Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Chapter 7
Selecting Human Resources
Learning Objectives
After students have read this chapter, they should be able to:
• Understand selection and placement, as well as the associated theory and application
of these practices.
Chapter Overview
Selection is the process of choosing qualified individuals to fill jobs in an organization.
This chapter reviews the many facets of an effective employee selection process.
Placement is the ultimate purpose of selection and the person-job fit is an important
concept. The role of criteria, predictors, and job performance is presented. The
concepts of validity (both concurrent and predictive) and reliability are also described
followed by the practice of combining predictors.
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
discussed including biographical interviews, behavioral interviews, competency
interviews, and situational interviews. Less-structured interviews including stress
interviews are presented and followed by a discussion of who should conduct the
Next background investigations, medical exams and reference checking are discussed.
The way an organization conducts a background investigation of its job applicants is
subject to many legal constraints. However, an organization has an obligation to its
employees, customers, and other interested groups to avoid making a decision that
results in negligent hiring or negligent retention. The use of medical exams and
reference inquiries is also covered along with the final step in the selection process
which is making the job offer.
The chapter ends with the legal concerns in the selection process. Throughout the
selection process, application forms, interviews, tests, background investigations, and
Chapter Outline
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
I. Selection and Placement
Selection is the process of choosing individuals with the correct qualifications to fill jobs
in an organization. Without these qualified employees, an organization is far less likely to
succeed. A useful perspective on selection and placement comes from two HR
observations that underscore the importance of effective staffing:
A. Placement
HR Headline: Selecting a Proper Ethics Officer
Demand for ethics officers has steadily been increasing as a result of the Enron,
Tyco, WorldCom, and Bernie Madoff scandals, and recent findings of the Society for
Human Resource Management suggest that many firms are developing these
specialized positions to tackle ethical challenges in the workplace. Ethics officers
are expected to be the key administrators of an organization’s compliance efforts
and to help institutionalize ethical values that encourage employees to do well by
doing good.
The HR director and other key leaders should be included in the selection process
because there needs to be good match between the goals of HR and those of the
hat knowled skills, d abil ill b ded he p
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
The ultimate purpose of selection is placement, or fitting a person to the right job.
Placement of human resources should be seen primarily as a matching process. How
well an employee is matched to a job can affect the amount and quality of the
employee’s work, as well as the training and operating costs required to prepare the
individual for work life.
Lack of fit between KSAs and job requirements can be classified as a mismatch. A
mismatch results from poor pairing of a person’s needs, interests, abilities, personality,
and expectations with characteristics of the job, rewards, and the organization in which
the job is located. What makes placement difficult and complex is the need to match
people and jobs on multiple dimensions.
In addition to the match between people and jobs, employers are concerned about the
congruence between people and companies, or the person/organization fit.
Person/organization fit is important from a values perspective, with many organizations
trying to positively link a person’s principles to the values of the company.
Other ideas about fit have been proposed in the HR field. For instance, compilational fit
occurs when several lower-level factors such as similar work group personalities or
worksite teamwork prompt an increase in higher-level consequences, including
organizational performance and productivity. Compositional fit occurs when the people
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
spills over into beliefs about fit in other areas, and spiraling, which involves positive or
negative perceptions about fit, impacting other feelings (good or bad) about the
workplace.
B. Selection, Criteria, Predictors, and Job Performance
At the heart of an effective selection system must be the knowledge of what constitutes
good job performance. When one knows what good performance looks like on a
particular job, one needs to identify what it takes for the employee to achieve successful
C. Validity
In selection, validity is the correlation between a predictor and job performance.
Validity occurs to the extent that the predictor actually predicts what it is supposed to
Concurrent validity is one method for establishing the validity associated with a
predictor. Concurrent validity uses current employees to validate a predictor or “test.”
Concurrent validity is measured when an employer tests current employees and
correlates the scores with their performance ratings on such measures as their scores on
performance appraisals (Figure 7-2).
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Another method for establishing criterion-related validity is predictive validity. To
calculate predictive validity, test results of applicants are compared with their
subsequent job performance (Figure 7-2). Job success is measured by assessing factors
such as absenteeism, accidents, errors, and performance appraisal ratings.
Reliability
Reliability of a predictor or test is the extent to which it repeatedly produces the
same results, over time. Reliability involves the consistency of predictors used in
selection.
D. Combining Predictors
When an employer uses predictors such as three years of experience, possesses a
college degree, and acceptable aptitude test score, job applicants are evaluated on all of
these requirements and the multiple predictors combined in some way. Two approaches
for combining predictors are as follows:
E. Selection Responsibilities
Organizations vary in how they allocate selection responsibilities between HR
specialists and operating managers. The need to meet EEOC requirements and the
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Another approach has HR professionals initially screening the job candidates, and the
managers or supervisors making the final selection decisions from the qualified
applicant pool. Generally, the higher the positions being filled, the greater the likelihood
that the ultimate hiring decisions will be made by operating managers rather than by HR
professionals.
The employment function in any organization may be concerned with some or all of the
following activities:
• Receiving applications
• Interviewing the applicants
II. The Selection Process
Most organizations take a series of consistent steps to process and select applicants for
jobs. Company size, job characteristics, the number of people needed, the use of electronic
technology, and other factors cause variations on the basic process. Selection can take
A. Applicant Job Interest
Individuals wanting employment can indicate interest in many ways. Traditionally,
individuals have submitted résumés by mail or fax, or applied in person at an
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
an important public relations dimension. Discriminatory hiring practices, impolite
interviewers, unnecessarily long waits, unreturned telephone inquiries,
Realistic Job Previews
Some employers make jobs appear better than they really are. Realistic job
previews provide potential employees with an accurate introduction to a job so that
A company should consider several strategies when developing a recruiting brand
and conveying it to potential employees via realistic job previews. The brand of the
company should establish in the minds of recruits the company’s overall purpose for
Truth-in-Hiring Lawsuits
Recruiters may exaggerate promotional opportunities, pay, or even the company’s
financial position in an attempt to hire a candidate. However, a candidate who leaves
B. Preemployment Screening
Many employers conduct preemployment screening to determine if applicants meet the
minimum qualifications for open jobs before they have the applicants fill out an
application.
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Electronic Assessment Screening
The use of preemployment screening or assessment has grown. Much of this
screening utilizes computer software to review the many résumés and application
forms received during the recruiting and selection process. Large companies often
use different types of software to receive, evaluate, and track the applications of
C. Application Forms
Some employers do not use preemployment screening prior to having applicants fill out
an application form. Instead, they have every interested individual complete an
application first. These completed application forms then become the basis for
prescreening information. But collecting, storing, and tracking these forms can create
significant work for HR staff members.
Application Disclaimers
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Application forms should contain disclaimers and notices so that appropriate legal
protections are clearly stated. These recommended disclosures include the following:
• Employment-at-will—indicates the right of the employer or the applicant to
terminate employment at any time with or without notice or cause (where
applicable by state law)
EEOC Considerations and Application Forms
An organization should retain all applications and hiring-related documents and
records for three years. Guidelines from the EEOC and court decisions require that
the data requested on application forms must be job related. Though frequently found
on application forms, questions that ask for the following information are illegal:
• Marital status
Most of the litigation surrounding application forms has involved questions
regarding the gender and age of a potential employee, so special consideration
should be dedicated to removing any items that relate to these personal
Résumés as Applications
Applicants commonly provide background information through résumés. When the
situation arises, EEOC standards require that an employer treats a résumé as an
application form. As such, if an applicant’s résumé voluntarily furnishes some
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
information that cannot be legally obtained, the employer should not use that
information during the selection process.
D. Security Concerns and Immigration Verification
Businesses are required to review and record identity documents, such as Social
Security cards, passports, and visas, and to determine if they appear to be genuine
because it is illegal to knowingly hire employees who are not in the country legally.
U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) can audit the record of a business to
make certain there has been compliance with employment eligibility laws and rules.
Such audits may come from employer filings of government labor documents,
disgruntled employees, identity theft complaints, or suspicious patterns of activity.
III. Selection Testing
Literacy tests, skill-based tests, psychological measurement tests, and honesty tests are
used to assess various individual factors that are important for the work to be performed.
However, selection tests must be evaluated extensively before being utilized as a recruiting
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
tool. The development of the test items should be linked to a thorough job analysis. Initial
testing of the items should include an evaluation by knowledge experts, and statistical and
A. Ability Tests
Tests that assess an individual’s ability to perform in a specific manner are grouped as
ability tests. These are sometimes further differentiated into aptitude tests and
achievement tests. Cognitive ability tests measure an individual’s thinking, memory,
reasoning, verbal, and mathematical abilities. Valid tests such as the Wonderlic
Personnel Test and the General Aptitude Test Battery (GATB) can be used to determine
applicants’ basic knowledge of terminology and concepts, word fluency, spatial
orientation, comprehension and retention span, general and mental ability, and
conceptual reasoning.
Different skill-based tests can be used, including psychomotor tests, which measure a
person’s dexterity, hand-eye coordination, arm-hand steadiness, and other factors. Tests
such as the MacQuarie Test for Mechanical Ability can measure manual dexterity for
assembly-line workers and others using psychomotor skills regularly.
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
problem. The candidate then has to make judgments about how to deal with the
situation. Situational judgment tests are a form of job simulation.
Assessment Centers
An assessment center is not a place but an assessment exercise composed of a series
of evaluative tests used for selection and development. Most often used in the
B. Personality Tests
Personality is a unique blend of individual characteristics that can affect how people
interact with their work environment. Many organizations use various personality tests
that assess the degree to which candidates’ attributes match specific job criteria. Many
types of personality tests are available, including the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality
Inventory (MMPI) and the Myers-Briggs test.
experience).
Faking Personality Tests
Faking is a major concern for employers using personality tests. Many test
publishers admit that test profiles can be falsified, and they try to reduce faking by
including questions that can be used to compute a social desirability or “lie” score.
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
C. Honesty/Integrity Tests
Companies are utilizing different tests to assess the honesty and integrity of applicants
and employees. Employers use these tests as a screening mechanism to prevent the
hiring of dishonest employees, to reduce the frequency of lying and theft on the job, and
to communicate to applicants and employees alike that dishonesty will not be tolerated.
Honesty/integrity tests can be valid as broad screening devices for organizations if used
properly. Even though honesty tests can be expensive to administer, much of these costs
are justified by savings in workers’ compensation claims.
HR skills and applications: Using Integrity Tests Gets Better Employees
Integrity tests were some of the first dispositional assessment tools used by
companies to help with candidate screening. These instruments have continued to
be revised to measure how much employees are willing to act in unprincipled ways
such as lying to others, stealing resources, abusing drugs and alcohol, and harming
coworkers on the job. Use of these tests has continued to rise given that pre-
employment lie detector evaluations were deemed inappropriate for most jobs by
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Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Polygraphs
The polygraph, more generally and incorrectly referred to as a lie detector, is a
mechanical device that measures a person’s galvanic skin response, heart rate, and
breathing rate. The idea behind the polygraph is that if a person answers a question
deliberately incorrectly, the body’s physiological responses will “reveal” the
be allowed to end the test at any time.
D. Controversies in Selection Testing
Two areas in selection testing generate controversies and disagreements. One is the
appropriateness of general mental ability testing, and the other is the validity of
personality testing for selection.
Personality testing for selection flourished during the 1950s. But in the 1960s
researchers concluded that personality is not a good tool for selection, and the use of
these tests dropped drastically. In the 1990s, interest in research on personality as a
E. Selection Interviewing
Interviewing of job applicants is done both to obtain additional information and to
clarify information gathered throughout the selection process. Interviews are commonly
conducted at two levels:
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
• First, as an initial screening interview to determine if the person has met minimum
qualifications
• Later, as an in-depth interview with HR staff members and/or operating managers
to determine if the person will fit into the designated work area
F. Inter-Rater Reliability and Validity
HR skills and applications: Virtual Interviews Help Hiring
Virtual interviewing involves utilizing real-time interactive technology to conduct
live discussion sessions with job candidates and interviewers while they are not
physically present in the same room. The most common technologies that are used
to conduct these interviews include video conferencing facilities and
communication services offered over the Internet. Experiences in organizations such
as the University of California-Los Angeles and CDW suggest that both job candidates
and hiring managers are generally positive about virtual interviewing.
Despite these positives, there are several disadvantages that should be considered by HR
professionals. Some technologies used to enhance live communication (i.e., video
conferencing) can be expensive and complicated to set up. In addition, some job
candidates might not be comfortable with virtual interviews because the
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Interviews must be reliable and allow interviewers, despite their limitations, to pick the
same applicant capabilities again and again. High intra-rater reliability (within the same
interviewer) can often be achieved, but only moderate-to-low inter-rater reliability
G. Structured Interviews
A structured interview uses a set of prepared, job-related questions that are asked of
all applicants so that comparisons can be executed more easily and better selection
decision can be made. The structured interview is useful in the initial screening because
Structured interviews—in any of several forms, including biographical, behavioral,
competency, and situational—are useful when making selection decisions. The
structured format ensures that a given interviewer has similar information on each
candidate. It also ensures that when several interviewers ask the same questions of
applicants, there is greater consistency in the subsequent evaluation of those candidates.
Companies might have to provide additional guidance to enhance interviewers
implement this approach.
Biographical Interviews
Behavioral Interview
Chapter 7: Selecting Human Resources
Competency Interview
The competency interview is similar to the behavioral interview except that the
Situational Interview
The situational interview contains questions about how applicants might handle
specific job situations. Interview questions and possible responses are based on job
analysis and checked by experts to ensure content validity. The interviewer typically
H. Less-Structured Interviews
Some interviews are done unplanned and are not structured at all. Such interviewing
techniques may be appropriate for fact finding, or for counseling interviews.
However, they are not best for selection interviewing. An unstructured interview
occurs when the interviewer improvises by asking questions that are not predetermined.
A semistructured interview is a guided conversation in which broad questions are asked
and new questions arise as a result of the discussion.
Stress Interview