A Framework for Human Resource Management, 5th ed.

Gary Dessler

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Testing and Selecting Employees

Ch 4

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When you finish studying this chapter, you should be able to:
Define basic testing concepts, including validity and reliability. Discuss at least four basic types of personnel tests. Explain the pros and cons of background investigations, reference checks, and preemployment information services. Explain the factors and problems that can undermine an interviews usefulness, and techniques for eliminating them.
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Why Is Selection Important?

1. A managers performance always depends on subordinates 2. Its costly to recruit and hire employees 3. The legal implications of incompetent selection negligent hiring

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Reliability
Reliability
- consistency of scores obtained by the same person when retested with the identical tests or with an equivalent form of a test - equivalent-form estimate - internal comparison estimate

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Validity
Validity
- a test should be job related - performance on a test should be a valid predictor of subsequent performance on the job

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Thematic Apperception Test

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Validity
Criterion validity
- those who do well on the test also do well on the job, and those who do poorly on the test do poorly on the job

Content validity
- the test constitutes a fair sample of the content of a job

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Ethical and Legal Questions in Testing

1. You must be able to prove that your tests were related to success or failure on the job. 2. You must prove that your tests dont unfairly discriminate against either minority or nonminority subgroups.

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Ethical and Legal Questions in Testing

Adverse impact
- there is a significant discrepancy between rates of rejection of members of the protected groups and others

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Using Tests at Work

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Using Tests at Work

Outback is looking for employees who are highly social, meticulous, sympathetic, and adaptable. They use a special personality assessment test as part of a three-step preemployment interview process. The company compares the candidates test results to the profile for Outback Steakhouse employees.
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Tests of Cognitive Abilities

Intelligence tests (IQ tests)
- tests of general intellectual abilities including memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, and numeric ability

www.wonderlic.com
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Tests of Motor and Physical Abilities

Measure finger dexterity, strength, manual dexterity, and reaction time

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Personality Tests
Emphasize the big five personality dimensions as they apply to personnel testing Extroversion, Emotional stability, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Openness to experience

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Personality Tests
Conscientiousness shows a consistent relationship with all job performance criteria Extroversion is a valid predictor of performance for managers and sales employees Openness to experience and extroversion predicted training proficiency for all occupations
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Using Tests at Work

Interest inventories compare ones interests with those of people in various occupations

Achievement Tests are a measure of what a person has learned

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Management Assessment Centers

Management assessment centers
- Management candidates take tests and make decisions in simulated situations - involves 10 to 12 management candidates performing realistic management tasks under the observation of expert assessors over 2 to 3 days

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Management Assessment Centers (cont.)

The in-basket
- the candidate is faced with an accumulation of reports, memos, notes of incoming phone calls, letters, and other materials

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Management Assessment Centers (cont.)

The leaderless group discussion
- a leaderless group is given a discussion question and told to arrive at a group decision

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Management Assessment Centers (cont.)

Individual presentations
- a participants communication skills and persuasiveness are evaluated by having the person make an oral presentation on an assigned topic

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Testing on the Web

Financial firm CapitalOnes new online system eliminates the previous timeconsuming paper-and-pencil test process. Applicants for call center jobs complete an online application and online math and biodata tests. They also take an online role-playing call simulation.
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Selection Interview
Selection interview
- selection procedure designed to predict future job performance on the basis of applicants oral responses to oral inquiries

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Selection Interview
Non-structured
- interviewer asks questions as they come to mind - no set format to follow

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Selection Interview
Structured
- questions are specified in advance and the responses may be rated for appropriateness of content

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Types of Questions
Situational interviews
- questions focus on the candidates ability to project what his behavior would be in a given situation

Behavioral interviews
- applicants asked how they behaved in the past in some situation

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Behavioral Interviews
When Citizens Banking Corporation in Flint, Michigan, found that 31 of the 50 people in its call center quit in 1 year, Cynthia Wilson, the centers head, switched to behavioral interviews. Wilson says this makes it much harder to fool the interviewer, and, indeed, only four people left her center in the following year.

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Types of Questions
Sequential interview
- several people interview the applicant in sequence before a selection decision is made

Panel interview
- candidate is interviewed simultaneously by a group (or panel) of interviewers

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How Useful Are Interviews?

Structured interviews are generally more valid Can also help inexperienced interviewers to conduct useful interviews

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Common Interviewing Mistakes

Snap judgments Negative emphasis Not knowing the job Pressure to hire Candidate order (contrast) error Influence of nonverbal behavior Attractiveness Race

Ingratiation
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Guidelines for Conducting an Interview

Plan the Interview Start the interview with a clear picture of the traits of an ideal candidate

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Guidelines for Conducting an Interview (cont.)

Structure the interview Assures greater consistency, but helps to make sure that you are asking questions that provide real insight into how the person will perform on the job

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Increase the Standardization of the Interview

Base questions on actual job duties Use job knowledge, situational, or behaviorally oriented questions and objective criteria Train interviewers

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Increase the Standardization of the Interview

Use the same questions with all candidates Use rating scales to rate answers Use multiple interviewers or panel interviews Take brief notes during the interview

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Guidelines for Conducting an Interview

Establish rapport Ask questions Make it clear youre going to conduct reference checks Close the interview Leave time to answer any questions from the candidate

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Dos and Donts of Interview Questions

Dont ask questions that can be answered yes or no Dont put words in the applicants mouth or telegraph the desired answer Dont interrogate the applicant as if the person is a criminal, and dont be patronizing, sarcastic, or inattentive

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Dos and Donts of Interview Questions (cont.)

Dont monopolize the interview by rambling Do ask open-ended questions Do listen to the candidate to encourage him or her to express thoughts fully

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Dos and Donts of Interview Questions (cont.)

Do draw out the applicants opinions and feelings by repeating the persons last comment as a question Do ask for examples

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Reasons for Verifying Backgrounds

To verify the accuracy of factual information provided by the applicant To uncover damaging background information such as criminal records and suspended drivers licenses

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Checking Social Networking Sites

More employers are checking candidates social networking sites postings Recruiters found that 31% of applicants had lied about their qualifications and 19% had posted information about their drinking or drug use

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Making Reference Checks More Productive

Use a structured form Use the references offered by the applicant as merely a source for other references Ask open-ended questions Companies fielding requests for references should ensure that only authorized managers give them
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Honesty Testing
Polygraph tests Paper-and-pencil honesty tests Graphology Physical exams Drug screening

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Complying with the Immigration Law

Person does not have to be a U.S. citizen Employer should ask if candidate is lawfully authorized to work in the United States

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All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted, in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher. Printed in the United States of America.

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