Chapter 7

Selecting Employees

Ayesha Tabassum
Eastern University

What is Selection
Choosing individuals who have
needed qualifications to fill jobs in an
organization
Importance of Selection
Good training will not make up for bad
selection
Hire hard, manage easy

Purpose of Selection
To ensure
Person-job fit
Person-organization fit
A good person-job fit canIncrease the employee performance
(quality and quantity of work)
Reduce turnover and absenteeism
Reduce other HR problems
Reduce training and operating costs

Selection Process

Initial Screening

Screening inquiries
Screening interviews

Application Forms
Purposes
Records the applicants desire to
obtain a position
Provides the interviewer with a
profile of the applicant
Basic employee record for
applicants who are hired
Used for research on the
effectiveness of the selection
process

EEO and Application Form Contents

Illegal information:
Gender
Race
Age
Religion
Color
National origin
Disability
Marital status
Information on spouse and dependents

Preemployment Testing

Employment Tests
Ability Tests
Personality Tests
Achievement Tests
Honesty/Integrity Tests

Employment Tests
Ability Test:

Ability tests are standardized ways of assessing how

well people typically perform in varying work tasks
or react in different situations.
Achievement Test:
An achievement test is a test of developed skill or job
knowledge. It measures what someone has learned in
a job.

Ability Tests
Cognitive ability tests
Physical ability tests
Skill-

based/psychomotor
tests
Work sample tests

Personality Tests
Personality tests assist employers to evaluate how

you are likely to handle relevant work-related

activities
Big-Five Personality Dimensions:
Conscientiousness
Agreeableness
Extroversion
Openness to Experiences
Emotional Stability

Sample Personality Test Questions

Employment Tests
Honesty/Integrity Tests
Overt Integrity Tests: Inquiries about individual
honesty and attitudes and behavior regarding theft
Personality Oriented Integrity Tests: Uses
psychological concepts such as dependability,
respect for authority and others
Polygraphs: Lie detectors

Employment Tests
Personality tests
Graphology
Psychic advisors
Realistic job previews

Selection Interviews
Most Effective

Structured Interviews
Behavioral Interviews
Situational Interviews
Less Structured Interviews
Non-Directive Interviews
Stress Interviews

Least Effective

Unstructured Interviews

Structured Interviews
Behavioral Interviews: Applicants give specific

examples of how they have performed a certain

task or handled a problem in past
Situational Interview: Composed of questions

about how applicants might handle specific job

situation

Less Structured Interviews

Nondirective Interviews:
Uses questions that are developed from the
answers to previous questions
Disadvantages:
Difficulties in keeping job related
information
Difficulties in obtaining comparable data
Different questions are asked to different
applicants

Less Structured Interviews

Stress Interview:
Designed to create anxiety and put pressure on an
applicant to see how the person responds
Extremely aggressive and insulting posture
Disadvantages:
High-risk approach for the
employer
Generates a poor image of the
employer
Potential applicant may turn
down the job offer

Interview Issues
Interviewer bias
Impression management
Problems in interview:

- Snap Judgments
- Negative Emphasis
- Halo Effect
- Biases and Stereotypes
- Cultural Noises

Steps for Effective Interview

Review the job description and specification
Prepare a structured set of questions
Review the application form and resume
Open the interview
Ask your questions and listen carefully
Take a few notes
Close the interview
Write your evaluation

Background Investigation
References
Former employers
Educational accomplishments
Credit references
Criminal records
Drug screen
Background check by third-party investigators
Online searches

Thank You

2015 A. Tabassum