Unit Three: Employee

Selection
Session 1
The basics of selecting employees
• After recruitment, selecting the best person is
the next important step
• Careful selection is important because:
1. Performance depends upon subordinates
and employees with right skill and attributes
will do a better job
2. Screen out undesirables
3. Saving cost
4. Avoiding legal implications and negligent
hiring
5. Person job fit
Overview of Selection
• Recruitment: A process of generating pool of
candidates (positive)
• Selection: A process of squeezing down the
pool of candidates by using screening tools to
find out “the right candidate” (negative)
• Selection is the process of picking up
individuals (out of the pool of job applicants)
with requisite qualifications and competence to
fill jobs in the organization
• “Selection is the process of differentiating
between applicants in order to identify and hire
those with a greater likelihood of success in a
job.”
Selection Process

• Review of applicants
• Assessing potential candidates against
required attributes through selection
methods
• Deciding the right candidate
• Offering job to most suitable candidate
• Orienting selected candidate about
organization, for forth-coming
responsibilities
Basic testing concepts

• Reliability and validity – tools for

testing a test
• Test is sample of person’s behavior
• Checking reliability and validity is
very important
 Basic testing concepts
• Reliability
• Refers to consistency among different tests or
consistency on same test in different times
• Three kinds of reliability
1. Retest administer
- Administering same test at different times
2. Equivalent form estimate
- Take two equivalent forms of test
- E.g Gmat
3. Internal comparison estimate
- Check internal consistency
- Eg. Consistency among questions
 Example of Reliability
Test #1 Test #2
Test Retest Test Retest
Applicant Score Score* Applicant Score Score*
Art 90 93 Art 85 60
Betty 65 62 Betty 100 80
Cathy 110 105 Cathy 95 120
Don 80 78 Don 75 95

HIGH RELIABILITY VERY LOW RELIABILITY

*Retest administered two days later.

 Example of Reliability

Test #1 Test #2
Intervie Interview Interview Interview
Applic wer #1* er #2* Applic er #1* er #2*
ant ant
Ed 9 8 Ed 9 6
Frank 5 6 Frank 5 8
Gwen 4 5 Gwen 4 7
Helen 8 8 Helen 8 4

HIGH RELIABILITY VERY LOW RELIABILITY

*Ratings on a scale of 1 to 9.
 Basic testing concepts
• Validity
• Refers to checking whether the test is measuring
what it is supposed to
• Some tests more clearly reflect the behavior sampled
• Four kinds of validity
1. Face validity
 Does the test look like it measures what it is
supposed to measure?
 People’s perception on test, should not be offensive
2. Construct Validity
 Does the test really measure what it is supposed to
measure?
 Eg: measure of all five personality or not
3. Criterion validity
 Do the scores on the test relate to anything
important in the world of work
 Demonstrating that those who do well on the test
also do well on the job and vice versa
 Eg. Test and performance

4. Content validity
Do the items in the test adequately cover every
aspect of what the test is supposed to measure
Demonstrating that the test constitutes a fair sample
of the job’s content
Eg: Analytical reasoning should contain verbal and
numerical reasoning
How to validate a test?
1. Analyze the job
• Write JD and JS that specify the traits and skills
(predictors) needed to perform job successfully
• Set the standards for success (criteria) such as
quality, quantity, error

2. Choose the tests

• Choose the test that you think measure the
predictors important for the job success
• Choose based on experience, research best
guesses
• Use test battery instead of one to measure
several predictors
3. Administer tests
Concurrent validation:
• Administer test to the existing employees
• Compare the score with the performance

Predictive validation:
• The test is administered before hiring
• Hire using old tests
• Compare performance after hire and the
new test
4. Relate test scores and criteria
• Correlate the test scores and criteria

5. Cross validate and revalidate

• Performing 3 & 4 with new set of
candidates
 Issues in tests

• Validity generalization
- Refers to the degree to which evidence of a
measure’s validity obtained in one situation can
be generalized in another situation

• Bias
- Systematic distortion is the potential problem in
testing
- Should ensure that the tests are producing
biased results
 Issues in tests
• Ethical and legal considerations in testing
- EEO (no discrimination)
- Individual rights of test takers and test security
- Using tests as supplements

• Utility analysis
- Does it pay to use the test?
- Using monetary terms shows the degree to
which use of a selection measure improves the
quality of individuals selected over what would
have happened if the measure had not been used
Issues in tests
• Test conditions
- Make sure all the applicants take test
under the same conditions

• Revalidate periodically
- Revalidate the tests time and again

• Accurate records
- Record why applicant was rejected
Unit Three: Employee
Selection
Session 2
Using tests at work

• Test can be very effective

• Tests are widely used for selection
purpose in the organizations
• Wide varieties of tests are used by
the employers
Some basic tests are:
1. Tests of cognitive abilities
2. Test of motor and physical abilities
3. Personality tests
4. Interest inventories
5. Achievement tests
6. Computerized testing
7. Web based testing
8. Work sample tests and simulations
9. Other selection techniques
Tests of cognitive abilities
Two kinds of tests:
1. Intelligence test
• Test of general intellectual abilities, test range
of general traits such as memory, vocabulary,
verbal fluency and numerical ability
• Intelligence quotient- For children: Mental
age/Chronological age * 100
For adults: Derived score which reflects the
extent to which the person is above or below
the average adult’s intelligence score
• Examples: Stanford binet test, Wechsler test,
Wonderlic, Kaufman Adolescent and adult
intelligence test etc
Tests of cognitive abilities
2. Aptitude Tests
• Helps in determining person’s potential to learn
in given area
• Based on occupational aptitude such as
computer programming or sales ability or
related primary mental abilities such as verbal
reasoning, numerical ability, abstract
reasoning, clerical speed and accuracy,
mechanical reasoning, spatial ability and
spelling and language usage
Test of motor and physical abilities
• Measure of motor abilities such as
finger dexterity, manual dexterity,
reaction time etc

• Physical ability test include static

strength (lifting weights), dynamic
strength (pull ups), body coordination
(jumping rope) and stamina
 Personality tests
• Used to measure and predict intangible
personality factors such as introversion,
stability and motivation
• Two kinds:
1. Projective:
• Presenting an ambiguous stimulus and
evaluating the reaction, for eg, Make a
picture story, house tree person, Forer
structured sentence completion
 Personality tests
2. Self reported:
• Applicants fill the tests themselves, for eg.
Guilford-Zimmerman Survey, Minnesota
multiphasic personality test, Interpersonal style
inventory, Sales achievement predictors, Big five,
Myers briggs test
• Personality traits often correlate with job
performance
• But, projective tests are difficult to interpret,
chances of legal issues, debate on prediction of
performance by self report test
 Personality tests
Do personality test predict performance?
• Historically most experts believed that
personality test did predict performance such
as Big Five (extroversion, emotional stability,
agreeableness, conscientiousness and
openness to experience)
• Personality test do often correlate with job
performance and occupation
• Recently three debate risen up: projective
tests difficult to interpret, legal challenges and
question on self report personality tests
Interest inventories

• Used to measure an individual activity preferences

• Compare your interests with those of people with
various occupations
• Receive a report comparing his/her interests to
those of people already in occupation such as
accounting, engineering, management
• Identify high potential occupations
• Have many uses such as career planning,
selection tool (if you select person whose interests
are roughly the same as those of successful
incumbents in the job, its more likely that the
person will be successful)
• Achievement tests
- Measure the knowledge and skill which
the person has acquired, school tests
- Also, measure the applicant’s abilities,
typing test

• Computerized testing
- Replacement of paper and pencil and
manual tests

• Web based testing

- Online tests such as multiple choice or
personality tests
Work sample tests and simulations
• Present examinees with situations
representative of the job for which
they are applying and evaluate their
responses
• Measure the job performance directly

• Two variations
1. Work sample test
2. Assessment centers
Work sample tests
• Measurement of actual on-the-job tasks (miniature
sample)
• How one performs some of the job’s basic tasks
• Eg. Typing test for clerk
• Basic procedure: Select the sample of several tasks
crucial to performing the job and test applicants
perform them, see how well they perform
• Benefits
•Measure actual job tasks
•Accuracy
•No invasion of privacy
•Better predictor of performance
 Assessment centers
• A two to three-day simulation in which 10 to
12 candidates perform realistic management
tasks (like making presentations) under the
observation of experts who appraise each
candidate’s potential
• Can take place in a simple conference room
or may be special room with a one way mirror
to facilitate observation
• Can be costly but is worth the cost
 Assessment centers
Typical MAC exercise
• The in-basket (accumulation of reports,
memos, phone calls, letters)
• Leaderless group discussion
• Management games (Eg advertisment
making)
• Individual presentation
• Psychometric tests
• Objective tests
• The interview
Assessment centers
• Advantages:
- Effective in selection of management
candidates

• Disadvantages:
- Huge cost
- Longer time
- Requires managers as assessors
- Often require psychologists
• Situational testing
- Examinees respond to situations
representative of the job

• Video based situational testing

- Presenting several video situations each
followed by one or more multiple choice
questions

• Miniature job training and evaluation

- Training the candidates to perform the
job’s tasks and evaluating
 Reference checks
• Usually done at the end of the selection
process but is important
• Candidates not hired until and unless a
background check is done even if the person
is selected
• Primarily done to verify about the candidate
and her past as well as to check criminal
records
• References: Previous employers, known
public figures, university professor, neighbors
and friends
• Through letters or telephone
 Reference checks
• References checks cover following:
- Criminal record checks
- Previous employment checks
- Educational record checks
- Credit record checks
- Union affiliation checks
- Character reference checks
- Licensing verification
 Reference checks
• Purpose:
1. Gain insight about potential employee
2. Assess the potential success of the prospect
3. Easy way to avoid hiring mistakes
• Thinks to remember
– Referee may speak favorably for the sake of
retaining relation
– Referee may speak favorably in order to get rid of
employee
– Referee may speak unfavorably to take revenge
– Ways of background checks
- Previous employers
- Credit rating agency
- Social sites
Reference check
• If handled correctly, reference checks are
cost effective and straightforward way to
verify facts
• But there are limits to it
• To make reference checks more effective:
1. Use structured form
2. Ask for chain of references
3. Include open ended questions
4. Always compare application form with
resume
5. Attentiveness to red flags
6. Use telephone references
 Other selection techniques
• Polygraph tests
- Using lie detector machine to test the honesty of the
candidate
- The machine measures physiological changes like
perspiration
- Assumption- Changes reflect changes in emotional
state that accompany lying
- Mostly used in departmental stores, banks, treasury
office, jewellery shops
- Paper pencil or computerized honesty test try to
predict job applicant’s proneness to dishonesty,
measure attitudes regarding things like tolerance of
others who steal, seen to be valid
- Use of Human Lie Detector
Graphology
• Graphology is the study of handwriting to identify the
character and motives of people
• Advantages
- Easy to incorporate in selection procedures
- Flexible and unbiased
• Disadvantages
- Novelty
- Questions on validity
- Requirement of trained graphologist hence costly

• Two main schools of graphology

1. Gestalt graphology
2. Graphoanalysis
 1. Gestalt graphology
• European approach
• Analyzed by looking at following characteristics
- The repetition of strokes and its incorporation in
total writing
- Location and orientation of writing on the page
- How the writing is connected
-Form, movement and use of space
• Gestalt is the image that develops from these
interacting elements and is used to assess the
writer’s character and personality
• Assumption: Paper is writer’s world and
handwriting shows how writer sees herself in that
world
 2. Graphoanalysis
• American approach
• Break writing down into individual strokes
and ascribe meaning to each of those
strokes
• Graphoanalysis break the character of
writing into five main factors
- Slant
- Depth
- Imagination
- Size
- Rhythm
• Physical examination
- Measures physical fitness of the candidate
- Pre employment medical exams
- Generally done after the extension of offer but
before start of job
- Reasons:
1. To verify that the applicant meets the
position’s physical requirements
2. To discover any medical limitations
3. To establish a baseline for future insurance
or compensation claims
• Drug screening
- Measures the presence of illegal or
performance affecting drugs
- Done before the candidate is formally hired
- May be done in the course of employment if
suspect to be using drugs
- Can be done randomly or periodically as
well
Making a selection decision

• Clinical or intuitive or judgmental

approach
• Statistical or mechanical approach
• Hybrid approach
Class Case Discussion

“The Tough Screener”

Unit Three: Employee
Selection
Session 3
Interviews
• More than a discussion, a procedure to
obtain information regarding future job
performance from a person through oral
responses to oral inquiries
• Interview is physical or virtual meeting of
employer and prospective candidate
whereby the former tries to gather
information from latter usually to come
up with the hiring decision
• One of the most popular in two ways:
most frequently used and most reliance
placed
Interviews
• Popular form the point of view of
candidates as well, a selection decision
made without interview viewed with
suspicion
• Popular because interview is natural two
way process where people sit and talk
• Very effective if properly focused, used
and analyzed
 Interview

Based on
Based on Structure Based on Content
Administration

Structured Situational One to one

Unstructured Behavioral Panel

Mixed Job related Mass

Stress Sequential

Phone

Video

Computer
 Based on structure
Structured
(Directive/Guided/Patt
erned)
• The interviewer uses preset
standardized questions which
are put to all applicants
• Useful for valid results
especially when dealing with
large number of applicants
• Advantage: More effective
performance predictor, better
perceived by candidates,
consistent, easier to prepare
meaningful reports
• Disadvantage: Needs to train
the interviewer
Unstructured
(Nondirective/Unguided/
Unpatterned)
• The interviewer uses no
preset format and there is
seldom scoring format
• Less effective than structured
• Candidates does most of the
talking
• Advantage: More friendly,
more comfortable for
candidates, less preparation
required
• Disadvantage: Inconsistent
comparison, difficult to control,
difficult to assess skills
Based on content
• Situational
 Ask candidate to put themselves into
some hypothetical future situation and
describe how they would handle it
 Like a verbal role play
 Questions related to coping with
pressure, planning ability
 Advantage: Work related;
 Disadvantage: knowing do not guarantee
doing
Based on content
• Behavioral
 Asks questions about how the candidate
responded to the past situations (of
course related to job!)
 Premise: Best indicator of future is past
performance
 Advantage: More effective then situational
 Disadvantage: Different context
Based on content
• Job related or competency based
 Applicant is asked about the job related
questions such as past experiences
 Four primary competencies:
- Tangible skills
- Knowledge
- Behavior
-Interpersonal skills
Based on content
• Stress
 A series of harsh, rapid fire questions are
asked intended to upset the candidate
 Attempts to learn how the applicant will
respond to the pressure
 Advantage: Relevant for jobs like police
force, handling complaints, unearth hyper
sensitive applicants
 Disadvantage: Stress only one part of job
 Puzzle questions: Mike and Todd have Rs 21
between them. Mike has Rs 20 more than
Todd does. How much money Mike and
Todd have?
Based on administration
• One to one
Two people in the interview:
interviewer and interviewee asking
oral questions and answering orally

• Sequential
One step beyond one to one where
series of interviews are taken by
interviewers separately
Can be structured or unstructured
Based on administration
• Panel (Board interview)
 Group of interviewers asks questions to one
interviewee
 Enables interviewer to ask series of follow up
questions but might be considered more
stressful inhibiting responses

• Mass
 A panel interview where there are more than
one candidate is interviewed simultaneously
 The interviewer sees who leads in formulating
answers
 Based on administration
• Computer
 Requires candidates to answer series of multiple choice
questions custom made for the job
 Used to filter out undesirable candidates

• Telephone
 Less expensive and less time consuming
 Can be used for screening out candidates
 Less biasness

• Video
 Video conferencing technique to evaluate job applicants
 Flexible, fast and less expensive
 Can be used as preliminary interview
 Uses on Interview
• Information exchange
- Employer get general information on candidate and
provide information about the organization
- Candidate have the chance of asking questions
• Screening
- Assess the candidates potential such as
intelligence, job knowledge etc so as to make
decision (next stage)
- Have the advantage of personal touch
• Selection tool
- Use as a final tool for selection of the candidate
- Requires a greater degree of sophistication and
preparation
Three ways to effective interview

• Structure the interview

• Ask situational questions
• Objective scoring
• Individual interviews
• Be careful what sorts of traits you
try to assess
• Beware of committing interviewing
errors
 Pitfalls of interview
• Snap judgments
Judgments made within first few seconds and then
taking the interview to reinforce the judgment, “first
impression last impression”

• Negative Emphasis
Interviewers tend be more influenced by unfavorable
than favorable information

• Stereotyping
Discrimination/ categorization made on the basis of
group one belong to
Pitfalls of interview
• Pressure to hire
Pressure to favor/hire a candidate or fill the position

• Contrast error
Candidate order affects the ratings of them

• Influence of non verbal behavior/attractiveness

(Impression Management)
How candidates looks and behaves or attractiveness
determining the interview ratings

• Mirroring
Assessment made according to whether interviewer
is similar or dissimilar to the interviewee
Pitfalls of interview
• Ingratiation and self promotion
Ingratiation means agreeing with the recruiter’s
opinion
Self promotion means promoting one’s own skills and
abilities to create impression of competence

• Halo effect
Interviewer judging the candidates based on a single
characteristics
Eg. Linking performance with dress
How to conduct an effective interview
• Plan the interview
- Review of candidates application and
resume as well as JS
• Structure the interview
1. Study the JD and base questions on it
2. Use all kinds of questions
3. Train interviewers
4. Use same questions for all
5. Use rating scales to rate the answers
6. Use multiple interviewers
7. Use a structured interview form
8. Take brief notes
How to conduct an effective interview
• Establish rapport
- Putting person at ease
• Ask questions
- Follow structured interview guide
- Be clear on what to ask and what not
• Close the interview
- Answering questions and end on positive
note
• Review the interview
- Review the interview notes
Streamlined interview
process
1. Prepare for the interview
(knowledge and experience,
motivation, intellectual capacity
and personality factor)
2. Formulate questions to ask in the
interview
3. Conduct the interview (Have a plan
and follow a plan)
4. Match the candidates to the job
Guidelines for interviewee
• Preparation is essential
• Uncover the interviewer’s real needs
• Relate yourself to the interviewer’s
needs
• Think before answering (pause-think-
speak)
• Remember that appearance and
enthusiasm are important
• Make a good first impression (smile, firm
handshake, humor)
• Ask questions
Class Case Discussion

“The Out of Control Interview”

Next Class

• Role play of the interview