Staffing
Chapters 8 - 11
Chapter 8 – External Selection

The process of assessment and evaluation of
external job applicants

Predict HR outcomes based on
experience/KSAOs:
 Attraction
 Performance
 Satisfaction
 Retention
 Performance
Chapter 8 – External Selection

Differentiating types of predictors
 Content
 Form
Speed v. power (fast v. accuracy)
 Paper and pencil v. performance
 Objective v. essay
 Oral v. written v. computer

Chapter 8 – External Selection

Initial assessment methods – which applicants will
become job candidates
 Resumes/cover
letters
 Scanning for keywords
 Resume statements should present:
 What you did, for whom, with what result
(remember “Task Statement” format from
Chapter 4)
 Developed reports v. Developed budget and
monthly performance reports for 20 department
managers semi-monthly to be used for project
management decisions.
Chapter 8 – External Selection

Application Blanks
Appropriateness
of questions
Job relatedness of questions
Who you provide an application to
Filing and processing of applications
#2 – Developing a lawful
application blank
Application
Chapter 8 – External Selection
 Weighted
application blanks
Scoring each question on the
application according to its
importance (job-relatedness).
Validity
of unweighted v. weighted
application blanks
Chapter 8 – External Selection
Information – biodata
(personal history)
 Biographical
History
Externality
Objectivity
Firsthandedness
Etc.
Chapter 8 – External Selection
Information – biodata
(personal history)
“Fakeable” items
Warn applicants
Option-keyed scoring (only items
that separate high/low performers)
Validate responses
 Biographical
Chapter 8 – External Selection
 Reference
reports
Letters
of recommendation
Reference checks
Background testing
#1 – Reference reports
and initial assessment in a start-up
company
 Application
Chapter 8 – External Selection
 Other
initial methods:
Handwriting
analysis
Literacy
Genetic
screening
Initial interviews
Video/computer interviews
Chapter 8 – External Selection
 Choice
of methods
Use
Cost
Reliability
Validity
Utility
Reactions
Adverse
impact
Chapter 8 – External Selection
 With
your group…
What
are the three preferred methods if
you used the following criteria:
 Validity
 Reliability
 Cost
 Utility
Chapter 8 – External Selection
 Legal
Issues
Disclaimers
 At-will,
verification consent, false
statements
Reference
checks (require permission)
Pre-employment inquiries (job related)
BFOQ
Chapter 9 – External Selection
assessment – defining
assessments to use (evaluation
criteria) to decide which job
candidates should become finalists
 Substantive
#1 – Assessment
methods for the job of HR Director
 Application
Chapter 9 – External Selection
tests – historically low
validity, but there are recent advances
 Personality
Big Five :
conscientiousness
extraversion
agreeableness
emotional stability
openness to experience
Chapter 9 – External Selection
 Ability
tests – physical, psychomotor,
etc.
 Cognitive ability
 Validity
 Adverse
impact
 Concrete v. abstract
Chapter 9 – External Selection

Other tests
 Job
knowledge tests
 Performance tests and work samples
Performance (overall, internship) v. work
 Motor v. verbal
 High v. low fidelity (realism)
 Computer v. paper and pencil
 Situational judgment (hypothetical)

Chapter 9 – External Selection

Other tests
 Integrity
tests
 Structured
interview
Chapter 9 – External Selection

Choice of substantive methods
 Use
 Cost
 Reliability
 Validity
 Utility
 Reaction
 Adverse
Impact
Chapter 9 – External Selection

Discretionary assessment methods
 Not

to be used alone
Contingent assessment methods
 Drug
testing
 Medical exams
Chapter 9 – External Selection

Selection decisions

Application #2 – Choosing among finalists
for the job of HR Director
Chapter 9 – External Selection

Legal Issues
 Uniform
Guidelines on Employee Selection
Procedures (UGESP) – guidelines on
selection, record-keeping, adverse impact,
selection rates, etc.
 ADA considerations
 Medical exams (consistency in administration)
Chapter 10 – Internal Selection

Initial assessment methods
 Skills
inventory
 Peer assessments
 Self-assessments
 Managerial sponsorship
 Informal discussions/recommendations
(careful – lowers validity)
Chapter 10 – Internal Selection

Choice of methods the same as for
external:
 Use,
cost, reliability, validity, utility, reaction,
adverse impact
Chapter 10 – Internal Selection
#1 – Changing a
promotion system
 Application
Chapter 10 – Internal Selection

Substantive methods
 Seniority
and experience
 Job knowledge tests
 Performance appraisal
 Promotability ratings
 Assessment centers
 Interview Simulation
 Promotion panels and review boards
Chapter 10 – Internal Selection

Application #2 – Promotion from within…
Chapter 10 – Internal Selection

Legal Issues
UGESP – covers internal as well as
external selection
 Adverse impact
 Glass ceiling
 General morale and perceptions

Chapter 11 – Decision Making

The process of decision making in the
selection process is central to overall
effectiveness of selection and legal
compliance
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Validity Coefficient
 Correlation,
Sign, magnitude

Face Validity - Appearance of validity

Correlation with other predictors

Adverse Impact

Utility
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Application #1 – Utility concerns in
choosing an assessment method
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Utility – expected gains from a predictor
success gain – proportion of successful
new hires
 Hiring
 Selection
ratio – no. hired/no. applicants
rate – no. successful employees/no.
employees (e.g., used in promotion or
training)
 Base
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Determining assessment scores
 Single
predictor – simple, weak
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Multiple predictors
 Compensatory
model – add scores together
Clinical prediction – expertise of managers
 Unit weighting – importance built into scores so
that all scores carry the same weight
 Rational weighting – scores carry different weights
 Multiple regression : y=a+bx1+bx2…bxn –
assesses statistical weighting (x) of each predictor
(b) to yield an overall outcome score (y)

Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Multiple hurdles model
 Must

earn passing score on each predictor
Combined model
 First,
only passing scores on each predictor
are considered
 Second, each of the predictors is assigned a
different weight
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Cut Scores
 Scores
reflecting passing to next step in the
process (what score is “good enough?”)
 We
must set cut scores to ensure that ALL
candidates with a likelihood of success are
selected WITHOUT considering too many
potentially unsuccessful candidates
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Methods To Determine Cut Scores
 Minimum
competency
 Top-Down (based on distribution of scores, no
of applicants to be hired)
 Banding – range of scores considered equal
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Making the final decision
 Random
selection (all other things being
equal)
 Ranking
 Grouping
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Application #2 – Choosing entrants into a
managerial training program
Chapter 11 – Decision Making

Legal Issues
 UGESP
– standards on cutoff scores