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SELECTION2BC3

Week 5________________________

Dr. Teal McAteerDeGroote School of Business

McMaster University

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Strategic Issues re: Selection

• Organizational performance is contingent on performance of individual employees

• Selection decisions must reflect job requirements

• Selection strategy should consider organizational needs & resources, labour market realities

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Selection

• Selection is about prediction– Predicting who will be most effective at

performing a given job in a given organization

– Want to maximize “hits” and avoid “misses”

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The Selection System

• Selection system must be1. Valid

2. Reliable

3. Practical

4. Free from bias

» Thorndike (1949)

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Legally Defensible Selection System

• Must provide equal employment opportunities to all individuals without regard to race, age, gender, national origin, marital status, family status, sex, handicap etc.– Based on Ontario Human Rights Code

• In addition to validity and reliability, need to demonstrate:– Active recruitment– That selection system is job-related (job analysis)

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Validity

• Appropriateness of the inferences made based on scores of selection techniques– E.g., if we predict an individual will perform well based

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

• 3 types of validity – 1st 2 are particularly important for selection1. Content validity

2. Criterion-related validity

3. Construct validity

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Content Validity• Does the system adequately represent the

KSAs required by the position?– E.g., having applicants for position of secretary lift

a 50 kg box• No content validity if it’s 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

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Criterion-Related Validity

• Does one’s standing on a selection technique(s) relate to the outcome (criterion) of interest – i.e., job performance?

• How is C-R validity established?

• Predictive validation– Extent to which test scores predict subsequent job

performance

– Collect test scores; correlate scores with subsequent job performance ratings of those who are hired

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Criterion-Related Validity

• Concurrent validation– Degree to which a test score obtained now

predicts current performance– Administer employment test to current job

incumbents – Collect current (recent) job performance

ratings of incumbents– Look at correlation between test scores and

performance ratings

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Reliability

• Refers to the consistency of scores produced by a selection technique

• 2 important types of reliability

1. Stability - Test-retest reliability– Repeated administrations of the same measure yield

consistent results– Particularly important for tests

2. Equivalence - Inter-rater reliability– Agreement between 2 or more raters of same behaviour– Particularly important for interviews

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Selection Techniques

• Application Blanks

• Paper and pencil tests

• Work samples

• Assessment centres

• Reference checks

• Interviews

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Resumes/Application Blanks

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Types of Paper and Pencil Tests

• Cognitive ability tests– General intelligence (IQ)– Specific capacities (verbal, spatial, mathematical)

• Personality tests– Traits identified as job-related– E.g., Conscientiousness

• Integrity / Honesty tests– Aim to avoid hiring dishonest or disruptive employees– Related to reduce theft, aggression, absenteeism, etc.

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Other Selection Techniques

• Physical Ability tests– Strength, speed, agility, endurance, etc.– Potential for adverse impact

• Work samples– Involve applicants performing actual job tasks– E.g., typing, preparing and delivering oral

presentation, athletic tryouts

• Assessment Centre– Procedure involving multiple assessment

techniques to assess reactions to “real” job-related tasks

– Often to assess managerial potential

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Reference Checks

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The Interview

• Most widely used selection technique

• 2 main types– Unstructured

– Structured

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Interviews

• Unstructured 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

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Interviews

• Problems with unstructured interviews– Poor reliability and validity

• Can lead to biases– “similar-to-me” effect– Primacy or recency effect– Halo effect

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Interviews• Structured interviews• 3 distinguishing features:

1.Job-related questions

2.Predetermined scoring system / rating scale

3.Standardized - same approach for all applicants

• 2 types: situational and behavioural

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Situational Interview

• Based on job analysis• Presents candidate with a dilemma – “What

would you do…?– Candidate must answer by saying how s/he

would respond to the dilemma

• Rationale for situational interview– “intention predicts future behaviour”

• Explicit scoring system– 1 = least effective; 5 = most effective

• Good reliability and validity

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Behaviour Description Interview

• 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– “Tell me about a time when you had to work on a team

with someone you didn’t get along with.”– May involve more than 1 interviewer (e.g., panel)

• Rationale for behavioural interview– “past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour”

• Good reliability and validity

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Informal Sources of Decision-Making

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Issues to Consider

• 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

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Issues to Consider

• 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.

• Consider “multiple hurdle” approach

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Issues to Consider

• Selection system signals how organizations value the people they hire– A good selection system may be costly and

time-consuming (and demanding for candidates)

– But it has many benefits:• High quality hires• Legal defensibility• Fosters commitment and motivation of new hires