Human Resources Case Study

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6 Selecting New Employees

Case 6.1. The Selection Process: Searching for a New Faculty Member . . . What Step in the Selection Process Are We in Today? There are many potential steps in the selection process to complete when conducting a search process to fill an open position. Most important, companies need to follow the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Process (UGESP) to avoid discrimi- natory hiring practices. The guidelines were designed to ensure that organizations were using nondiscriminatory employment practices so they would be in compliance under the Civil Rights Act of 1964, often referred to as Title VII.1

The following steps are part of a typical employee selection process:

1. Application and/or résumé collection and review.

2. Preliminary screening. May include a quick look into background check.

3. Organize initial interview with promising candidates.

4. Complete written and physical tests if necessary.

5. Secondary interviews for candidates who passed the first interview.

6. Detailed background check of references, criminal history, drug screening, and web searches if appropriate to the position.

7. Position offered to selected candidate. If position is accepted, prospect is hired and process is ended. If position is declined, search committee decides whether to offer position to second highest rated candidate.

Small-Time College is looking for a good accountant that has the right personality- job fit to complement its existing accounting faculty. Accounting positions often require the accountant to work closely with financial statements, such as income

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Part II • Staffing2 8

statements and balance sheets. However, Small-Time College also wants to hire a pro- fessor who likes to build close relationships with students and help them be involved in donating time to nonprofit organizations. The college intends to hire a CPA to be sure there is a good ability-job fit and hopes the new professor will have a good person-organization fit, which means the new professor will fit into the culture of the entire company.

The following are some of the selection steps taken at Small-Time College in its search for a new full-time accounting professor.

1. A search committee is formed to search for the new accounting professor. Professors from the Division of Business and a professor from outside the division are included on the committee.

2. Search committee works together to write a job description and an advertise- ment for the open accounting position.

3. HR places the advertisement in various media, such as Monster.com and Higherjobs.com. The advertisement’s job was tailored to find qualified applicants who could teach upper-level accounting courses on-campus and off-campus, online and face-to-face, while also participating in college-wide activities.

ASSISTANT PROFESSOR OF ACCOUNTING

Apply for Position

Institution: Small-Time College

Location: Carlsbad, CA

Category: Faculty—Business/Accounting

Posted: 06/18/2016

Application Due: Open Until Filled

Type: Full Time

Assistant Professor of Accounting

The Division of Business at Small-Time College located in Carlsbad, CA, invites appli- cations for the position of full-time, tenure track Assistant Professor of Accounting Faculty position reporting to the Chair of the Division of Business.

This faculty position is primarily responsible for traditional and online course develop- ment and instruction in the Accounting Bachelor of Arts Degree at the traditional based campus programs, the online and F2F undergraduate off-campus degree completion programs, and the Accounting track in the MBA program. Courses can include, but are not limited to, Accounting Information Systems, Advanced Cost Accounting, Auditing, and Financial Management. Potential graduate-level courses include Corporate Tax and Nonprofit and Government Accounting.

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Chapter 6 • Selecting New Employees 2 9

The faculty member is also responsible for actively participating in all aspects of col- lege community (teaching, scholarship, and service) in alignment with the faculty hand- book and to serve a primary role in the governance and organization of the program, including academic planning, curriculum development and review, advising and program improvement.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assumes responsibility for assigned course instruction online, off-campus, and on-campus in both undergraduate and graduate courses.

• Facilitates learning and caring environment, which encourages critical thinking, investigation, self-direction, and respect for the uniqueness of each individual.

• Leads and/or participates in course development, curriculum planning, implemen- tation, and evaluation.

• Completes required CPE and maintains current license. • Attends Business Club meetings with senior accounting students. • Assists students in finding internships at local area CPA and other firms. • Coordinates students to perform internship and community service at the Volunteer

Income Tax Assistance (VITA). • Supports the collection of IACBE results related to the accounting students on cam-

pus and off-campus. • Demonstrates knowledge of and implementation of the general education philosophy. • Serves on College committees as appointed or elected. • Participates in peer, self, and course review. • Promotes the mission and purposes of the College in various internal and external

activities. • Evaluates student progress and maintains appropriate records. • Advises students in course-related matters and makes referrals to appropriate

resources. • Remains current with the trends, issues, and practices in the discipline. • Actively involved in professional development and scholarly activities. • Assists the Chair of the department with administrative tasks as needed and

appointed. • Participates in recruitment and retention efforts, specific to the program, as needed. • Performs other duties as assigned. • Contributes to the evaluation of student academic achievement and other evaluative

processes of the College. • Adheres to College and System policies and procedures as indicated in the Faculty

Handbook, College policies, and in other applicable regulatory documents. • Upholds, promotes, and demonstrates behaviors consistent with the Mission and

Core Values (Faith, Community, Justice, and Excellence) of the College.

Minimum Qualifications

CPA or CMA (current license) with a Master’s degree in the accounting field. Must have significant experience in the field of accounting, possess effective oral and written communication and interpersonal skills, documented excellence in online teaching,

(Continued)

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Part II • Staffing3 0

and be committed to the concepts of innovation and excellence in accounting education. Candidate must maintain active and current membership in professional and commu- nity organizations. The candidate must effectively use Microsoft Office Suite software and other accounting software.

Preferred Qualifications

Doctorate degree (related field). College-level teaching experience in accounting and experience with web-based course delivery and instructional technology are highly desirable. Learning Management System experience preferred, Moodle experience highly preferred. Ability to use Sage 50/QuickBooks and SAP software is very desirable.

To Apply

Send cover letter, transcripts, CV/résumé, a statement of teaching philosophy and con- tact information for three (3) professional references (as Word or PDF attachments) via email to: [email protected] or by regular mail to Dr. Maxwell Bannister, Chair of the Division of Business, Small-Time College, 291 Golf Ball Street, Carlsbad, CA 01050.

Review of applications begins immediately and will continue until the position is filled.

(Continued)

4. Résumés (in education they are called CVs) are collected and distributed among the committee members.

5. Preliminary screening requires weeding out the applicants who don’t meet the minimum qualifications. The process includes a meeting to drop those candi- dates who didn’t have a CPA or a Master’s in accounting. The next step could be to drop those candidates who lack teaching experience. There is a great deal of debate deciding on the top 10 candidates if you have a pile of about 100 appli- cants. The top 10 applicants are then called by the HR Department to see if they are still interested in the position and if they would be able to accept the position within the salary range the professor is expected to be paid. The salary range is determined by the salaries offered to similar faculty at Small-Time College.

6. Selection interviews: The top 10 candidates are often reduced to the top three to five candidates if they are still interested in the position and the salary range. The final five candidates are then called to arrange a date and time for their initial interview. Sometimes, all the candidates are interviewed on the same day. That makes a long day for the search committee and HR. Otherwise, it is important to interview candidates in as few days as possible.

7. Conducting the interview actually starts before the actual interviews. The com- mittee often creates a list of appropriate questions that will be asked to all appli- cants. Each person on the committee often asks specific questions related to his or her personal area of expertise (which could be teaching accounting courses,

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Chapter 6 • Selecting New Employees 31

experience advising students, or working with students on projects outside the classroom). This ensures that all candidates are asked the same questions.

Once the interview begins, it is important to review the realistic job preview (RJP) and make sure the candidate understands the nature of the job. The RJP is a review of all of the tasks and requirements of the job, both good and bad. The committee will want to make sure the candidates have as much information as possible about the job so they are aware of the tasks to be completed if they are offered the position.

8. Background checks (which can include reference checks, credit checks, crim- inal background checks, and web checks) need to be used in a professional and ethical manner. For example, reference checks should not be conducted without the consent of the candidate. It is important to research only for rel- evant data. There is no need to dig for information beyond the scope of the search. Keep the search related to the specific information for the job that is being filled.2

Reference checks often confirm a candidate did work at a previous organi- zation. But it is important to understand that candidates don’t pick references unless they are most likely going to give them a positive referral. Web searches on sites such as LinkedIn have become more popular as a source for checking the candidate’s background and references.

9. Selecting the candidate and offering the job often means the top two candi- dates are asked to return for a second interview. They most likely will meet the dean and Small-Time College president. The final decision normally rests with the college president, who decides what is best for the college. Offering the job to the candidate is not quite as simple as it sounds. The candidate might decide to stay with his or her current employer or might disagree on salary, a certain benefit, or even the job itself. If the first candidate decides not to accept the position, the search committee, dean, and president have to decide if they would like to offer the job to the second candidate or do an entirely new search.

Case Questions

1. What would be a good personality fit for an accounting professor at Small-Time College?

2. Should the preliminary screening process result in a top 10 of applicants?

3. What is the role of the Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Process (UGESP)?

4. Which step did the case skip in regard to the steps in the selection process?

5. Why are background checks harder to conduct than it might appear?

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Part II • Staffing3 2

Case 6.2. Looking for “Organizational Fit”: Walter’s Unstructured Interview at Google Walter was proud to earn his bachelor’s degree in computer science from Small-Time College in California. That was almost three years ago, and he felt as if it was even longer since the field of computer science changes so quickly.

Walter was able to find a nice “Comp Sci” job at Small-Time College. He inter- viewed for the job and remembers the key questions were what his greatest strengths (which he answered as programming skills) and his greatest weakness (he didn’t have one prepared to discuss) were. Walter considered this a structured interview since one of the interviewers from Small-Time College said she was responsible for asking certain questions. After working for three years at Small-Time College, Walter felt he had a good personality-job fit, since he was a valuable member of the Information Technology Department. Walter also felt he had proven he had good ability-job fit, since his three years of experience as a computer programmer at the college proved he had the skills to complete the job. Most important, Walter felt he had a perfect person-organization fit, since he was liked by everyone at the college and fit in very well in the educational culture.

Recently, Walter was contacted by someone on LinkedIn to apply for a new posi- tion at Google. Like everyone else, Walter had heard stories that Google was a great place to work. He even watched the movie The Intern to get a better glimpse of what takes place at Google.

Walter also researched the company (using Google Search) and found out Google uses a unique way to find and match people with jobs at the amazing company.3

First, Google used its extremely creative way of thinking to create a vice- president of people operations. Like most companies, Walter’s current employer calls this posi- tion the vice-president of human resources.

Second, Google uses its data analysis skills to analyze vast amounts of data about what works and what doesn’t work during the hiring process. One result they found was that interviews had a zero relationship with the success the person actually had on the job. Consequently, Google doesn’t believe in the traditional metrics used in the hiring process. These traditional metrics include GPA, SAT scores, or the prestige of college the candidate attended. Instead, creative companies like Google measure a candidate on behaviors, such as their level of happiness, ability to work well with other people, if they like a challenge, if they seek information, and if they are willing to adapt.4

Walter spoke to the assistant in people operations and set up an interview for one week later. He was warmly received by Google and quickly fell in love with the colorful and wide open layout of the headquarters. In a casual and relaxed atmosphere, he sat down with three different Google employees and basically explained how he grew up in California and what led him down the path of computer science.

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Chapter 6 • Selecting New Employees 3 3

Walter thought he might be asked one of those out-of-the-box interview questions, such as how many gasoline stations would you expect to find in a city of 160,000 people. But his research also uncovered that Google felt these types of questions were biased since they tended to just make the interviewer look smart since they had time to work out the answers.

Since Walter wanted to be a good match, he went with the flow of the interview and became much more relaxed than he could remember in his interview with his current company. He expressed how he liked being happy at work, enjoyed program- ming computers with a team of employees, and especially enjoyed interacting with clients to help them solve their problems. Walter enjoyed the unstructured inter- view and felt he was doing a good job interacting with the Google interviewers. He expected the Google interview was going to a least be a semi-structured interview, which would combine some preplanned and some unplanned questions. However, the Google interviewers appeared to not have any prepared questions and instead asked all unplanned questions.

Walter went on to explain how he had been promoted three times in three years and enjoyed the challenge each positioned offered. He liked the “go for it attitude” at his present employer. Walter also knew from his research that Google liked outgoing, happy employees that worked well with their fellow workers and customers.

In the end, Walter did not get the job for reasons he never learned. Although he was disappointed, he also knew that Facebook once turned down Brian Acton for a job and he went on to co-found WhatsApp which he sold to Facebook for $19 billion.5 Walter hoped a similar fate was in his future and he could one day sell his ideas to Google.

Walter went back to his current job with renewed passion and energy. He was excited to have spent time at Google and hoped to bring back some of what he learned and apply it to his own job and division. He also intended to work closer than ever with his own Human Resources Department to look for opportunities in his current company. He was hoping to find a “fast track” program that would speed up his own development, so he could create a more open and creative company culture along the way.

Walter always wondered what his life would have been like if he had been hired by Google. He thought he was going to be an excellent fit in the Google organiza- tional culture. He felt he had a good personality-job fit since he demonstrated in the interviews that he was an outgoing computer programmer who would work well with Google’s unique corporate culture. Walter also felt he was a great candidate in regard to ability-job fit since his three years of experience in his current programming job showed he could apply his technical skills as a computer programmer in a work envi- ronment. Walter also felt he was a good person-organization fit since he would work very well within Google’s creative-organizational culture. In the end, Walter was happy to grow from the experience of trying to get a job at Google. He definitely had more appreciation for his current job since his employer had been smart enough to give him a job three years before. He was ready to repay that by doing an excellent job going into the future.

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Part II • Staffing3 4

Case Questions

1. What do you think the vice president of people actually does at Google?

2. Did Walter experience a structured, semistructured, or unstructured interview when he first left college?

3. What are your own greatest strengths and weaknesses as a prospective employee?

4. How would you answer if someone in HR asked you an unstructured question such as how many gas stations there are in a city of 160,000?

5. Design a form to help Google compare different candidates. HINT: You can list some different names of people in the rows. The column headings need to represent the areas where Google is looking for in an interview (Happy Employees, Employees Willing to Take on a Challenge, Creative Employees, etc.)

6. Why do you think Google felt Walter was not a good organizational fit for the company?

Notes

1. http://www.uniformguidelines.com/uniformguidelines.html. 2. Lu, Andrew, “5 Tips to Keep Reference Checks Legal,” FindLaw.com, December 12, 2012. 3. Nisen, Max, “Moneyball at Work: They’ve Discovered What Really Makes a Great Employee

at Work,” Business Insider, May 6, 2013.

4. Nisen, Max, “Google HR Boss Explains Why GPA and Most Interviews Are Useless,” Business Insider, June 19, 2013.

5. Wood, Zoe, “Facebook Turned Down WhatsApp Co-Founder Brian Acton for Job in 2009,” The Guardian, February 20, 2014.

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