Chapter 7 Foundations of Selection
Reviewing Important Concepts
1. Outline the steps in the selection process and explain which steps you believe are
most important. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4).
The eight-step process consists of initial screening, completion of the application form,
employment tests, comprehensive interview, background investigation, medical or
2. Explain guidelines for developing effective interview questions that respect the legal
rights of the applicant. (LO 4)?
Interview questions must be relevant to the applicant’s ability to do the job as described in
the essential functions and job specifications in the job description. Legal requirements of
3. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of searching social media as a screening
tool for applicants. (LO 6)
Advantages: Employers are able to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the candidate,
since social media sources such as Facebook, twitter and LinkedIn will include personal
Disadvantages: The information obtained could be misinterpreted or create a false
positive or negative impression of the candidate if obtained prior to the interview. It could
Topic is covered in Tips for Success: Too Much Information on page 149, coverage of
4. What are the advantages of conducting background investigations on applicants and
what do employees need to consider when conducting the investigations? (LO 6)
Unfortunately, applicants often are not completely honest on resumes and application
forms. It is important to check relevant facts in an applicant’s background, such as
educational degrees, number of years of experience, and job-related driving and criminal
records. Background checks verify information provided by the candidate, and also alert
employers to potential negligent hiring issues. Employers need to be particularly careful
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5. What mistakes could employers make that would influence a qualified candidate to
turn down a job offer? (LO 4, 5,8)
Candidates are less likely to accept offers form organizations that fail to pay attention to
creating a positive impression and desirable employment brand, fail to convince the
6. How do the types of validity differ? Explain their use in evaluating testing and in
preventing discrimination. (LO 7).
Reliability is confidence that an indicator will measure the same thing every time.
There are three types of validity important in the selection and recruiting phases of
human resource management. Content validity is the degree to which the content of the
test represents the actual work situation. For example, a typing test has high content
Human resources professionals are concerned with validity because, legally, employment
tests must be shown to be relevant to the job for which a person is hired, as are other
Evaluating Alternatives
7. What do you think of realistic job previews? Would you be more likely to choose a
position where recruiters emphasized only the positive aspects of the job? (LO 5)
Students should recognize that recruiters are generally going to emphasize the positive,
and that there are many benefits to finding out as much information as possible before
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the company. Possible resources include the company’s Web page, alumni from your
school who work with the company and information interviews with other current
8. “All former employers will tell me anymore is the dates of employment. Period.
Calling them is a waste of time.” Do you agree or disagree with this statement.
Explain. (LO 6)
Many employers are extremely cautious when answering questions about former
Former employers should always be called to confirm the employee actually worked
there. At the very least, you will have confirmation the applicant is telling the truth about
past employment, and depending on the situation, the concept of qualified privilege
9. “Untrained interviewers can make mistakes that are very costly to the
organization.” Discuss errors in perception and selection that interviewers can
make and how to avoid them. (LO 4)
An untrained interviewer can make some of the following errors:
Show bias toward a job candidate based solely on a stereotypical physical
characteristic, such as, height. (A very tall candidate can play basketball well.)
Some ways to avoid these situations is to:
have a set of prepared questions that will be asked of all candidates.
review the application and résumé of the candidate before meeting with them.
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Research and Communication Skills
These activities require students to research a topic and report the findings to the instructor or the
class. They can be assigned to either individuals or groups and are designed to develop critical
thinking, research and presentation skills necessary for HR.
Activities vary in the type of research and presentation required, but evaluation forms or rubrics
may be used to communicate expectations and facilitate easier grading. The form below can be
accessed on the website and contains basic elements for grading activities. You may wish to
customize it by changing requirements or adding point values.
Activity Evaluation Form
Objective/Criteria Performance Indicators
Below Requirements Needs Improvement Meets Expectations Exceptional
Length Insufficient length to
discuss issues and
apply relevant
concepts.
Length significantly
under minimum.
Adequate length to
fully discuss issues and
apply relevant
concepts. On the low
side of length
requirement.
Length requirement
used carefully to
provide excellent
content.
Format Many errors Few errors in grammar
punctuation, spelling or
typos.
Error free Professional quality
product.
Research Relevant concepts are
not applied or are
applied on a surface
level that does not
indicate depth of
understanding beyond
knowing the
definitions.
Concepts from the text
are mentioned, but
explanation and
application indicate a
minimal level of
understanding of
relevant concepts and
issues.
Relevant concepts from
the chapter material are
applied in adequate
depth to indicate
understanding of the
concepts and issues.
Thoughtful and
insightful discussion of
the concepts learned in
chapter material as they
apply to the activity.
Presentation Paper or presentation
contains many errors
and lacks
professionalism or was
not presented.
Paper or presentation
contains errors or
shows a lack or
preparation that
distracts from the
message.
Paper or presentation is
free of errors.
Paper or presentation is
creatively and
professionally
presented.
Activity Summaries:
10. Students will use a job description presented in chapter 5 to develop a list of interview
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Chapter 7 Foundations of Selection
11. Students will research the topic of employer use of a candidate’s social media profile as a
12. Students will obtain a copy of your college’s guide to job interviews and compare it to a
Making a Difference: Service Learning Projects
Overview: Service Learning Projects provide students with opportunities to develop and
demonstrate HR skills and build a professional network that will assist in getting a job in HR.
The activities that relate to this chapter on Selection are a variety of projects that range from
helping middle school students get summer jobs to helping non-profits screen volunteers.
A sample assignment with requirements and grading materials is available at the front of the
Instructor’s Manual and as a download from the text website.
Case Application 7-A: Western Motors Overhauls the Interview Process
Case Summary
Western Motors has coasted along, like many companies, allowing experienced managers
do their own interviewing. Problems arise at Western Motors when the service manager’s
interviewing philosophy results in hiring a few “bad apples” that put the dealership’s
reputation at stake. What can the HR director do to put the brakes on a dealership that is
speeding downhill?
1. Evaluate Greg’s “hire for attitude, train for skill” approach to hiring. (LO 1, 4, 5)
Greg seems to hire based on his perception of an applicant’s attitude and it turns out he
isn’t a very good judge of attitude. He seems make a lot of perceptual errors such as being
2. How could preemployment testing improve the hiring process for the service tech
position? What type of validity would be the best predictor of job success? (LO 3, 7)
Work sampling and performance simulation tests would determine how well candidates
can perform some of the tasks that are required for success in the service tech position.
(page 151)
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Chapter 7 Foundations of Selection
3. What type of interview does Greg seem to use? How can his interview process
improve? (LO 4, 5)
Greg relies on unstructured interviews to give him an opinion of an applicant’s attitude.
The problem is that he’s easily fooled by impression management and makes decisions
A more structured interview process with specific questions that relate to skills and
4. What types of background checks would you recommend? (LO 6)
Reference checks could help determine if applicants have the background and
accomplishments they claim such as the volunteer work and building race cars. Former
employers will verify work history at a minimum. If they are willing to offer more
information as they are allowed by qualified privilege, they may address attendance,
attitude, productivity and other issues. Education may be relevant if the service tech
5. Research: What mistakes were made in the hiring process by Greg and Kara?
Research common hiring mistakes and how to avoid or fix them.(LO 1, 4, 5, 6, 7)
Perhaps if HR did the initial screening, a few of his problem employees would have
been screened out. Checks with references and former employers would also provide
Good sources of information include CareerBuilder, SHRM, Workforce, Monster, Forbes
Case Application 7-B: Beauty Is Only Skin Deep
Case Summary
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Chapter 7 Foundations of Selection
It turns out that being a successful “Beauty Advisor,” also called cosmetic associates, takes
different skills than other types of sales positions. Turnover for the Beauty Advisor position at
Bon-Ton stores was much higher than other sales positions although they received more
extensive training and had higher income potential. The selection process needed a quick
make-over before things got ugly.
For more information on how Bon-Ton solved this hiring problem, go to www.shrm.org and
search for “Hire Intelligence – Use data to discover what really makes a top performer.” From
May, 2011.
1. What attributes should be included in the Bon-Ton assessment? Explain how you would
structure an interview to determine if a candidate possesses those attributes. (LO 3, 7)
Students may assume that friendliness, good customer service and a love of beauty
products would be important attributes, but when successful beauty advisors were
The interview process may include screening that emphasizes accuracy in completion of
the application. A structured interview process would include questions that address the
2. Explain whether impression management and interviewer bias would be more of a concern
when hiring beauty advisors than when hiring for other sales positions. (LO 5)
When the term “beauty” is in the job title, interviewer bias toward attractive candidates
that influences perception of ability could be a real problem. Candidates may assume that
attractiveness is a qualification and attempt impression management with artful
3. What type of validity is indicated by the findings that Beauty Advisors now remain in their
jobs 12 percent longer and sell 2.1 percent more than candidates hired before the new
assessment? Explain your choice. (LO 7)
Content Validity exists when skills tested accurately represent the job. The skills tested
Construct Validity evaluates how well a particular test measures a specific behavior or
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Chapter 7 Foundations of Selection
Criterion Validity exists when a selection device accurately predicts a specific level of
performance and is the most clearly indicated from the facts given. Applicants passing the
assessment stay longer and sell more, proving the assessment is successful to a degree in
4. Research: Are Bon-Ton and other retailers making efforts to recruit and hire candidates
with that cognitive and problem-solving ability? Search videos, realistic job previews, job
postings, and articles for evidence and summarize your findings. Include your sources in
your answer. (LO 1, 2, 3)
Sources such as Bon-Ton’s careers site, Glassdoor, Indeed and even Bon-Ton’s YouTube
Online Continuing Case Application 7-C: Team Fun!
Case Summary
Team Fun!, a sporting goods manufacturer and retailer are ready to expand into south Florida and
are shocked to find that they have over 1000 applicants. Students will apply concepts from
chapter 7 to develop plans for screening, testing, interviewing, conducting background checks
and selecting all staff in a two week timeframe.
Questions:
1. Devise a screening mechanism for each job category.(LO 1)
2. What kinds of performance simulation tests would be appropriate? (LO 3, 7)
3. Set up an interview protocol for each job category. (LO 4)
4. Should Bobby select the managers himself? Should Bobby select all the other
employees? (LO 4)
5. If you want Tony to try again with background checks and drug testing, prepare a
carefully worded statement for him to present to Kenny and Norton. If you think these
steps are undesirable, explain your position.(LO 4, 6)
Online Continuing Case Application 7-D: Life+Style
Case Summary
Life+Style, a sportswear apparel manufacturer and online retailer emphasizes style, sustainable
business practices and ethical behavior. When Carson, HR Director uncovers hiring practices that
may expose the company to legal problems, he has to explain the situation and the potential
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Chapter 7 Foundations of Selection
problems to Isabella, the founder and COO. Students will apply concepts of selection from
chapter 7 to identify the problems and explain a safer process to screen candidates.
Questions:
1. Explain how online background information should be used to Isabella. (LO 1, 4, 5)
2. What perceptual errors could occur as a result of Cara’s screening? (LO 5)
3. What legal liability does Cara’s screening expose the company to if the group of hired
candidates is ethnically diverse? (LO 6)
4. What background information should be checked for the sales representative position and
at what point should HR conduct the background investigation? What does HR have to
tell the candidates about the background checks? (LO 2, 6)
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