Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs Chapter Six: Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs Human Resource Management 3rd edition by R.A. Noe, J.R. Hollenbeck, B. Gerhart, and P.M. Wright 142 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs ROADMAP: THE LECTURE SELECTING EMPLOYEES AND PLACING THEM IN JOBS Chapter Summary This chapter explores ways to minimize errors in employee selection and placement. It starts by describing the selection process and how to evaluate possible methods for carrying out that process. The chapter then takes an in-depth look at the most widely used methods such as applications and rsums, employment tests and interviews. The chapter ends by describing the process by which organizations arrive at a final selection decision. Learning Objectives After studying this chapter, the student should be able to: 1. Identify the elements of the selection process. 2. Define ways to measure the success of a selection method. 3. Summarize the government's requirements for employee selection. 4. Compare the common methods used for selecting human resources. 5. Describe major types of employment tests. 6. Discuss how to conduct effective interviews. 7. Explain how employers carry out the process of making a selection decision. 143 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs I. Introduction 1. Hiring decisions are about finding the people who will be a good fit with the job and the organization. 2. An organization's decisions about selecting personnel are central to its ability to survive, adapt, and grow. 3. Selection decisions become especially critical when organizations face tight labor markets or must compete for talent with other organizations in the same industry. II. Selection Process 1. Personnel selection is the process through which organizations make decisions about who will or will not be allowed to join the organization. 2. Selection begins with the candidates identified through recruitment and attempts to reduce their number to the individuals best qualified to perform the available jobs. 3. Figure 6.1, Steps in the Selection Process, identifies the steps involved in the selection process. PPT Slide 6: 4. The steps in the selection process include: a. Screening applications and rsums b. Testing and reviewing work samples c. Interviewing candidates d. Checking references and background e. Making the selection 144 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 5. The best selection methods will provide information that is reliable and valid and can be generalized to apply to the organization's group of candidates. 6. In addition, selection should measure characteristics that have practical benefits for the organization. 7. Selection criteria must meet legal requirements in effect where the organization operates. A. Reliability 1. Reliability refers to the extent to which a type of measurement is free from random error. 2. A reliable measurement generates consistent results. 2. Usually, information about the reliability of tests involves statistics such as correlation coefficients. These statistics measure the degree to which two sets of numbers are related. A higher correlation coefficient signifies a stronger relationship. B. Validity 1. Validity describes the extent to which performance on the measures, such as a test score, is related to what the measure is designed to assess, such as job performance. 2. As with reliability, information about the validity of selection methods often uses correlation coefficients. 3. The federal government's Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures accept three ways of measuring validity: criterion-related, content, and construct validity. 4. Criterion-Related Validity: Criterion-related validity is a measure of validity based on showing a substantial correlation between test scores and job performance scores. 5. Figure 6.2, Measurements of a Student's Aptitude, presents information derived by a company making a comparison of two measures - an intelligence test and college grade point average - with performance as sales representative. 145 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs PPT Slide 13: 6. Two kinds of research are possible for arriving at criterion-related validity: a. Predictive validation: This research uses the test scores of all applicants and looks for a relationship between scores and future performance. b. Concurrent validation: This type of research administers a test to people who currently hold a job, and then compares their scores to existing measures of job performance. 7. Predictive validation is more time consuming and difficult, but it is the best measure of validity. 8. Content and Construct Validity: Content validity is consistency between the test items or problems and the kinds of situations or problems that occur on the job. The usual basis for deciding that a test has content validity is through expert judgment. Content validity is most suitable for measuring behavior that is concrete and observable. Construct validity involves establishing that tests really do measure intelligence, leadership ability, or other such \"constructs\" as well as showing that mastery of this construct is associated with successful performance of the job. Tests that measure a construct usually measure a combination of behaviors thought to be associated with the construct. C. Ability to Generalize 1. Along with validity in general, we need to know whether a selection method is valid in the context in which the organization wants to use it. 2. A generalizable method applies not only to the conditions in which the method was originally developed - job, organization, people, time period, and so on, it also applies to other organizations, jobs, applicants, and so on. 3. As described in the \"eHRM\" Box: Surfing the Tidal Wave of Job Applications, posting job vacancies online can result in a flood of applications from serious and not-so-serious job hunters. 146 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs D. Practical Value 1. Not only should selection methods such as tests and interview responses accurately predict how well individuals will perform, they should produce information that actually benefits the organization. Methods that provide economic value greater than the cost of using them are said to have utility. E. Legal Standards for Selection 1. The U.S. government imposes legal limits on selection decisions. The government requires that the selection process be conducted in a way that avoids discrimination and provides access to employees with disabilities. 2. The following laws have many applications to the selection process: a. The Civil Rights Act of 1991 - places requirements on the choices of selection methods and prohibits preferential treatment in favor of minority groups. b. Equal Employment Opportunity Laws - affect the kinds of information an organization may gather on application forms and in interviews. c. The American with Disabilities Act (ADA) of 1991 - requires employers to make reasonable accommodation to disabled individuals and restricts many kinds of questions during the selection process. 3. Table 6.1 identifies questions that are permissible and questions that are not permissible to ask via applications or interview. PPT Slide 20: 4. Along with equal employment opportunity, organizations must be concerned about candidates' privacy rights. 5. Another legal requirement is that employers hiring people to work in the United States must ensure that anyone they hire is eligible for employment in this country. 147 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 6. An important principle of selection is to combine several sources of information about candidates rather than relying solely on interviews or a single type of testing. III. Job Applications and Rsums 1. The usual ways of gathering background information are by asking applicants to fill out application forms and provide rsums. 2. The \"Best Practices\" Box: Computers Channel Flood of Rsums at Southern Company explains how one company has used technology to meet the challenge of the sheer volume of work rsums and applications generate for a given organization. A. Application Forms 1. Asking each applicant to fill out an employment application is a low-cost way to gather basic data from many applicants. 2. Employers can buy general-purpose application forms or they can create their own forms to meet unique needs. Employment applications include areas for applicants to provide several types of information: a. Contact information b. Work experience c. Educational background c. Applicant's signature B. Rsums 1. The usual way that applicants introduce themselves to a potential employer is to submit a rsum. An obvious drawback of this information source is that applicants control the content of the information as well as the way it is presented. 2. Organizations typically use rsums as a basis for deciding which candidates to investigate further. 3. Review of rsums is most valid when the content of the rsums is evaluated in terms of the elements of a job description. 148 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs C. References 1. Applicants provide the names and phone numbers of former employers or others who can vouch for their abilities and past job performance. 2. References are not always an unbiased source of information. 3. Usually the organization checks references after it has determined that the applicant is a finalist for the job. 4. Difficulties can be associated with providing references for former employees. If the person who is a reference gives negative information, there is a chance the candidate will claim defamation, meaning the person damaged the applicant's reputation by making statements than cannot be proved truthful. At the other extreme, if the person gives a glowing statement about a candidate and the new employer later learns of misdeeds such as sexual misconduct or workplace violence, the new employer might sue the former employer for misrepresentation. D. Background Checks 1. A background check is a way to verify that applicants are as they represent themselves to be. 2. Verifying credentials and conducting background checks is more complicated when candidates are not U.S. citizens. IV. Employment Tests and Work Samples 1. When the organization has identified candidates whose applications or rsums indicate they meet basic requirements, the organization continues the selection process with this narrower pool of candidates. Often the next step is to gather objective data through one or more employment tests. These tests fall into two broad categories: a. Aptitude tests: assess how well a person can learn or acquire skills and abilities. b. Achievement tests: measure a person's existing knowledge and skills. 149 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 2. Other types of employment tests utilized by organizations include: (1) Employment tests may assess general abilities such as physical strength or specific skills such as keyboarding speed, (2) Personality tests find applicants who have personality traits associated with successful job performance, (3) Integrity tests help weed out dishonest candidates, and (4) Drug testing and medical examinations try to ensure that candidates meet physical job requirements and will not be impaired on the job. 3. Table 6.2 identifies several sources of information about employment tests. PPT Slide 29: A. Physical Ability Tests 1. Physical strength and endurance play less of a role in the modern workplace than in the past thanks to the use of automation and modern technology. When these abilities are essential to job performance or avoidance of injury, the organization may use physical ability tests. 2. Physical ability tests evaluate one or more of the following areas of physical ability: muscular tension, muscular power, muscular endurance, cardiovascular endurance, flexibility, balance, and coordination. 3. Physical ability tests tend to exclude women and people with disabilities. As a result, they can leave an organization vulnerable to charges of discrimination. B. Cognitive Ability Tests 1. Cognitive ability tests - sometimes called intelligence tests - are designed to measure such mental abilities as verbal skills (skill in using written and spoken language), quantitative skills (skill in working with numbers), and reasoning ability (skill in thinking through the answer to a problem). 2. These tests are especially valid for complex jobs and for those requiring adaptability in changing circumstances. 150 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 3. Concern over legal issues arises with the use of these tests. Race norming is establishing different norms for hiring members of different racial groups. Banding is one solution to the problem. This concept treats a range of scores as being similar. C. Job Performance Tests and Work Samples 1. To evaluate candidates for certain jobs, the organization may administer tests of the necessary skills. Sometimes candidates take tests that involve a sample of work or they may show existing samples of their work. 2. Examples of job performance tests include tests of keyboarding speed and in-basket tests. An in-basket test measures the ability to juggle a variety of demands, as in a manager's job. Examples of jobs for which candidates provide work samples include graphic designers and writers. 3. Tests for selecting managers may take the form of an assessment center - a wide variety of specific selection programs that use multiple selection methods to rate applicants or job incumbents on their management potential. 4. Job performance tests have the advantage of being job specific - that is, tailored to the kind of work done in a specific job. They can become disadvantages if the organization wants to generalize the results of a test for one job to candidates for other jobs. These tests can be expensive. D. Personality Inventories 1. Employers may want to know about candidates' personalities. Table 6.3 identifies five major personality dimensions that are measured by personality inventories. PPT Slide 31: 2. The usual way to identify a candidate's personality traits is to administer one of the personality tests that are commercially available. Administration of these tests is simple and the tests have generally not violated equal opportunity employment requirements. 151 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs E. Honesty Tests and Drug Tests 1. The most famous kind of honesty test is the polygraph or the so-called \"lie detector\" test. In 1988, the passage of the Polygraph Act banned the use of polygraphs for screening job candidates. As a result, testing services have developed paper-and-pencil honesty (integrity) tests. 2. As concerns about substance abuse have grown during recent decades, so has the use of drug testing. 3. Drug tests are controversial for several reasons: (1) invasion of individual's privacy, (2) unreasonable search and seizure, and (3) violation of due process. 4. Employers considering the use of drug tests should ensure that their drugtesting programs conform to some general rules such as: a. The tests should be administered systematically to all applicants for the same job. b. Testing seems most defensible for jobs that involve safety hazards when not performed properly. c. The applicant should receive a report of the test results and should know how to appeal those results. d. The organization should respect the applicants' privacy. e. The test results should be strictly confidential. f. The testing program should be part of a wider organizational program that provides rehabilitation counseling. 5. Another way organizations can avoid some of the problems with drug testing is to replace those tests with impairment testing of employees, also called fitness-for-duty testing. F.Medical Examinations 1. Especially for physically demanding jobs, organizations may wish to conduct medical examinations to see that the applicant can meet the job's requirements. 2. Medical exams must be related to job requirements and may not be given until the candidate has received a job offer. 152 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs V. Interviews 1. Interviews bring together job applicants and representatives of the employer to obtain information and evaluate the applicant's qualifications. 2. This method is part of the selection process and is used more than any other. A. Interviewing Techniques 1. Interviews may be nondirective or structured. Nondirective interview: the interviewer has great discretion in choosing questions to ask each candidate. Interviews of this type do not have great reliability. Structured interview: uses a set of established questions for the interviewer to ask. 2. Some of the best results of interviewing come from the use of situational interviews - a type of structured interview in which the interviewer describes a situation likely to arise on the job then asks the candidate what he or she would do in that situation. 3. Situational interviews have been shown to have high validity in predicting job performance. A variation is the behavior description interview (BDI). In this type of interview the interviewer asks the candidate to describe how she or he handled a type of situation in the past. 4. The common setup for either a nondirected or structured interview is for an individual (an HR professional or the supervisor for the vacant position) to interview each candidate face to face. 5. Variations to the face-to-face interview include: a. Panel interview - several members of the organization meet to interview each candidate - especially appropriate in organizations that use teamwork. b. Computerized interviews - no human interviewers involved - candidate responds to questions presented by the computer - useful for gathering objective data rather than assessing people. B. Advantages and Disadvantages of Interviewing 1. Advantages include: (1) talking face to face can provide evidence of communication and interpersonal skills, and (2) gain insight into candidates' personality and interpersonal style 2. Disadvantages include: (1) can be unreliable, (2) low on validity, (3) can be biased against a number of different groups, (4) costly, and (5) subjective. 153 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 3. Organizations can avoid some of the pitfalls of interviewing by keeping the interviews narrow, structured, and standardized. 4. The \"HR How To\" Box: Interviewing Effectively provides more specific guidelines for successful interviewing. C. Preparing to Interview 1. A well-planned interview should be standardized, comfortable for the participants, and focused on the job and the organization. 2. The interviewer should: (1) have a quiet place in which to conduct the interview without interruption, (2) be trained in how to ask objective questions, (3) be aware of what subject matter to avoid, (4) know how to detect and handle personal biases or other distractions from fairly evaluating candidates, and (5) have enough documents to conduct a complete interview including organizational information, if at all possible. VI. Selection Decisions 1. The selection decision typically combines ranking based on objective criteria along with subjective judgments about which candidate will make the greatest contribution. A. How Organizations Select Employees 1. The people making the selection decision should look for the best fit between candidate and position. 2. The usual process for arriving at a selection decision is to gradually narrow the pool of candidates for each job. This approach is called the multiplehurdle model. 3. The \"Did You Know?\" Box: First Impressions Matter describes the thinking of an interviewer who applies the multiple-hurdle model. 4. In an alternative approach, a compensatory model is used. This is the process of arriving at a selection decision in which a very high score on one type of assessment can make up for a low score on another. 5. Organizations have choices about who will make the decision. Usually a supervisor makes the final decision, often alone. The decision could be made by a human resource professional using standardized, objective criteria. A work team or other panel of decision makers may make selection decisions. 154 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs B. Communicating the Decision 1. The human resource department is often responsible for notifying applicants about the results of the selection process. 2. The person who communicates this decision should keep accurate records of who was contacted, when, and for which position, as well as of the candidate's reply. ROADMAP: CASE STUDY Thinking Ethically Tech Worker Shortage or Age Discrimination? Case Summary The case discusses the ostensible shortage of engineers and computer scientists. While employers argue for a legitimate shortage of qualified talent, others argue that employers are discriminating based upon age, because they do not want to pay the higher salaries commanded by older and more experienced technology professionals. Questions: 1. If a company tends to hire young engineers or programmers, is this necessarily age discrimination? Is it necessarily unethical? Why or why not? The answer to this question is not necessarily easy to discern. If an employer uses selection criteria that are not valid and reliable, and if there methods of selecting employees favor younger workers, then the company is acting unethically. If an employer makes every attempt to attract, recruit and select employees based upon their qualifications, then the company is not acting unethically. 2. Does an employer have an ethical obligation to recruit older workers? Does it have an ethical obligation to retain technical workers as they grow older (and more experienced)? Why or why not? Student responses will vary, but possibly responses could include that the ethical obligation of a company does not mean making a concerted effort to hire older workers, but rather, that a company refrain from employment practices that discriminate against older workers. An employer does have an ethical obligation to treat older and more experienced workers fairly and ethically, which would include prohibitions on targeting older workers for layoffs or downsizing. 155 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 3. Suppose you are an HR manager at a company that employs computer programmers. In light of the trends described in this article, consider whether you can identify a business opportunity in taking the ethical high road in regard to your recruiting and selection processes. Summarize your recommendations for how you would proceed. The article pointed out that attrition rates for computer science graduates: only 57 percent of computer science graduates are working as programmers five years after graduating; and that only 34 percent remain after ten years. In twenty years, only 23 percent remain. For a company to take the ethical high-road on this issue, it should refrain from activities that privilege younger workers and marginalize older workers. A company should ask itself whether or not it is using the complaint about the shortage of engineers and computer scientists as a rationalization tactic to keep from payer higher salaries. In summary, only the individual company's HR and its leadership can make an honest determination about the company's motives and ensuing HR activities. 156 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs ROADMAP: Chapter Vocabulary Achievement Tests Aptitude Tests Assessment Center Behavior Description Interview Cognitive Ability Tests Compensatory Model Concurrent Validation Construct Validity Content Validity Criterion-Related Validity Generalizable Immigration Reform and Control Act of 1986 Multiple-Hurdle Model Nondirective Interview Panel Interview Personnel Selection Predictive Validity Reliability Situational Interviews Structured Interview Utility Validity 157 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs ROADMAP: Review and Discussion Questions 1. What activities are involved in the selection process? Think of the last time you were hired for a job. Which of those activities were used in selecting you? Should the organization that hired you have used other methods as well? There are several activities involved in the selection process. Selection typically begins with a review of candidates, employment applications and rsums. The organization may administer tests to candidates who meet the basic requirements and qualified candidates undergo one or more interviews. Organizations check references and conduct background checks to verify the accuracy of information provided by candidates. A candidate is selected to fill each vacant position. Candidates who accept offers are placed in the positions for which they were selected. The student responses provided regarding selection activities that they have experienced would vary. The individual responses should include such information as: completed an application, had a typing test, had an interview with the department supervisor, received a job offer from the organization, and accepted the job offer. The responses provided as to whether the organization should have utilized other methods will also vary, but should reflect knowledge gleaned from the chapter material. 2. Why should the selection process be adapted to fit the organization's job description? A job description identifies the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required for successfully performing a job. The selection process should be set up in such a way as to assist the organization with identifying people who have the necessary KSAOs for the vacant position. Without the selection process being adapted to fit the organization's job description, individuals lacking in the necessary KSAOs may erroneously be hired. 3. Choose two of the selection methods identified in this chapter. Describe how you can compare them in terms of reliability, validity, ability to generalize, utility, and compliance with the law. 158 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs Selection methods identified within the chapter material include employment applications and rsums, references and background checks, employment tests and work samples, and interviews. In order to compare the selection methods in the terms identified above, there must be understanding of those given terms. Reliability: the extent to which a measurement is free from random error. Validity: the extent to which performance on a measure is related to what the measure is designed to assess. Generalizable: valid in other contexts beyond the context in which the selection method was developed. Utility: the extent to which something provides economic value greater than its cost. The student's may choose any of the two selection methods identified within the chapter. They should make the requested comparisons between the two methods that were selected. 4. Why does predictive validation provide better information than concurrent validation? Why is this type of validation more difficult? Predictive validation is research that uses the test scores of all applicants and looks for a relationship between the scores and future performance of the applicants who were hired. Concurrent validation is research that consists of administering a test to people who currently hold a job, then comparing their scores to existing measures of job performance. Predictive validation, while more time consuming and difficult, is considered to be the best measure of validity. Job applicants tend to be more motivated to do well on the tests and their performance on the tests is not influenced by their firsthand experience with the job. One reason why this type of validation is considered more difficult is the process itself. Initially, the researcher administers the tests, waits a set period of time, and then measures the performance of the applicants who were hired. 159 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 5. How do U.S. laws affect organizations' use of each of the employment tests? Interviews? An organization's selection process including its use of employment tests is greatly influenced by current U.S. laws. The selection process must be conducted in a way that avoids discrimination and provides access to persons with disabilities. This means selection methods (tests) must be valid for job performance and scores may not be adjusted to discriminate against or give preference to any group. Questions may not gather information about a person's membership in a protected class such as race, sex, or religion, nor may the employer investigate a person's disability status. Employers must respect candidates' privacy rights and ensure that they keep personal information confidential. They must obtain consent before conducting background checks and notify candidates about adverse decisions made as a result of background checks. 6. Suppose your organization needs to hire several computer programmers and you are reviewing rsums you obtained from an online service. What kinds of information will you want to gather from the \"work experience\" portion of these rsums? What kinds of information will you want to gather from the \"education\" portion of these rsums? What methods would you use for verifying or exploring this information? Why would you use those methods? The responses provided will vary. However, all responses should indicate understanding of the chapter concepts. Examples of suggested responses include: you would want to find out if the applicant has experience in the type of work for which there is a vacancy at the organization; you would want to see if there is any educational background to demonstrate higher understanding of the work that is to be performed in the job. In order to verify or explore the information provided, you would want to perform a thorough background check including securing transcripts from educational institutions, obtaining work references, and speaking with previous employers. These methods would be used in order to help ensure that the candidate is the best fit for the position available. 7. For each of the following jobs, select the two kinds of tests you think would be most important to include in the selection process. Explain why you chose those tests. A. City bus driver B. Insurance salesperson C. Member of a team that sells complex high-tech equipment to manufacturers D. Member of a team that makes a component of the equipment in (c) 160 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs The individual student responses will vary contingent upon personal opinion and understanding of the chapter concepts. However, some of the tests identified for each of the items identified above could be: (A) drug testing and medical examinations - to ensure the candidate is a safe worker; (B) personality tests and honesty tests - to ensure the communication skills and integrity of the individual meets the organization's needs; (C) cognitive ability tests and personality tests - to ensure the candidate has the necessary intelligence level and is able to work well with others; and (D) personality tests and physical ability tests - to ensure the candidate has the necessary personality traits for team work and has the physical capability for a manufacturing environment. 8. Suppose you are a human resource professional at a large retail chain. You want to improve the company's hiring process by creating standard designs for interviews, so that every time someone is interviewed for a particular job category, that person answers the same questions. You also want to make sure the questions asked are relevant to the job and maintain equal employment opportunity. Think of three questions to include in interviews for each of the following jobs. For each question, state why you think it should be included. A. B. C. Cashier at one of the company's stores Buyer of the stores' teen clothing line Accounts payable clerk at company headquarters The individual responses will vary, but each response should demonstrate understanding of the chapter concepts. 9. How can organizations improve the quality of their interviewing so that interviews provide valid information? Interviews should be narrow, structured, and standardized. Interviewers should identify job requirements and create a list of questions related to the requirements. Interviewers should be trained to recognize biases and conduct objective interviews. Panel interviews can reduce problems related to interviewer bias. Interviewers should put candidates at ease in a comfortable place that is free of distractions. Questions should ask for descriptions of relevant experience and job-related behaviors. 10. Some organizations set up a selection process that is long and complex. In some people's opinions, this kind of selection process not only is more valid but also has symbolic value. What can the use of a long, complex selection process symbolize to job seekers? How do you think this would affect the organization's ability to attract the best employees? 161 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs The student responses given for this question will vary. Suggested responses may include that a process of this type would indicate to the applicant that the organization takes the time to seek out the \"best\" qualified person available for the position. Such an approach may serve to attract the most conscientious and dedicated candidates available. ROADMAP: BusinessWeek Case Executives: Making It by Faking It Case Summary: This case discusses the prevalence of inflation and falsification of educational and other credentials by executives. The case emphasizes the need for corporations to conduct thorough background checks, even on executive talent, because of the proven fraud committed by many who seek and hold executive positions. Questions: 1. Suppose you are an HR manager at a company that needs to fill an important management position. In what situations would a candidate's educational background be important? In what situations would a candidate's track record as a manager or a leader be important? Students can make a valid case emphasizing either or both of these qualifications. For an upper level management position, both aspects of a candidate's background would be likely be important. Additionally, it is very important to ensure the veracity of the credentials that a candidate provides. 2. If you are considering a candidate whose management track record is good, would it matter whether the candidate described his or her educational background accurately? Why or why not? What if the misrepresentations involved the candidate's work history? Would your opinion change? A candidate, particularly for a responsible and important management position, should be impeccably precise in the representation of both educational as well as experiential history. It is important for a candidate to present his or background with precision so that the employer can make a good hiring decision, but even more importantly, a candidate should possess integrity and character. A misrepresentation of either aspect of one's background speaks unfavorably about the fitness of the candidate to lead and to serve. 162 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs 3. The writer of this article expresses and opinion that the utility of background checks is high. Do you agree that employers should place more emphasis on background checks? It is important, when filling any vacancy, for an employer to be assured that the candidates' presentation of credentials is accurate. Background checks are critical to this process, and employers should place more emphasis on them. ROADMAP: End of Chapter Case How Google Chooses Employees Case Summary This case scenario discusses some of the predictive measures used by Google to help inform hiring decisions. Some of the measures that Google has previously used (such as owning a dog) lacked validity, while others (such as starting a club) have validity. Questions: 1. Based on the information given, would you say that Google's use of questionnaires is a reliable, valid and generalizable way to select employees? Why or why not? Student responses may vary, and look for evidence that the students understand what reliability, validity, and generalizabilty are. 2. How does this approach to selection contribute to making selection decisions that avoid illegal discrimination? Using tests such as are not easily justifiable on basis of reliability, validity and generalizability do put an employer at risk for charges of illegal discrimination. If a test measures what it is designed to measure, and if the results of a particular test predict success on the job, the employer can legally and ethically assert the appropriateness of a test. If not, the employer has some exposure. An employer should always take pains to ensure that employment tests are appropriate along these three dimensions. 3. Besides the questionnaires, what other selection methods would you recommend that Google use? How would these improve selection methods? 163 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs Responses could include specific tests to measure skill, such as validated technical tests for computer programmers. Responses could also include the use of behavioral interviewing techniques for positions that require judgment or relationship-building skills. ROADMAP: Video Case Video Case: The Job Market for Graduates (3:33) The good news for graduating college students entering the workforce is that the job market is getting better. The bad news is, there are lots of you competing. But that's not all that bad. If you're looking in a strong industry and you're clever about searching and interviewing, you will soon launch your career. The class of 2007 entered one of the best job markets in several years, with hiring up in many sectors. The demand for new college graduates reached an all-time high in spring 2001, dropped dramatically in 2002 and 2003, and has moved up slowly since 2004.1 A Monster.com survey found that 76 percent of employers planned to hire grads in spring and summer 2007, a significant increase from the previous year. Why the jump in the number of jobs? \"Companies are saying that as they expand into global markets, they have more positions open,\" said Andrea Koncz, employment information manager for the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE), \"and with the retirement of the baby boomers, companies want to hire new talent.\" Employers aren't wasting time in their talent search. Figures from NACE show that more than 80 percent of the undergraduate class of 2007 that applied for full-time jobs received at least one offer by early May, and on average applicants received 2.25 employment offers. 2 Along with overseas expansion and older workers' leaving the workforce, the low unemployment rate4.5 percent according to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statisticsalso has contributed to the need for workers. Several industriessales, marketing, public relations, accounting, financial services, customer service, and healthcare--have been recruiting. Manufacturers and consumer-goods companies are also making strong offers to college grads. Starting salaries are up 3 to 5 percent across all industries. 3 Even with an increase in hiring, job seekers face lots of competition. Employers responding to the MonsterTrak survey anticipated receiving 73 applications for every entry level position. To increase your chances of getting an interview, go to all campus recruiting events your college or university hosts. These are opportunities for students to meet and talk with employers. Also use your school's career services center to find names of alumni who can be valuable contacts in the job search. Such efforts helped Dan Devine land a job as institutional sale assistant in a New York asset management firm before graduation from Fordham University. \"I was lucky to interview with an alum who graduated seven years ago,\" Dan said, \"and we were able to instantly connect.\" The two shared Fordham stories during this successful first interview. In Dan's second interview he spoke to five different people, answered \"every possible question,\" and came away thinking there was a great fit. 164 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs The level of competition makes interviewing strategies crucial. Recent college graduates are well advised to prepare carefully for the interview. Research the company and think of questions to ask. Act professionally. Wear a suitcleaned and pressed--to the interview. Afterwards, send interviewers a thank-you note. According to Dan Levi of Monster Worldwide, lack of professionalism is cited by employers as their most critical criterion for not hiring a candidate. Professionalism extends beyond your appearance and interpersonal behavior to your social networking via the Internet. Your potential boss is going to Google you and check out your Facebook or MySpace profile, so make sure yours presents a positive, professional image of youa strong job candidate in a strong job market. Discussion Questions 1. How can the selection interviewing process be made as effective as possible? 2. What is your opinion of the interviewing tips given in the video? Which tips of your own would you give to job seekers? References 1 Rebecca Knight, \"Overseas expansion lifts job market for US graduates,\" Financial Times, June 22, 2007, p. 8. 2 Knight. 3 \"Nice Work, Grads,\" Kiplinger's Personal Finance, June 2007, p. 26. 165 Chapter 06 - Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs ROADMAP: IT'S A WRAP! Your students can now REVIEW, APPLY, and PRACTICE the topics that you covered in Chapter Six with the following segments: REVIEW Chapter learning objectives Narrated lecture and iPOD content Test Your Knowledge: Reliability and Validity APPLY Manager's Hot Seat segment: \"Diversity in Hiring: Candidate Conundrum\" Video case on \"Job Market for Graduates\" Self-Assessments: Assessing How Personality Type Impacts Your Goal Setting; Skills and Analyzing Behavioral Interviews Web Exercise: National Association of Convenience Stores Employee Selection Tool PRACTICE Chapter Quiz 166