HR – Employee Testing
& Selection
The other side of the table!
Tehzeeb Sakina Amir
HRM-session 6
Spring 2011-MBA
Main contents
 Developing
 Basic
& using application forms
Testing Concepts
 Interviewing
Developing and Using Application
Forms
 Purpose
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Judgments on basis of education &
experience
Draw conclusions about applicant’s progress
and growth
Draw tentative conclusions about applicant’s
stability based on previous work records
Use the data in the application and predict the
success possibility of the applicant on the job
Developing and Using Application
Forms
 Types
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Different forms for different posts
Must provide information on prior job
assignment, skills, achievements, and end
with acknowledgment
 Beware
of Equal Employment laws while
developing form
 It should be concise yet comprehensive
Testing
Basic Testing Concepts
 Test
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A test is a sample of a person’s behavior
A test must be reliable and valid
As job demand increases employers tend to
rely more on testing procedures
For all level of employees
To find good employees and also to screen
out bad ones
Test results often followed by interviews
Basic Testing Concepts
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Reliability
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Consistency of scores
obtained by the same
person when retested with
the same test or with
alternate forms of the same
test.
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Forms to measure
reliability
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Test-retest reliability
Equivalent form reliability
Internal consistency
Validity
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The accuracy with which a
test measures what it
intends to measure
Criterion Validity - based
on showing that scores
on the test (predictors)
are related to job
performance (criterion)
Content Validity – that
contains a fair sample of
the tasks and skills
actually needed for the
job in question.
Validation process
criterion validity
 Step
1 Analyze the job (JDs become
predictors & define success on the job)
 Step 2 Choose the Test
 Step 3 Administer the Test
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Concurrent validation
Predictive validation
 Step
4 Criteria
 Step 5 -
Relate test scores and
Cross validate & Revalidate
Validation process
Content validity
 Content
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validity emphasize judgment
Start with JA to identify work behavior
required
Combine several samples of those behaviors
into a test
Testing Program Guidelines
 Use
tests as supplements
 Validate the tests
 Monitor testing/selection program
 Keep accurate records
 Use a certified psychologist
 Manage test conditions
 Revalidate periodically
Test taker’s rights and Test Security
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Test takers’ rights to privacy and information
under APA:
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Confidentiality of test scores
Informed consent
Only qualified people interpret the results
Fairness of the test
Respect & concern for others
Welfare / Avoiding harm
Obsolete tests
Ethical violations
Some tests
– personality test
 Wonderlic Personnel Test
 Numerical ability test
 Reading comprehension test
 Clerical checks
 In-basket technique
 Computerized and Online testing
 MMPI
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Quick pre-screening
Types of Tests
 Tests
of Cognitive Abilities
 Tests of motor & physical abilities
 Personality & Interests Tests
 Achievement Tests
Types of Tests
 Tests
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Intelligence Tests (IQ tests – multiple abilities:
memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, numerical
ability)
Specific Cognitive Abilities – aptitude tests like
Test of Mechanical Comprehension
 Tests
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of Cognitive Abilities
of Motor & Physical Abilities
Finger dexterity, manual dexterity, reaction
time tests. The Crawford Small Parts Dexterity
Test, Stromberg Dexterity Test, Purdue Peg
Board Test
Personality Tests
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Personality & Interest Test – measure traits like
stability, introversion, motivation etc.
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Projective tests are used – Rorschach, TAT, Make-aPicture-Story, Forer Structured Sentence Completion
Test
The ‘Big Five’ (Extraversion, emotional stability,
agreeableness, conscientiousness and openness to
experience
Effectiveness of personality tests
Interest Inventories – a personal development &
selection device that compares the person’s current
interests with those now in various occupations to
determine the preferred occupation for the individual
Achievement Tests
 Measure
to what extent learning has taken
place – academic tests, job knowledge
tests etc
 Achievement tests also measure individual
abilities for e.g. typing test
Work Samples & Simulations
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Actual job tasks used in testing applicants’ performance
– Work Samples
Work Sampling Technique – a testing method based on
measuring performance on actual basic job tasks
Advantages:
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Actual job tasks – no faking
Fair procedures
No invasion in privacy
Better validity
Procedure – selection of task, observer monitors
performance, indicates how well person has performed
Management Assessment Centers
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A simulation in which management candidates are asked
to perform realistic tasks in hypothetical situations and
are scored on their performance.
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It involves testing and the use of management games; Includes
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‘The in-basket’
‘Leaderless group discussion’
Management games
Individual presentations
Objective tests
The interview
Expensive, time consuming but result is substantial
contribution to future success or failure
Video-based Situational Testing
Test – a test that require
examinees to respond to situations
representative of the job.
 Video-based presents online or PC based
video scenarios, each followed by MCQs
 Situational
The Miniature Job Training &
Evaluation
Job training & evaluation –
training candidates to perform several of
the job tasks and then evaluating the
candidates performance prior to hire.
 Miniature
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Based on the concept, that if the person can
learn & perform the sample task, will be able
to learn & perform the actual job itself
Pros & Cons – high content validity but comes
with a high price
Other Selection Tools
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
Background Investigations & reference
checking
Pre-employment information services
Honesty testing
Graphology
Substance abuse testing
Background investigations
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Background investigations & reference checking
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Aims is
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to verify factual information provided by the applicant
Uncover any damaging information
Ways to check – phone call, written requests, social
networking sites
Inexpensive & straightforward way to verify information
provided
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87% claim they check references
Privacy & legal issues
Supervisors’ reluctance
Employer guidelines
Making checks more useful…..
The Polygraph & Honesty Testing
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Polygraph (lie-detector) for honesty testing
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Accuracy questions….inhibits use of electrical or
mechanical devices usage
Investigation Agencies can continue using it.
Conditions to use:
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Law restricts its usage
The employer must show that it suffered an economic loss or
injury
Must show employee in question has access to the property
Must have reasonable suspicion
Details of the investigation & questions must be told before
administering the test
Paper-pencil honesty tests – measure attitudes, ethics,
morals, etc. found valid
Graphology
analysis to determine writer’s
basic personality traits – projective tests.
 Validity is highly suspicious!
 Analyze handwriting and discover needs,
desires, psychological makeup
 Handwriting
Physical Exams
 Medical
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exams. Reasons can be:
Applicant meets the physical requirement of
the job
Check any medical limitations
Record and baseline of applicant’s general
health
Reduce absenteeism & accident rate.
Detect communicable diseases
Substance Abuse Screening
 Conduct
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drug screening
Test for to-be-hired and current employees
too
When there is a reason – absenteeism,
accident, chronic late coming
No drug test is fool-proof – ethical & legal
issues
If test comes positive – do not hire / fire
existing employee
Interviewing
the most important screening tool
Types
Factors
Guidelines
Selection Interview
A Selection Interview is designed to predict
future job performance on the basis of
applicant’s oral responses to oral inquiries.
 The most widely used indispensable
management selection tool
 Use in different settings – selection,
appraisal, exit etc
Types of Interviews
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Structured versus Unstructured Interviews
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Structured interviews – defined format, set of
questions, list & rate possible answers
• More reliable and valid – same set of questions to all
applicants
• Less trained interviewers can do the job
• Reduces subjectivity
• Do not provide opportunity to pursue points of interest
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Unstructured interviews – no set format, open end
questions, pursue points of interest as they progress.
• Not a general conversation
Types of Interviews
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Interview Content (Types of Questions)
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Situational Interview – a series of job related
questions that focus on how the candidate would
behave in a given situation
• “suppose you were faced with…what would you do?’
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Behavioral Interview – a series of job-related
questions that focus on how the candidate reacted to
actual situations in the past
• “Can you think of a time when…..what did you do?”
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Both can produce a lot of tension!!
Types of Interviews
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Interview Content (Types of Questions)
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Job-related interview – a series of job related
questions that focus on relevant past job related
behavior
• No hypothetical or actual situations but job-related questions
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Stress Interview – an interview in which the applicant
is made uncomfortable by a series of often rude
questions. It helps identify hyper sensitive applicants
and those with low or high stress tolerance level
• Asking puzzle questions
Administering the Interview
 Different
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ways:
One-on-one, panel interviews
Sequentially or all at once
Computerized or personally
 Most
interviews are one-on-one and
sequential
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Unstructured sequential interview
Structured sequential interview
Administering the Interview
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Panel Interview – board interview – interview
conducted by a team of interviewers (2-3), who
interview each candidate & then combine their
ratings.
• Ask follow-up questions, more meaningful responses
• Quick way – all at once rather than sequential
• Structured panel interview are more valid
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Mass Interview – a panel interviews several
candidates simultaneously.
• Ask follow-up questions, more meaningful responses
• Quick way – all at once rather than sequential
Administering the Interview
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Phone & Video Interviews – more accurate,
spontaneous, more focused responses
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Video conference interviews
Geographically dispersed candidates
Computerized Interviews – an interview in which
candidate’s oral and/or computerized replies are
obtained through computer in response to
computerized oral, visual or written questions
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Series of questions/situations followed by MCQs
Quick, responses are more honest
Impersonal feeling can come & effect the interviewee
Factors effecting the Interviews
Impression – Snap judgments
 Misunderstanding the job
 Candidate-Order (Contrast) error and
Pressure to Hire
 Non verbal behavior & Impression
Management
 Effect of personal characteristics:
attractiveness, gender, background etc
 Interviewer Behavior
 First
Designing effective interviews
 The
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Structured Situational Interview –
Step 1 – Job Analysis
Step 2 – Rate the job’s main duties
Create Interview Questions
Create Benchmark answers
Appoint Interview Panel & Conduct interview
Conducting effective interviews
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Put people at ease and not off-guard
Mostly unstructured interviews are used with some
guidelines:
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Base questions on actual job duties
Use job knowledge, situational or behavioral questions to
evaluate responses
Train interviewers
Use same questions with all candidates
Use descriptive rating scale (excellent, good, fair, poor)
Use multiple interviewers
Use a standardized interview form
Control the interview
Take brief notes during interview to avoid ‘the recency effect’
Prepare for the interview
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Plan interview in a separate room with minimum
interruptions/intrusions
Prior to interview, review CVs, take notes
Don’t go unprepared…waste of time & effort
Job knowledge, skills and abilities required by
the job should be very clear
Establish rapport.. put them at ease
Ask questions
Close the interview
Review the interview