Selecting Employees to Fit the Job and the Organization 03/04/2013

Today’s sub-topics 1. The Strategic Importance of Selection 2. Designing the Selection Process 3. Techniques for Assessing Job Applicants 4. The Perspective of Job Applicants 5. Legal Considerations in Selection 6. Current Issues 7. Videos

1. The Strategic Importance of Selection Definition: Selection is the process of obtaining and using information about job applicants to determine who should be hired for both short- term and long-term positions Obtaining a Capable Workforce - High productivity - Motivate to stay for as long as possible - Behaviours that result in customer satisfaction - Implement the company’s strategy

2. Designing the Selection Process What are the criteria of interest? - Criteria: the outcomes that selection decisions are intended to predict What predictors and assessment techniques will be used? - Predictors: the various pieces of information used to make selection decisions, e.g. skill, ability, knowledge, personality, behaviour - Assessment: e.g. application forms, resumes, references, written tests, interviews

Designing the Selection Process What sequence will be used to measure the predictors? - Information used early in the process is weighted the most heavily; applicants who fail to do well early in the process fail by default on all the later steps How will the information collected be combined to make the selection decision? - multiple hurdles, compensatory, combined

Designing the Selection Process Multiple hurdles: an applicant must exceed fixed levels of proficiency on all the predictors to be accepted Compensatory: a high score on one predictor can compensate for a low score on another predictor Combined: the employer screens out everyone who doesn’t meet one or more specific requirements and then uses a compensatory approach in comparing the applicants who have passed the required hurdle

3. Techniques for Assessing Job Applicants Written Tests - Ability: measures the potential of an individual to perform, given the opportunity Psychomotor (perceptual speed and accuracy) Physical (manual dexterity, physical strength) Cognitive (verbal, quantitative) e.g. bank tellers need motor skills to operate a computer and finger dexterity to manipulate currency … fire-fighters need mostly physical strength

Techniques for Assessing Job Applicants Knowledge: what the person knows at the time of taking the test; not what the applicants are likely to learn (quickly) in the future e.g. selection practices for hiring and promoting law enforcement officers usually include a test for knowledge about laws and the appropriate means for enforcing them

Techniques for Assessing Job Applicants Personality: assesses the unique blend of characteristics that define an individual and determine his / her pattern of interactions with the environment e.g. the Big Five Extraversion (sociable, talkative) Agreeableness (cooperative, trusting) Conscientiousness (responsible, dependable) Emotional stability (secure, calm) Openness to experience (imaginative, intellect)

Techniques for Assessing Job Applicants Interviews - Structured: all the applicants are asked the same questions in the same order - Unstructured: the interviewer prepares a list of topics to be covered and, depending on how the conversation unfolds, asks questions about some or all of them - Behavioural: uses either a structured or semi- structured approach to ask questions that focuses on behaviour e.g. ask candidate to describe specific instances of past behaviour that reflect a competency for which the employer is looking

4. The Perspective of Job Applicants Content of the measures used to select people PSE & G, a public utility company, wants to be sure that its (potential) employees know the type of content they should expect when they apply for a job in the company. The company has prepared a detailed manual that describes the various types of test used which relate to specific jobs and provides sample items that might appear on tests used to select people for those jobs

The Perspective of Job Applicants The administration of the process Did the company tell the applicants what it was evaluating and why? Did it provide feedback about how they scored? Did the company representatives behave professionally and appear to take the task seriously? Did it treat all the applicants equally? The results of the process

5. Legal Considerations in Selection Laws and Regulations that Prohibit Discrimination - Title VII of the Civil Rights Act and Executive Order (II246) Prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, colour, religion, sex, national origin - The Age Discrimination in Employment Prohibits age discrimination - Rehabilitation Act / Americans with Disabilities Act Prohibit discrimination against persons with disabilities

Legal Considerations in Selection Detecting Unfair Discrimination - Disparate Treatment: a legal term used to describe illegal discrimination against an individual The individual belongs to a protected group The individual applied for a job for which the employer was seeking applicants Despite being qualified, the individual was rejected After the individual’s rejection, the employer kept looking for people with individual’s qualifications

6. Current Issues Expatriates They need to manage many times of relationships, including their … Co-workers Families Host government Home government Local customers and business partners The company’s headquarters

Videos How To Hire the Right Customer Service Person For Your Small Business - From ClearFit.mov NlQ NlQ How To Pass Customer Service Interviews DnK8