2BC3

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

SELECTION
Mona Zanhour
BBA, MBA, ABD

Lecture Agenda
2

Selection
Fundamental truths about selection
Types of fit
Attributes of an effective selection system

Reliability, Validity, etc.

Selection techniques
Issues to consider

Learning Objectives
3

1.

2.

3.

4.

Explain the selection process, different phases, and

tools
Discuss issues of reliability and validity related to
selection
Compare and contrast the different types of
interviews
Use different selection methods to best predict future
performance

In Summary
4

There are a variety of ways that employees can be

selected for positions; HRM professionals have a
tool kit of selection tools at their disposal. The
primary purpose of selection is to predict future
performance.
Examining the validity of a test is incredibly
important so that HR can avoid misses and
maximize hits, reach its diversity goals, and avoid
accusations of discrimination.

What is Selection???
5

Selection
6

The process of choosing individuals who have relevant

qualifications to fill existing or projected job openings
General
workforce
Recruitment
Applicants
Selection
New
employees

What is Selection?
7

Procedures used by an employer to decide which

applicants to hire

Resumes, application blanks

Tests
Interviews
Reference checks
Background checks
Work samples
Assessment centres

Selection Maxim #1
8

The success of an organization depends on the

performance of its employees

There are other factors, but workforce quality sets the

upper limit

Selection Maxim #2
9

Selection is about prediction

Predicting whether someone will be effective at

performing a given job in a given organization

Based on some sample of behavior

Tests,

interviews, etc.

Selection Maxim #3
10

You will make better selection decisions if your

selection procedures are based on evidence rather
than intuition

Evidence-based selection

Practice that is informed by research

Intuition-based selection

Practice that is based on hunches, gut feeling, personal preferences,

tradition, etc.
Common in hiring
Results in poorer employee and organizational performance

Selection Process
11

Preliminary
reception

Identification of
Job Specifications

Review & screening

Employment tests
Verification of
references
Employment
interview(s)
Realistic Job
Preview

Recruiting

Medical evaluation
Hiring Decision

Person-Job Fit
12

Consider these statements:

He just doesnt have the interpersonal skills needed to

be a good customer service rep.

I am attracted to this job because its pay is based on

sales commissions and I like a job where the pay
depends on how well I perform.

Statements reflect the notion of person-job fit

Involves aligning characteristics of individuals and

jobs to achieve desired HR outcomes

Person-Job Fit
13

Key points about Person-Job Fit

Jobs are characterized by:
Requirements (e.g., interpersonal skills)
Rewards (e.g., sales commissions, challenge, autonomy)
Individuals are characterized by:
Qualifications (e.g., interpersonal skills)
Motivation (e.g., need for challenge and autonomy)

Need a dual fit:

1.
Job requirements = individual qualifications
2.
Job rewards = individual motivation

Consequences of (mis)fit
.
Fit = attraction, performance, satisfaction
.
Misfit = poor performance, dissatisfaction, turnover

Person-Organization Fit
14

Extent of fit between individual characteristics and

organizational characteristics

Organizational culture / values

.

Hierarchical vs decentralized structure

.

Norms of desirable attitudes and behaviours (e.g., integrity,

fairness, etc.)
Affects communication; chain of command

Stability vs change

The Selection System

15

Selection system must be

1.
2.
3.
4.

Valid
Reliable
Practical
Free from bias / Fair

Thorndike (1949)

Validity
16

Degree to which test or procedure accurately

measures a persons attributes needed for job
performance

E.g., if we predict an individual will perform well

based on interview results, validity is concerned with
the evidence that supports this prediction

Various types of validity well focus on

1.
2.

Content validity
Criterion-related validity

Content Validity
17

Does the system adequately represent the KSAOs

required by the position?

System does not include all KSAOs

But does it cover the most important KSAOs?

For each KSAO, does the instrument effectively

measure that particular attribute?

Content Validity
18

E.g., having applicants for position of secretary

lift a 50 kg box
No

content validity if its not an essential job

requirement

E.g., having applicants for position of secretary

take typing test to assess typing speed
If

certain typing speed is required, then it is content

valid
Hint: Use Job analysis

Establishing Criterion-Related Validity

19

Does ones standing on a selection technique(s) relate to the

outcome (criterion) of interest i.e., job performance?

Concurrent validation

Extent to which a test score obtained now predicts

current performance
Administer new test and interview to JOB
INCUMBENTS
Collect recent job performance ratings
Look at correlation between test scores and
performance

Criterion-Related Validity
20

Predictive validation

Extent to which test scores predict subsequent job

performance

Collect test scores of JOB CANDIDATES

Hire job candidates based on other criteria

After the new employees have been working in the

organization for a period of time, correlate test scores
with job performance ratings

Reliability
21

Refers to the consistency of scores produced by a

selection technique

2 important types of reliability

Stability - Test-retest reliability

1.

2.

Repeated administrations of the same measure yield consistent

results
Particularly important for tests

Equivalence - Inter-rater reliability

Agreement between 2 or more raters of same behaviour

Particularly important for interviews

Quiz True/False
22

Can a test be reliable and not valid??

Practicality
23

Considerations of

Cost, utility, generalizability

Time to develop and implement
Capability of the users of system
Interview

skills, etc.

Applicant reactions

Question
24

What are the costs of a miss (inaccurate prediction)?

Freedom from Bias

25

System must be standardized

Instruments must be valid for all groups

Gender, ethnicity, etc.

Must provide equal employment opportunities / not

discriminate

Based on EE and HR legislation

Failure to use valid and reliable testing instruments

during selection can result in human rights
challenges

Sources of Info about Candidates

26

Application Forms (online)

Biographical information blanks
Background investigations
Integrity and honesty tests
Employment tests (work sample)
Interviews
Assessment centres

Biographical Information Blanks

28

Sample Questions:

At what age did you leave home?

How large was the town/city in which you lived as a child?

Did you ever build a model airplane that flew?

Were sports a big part of your childhood?

Do you play any musical instruments?

Difficult to fake. If have predictive validity, BIBs are very

useful. Life Insurance model validated and used successfully.

Background Checks
29

Checking References

Specific job-related and other information (if authorized)

Letters of reference (usually of little value)
Online computerized databases (open to privacy violations, if not
BFOR)

Credit Reports

Limited use, must be job-related, and employee must agree to it.

Types of Tests
30

Integrity / Honesty tests

Aim to avoid hiring dishonest or disruptive employees;

theft

Overt - direct questions about attitudes toward theft, etc

Do you believe a person has a right to steal from an
employer if he/she is unfairly treated?
2. Do you think most people would cheat if they thought
they could get away with it?
1.

Covert embedded within a general personality

inventory
1. Do you like to take chances?

Problems faking, applicant reactions

Types of Employment Tests

31

Cognitive ability tests

General intelligence (IQ)

Specific capacities (verbal, spatial, mathematical)
Tests that measure CA are among the most powerful
predictors of success in jobs;
E.g., GMAT, MCAT, Wonderlic Personnel Test
Aptitude test: measures a persons capacity to learn
Achievement tests: measures what a person knows

Why do you think cognitive ability tests so strongly

associated with job performance?

General Cognitive Ability

32

WPT Video clip

33

Wonderlic Personnel Test

Used by NFL

Too Smart to be a cop??

34

Southeastern

Connecticut Law Enforcement

Consortium rejected police applicant (Robert Jordan)
because he scored too high on Wonderlic Personnel
Test, 33/50.
Employer recommends 20-27.
Applicant went to Federal Court but lost his case.
The court explained that Jordan "may have been disqualified
unwisely but he was not denied his constitutional rights
(equal protection)"

Types of Employment Tests

35

Personality tests

Extroversion, agreeableness, conscientiousness,

neuroticism (emotional stability), openness to
experience

Some exhibit Criterion Related validity for

many jobs
E.g.,

Conscientiousness

Criterion Related validity of others depends on

job
E.g.,

extraversion predicts performance of

salespeople

Other Selection Techniques

36

Physical Ability tests

Strength, speed, agility, endurance, etc.

Potential for adverse impact

Assessment Centres

Procedure involving multiple assessment

techniques to assess reactions to real job-related
tasks
Often to assess managerial potential

Other Selection Techniques

37

Work samples

Involve applicants performing actual job tasks

E.g., typing, preparing and delivering oral
presentation, athletic tryouts
E.g., job talks for professors

38

Medical examination
39

To ensure health and fitness of applicants.

Provides a baseline against which subsequent
exams can be compared (good for workers
compensation casese.g. hearing, back
problems).
BUT, can only be conducted after an offer of
employment has been made and can only
assess abilities to perform essential job duties.

Are these questions legal?

40

1. What is your maiden name?

2. Do you have children?
3. Can you work nights and weekends?
4. Is English your first language?
5. Have you been arrested?
6. Have you ever been convicted of an offence for
which no pardon has been granted?
7. How long have you been working?

The Interview
41

Most widely used selection technique

2 main types

Nondirective (unstructured)
Structured

Interviews
42

Nondirective interviews

Open-ended questions, various topics

Interviewers may ask different questions of
different candidates
Interviewer makes decision based on gut feeling
No clear guidelines for evaluating interviewees
E.g., Tell me about your goals in the next five
years and how this position fits in with them.

Interviews
43

Problems with nondirective interviews

Interviewer is likely to hire the most skillful

interviewee (i.e., skilled at impression management)

Influenced by appearance, smiling, hand gestures, eye

contact, rate of speaking, variability in loudness, etc.

Can lead to biases

similar-to-me effect
Primacy or recency effect
Halo effect

Poor reliability and validity

Interviews
44

Structured interviews
3 distinguishing features:
1.
2.
3.

Job-related questions
Predetermined scoring system / rating scale
Standardized - same approach for all applicants

2 types: situational and behavioural

Situational Interview
45

Based on job analysis

Presents candidate with a dilemma What would
you do?

Rationale for situational interview

intention predicts future behaviour

Explicit scoring system

Candidate must answer by saying how s/he would

respond to the dilemma

1 = least effective; 5 = most effective

Good reliability and validity

Behavioural Description Interview

46

Based on job analysis

Candidate is asked to describe a specific
situation s/he has been involved in that relates to
a specific skill or competency

Rationale for behavioural interview

Tell me about a time when you had to work on a

team with someone you didnt get along with.
May involve more than 1 interviewer (e.g., panel)
past behaviour is the best predictor of future
behaviour

Good reliability and validity

Sample BDI Question

47

It is often necessary to work together in a group to

accomplish a task and, at times, conflict arises between group
members. Tell me about a time when you were working with
a group and a conflict arose between two group members.
5 (High)
Talked with parties and encouraged them to resolve conflict
Acted as a mediator; resulted in resolution of conflict
3 (Average)
Did not directly address conflict but encouraged parties to
remained focused on group task
Maintained harmonious relationships with conflicting parties but
did little to address the conflict between the parties
1 (Low)
Did not become involved (avoided conflict); got drawn into the

Quiz Question
48

Situational interviews include questions that

a)

b)

c)

d)

e)

attempt to identify how a job applicant responded to

specific work situations in the past
align with the theory that the best predictor of future
actions is past actions
try to focus on behaviour that has occurred most
recently
assess an applicants likely future responses to specific
incidents which they may or may not have
encountered in the past
assess an applicants likely future responses to specific
incidents which they have encountered in the past

Issues to Consider
49

Screen on hard criteria, select on soft criteria

Screen out those who do not possess essential

hard job specifications

E.g., specific degree, license, etc. that is critical

Select those who possess essential soft

skills/characteristics

Using structured behavioural interview

Issues to Consider
50

Focus on factors that are not readily trained

Often, specific job content skills can be trained

Less tangible skills/characteristics are not as readily

trained
.
.

Fit with organization culture

Initiative, conflict resolution, adaptability, stress
management, etc.

Issues to Consider
51

Issues to Consider
52

Consider multiple hurdle approach

Advantages

Is a sequential approach
Applicants must pass minimum cutoff on each
predictor before moving to the next

Makes process less costly

Good if applicant pool is relatively large
Good if a certain level of each KSA is important and
cant be compensated for by others

Disadvantage

Makes process more time consuming

Example of Multiple Hurdle

Approach
53

Selection of Police Constables (Winnipeg, MB)

Step 1: Minimum qualifications

Age (18+), Education (Gr. 12), valid drivers license, Canadian citizen
or landed immigrant
Successful completion of physical test

Step 2: Vision standards

Colour vision, visual acuity (corrected or uncorrected)

Step 3: 3 hour written exam

Step 4: Screening interview

54

Example of Multiple Hurdle

Approach

Step 5: Selection interview

Step 6: Background investigation

Step 7: Panel selects candidates, subject to step 8

Step 8: Psychological and Medical exams

Step 9: Final selection decisions

Final Thought
55

Selection system signals how organizations value

the people they hire

A good selection system may be costly and timeconsuming (and demanding for candidates)

But it has many benefits:

High

quality hires organizational performance

Legal defensibility
Fosters commitment and motivation of new hires

56

QUESTIONS?