Chapter 6 Employee Selection

While the overall selection process is the responsibility of the HR department, managers or supervisors often make the final decision about hiring personnel into their unit.

• True

• False

A behavioral description interview focuses on hypothetical situations.

• True

• False

Leslie typically conducts highly structured interviews with candidates, which means that Leslie determines the course that the interview will follow as each question is asked.

• True

• False

The hiring managers at OpTech prefer to conduct automated interviews because they allow them to ask follow-up questions immediately.

• True

• False

Physical ability tests tend to predict performance, accidents, and injuries.

• True

• False

Data obtained from nondirective interviews are relatively easy to validate.

• True

• False

OpTech uses a selection strategy in which the applicants take a series of tests. Only the applicants with the highest scores on a test go on to the next stage. OpTech uses a multiple hurdle selection decision model.

• True

• False

Define the concepts of reliability and validity.

Answer explanation

Reliability - which interviews, tests, and other selection procedures yield comparable data over a period of time.

Validity - what a selection procedure measures and how well it measures it

Briefly explain the different types of employment tests.

Answer explanation

Biographical data test (Biodata test)

Personality and interest inventories

Physical ability test

Job knowledge test

Job Sample test

Honesty test

Compare and contrast the following four interview approaches: (1) nondirective interview, (2) structured interview, (3) situational interview, and (4) behavioral description interview.

Answer explanation

1. nondirective interview=interviewer allows the applicant the maximum amount of freedom in determining the course of the discussion. The interviewer asks broad, general questions, but permits the applicant to talk freely with little interruption. The greater freedom afforded to the applicant in the nondirective interview is particularly valuable in bringing to the interviewer's attention any information, attitudes, or feelings that a more structured approach may conceal. However, the unstructured nature of this approach limits the consistency of information provided and makes it difficult to cross-check agreement with other interviewers. Thus, the reliability and validity of the nondirective approach are questionable.

3. Structured interview has several standard questions asked of each job applicant. Questions are job-related based upon job analysis. Because applicants are asked identical questions, the structured interview provides a more consistent basis for evaluating job candidates. This interview strives to maximize the validity of selection decisions.

5. situational interview=applicants are given a hypothetical incident and asked to indicate how they would handle it. Responses are evaluated relative to preestablished benchmark standards.

Behavioural description interviews focus on actual work incidents in the interviewee’s past and what the applicant did in response. This interviewing approach assumes that past performance best predicts future performance.