MGT 430 – Spring 2016
Class 7, Chapter 7 – Employee Selction
Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs
Figure 6.1: Steps in the Selection
Process
Immigration Reform & Control Act of 1986
(Reagan)
• Employers must verify and maintain records on the legal
status of all employees to work in the U.S.
• Requires all employees to complete and document their legal
employment eligibility through the U.S. Citizenship and
Immigration Services Form I-9
• Proof of employment eligibility is now the responsibility of
the employer
Employment Eligibility Verification Department of Homeland Security US Citizenship and Immigration Services
USCIS
Form I-9
Proof that they are legally authorized to work in the US
Legal Standards (of course)
Civil Rights Act of 1991 (Bush)
• Jury trials, compensatory & punitive damages for intentional discrimination against protected classes
• Prohibits preferential treatment in favor of minority groups
• Placed statutory caps on punitive damages based upon size of company
• Prohibits use of different cut-off scores based on race in employment tests
• Clarifies that discrimination is established when race, color, religion, sex or national origin is a motivating
factor for any employment practice, even though other factors also motivated the practice.
Gathering Background Information
Application Forms
Résumés
Reference Checks
Background Checks
Application Forms
Electronic or Hard Copy
• Contact information
• Work experience
• Educational background
• Applicant’s signature
• Licenses/certifications
• Other information may be requested providing that it is not used for
discriminatory purposes, or are necessary to indicate job-specific
qualifications
Resumes
• Synopsis of work experience, job skills and education
• Biased information
• No standard format
- one page is best
• Fact or fiction?
References
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•
•
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Biased in favor of applicant
Should be based upon observable job-related behaviors and achievements
Avoid broad opinions that can be misinterpreted
Liability issues for companies giving references, thus typically limited to:
- Verification of dates of employment
- Position
- Salary range
• Normally done if applicant is a finalist for the job
Background Checks
•
•
•
•
Verify information provided during the application process
Obtain additional information about some aspect of the applicant’s life;
Companies can self-check or hire a 3rd party firm
Typical area of investigation
•
•
•
•
•
•
Education verification
Convictions for criminal offenses
Credit score (for financial institutions)
Resume claims
Eligibility to work in the US
Potential for security breeches (for high security positions)
Background Checks
•
8 out of 10 large companies and 2/3rds of smaller organizations report conducting
background checks
•
Costs of basic background checks
Online = @ $50
Agency = $200 >
•
Requests for expunging police records has been on the rise so background checks
may not be as complete as employers would prefer
Employment Tests and Work Samples
Physical
Ability
Tests
Medical
Examinations
Employment
Drug Tests
Tests & Work
Samples
Honesty
Tests
Cognitive
Ability
Tests
Job
Performance
Tests
Work
Samples
Personality
Inventories
Employment Tests & Work Samples
Aptitude Tests
A standardized test that measures how well a person can learn or acquire skill sets
and abilities, e.g.
Find the missing number: 2, ___, 200, 2000
Mirror is to reflective as glass is to:
Achievement Tests
A standardized test that measures a person’s existing KSAs
e.g.
Verbal
Math
Spatial Reasoning
Mechanical
Abstract
Data checking
Achievement tests serve many purposes
• Assess level of competence
• Diagnose strength and weaknesses
• Assign Grades
• Achieve Certification or Promotion
• Advanced Placement/College Credit Exams
• Curriculum Evaluation
• Accountability
• Informational Purposes
TESTING
Medical & Drug Testing
• Only permitted after an offer of employment has been made, but before employment;
• If candidate cannot pass the medical test and reasonable accommodations cannot be
made, the company is not obligated to hire the candidate
• Establishes a base-line at the beginning of employment
• Fulfillment of a drug & alcohol-free work environment
• Meets pre-established physical requirements of the job
Physical ability tests
endurance, strength, general fitness
e.g. Firefighter, UPS drivers, Police officers, warehouse, etc.
Rules for Administering Drug Tests
•
Administer tests systematically to all applicants for the same job.
•
Use drug testing for jobs that involve safety hazards.
•
Have a report of results sent to applicant, along with information about how to
appeal results and be retested if appropriate.
•
Respect applicants’ privacy by conducting tests in an environment that is not
intrusive and keeping results confidential.
Practical Value and Utility
•
Being valid, reliable, and generalizable adds value to a selection method.
•
Another consideration is the cost of using the selection method.
•
Selection methods should cost significantly less than the benefits of hiring new
employees.
•
Methods that provide economic value greater than the cost of using them are said to
have utility. (Are they useful in determining the acceptability of a candidate?)
Interviews
Nondirective
Interview
Behavior
Description
Interview
Interviewing
Techniques
Situational
Interview
Structured
Interview
Interviewing Effectively
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
Be prepared
Put applicant at ease
Ask about past behaviors
Listen – let candidate do most of the talking
Take notes – write down notes during and immediately after interview
At the end of the interview, make sure candidate knows what to expect
next
Types of interviews
Unstructured Interviews – Free-range
a. Questions are asked without a defined format
b. The same type of information is not collected from all interviewees.
c. Managers feel they can judge a person’s character quickly this way
Structured Interviews
a. Uses a set of predetermined questions related to the job
b. Usually includes a scoring system to track and compare applicant responses
c. Encourages consistency among all interviewers
Types of Interviews
Situational
Describes a common situation likely to arise on the job and asks the applicant
how he or she would solve this situation
Example
1. Tom appears to be under the influence of alcohol when he comes back from
his lunch break. How would you handle this situation?
2. How did you handle the layoffs of three of your subordinates?
Types of Interviews
Non-Directive
• Interviewer has great discretion in choosing questions to ask each candidate
• Open ended about suitability for the job
• Not as reliable
• Potential for illegal questions
Examples
• Tell me about your background
• Tell me more about your strengths
Types of Interviews
Behavior Description Interview
A structured interview where the candidate is asked to
describe how he or she handled a situation in the past
Example
In your last job, during the labor contract negotiations, how
did you get both sides to agree on the terms of the contract
Interviewing Video
http://www.bing.com/videos/search?q=Conducting+Employee+Intervi
ews&&view=detail&mid=904E59B8549BB6E9041C904E59B8549BB6E9
041C&rvsmid=02DFC7484988D6824D7D02DFC7484988D6824D7D&FO
RM=VDFSRV&fsscr=0
Interviewing
Practical Exercise
Legal and Illegal Interview Questions
Communicating the Decision
When a candidate has been selected, the organization should
communicate the offer verbally and in writing to the candidate. The offer
should include:
 Offer of employment
 Title
 Reporting relationships
 Work schedule
 Rate of pay or salary
 Starting date
 Other relevant job details
HRM Selection in Practice:
Organizational Demands
• Strategy
• Person-job fit
• Selection methods used
• Appropriate KSAs
• Company characteristics
• Culture
• Core Competencies
• Competitive advantage
Selection in Practice:
Organizational Demands (continued)
• Culture
• Person-organization fit
• Promotion-from-within policy or new blood/thinking
• Who controls selection process
• Team or individual orientation
• Employee concerns
• Fair and equal treatment
• Impact of the job on work/life balance
• Can I do the work
Selection in Practice:
Environmental Influences
• Globalization
• Breadth and content of labor market
• Staffing for international operations
• Differences in the conduct of business internationally
• Ethics
• Value codes – intrinsic and extrinsic
• Standards of expected behavior
Selection in Practice:
Environmental Influences
• Labor market
• Who is available to hire
• How selective can the company be
• How willing are employees to accept jobs
• Use of Technology
• Process of selection – recruiting acceptable candidates
• Internet - Intra-net – social media
• Verification of credentials