed.

The application form must reflect not only the firm’s informational needs but also EEO
requirements. A résumé is a goal-directed summary of a person’s experience, education,
and training developed for use in the selection process. E-mail has become a popular
method of providing résumés to organizations.

SELECTION TESTS
Evidence suggests that the use of tests is becoming more prevalent for assessing an
applicant’s qualifications and potential for success.

● PRELIMINARY CONSIDERATIONS—Firms need to use tests in conjunction

with other selection tools such as reference checks and interviews.

● ADVANTAGES AND DISADVANTAGES OF SELECTION TESTS—

Selection testing can be a reliable and accurate means of selecting qualified
candidates from a pool of applicants if they are job related. Selection tests may
accurately predict an applicant’s ability to perform the job, the can do, but they
are less successful in indicating the extent to which the individual will be
motivated to perform it, the will do. Employers should be aware that tests might
be unintentionally discriminatory. Test anxiety can also be a problem.

● CHARACTERISTICS OF PROPERLY DESIGNED SELECTION TESTS

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 ● Standardization: The uniformity of the procedures and conditions related
to administering tests is standardization.

● Objectivity: In testing, objectivity occurs when everyone scoring a test

obtains the same results.

● Norm: Frame of reference for comparing an applicant’s performance with

that of others.

● Reliability: Extent to which a selection test provides consistent results.

● Validity: Extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure. If a

test cannot indicate ability to perform the job, it has no value as a
predictor.

TEST VALIDATION APPROACHES—Uniform Guidelines established three

approaches that may be followed to validate selection tests: criterion-related validity,
content validity, and construct validity.

● Criterion-Related Validity: Test validation method that compares the scores on

selection tests to some aspect of job performance determined, for example, by
performance appraisal.

● Concurrent validity: Determined when the firm obtains test scores and the
criterion data at essentially the same time.

● Predictive validity: Involves administering a test and later obtaining the criterion
information.

● Content Validity: Test validation method whereby a person performs certain

tasks that are actual samples of the kind of work a job requires or completes a
paper-and-pencil test that measures relevant job knowledge.

● Construct Validity: Test validation method that determines whether a test

measures certain constructs, or traits, that job analysis finds to be important in
performing a job.

EMPLOYMENT TESTS—Individuals differ in characteristics related to job

performance. Various tests measure these differences.

● Cognitive Aptitude Tests: Tests that determine general reasoning ability,

memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, and numerical ability.

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 ● Psychomotor Abilities Tests: Measure strength, coordination, and dexterity.

● Personality Tests: Self-reported measures of traits, temperaments, or

dispositions.

● Job Knowledge Tests: Tests designed to measure a candidate’s knowledge of the

duties of the job for which he or she is applying.

● Job Performance and Work-Sample Tests: Tests that require an applicant to

perform a task or set of tasks representative of the job. An assessment center is a
selection technique that requires individuals to perform activities similar to those
they might encounter in an actual job.

UNIQUE FORMS OF TESTING

● Genetic Testing: Tests given to identify predisposition to inherited diseases,

including cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, and congenital diseases.

● Graphoanalysis (Handwriting Analysis): Use of handwriting analysis as a

selection factor.

● Polygraph Tests: Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988 severely limited

the use of polygraph tests in the private sector.

LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS

● Title VII and Cognitive Ability Tests: Job testing must accurately predict job
success and reduce adverse impact.

● Title VII and Physical Strength Tests: Strength test must be job-related and
consistent with business necessity if it disproportionately excludes women.

● ADA and Test Accommodation: Employers must provide reasonable

accommodation on pre-employment test for hourly, unskilled manufacturing jobs.

EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW
Goal-oriented conversation in which the interviewer and applicant exchange information.

● INTERVIEW PLANNING—Essential to effective employment interviews.

● CONTENT OF THE INTERVIEW—Specific content of employment

interviews varies greatly by organization and the level of the job concerned.

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 ● Occupational experience: Exploring an individual’s occupational
experience requires determining the applicant’s skills, abilities, and
willingness to handle responsibility.

● Academic achievement: In the absence of significant work experience, a

person’s academic background takes on greater importance.

● Interpersonal skills: If an individual cannot work well with other

employees, chances for success are slim.

● Personal qualities: Personal qualities normally observed during the

interview include physical appearance, speaking ability, vocabulary, poise,
adaptability, and assertiveness.

CANDIDATE’S ROLE AND EXPECTATIONS—While the interviewer will provide

information about the company, it is still important that candidates do their homework.
Recruiters need to remember that interviewees have goals that may include being listed to
and understood, having opportunity to present their qualifications, being treated fairly
and with respect, gathering information about the job and the company, and making
informed decisions concerning the desirability of the job.

● GENERAL TYPES OF INTERVIEWS—Types of interviews are often broadly

classified as structured, unstructured, behavioral, and situational.

● Unstructured Interview: Interview in which the job applicant is asked

probing, open-ended questions.

● Structured Interview: Interviewer asks each applicant for a particular job

the same series of job-related questions. A structured interview typically
contains four types of questions.

● Behavioral Interview: Structured interview in which applicants are asked

to relate actual incidents from their past relevant to the target job.

● Situational Interview: Creates hypothetical situations candidates would

be likely to encounter on the job and asks how they would handle them.

METHODS OF INTERVIEWING—Interviews may be conducted in several ways.

● One-On-One Interview: Applicant meets one-on-one with an interviewer.

● Group Interview: Meeting in which several job applicants interact in the

presence of one or more company representatives.

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 ● Board (or Panel) Interview: Interview approach in which several of the firm’s
representatives interview a candidate at the same time.

● Stress Interview: The interviewer intentionally creates anxiety.

● Realistic Job Previews: Method of conveying both positive and negative job
information to an applicant in an unbiased manner.

POTENTIAL INTERVIEWING PROBLEMS—Interviewing problems that can

threaten the success of employment interviews.

● Inappropriate Questions: Although no questions are illegal, many are clearly

inappropriate. When they are asked, the responses generated create a legal
liability for the employer. The most basic interviewing rule is this: Ask only job-
related questions.

● Permitting Non-Job Related Information: If a candidate begins volunteering

personal information that is not job related, the interviewer should steer the
conversation back on course.

● Interviewer Bias: Often a problem that may arise in an interview is interviewer

bias where the interviewer makes assumptions about the interviewee which may
be incorrect and lets these biases influence the selection decision.

● Stereotyping bias: Occurs when the interviewer assumes that the applicant
has certain traits because they are members of a certain class.

● Halo error bias: Occurs when the interviewer generalizes one positive
first impression feature of the candidate.

● Horn error bias: Occurs where the interviewer’s first impression of the
candidate creates a negative first impression that exists throughout the
interview.

● Contrast bias: Occurs when, for example, an interviewer meets with

several poorly qualified applicants and then confronts a mediocre
candidate.

● Premature judgment bias: Suggests that interviewers often make judgment

about candidates in the first few minutes of the interview.

● Interview illusion bias: Closely related to premature judgment but not the
same. Interviewer’s belief in their interview ability is exaggerated.

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Interviewer Domination: In successful interviews, relevant information must flow both
ways. Sometimes, interviewers begin the interview by telling candidates what they are
looking for, and then are excited to hear candidates parrot back their own words. Other
interviewers are delighted to talk through virtually the entire interview, either to take
pride in their organization’s accomplishments or to express frustrations over their own
difficulties.

Lack of Training: Anyone who has ever conducted an interview realizes that it is much
more than carrying on a conversation with another person.

Nonverbal Communication: Body language is the nonverbal communication method in

which physical actions such as motions, gestures, and facial expressions convey thoughts
and emotions. The interviewer is attempting to view the nonverbal signals from the
applicant. Applicants are also reading the nonverbal signals of the interviewer.

CONCLUDING THE INTERVIEW

When the interviewer has obtained the necessary information and answered the
applicant’s questions, he or she should conclude the interview. Management must then
determine whether the candidate is suitable for the open position and organization. If the
conclusion is positive, the process continues; if there appears to be no match, the
candidate is no longer considered. Also, in concluding the interview, the interviewer
should tell the applicant that he or she will be notified of the selection decision shortly.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT SCREENING: BACKGROUND CHECKS

It is now time to determine the accuracy of the information submitted or to determine if
vital information was not submitted. Background investigations involve obtaining data
from various sources, including previous employers, business associates, credit bureaus,
government agencies, and academic institutions and have become increasingly more
important.

● EMPLOYMENT ELIGIBILITY VERIFICATION (I-9)—The I-9 form must

be filled out by American job applicants but it allows any number of documents to
be provided to an employer to demonstrate his or her legal right to work in the
United States.

● CONTINUOUS BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION—Employee background

investigations are not just for pre-employment any more. In certain industries,
such as banking and healthcare, employers are required by regulation to routinely
research the criminal records of employees.

● BACKGROUND INVESTIGATION WITH SOCIAL NETWORKING—An

increasing number of employers are using social networking to conduct
background investigations since recruiters have found that they can discover a lot
about job applicants by conducting such a search. Employers use an applicant’s

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 Facebook, LinkedIn, and postings made on an industry blog to find out about
individuals they are considering hiring. Industries most likely to conduct
background checks on applicants are those that specialize in technology and
sensitive information.

REMEMBERING HIRING STANDARDS TO AVOID—Some of the standards used

in the background investigation have the potential to violate a hiring standard to avoid. A
word of caution is advised in situations where an applicant acknowledges that he or she
has been convicted of a crime or the use of a credit check.

● Reference checks are validations from those who know the applicant that provide
additional insight into the information furnished by the applicant.

● Negligent hiring is a liability a company incurs when it fails to conduct a

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

SELECTION DECISION AND EVALUATING THE EFFECTIVENESS OF

SELECTION DECISIONS

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—successful and unsuccessful—as soon as possible.

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—The shorter the time to hire, the more efficient
the HR department is in finding the replacement for the job.

● NEW HIRE RETENTION—New hire retention is determined by determining

the percent of the new hires that remain with the company at selected intervals,
typically one or two years.

● HIRING MANAGER OVERALL SATISFACTION—The manager is largely

responsible for the success of his or her department. It is the quality of his or her

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 employees in the workgroup that have a major impact on success of the
department.

● TURNOVER RATE—The number of times on average employees have to be

replaced during a year.

● COST PER HIRE—In determining the recruiting cost per hire, the total
recruiting expense must first be calculated. Then, the cost per hire may be
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.

ANSWERS TO CHAPTER 6 QUESTIONS FOR REVIEW

6-1. What are the typical steps in the selection process?

The selection process typically begins with the preliminary screening. Next, applicants
complete the firm’s application for employment or provide a résumé. Then they progress
through a series of selection tests, one or more employment interviews, and pre-
employment screening including background and reference checks. The hiring manager
then offers the successful applicant a job, subject to successful completion of a medical
examination. An applicant may be rejected at any time during the selection process.

6-2. What is the general purpose of preliminary screening?

The general purpose of the preliminary screening is to eliminate those who obviously do
not meet the position’s requirements.

6-3. What is the purpose of the application form?

A well-designed and properly used application form can be helpful, since essential
information is included and presented in a standardized format.

6-4. What types of questions should be asked on an application form?

Only job-related questions should be asked on the application form. The specific type of
information requested on an application may vary from firm to firm and even by job type
within a given organization. Sections of an application typically include name, address,
telephone number, military service, education, and work history.

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6-5. What are the advantages and potential problems in the use of selection tests?

Discussion Question in MyManagementLab. Student responses will vary.

6-6. What are the basic characteristics of a properly designed selection test?

Standardization: Uniformity of procedures and conditions related to administering tests.

Objectivity: Condition that is achieved when everyone scoring a given test obtains the
same results.

Norm: Frame of reference for comparing an applicant’s performance with that of others.

Reliability: Extent to which a selection test provides consistent results.

Validity: Extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.

6-7. What are the test validation approaches? Define each.

Criterion-related validity: Test validation method that compares the scores on selection
tests to some aspect of job performance determined, for example, by performance
appraisal. A close relationship between the score on the test and job performance
suggests the test is valid.

Content validity: Test validation method whereby a person performs certain tasks that
are actual samples of the kind of work a job requires or completes a paper-and-pencil test
that measures relevant job knowledge.

Construct validity: Test validation method that determines whether a test measures
certain constructs, or traits, that job analysis finds to be important in performing a job.

6-8. Identify and describe the various types of employment tests.

Psychomotor abilities tests: Tests that measure strength, coordination, and dexterity.

Job knowledge tests: Tests designed to measure a candidate’s knowledge of the duties of
the job for which he or she is applying.

Work-sample tests: Tests that require an applicant to perform a task or set of tasks
representative of the job.

Personality tests: Self-reported measures of traits, temperaments, or dispositions.

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6-9. What is the purpose of an assessment center?

The assessment center is a selection technique used to identify and select employees for
positions in the organization. Candidates are subjected to a number of exercises that simulate
tasks they will perform in the job for which they are being considered.

6-10. Describe genetic testing, graphoanalysis, and polygraph tests.

Genetic testing: Performed to identify predisposition to inherited diseases, including

cancer, heart disease, neurological disorders, and congenital diseases.

Graphoanalysis: Use of handwriting analysis.

Polygraph tests: Lie-detector test.

6-11. What are the general types of interviews? Explain each.

Unstructured interview: Interview in which the job applicant is asked probing, open-
ended questions.

Structured interview: Interview in which the interviewer asks each applicant for a
particular job the same series of job-related questions.

Behavioral interview: Interview in which applicants are asked to relate actual incidents
from their past relevant to the target job.

Situational interview: Creates hypothetical situations candidates would be likely to

encounter on the job and asks how they would handle them.

6-12. What types of questions would make up a behavioral interview?

Behavioral interviewers look for three main things: a description of a challenging

situation, what the candidate did about it, and measurable results. In the behavioral
interview, the questions are selected for their relevance to job success in a particular job.
Questions are formed from the behaviors by asking applicants how they performed in the
described situation. For example, when probing to determine how creative an applicant
is, the candidate might be requested to, “Describe an experience when you were faced
with a new problem and how you handled it.” Or, if seeking to determine the applicant’s
enthusiasm, the request might be, “Relate a scenario during which you were responsible
for motivating others.” Interviewing is based on the principle that what you did
previously in your life is a good predictor of what you will do in the future. Interviewees
are asked to give an example of a situation when they faced a dilemma, a problem, or a
situation.

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6-13. What are the various methods of interviewing? Define each.

One-on-one interview: Applicant meets one-on-one with an interviewer.

Group interview: Meeting in which several job applicants interact in the presence of one
or more company representatives.

Board (or panel) interview: Interview approach in which several of the firm’s
representatives interview a candidate at the same time.

Multiple Interviews: At times applicants are interviewed by peers, subordinates, and

potential superiors. Using multiple interviewers not only leads to better hiring decisions;
it also begins the transition process.

Stress Interview: Interviewer intentionally creates anxiety.

Realistic Job Preview: Conveys both positive and negative job information to the
applicant in an unbiased manner.

6-14. What are some potential interview problems?

Inappropriate Questions: The most basic interviewing rule is this: “Ask only job-
related questions.”

Permitting Non-Job-Related Information: If a candidate begins volunteering personal

information that is not job related, the interviewer should steer the conversation back on
course.

Interview Bias: Often a problem that may arise in an interview is interviewer bias where
the interviewer makes assumptions about the interviewee which may be incorrect and lets
these biases influence the selection decision. Stereotyping bias occurs when the
interviewer assumes that the applicant has certain traits because they are members of a
certain class. A halo error bias occurs when the interviewer generalizes one positive first
impression feature of the candidate. The opposite would occur with horn error bias
where the interviewer’s first impression of the candidate creates a negative first
impression that exists throughout the interview. Contrast bias may occur when, for
example, an interviewer meets with several poorly qualified applicants and then confronts
a mediocre candidate. Premature judgment bias suggests that interviewers often make
judgment about candidates in the first few minutes of the interview. Interview illusion
bias is our certainty that we are learning more in an interview than we really are.

Interviewer Domination: Interviewers must learn to be good listeners as well as

suppliers of information.

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Lack of Training: Anyone who has ever conducted an interview realizes that it is much
more than carrying on a conversation with another person.

Nonverbal Communication: Applicants are reading the nonverbal signals of the

interviewer. Therefore, interviewers should make a conscious effort to view themselves
as applicants do to avoid sending inappropriate or unintended nonverbal signals.

6-15. What are some of the hiring standards to avoid?

Some of the standards used in the background investigation have the potential to violate a
hiring standard to avoid. A word of caution is advised in situations where an applicant
acknowledges that he or she has been convicted of a crime or the use of a credit check.

6-16. Why should an employer be concerned about negligent hiring?

Discussion Question in MyManagementLab. Student responses will vary.

6-17. Why should the selection decision be made before conducting a medical
examination?

The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) does not prohibit pre-employment testing.
However, it does determine the permitted tests and at what point they may be
administered during the selection process. ADA explicitly states that all exams must be
directly relevant to the job requirements and that a firm cannot order a medical exam
until the applicant is offered employment.

6-18. What are some metrics for evaluating recruitment and selection?

Human capital metrics are measures of HR performance.

Possible metrics include: quality of hire, time required to hire, new hire retention, hiring
manager overall satisfaction, turnover rate, recruiting costs, selection rate, acceptance
rate, and yield rate.

6-19. What environmental factors could affect the selection process? Discuss each.

Other HR Functions: The selection process affects, and is affected by, virtually every
other HR function.

Legal considerations: Legislation, Executive Orders, and court decisions have had a
major impact upon human resource management. However, merely having knowledge of
legal facts affecting selection is often insufficient. There are certain criteria that
obviously should not be used. There are other selection standards that should be avoided
because of their discriminatory potential.

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Speed of decision making: The time available to make the selection decision can have a
major effect on the selection process.

Organizational hierarchy: The level in the organization at which a vacancy exists can
influence the selection process.

Applicant pool: Number of qualified applicants recruited for a particular job.

Type of organization: The segment of the economy where individuals are to be

employed—private, governmental, or nonprofit—can also affect the selection process. A
business in the private sector is heavily profit oriented. Prospective employees are
screened with regard to how they can help achieve this goal. The government’s civil
service system typically identifies qualified applicants through competitive examination.

Probationary period: Many firms use a probationary period that provides for the
evaluation of ability based on performance. This may be either a substitute for, or
supplement to, tests.

Organizational fit: Management’s perception of the degree to which the prospective

employee will fit in with the firm’s culture or value system. There are numerous reasons
that a new hire does not work out but none is as important as cultural fit.

6-20. In terms of employee selection, what is the significance of organizational fit?

Discussion Question in MyManagementLab. Student responses will vary.

6-21. Distinguish between an applicant-tracking system and candidate relationship

management.

An applicant tracking system (ATS) is a software application designed to help an

enterprise select employees more efficiently. Current ATSs permit human resource and
line managers to oversee the entire selection process. They often involve screening
résumés and spotting qualified candidates, conducting personality and skills tests, and
handling background checks.

The purpose of candidate relationship management (CRM) is to send job postings and
job descriptions to job boards and other sites. Basically, such systems help manage
potential and actual applicants in an organized manner. It has the capability to search the
Internet, including social media sites, for résumés, and then adds and catalogues them and
other information to the database. CRMs have the capability to link with other ATS and
any Web site. CRM systems permit candidates to get to know more about the company
and allow the company to get to know more about the candidate.

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 DISCUSSION OF CHAPTER 6 INCIDENTS

HRM Incident 1: A Matter of Priorities

As production manager for Thompson Manufacturing, Sheila Stephens has the final
authority to approve the hiring of any new supervisors who work for her. The human
resource manager performs the initial screening of all prospective supervisors and then
sends the most likely candidates to Sheila for interviews.

One day recently, Sheila received a call from Pete Peterson, the human resource
manager; “Sheila, I’ve just spoken to a young man who may be just who you’re looking
for to fill the final line supervisor position. He has some good work experience and
appears to have his head screwed on straight. He’s here right now and available if you
could possibly see him.”

Sheila hesitated a moment before answering. “Gee, Pete,” she said, “I’m certainly busy
today, but I’ll try to squeeze him in. Send him on down.”

A moment later Allen Guthrie, the applicant, arrived at Sheila’s office and she introduced
herself. “Come on in, Allen,” said Sheila. “I’ll be right with you after I make a few phone
calls.” Fifteen minutes later Sheila finished the calls and began talking with Allen. Sheila
was quite impressed. After a few minutes Sheila’s door opened and a supervisor yelled,
“We have a small problem on line one and need your help.” Sheila stood up and said,
“Excuse me a minute, Allen.” Ten minutes later Sheila returned, and the conversation
continued for ten more minutes before a series of phone calls again interrupted the pair.

The same pattern of interruptions continued for the next hour. Finally, Allen looked at his
watch and said, “I’m sorry, Mrs. Stephens, but I have to pick up my wife.”

“Sure thing, Allen,” Sheila said as the phone rang again. “Call me later today.”

QUESTIONS

6-29. What should Shelia have done to avoid interviews like this one?

Employment interviews are a vital part of selection and should not be “squeezed in.” In
this case, Thompson Manufacturing may have lost a very good candidate because Sheila
did not really have time to talk with him. Sheila should minimize interruptions during
such an interview, perhaps having the secretary hold all non emergency calls. Of course,
some interruptions cannot be avoided. For example, if the “small problem on line number
1” was really urgent, Sheila would have to take care of it. However, a reasonable respect
for the importance of the employment interview with Allen would have resulted in Sheila
asking about the importance of the matter before interrupting the interview.

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6-30. Explain why Sheila, not Pete, should make the selection decision.

The reasons are twofold. First, the applicant will be working for Sheila if he is hired.
Sheila knows better than Pete what will be expected, and she can sense whether she will
get along with the applicant. Second, if Sheila makes the selection decision, she is more
likely to be committed to it.

6-31. What steps in the selection process were missed, if any? What problems might
occur because of these omissions?

Assuming that the HR manager had analyzed Allen’s job application for a match for the
job and that interviews and testing had been accomplished, it is likely that no background
investigation had taken place. Certainly, this is an important step that had been
overlooked. There might have been a problem if the information provided on the
application was inaccurate.

HRM Incident 2: National Career Day

Chipotle Mexican Grill launched an initiative in 2015—National Career Day—to hire

4,000 workers in just one day. The company deemed the initiative a success and repeated
the event a year later in search of 5,000 additional workers. More than 60,000 individuals
registered online and each store manager selected 100 candidates for interviews. Store
managers set aside six to eight hours to conduct interviews.

QUESTIONS

6-32. Based on a highly compressed time frame, what are some of the pre-employment
activities Chipotle might have set aside?

Chipotle may choose to spend more time on group interviews, where the store manager
can observe the behavior of several candidates at one time. Another option might be to
have a large group participate in skills testing. Personal one-on-one interviews would be
very difficult to manage if the goal is interviewing 100 people in six hours.

6-33. What are some of the pros and cons of undertaking a massive hiring spree in one
day?

There are several advantages to conducting a massive hiring spree including a large
number of candidates, and the ability to screen many candidates at one time. This is a
much more effective use of time than interviewing one person a day. However, mass
hiring sprees indicate that the quality of hire may be lacking, resulting in high turnover.
Individual’s personality and skills are not identified, making it difficult to determine
which job(s) the candidate is best suited for. Additionally, the candidates would have

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Solution Manual for Human Resource Management 15th Edition Martocchio •

very little opportunity to ask questions and have concerns addressed during the mass
hiring process.

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