Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection
Chapter 6 Personnel Selection
True/False Questions
[QUESTION]
1. Personnel selection applies only for promotions.
2. The most important criterion for a selection method is reliability.
3. The level of reliability can be represented by a consistency of measurement.
4. Lower correlations indicate stronger validity.
5. A selection method that has low cost per hire and results in hiring employees who have
significantly higher productivity rates, has high utility and validity.
6. Weighted application blanks use qualitative data to help make decisions regarding the
likelihood that an applicant’s response will be significantly related to higher performance on
the job.
Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection
[QUESTION]
7. Cognitive ability tests enable the hiring manager to directly measure an applicant’s ability
to perform the physical tasks of a job.
8. A company that provides a three-week management-training program for it’s new hires
would benefit from administering the Wonderlic Personnel Test.
9. A linear relationship between test scores and job performance indicates that there is no
relationship between higher test scores prediction of higher performance on the job.
10. You have a high degree of turnover and theft at your company. It would be wise to
incorporate a personality test into the selection process.
11. The majority of personality tests have been developed around five personality factors.
12. One of the concerns with projective personality tests is that applicants can determine the
purpose of the test, and fake their results to match the desired outcome.
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any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
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13. Introversion is a positive personality characteristic to look for in candidates for managerial
positions.
14. The NEO personality inventory is one of the most reliable and valid measures of the five–
factor model.
15. Achievement, dependability, order, and cautiousness, as subfactors of conscientiousness
(C) help improve the prediction of job performance.
16. There is no way that a hiring manager can predict that one candidate will remain in the job
any longer than the other candidates.
17. If a company conducts background checks on applicants, they reduce the potential to be
sued for negligent hiring.
18. Job Compatibility Questionnaire (JCQ) is an example of disguised-purpose dispositional
measure.
© 2013 by McGraw-Hill Education. This is proprietary material solely for authorized instructor use. Not authorized for sale or distribution in
any manner. This document may not be copied, scanned, duplicated, forwarded, distributed, or posted on a website, in whole or part.
6-4
19. Drug use has not been linked to employee productivity measures; however, it is linked to
increased medical costs and that is the reason that a high percentage of U.S. companies use
drug testing.
20. Assessment Centers use a very narrow range of testing methods to determine a candidate’s
likelihood of success in entry-level positions.
21. Assessment Centers are very popular because they provide a quick and inexpensive
22. Taking on challenging assignments is linked to likelihood of promotion above measures
of current performance on the job.
23. Interviews are the most common form of personnel selection and the method that requires
the least amount of training and attention to achieve high overall validity.
24. While companies may have a difficult time increasing the validity of their interviews, the
good news is that because they are a subjective methodology, interviews are not held to the
same standards related to discrimination as other more objective methods.
Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection
[QUESTION]
25. The same standard of job relatedness is applicable to interviews as a selection
methodology and therefore, it is important that the interview be free of bias and that questions
be based on information related to successful performance on the job.
Multiple Choice Questions
[QUESTION]
26. The General Mental Ability Test (GMAT) is an example of a(n) __________.
A) achievement test
B) personality test
C) performance test
D) cognitive ability test
E) knowledge-based test
27. What is a significant feature that all projective personality tests have in common?
A) The meaning of each test question is clear.
B) Evidence of their validity is substantial.
C) The purpose and scoring procedure is disguised.
D) They are quantitative in nature.
E) Respondents must answer questions within a rigid framework.
28. Employers should obtain which of the following before extending a contingent offer of
employment?
A) Results of a polygraph test
B) Medical records and a physical examination
C) Written authorization from the candidate to check credit score
D) Information related to previous worker’s compensation claims
E) Background report indicating prior arrest record
Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection
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[QUESTION]
29. A candidate’s ability to complete an actual job task is best tested through a(n):
A) Predictive test
B) Work sample test
C) Aptitude test
D) Achievement test
E) Drug test
30. As part of a selection process, candidates are asked to assume the responsibility of a
manager to deal with a subordinate experiencing performance problems. This form of
assessment is often referred to as a(n):
A) Leaderless group discussion
B) Role-play
C) In-basket session
D) Oral presentation
E) Decisiveness skills
31. The XYZ Company has a large number of job openings that need to be filled in the next
two weeks. The majority of the supervisory and management staff is new to the organization
and has limited interviewer training and experience. What should they do to be able to ensure
that the decisions made from interviewing applicants are as valid and effective as possible?
A) Implement drug testing and develop a medical examination for the jobs.
B) Ensure the use of ambiguous questions that differ from one candidate to another.
C) Implement either a panel interview with at least 3 interviewers or have the applicants
participate in at least three separate interviews.
D) Do not allow the managers to review the job description before conducting the interviews
to ensure their neutrality.
E) Hold interviews away from the work site to ensure that the applicants are not influenced by
the experience of visiting the work site.
Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection
[QUESTION]
32. During an interview, Josh realized that the interviewee displayed the same work attitudes
that he held. Based on this, Josh gave the interviewee favorable ratings. Josh’s ratings were
most likely biased by which type of phenomenon?
A) Similar-to-me effect
B) Coping effect
C) Efficiency effect
D) First-impression effect
E) Matching effect
33. An employer’s best defense when a case of negligent hiring goes to court is to
A) Produce the employee’s signed application form
B) Produce letters of reference provided by the employer
C) Produce evidence of employment and reference checking
D) Prove that the misconduct occurred after regular work hours
E) Produce evidence that the employee was given a personality test
34. How can an organization improve the reliability and validity of interviews?
A) Use a standardized job related interview (e.g. structured, panel, or situational)
B) Assure consistency through the use of a single interviewer.
C) Encourage hiring managers to pay attention to their “gut feel”.
D) Allow interviewees to share information about their unrelated previous work history.
E) Avoid training managers because is can increase anxiety related to interviewing.
35. Which of the following is NOT a type of interview format?
A) Appraisal interview
B) Structured interview
C) Situational interview
D) Panel interview
E) Behavioral interview
Chapter 06 – Personnel Selection
[QUESTION]
36. As part of its selection process, Techno industries requires that each applicant be
interviewed by the department manager, direct supervisor, and human resource director, all at
the same time. This type of interview format is known as __________.
A) panel interview
B) serialized interview
C) structured interview
D) behavioral interview
E) semi-structured interview
37. Which type of interview uses questions based on the critical incident technique (CIT)
analysis?
A) semi-structured
B) situational
C) highly structured
D) group or panel
E) psychological
38. A typing test has _____ validity while a personality test has ______ validity?
A) empirical, content
B) content, empirical
C) consistency, subjective
D) generalized, construct
E) construct, generalized
39. You are hiring a cashier, who will be earning minimum wage. You could consider using
A) an assessment center to determine risk of theft from the applicants.
B) General impressions gathered through a non-structured interview.
C) Evaluating information from candidates based on a variable rating standards.
D) Selection methodology with limited utility to control costs.
E) A weighted application blank that factors in where the applicant lives.