Case 6-1
Summary
A popular jewelry brand, Links of London, advertised a position for an Assistant Store Manager of their
New York location. An applicant named Krissy decided to apply for the vacancy based on her credentials,
experiences, and how the company was presented on their website. However, when Krissy was presented
with the opportunity to apply and interview for the position, there were many snags that caused her
difficulties along the way.
Analysis
The Links of London case is an example of the importance of “fit” for an individual within an
organization. In this case, Krissy’s perception of fit may come from the lack of cohesion between all parts
of the job selection process. In each step in her application procedure, Krissy was met with unexpected
barriers which made it difficult to identify her possible potential roles and responsibilities with the
company.
Questions
1. What types of “fit” was Links of London looking for in their employees according to their career
services website?
There are three types of “fit” a firm usually looks for: personality–job, ability–job, and person–
organization fit. Ability fit is demonstrated through the statement “we believe in training and developing
2. What are the steps in the selection process and where did this process seem to falter with Krissy?
The steps in the selection process include application and/or resume review, preliminary screening initial
3. What determines if a question is acceptable in a preemployment inquiry and what questions might
have been deemed unacceptable on Links’ job application?
On a job application or in an interview, one cannot legally ask questions that can be used to discriminate
against an applicant unless the questions are bona fide occupational qualifications. Every question should
4. 4. Krissy took a personality test as well as a test of her integrity yet not a job-specific cognitive test.
What might be the firm’s rationale for using the tests they did?
Personality tests measure the psychological traits or characteristics of the applicant, while integrity tests
(although known as honest tests) could be embedded in personality tests and gauge the truthfulness of the
5. What type of interview did the store manager seem to conduct using what type of questions?
There are three types of interviews: structured (working from a prepared list of questions for all
applicants), semistructured (the interviewer uses his/her discretion to ask further probing questions), and
6. What steps should have be taken when conducting the interview? Did the store manager miss any of
them?
When one conducts an interview, the steps include opening the interview (developing a rapport),
7. If you were Krissy would you accept the job offer?
This opinion question, with no correct answer, requires students to address the issue of whether Krissy
Case 6-2
Summary
The Brian Acton case explains the detailed interview procedure Facebook uses for their talent and
demonstrates how sometimes a company can miss out on talent that could be an organizational fit. In this
case, Acton was a talented programmer who previously worked at Yahoo and Apple and did not perform
in the top percentage of performers during his Facebook interview procedure. This did not stop him from
becoming extremely successful and selling 20% of an application he developed entitled “WhatsApp” for
$3 billion.
Analysis
This case illustrates that even a well-designed interview may not lead to the selection of the most talented
or even the best qualified candidate. While Facebook was extremely targeted during their selection
process for engineers and had developed a performance-based structured interview with an ability test
which was seemingly both valid and reliable, like anything else, it was not perfect.
Questions
1. The hiring process in Facebook consists of three steps. What are those three steps and which type of
written tests are applicable for each?
The first step of Facebook’s hiring process is getting contacted from the recruiter. The candidate may be
tested in their coding skills by a timed software coding challenge entered in the chat. This is the first step
2. If you were the recruiter responsible for the preliminary screening of applicants to Facebook, how
would you prepare for the interview?
First of all, it is important for a recruiter to go through the resumes given to them to see which people
Sex
Candidate to indicate sex on an application only
if sex is a BFOQ
Candidate’s sexual preference,
orientation, or gender identity
Marital and
family status
None
Specific questions about marital
status or any question regarding
children or other family issues
writes; can ask candidate to identify specific
speaks when not on the job or how
Criminal record
Whether the candidate has been convicted of a
felony; if the answer is yes, can ask other
information about the conviction if the
conviction is job related
Whether the candidate has ever
been arrested (an arrest does not
prove guilt) or charged with a crime
Height and weight
Generally none unless a BFOQ
Candidate’s height or weight if
these are not BFOQs
affiliation, or denomination if not a
work experience
credentials if information that is job related
related
training and experience
Military record
Information about candidate’s military service
Dates and conditions of discharge
from the military, draft
classification, National Guard or
reserve unit of candidate
3. Facebook gives a battery of tests to the applicant along several steps of the selection process. What
are those tests, what are they testing for, and how might Facebook ensure the validity and reliability
of those tests?
Facebook uses multiple types of tests to understand their candidates for a job. The tests that Facebook
uses are skills tests, interest tests, and cognitive ability tests. A skills test is simply an assessment
instrument designed to determine if you have the ability to apply a particular knowledge set. Another test
4. Psychological testing did not seem to be part of Facebook’s selection process. How might they use
this testing, which tests, and where in the process?
A personality test is a psychological test that many jobs give before hiring a person for a job. Personality
tests measure the psychological traits or characteristics of applicants to determine suitability for
performance in a specific type of job. It would be essential for Facebook to give this test if they are trying
5. From what you have read, what are the criteria of selection employed by Facebook? Are they valid
and reliable? How might this explain why Acton was not hired?
Questions 1 and 3 explain the process as well as the tests that Facebook uses to see if a candidate is
correct for Facebook. Facebook had to use the guidelines that UGESP sets as explained in Question 3.
6. Agree or disagree with this statement based upon this case. Not hiring the right person is still better
than hiring the wrong person.
This is an interesting risk–reward question with no right answer. The textbook notes that a firm should
not rush to just hire, be risk averse, since hiring the wrong person could cause high turnover, low