1. 15
Selecting Employees
You may have the technology or a product that gives you an edge, but your people determine whether you develop the next winning technology or product.
—Steve Ballmer, CEO, Microsoft

2. Learning Objectives
Discuss common roles for supervisors in the selection process.
Distinguish between job descriptions and job specifications and explain how they help in the selecting employees.
List possible sources of employees.
Identify the steps in the selection process.
Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
Define types of employment tests.
Summarize the requirements of antidiscrimination laws.
Explain how hiring decisions are affected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
Describe the requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986.
See text page: 412

3. Roles in the Selection Process
In small organizations, a supervisor may have great latitude in selecting employees to fill vacant positions.
Some organizations have formal procedures that require human resources to do most of the work, with the supervisor simply approving the candidates recommended.
In most cases, a supervisor works with a human resources department.
See Learning Objective 1: Discuss common roles for supervisors in the selection process.
See text page: 414

4. Selection Criteria
Be clear about what jobs need to be filled and what kind of people can best fill those jobs.
Job description
Job characteristics
Job specification
Knowledge
Skills
Abilities
Other characteristics
See Learning Objective 2: Distinguish between job descriptions and job specifications and explain how they help in the selecting employees.
See text pages:

5. Recruiting Inside the Organization
Promotions or different tasks can be a source of motivation for employees.
Promoted or transferred employees are already familiar with the organization’s policies and practices.
Internal recruitment is accomplished through:
Job postings
Employee referrals
See Learning Objective 3: List possible sources of employees.
See text page: 416

6. Recruiting Outside the Organization
New hires bring fresh ideas and skills that the organization may lack.
Basic ways to identify qualified outside candidates:
Advertising
Employment agencies
Schools
See Learning Objective 3: List possible sources of employees.
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7. The Selection Process
See Learning Objective 4: Identify the steps in the selection process.
See text page: 418

8. Screening from Employment Applications and Resumes
Review the applications or resumes to screen out candidates who are unqualified or less qualified than others.
Usually done by the human resources department
Compares resumes with the job description
Does not usually screen out a person recommended by the supervisor
See Learning Objective 4: Identify the steps in the selection process.
See text page: 418

9. Interviewing Candidates
Objectives of the interview:
Assess each candidate’s interpersonal and communication skills
See whether the supervisor and employee are comfortable with one another
Learn details about the information the candidate has provided on the application or resume
Allow the candidate an opportunity to learn about the organization
See Learning Objective 5: Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
See text page: 419

10. Who Should Interview?
Initially, someone in the human resources department
Later, the supervisor of the department
In some instances, team interviews may be conducted to see how a candidate interacts with a team
Parts of an interview may be automated using a phone system or other technology
See Learning Objective 5: Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
See text page: 422

11. Preparation for the Interview and Interview Conditions
Review the job description
Review the applicant’s resume or job application
Arrange for an appropriate interview location
Interview conditions
Privacy
Freedom from interruptions
Comfortable seating
Consider sitting at a small table, not behind a desk
Offer coffee and “warm-up” conversation
See Learning Objective 5: Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
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12. Content of the Interview
Why do you want to work for our company?
What kind of career do you have planned?
What have you learned in school to prepare for a career?
What are some of the things you are looking for in a company?
How has your previous job experience prepared you for a career?
What are your strengths? Weaknesses?
Why did you attend school/select your major?
What do you consider to be one of your most worthwhile achievements?
Are you a leader? Explain.
How do you plan to continue developing yourself?
What can I tell you about my company?
See Learning Objective 5: Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
See text page: 423

13. The Interviewing Process
See Learning Objective 5: Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
See text page: 422

14. Interviewing Techniques
Structured interview
Unstructured interview
Open-ended questions
Closed-ended questions
See Learning Objective 5: Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
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15. Interview Problems to Avoid
Know what types of questions are acceptable and unacceptable.
Don’t make decisions based on personal biases.
Avoid the halo effect.
Don’t form erroneous first impressions.
Avoid giving candidates a misleading picture of the organization.
See Learning Objective 5: Discuss how a supervisor should go about interviewing candidates for a job.
See text page: 427

16. Conducting Employment Tests
Types of tests:
Aptitude test
Proficiency test
Psychomotor test
Personality test
Drug test
Usually the human resources department handles the testing of applicants.
Be sure any test you use is nondiscriminatory.
Be creative when designing your tests.
See Learning Objective 6: Define types of employment tests.
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17. Conducting Background and Reference Checks
Many resumes and job applications contain false information:
Former employers and length of employment
Past salaries
Criminal records
Be sure to check references:
Personal
Academic
Employment
Be aware of restrictions on background checks.
See Learning Objective 6: Define types of employment tests.
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18. Making a Selection Decision
The final decision of whom to hire is usually up to the supervisor.
With more than one qualified candidate, supervisors should select a person whose values and beliefs match those of the company.
Teams may benefit by people who seek compromise and others who challenge old ways by arguing for fresh ideas.
Human resources typically makes the job offer and negotiates pay and benefits.
See Learning Objective 6: Define types of employment tests.
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19. Physical Examination
Experts advise that employers request a physical exam only after a job offer is made.
Helps determine if the candidate is physically able to fulfill the job requirements
This timing reduces the risk that someone will sue the company for refusing to hire him or her because of a disability
Determines whether the candidate is eligible for company-offered insurances
An illness, disability, or pregnancy may not be used as the basis for denying a person a job unless it makes the person unable to perform the job.
See Learning Objective 6: Define types of employment tests.
See text page: 430

20. Legal Issues Antidiscrimination laws: Managing diversity
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
Rehabilitation Act of 1973
The Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1978
Vietnam Era Veterans Readjustment Act of 1974
Managing diversity
Workplace accessibility:
Accommodations for employees with disabilities
What supervisors can do
Immigration Reform and Control Act
See Learning Objective 7: Summarize the requirements of antidiscrimination laws.
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21. How Hiring Decisions Are Affected by The ADA
Employers must make accommodations for employees with disabilities if the necessary accommodations are “readily achievable.”
Readily achievable would be defined as easy to carry out and possible to accomplish without much difficulty or expense.
This law extends beyond wheelchair accessibility to require accommodations for any eligible disabled employee, including those with impaired sight and haring, arthritis, high blood pressure, and heart disease.
See Learning Objective 8: Explain how hiring decisions are affected by the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
See text page: 434

22. Requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act
IRCA forbids employers to hire illegal immigrants and requires them to screen candidates to make sure they are authorized to work in the United States.
Employers may not use these requirements as a rationale for discriminating against candidates because they look or sound “foreign.”
The employer must verify the identity and work authorization of every new employee.
See Learning Objective 9: Describe the requirements of the Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA) of 1986.
See text page: 435

23. Summary
In most cases, a supervisor works with a human resource department in the employee selection process.
Job descriptions list the characteristics of the job.
Job specifications list desirable characteristics in the person performing the job.
Employees can be recruited from inside or outside the organization.
See text page: 435

24. Summary (continued)
The selection process begins with screening candidates using employment applications and resumes. Interviews are done. Employment tests may be given. Background checks are conducted, then a selection is made, after which a candidate may be asked to take a physical exam.
Objectives of interviewing include narrowing the search for an employee by assessing each candidate’s interpersonal and communication skills, seeing whether the supervisor and employee are comfortable with one another, and learning details about the information the candidate has provided on the application or résumé.
Employment tests include: aptitude, proficiency, psychometer, personality, and drug use.
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25. Summary (continued)
The organization, including the supervisor, must avoid actions that discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age over 40 years, or physical or mental disability, including pregnancy-related disabilities.
The ADA prohibits discrimination on the basis of mental or physical disability against people who can perform the essential functions of a job.
Under IRCA, employers are responsible for helping to discourage illegal immigration.
See text page: 436