Human Resource Questions
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selectionpt2-mgmt351-fall2015.pptxSELECTION: PART TWO
October 12, 2015
Week 3
MGMT 351
Fall 2015
David Caughlin, Ph.D.
1
Outline
Resumes & References
Cognitive Ability Tests
Personality Inventories
Interviews
Work Samples
Drug Tests
Integrity Tests
Project Questions
2
Talent Flows
Staffing Processes
Supply-Chain Perspective
Potential Labor Pool
Labor Pool
Applicant Pool
Candidates for Further Evaluation
Offer Candidates
New Hires
Building & Planning
Recruiting
Screening
Selecting
Offering & Closing
Cascio & Boudreau (2010)
Talent Flows
Staffing Processes
Supply-Chain Perspective
Potential Labor Pool
Labor Pool
Applicant Pool
Candidates for Further Evaluation
Offer Candidates
New Hires
Building & Planning
Recruiting
Screening
Selecting
Offering & Closing
Cascio & Boudreau (2010)
Types of Selection Measures
A variety of selection measures are commonly used:
Resumes and references
Background checks and credit checks
Cognitive ability tests
Personality inventories
Interviews
Work samples
Drug tests
Integrity tests
Formats of Different Personnel Selection Tests
Individually Administered
Example: employment interview
VS.
Group Administered
Example: paper-and-pencil tests given to many applicants at once
Formats of Different Personnel Selection Tests
Speed Tests
require test-taker to work as quickly as possible and within a short period of time
VS.
Power Tests
allow test-taker to go at their own pace, with no consideration for how quickly an applicant can answer the questions
Formats of Different Personnel Selection Tests
Cognitive Tests
measure an applicant’s general or specific cognitive ability
VS.
Non-Cognitive Tests
include personality tests and other characteristics that are unrelated to cognitive skills
Formats of Different Personnel Selection Tests
Methods
VS.
Constructs
Employment interview
Assessment center
Paper-pencil test
Integrity
Cognitive ability
Conscientiousness
Methods vs. Constructs
Example of two retail companies using the same selection method but measuring different KSAOs (i.e., constructs):
SAME
DIFFERENT
Retail Sales Company A
KSAO Measured:
Job Knowledge
Retail Sales Company B
Selection Procedure: Interview for Job Applicants
KSAO Measured: Interpersonal Skills
Selection Procedure: Interview for Job Applicants
Quality Standards of Selection Measures
To be considered of high quality, selection measures should be:
Reliable
Valid
Generalizable
Useful
Legal
Resumes & References
12
Resumes
Used to assess necessary qualifications
Commonly used but a challenge for employers because of the large volume of resumes employers receive
Different applicants provide different information, which adds to the challenging nature of resumes
Lying on resumes is common
13
References
76% of employers use some kind of reference or background check to screen employees (SHRM, 2010)
Often used to verify information or to avoid applicants with “red flags”
Tend to biased in favor of the applicant
Can be difficult to get much information because former employer fears lawsuit
14
Resumes & References
| Reliability | High test-retest reliability (If someone makes two resumes, they are likely to be of similar quality) |
| Validity | Low validity, mostly because: 1. Everybody exaggerates; no bad qualities 2. Only good people are asked to be a reference 3. References don’t want to be held accountable |
| Generalizability | Low, because low validity, nothing to generalize to |
| Utility | Cheap, but because low validity, low utility |
| Legality | People who write letters may be charged with libel for writing negative references |
Cognitive Ability Tests
16
Tests of Cognitive Abilities
General cognitive ability is one of the best predictors of performance across jobs, and is reasonably inexpensive to administer
The challenge, however, is that cognitive ability tests have been shown to have adverse impact against minority groups
General Cognitive Ability
Job Performance
Training Performance
r = .40
r = .55
Example: Cognitive Ability Item
Paper is to scissors as wood is to:
knife
saw
scissors
screwdriver
Example: Cognitive Ability Item
In the triangle below, angles A and C are each 45 degrees. What is the size of angle B?
30 degrees
45 degrees
90 degrees
There isn’t enough information
A
B
C
Cognitive Ability Tests
Examples: SAT, GRE, and GMAT
The most popular tested used by employers (including the NFL) is called the Wonderlic Personnel Test
20
Example: Wonderlic Personnel Test
50-item test that is administered in 12 minutes
Score of 20 = IQ of 100 (average)
Score of 10 = basic literacy
Assumes most candidates will not finish the test
Primarily measures verbal comprehension, followed by deduction and numerical fluency
Items arranged in order of difficulty
Example: Wonderlic Personnel Test
| POSITION | SCORE |
| Offensive tackles | 26 |
| Centers | 25 |
| Quarterbacks | 24 |
| Guards | 23 |
| Tight Ends | 22 |
| Safeties | 19 |
| Linebackers | 19 |
| Cornerbacks | 18 |
| Wide receivers | 17 |
| Running backs | 16 |
| POSITION | SCORE |
| Chemist | 31 |
| Programmer | 29 |
| Journalist | 26 |
| Sales | 24 |
| Bank teller | 22 |
| Clerical worker | 21 |
| Security guard | 17 |
| Warehouse employee | 15 |
Tests of Specific Cognitive Abilities
Generally are correlated with measures of general cognitive ability
Examples of specific cognitive abilities:
Mechanical ability
Clerical ability
Example: Mechanical Ability Item
If the smallest gear turns counterclockwise,
which way will the largest gear turn?
counterclockwise
clockwise
there isn’t enough information provided
Example: Clerical Ability Item
Please put a check in the blank between the letter/number strings that are the same:
325B78 _________ 325878
87t559 _________ 87t559
44rt57 _________ 44rt57
Cognitive Ability Tests
| Reliability | High test-retest and inter-item reliability |
| Validity | Generally considered to be the best predictor of job performance, especially when jobs are complex and/or dynamic |
| Generalizability | High - even though the validity is stronger for complex jobs, cognitive ability is still a strong predictor of job performance in less complex jobs |
| Utility | High - low cost and wide application across diverse jobs in companies |
| Legality | Often have wide adverse impact on race (this effect is decreasing over time), so have to prove that the test is valid to avoid legal issues |
Personality Inventories
27
Discussion
For what purposes are organizations using personality inventories?
In selection, what value added might personality inventories provide over cognitive ability tests?
Applicants’ Personalities Put to the Test
Toddi Gutner
August 26, 2008
True or False: These Tests Can Tell if You Are Right for This Job
Melissa Korn
October 29, 2012
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Personality Inventories
One of the most frequently administered personnel selection methods
The Big Five personality dimensions have been linked to a number of job performance outcomes
Openness to Experience
Conscientiousness
Extraversion
Agreeableness
Neuroticism
Big Five: Openness to Experience
Includes being interested in learning and culture
A predictor of success in training
Big Five: Conscientiousness
Includes dimensions such as achievement-orientation, detail-orientation, and dependability
Most consistent of the Big Five in predicting performance across all jobs
Big Five: Extraversion
Includes being sociable, assertive, and friendly
A good predictor of performance for sales and management jobs, and also relates to training performance
Extravert
Big Five: Agreeableness
Includes being compliant, kind, and sympathetic to others
Not a consistent predictor of job performance
Big Five: Neuroticism
Includes being anxious or easily upset
May only affect job performance if at high levels
Example: Conscientiousness Items
I am always prepared.
I pay attention to details.
I like order.
I follow a schedule.
I am exacting in my work.
Please use the rating scale below to describe how accurately each statement describes you. Describe yourself as you generally are now, not as you wish to be in the future. Describe yourself as you honestly see yourself, in relation to other people you know of the same sex as you are, and roughly your same age.
Very Inaccurate
Moderately Inaccurate
Neither Inaccurate nor Accurate
Moderately Accurate
Very Accurate
Source: International Personality Item Pool: A Scientific Collaboratory for the Development of Advanced Measures of Personality Traits and Other Individual Differences (http://ipip.ori.org/).
35
Issues with the Use of Personality Tests
Validity can be improved by providing an “at work” frame of reference to test takers
Concern with applicant faking on personality tests
Question regarding whether a simple linear relationship exists between personality and job performance
36
Personality Inventories
| Reliability | High test-retest and inter-item reliability |
| Validity | Individually, only conscientiousness has moderate criterion-related validity. Other traits have moderate validity in certain job contexts. As a whole, personality is moderately-highly related to job performance |
| Generalizability | Only conscientiousness generalized across most jobs |
| Utility | Inexpensive, but only valuable for jobs where the traits are predictive |
| Legality | Have to be careful when assessing stuff like emotional stability, which may violate clauses of the Americans with Disabilities Act. Also, have to be careful of adverse impact since genders and cultures often have their own personality norms |
CASE STUDY
Our Hiring Manager Is an Algorithm
See handout and work in groups of 3-4.
END CASE STUDY
Interviews
41
Interviews
Most frequently used selection procedure, used by both small and large employers
In addition to determining whether an applicant has the needed KSAs, the interview allows the applicant to learn more about the organization and whether the job and organization fit their needs and interests (Dipboye et al., 2012)
Realistic job preview (RJP)
Unstructured vs. Structured Interviews
Unstructured
similar to a casual conversation, such that different applicants could be asked very different questions, some of which may not be job-related
VS.
Structured
job applicants are all asked the same job-related questions
often a better predictor of job performance than unstructured interviews
Structured Interviews
Two specific dominant types of structured interviews:
Situational Interview: asks hypothetical, job-related questions, with all job applicants being asked the same questions
Tends to measure job knowledge and cognitive ability
Behavioral Interview: asks job-related questions about a past experience that the applicant had
Tends to measure experience and some personality dimensions
Example: Structured Interviews
| Job | Situational Interview Item | Behavioral Interview Item |
| Customer Service Specialist | A customer calls who is angry about a defective product and begins yelling at you. What would you do? | Describe a time that you had to deal with an angry customer who was yelling at you. What did you do? |
Interview Structure
Ways in which structure can be added to the selection interview:
Use the same, job-related questions for all applicants
Develop standardized rating scales
Take detailed notes
Use the same set of interviewers for all candidates
Train raters
Discourage discussion of candidates between interviews
Legal Issues with Interviews
Structured interviews tend to lead to more positive litigation outcomes for employers
(Structured) interviews are relatively low in adverse impact
Interviews
| Reliability | Low when unstructured, moderate to high when structured |
| Validity | Low when unstructured, moderate to high when structured |
| Generalizability | Low when unstructured, moderate to high when structured |
| Utility | Low when unstructured, moderate to high when structured |
| Legality | The more structured an interview is (based on job analysis, ask everyone the same questions, etc...) the more likely it is to be deemed legal |
Work Samples
49
Work Samples
Assess how well an applicant does the actual job
Straightforward in technical jobs:
Cook
Mechanic
Computer programmer
Accountant
More complicated with managerial jobs
Work Sample Tests
The most straightforward way to get a work sample is to give the applicant the equipment they would use on the job and let them actually use it
Advantages to work samples:
Have clear content validity
High psychological and physical fidelity
Disadvantages of work samples:
Can be expensive and time intensive
Should not be used to assess job skills that applicants are expected to learn later on the job
Work Samples
| Reliability | High |
| Validity | Considered one of the best in terms of validity |
| Generalizability | Most are job specific, and therefore, do not have high generalizability |
| Utility | Very costly, but their high validity usually still makes them useful |
| Legality | Very little legal issues; no evidence of adverse impact, usually high job-relatedness |
Drug Tests
53
Drug Tests
Used by 67% of Fortune 1000, at $20 - $50 per person
Studies validating drug tests are rare
A study by the US Postal Service found (using predictive validation) that:
Applicants who failed a drug test went on to have 59% higher rate of absenteeism, and a 47% higher rate of involuntary turnover than those who passed
SPECIAL TOPIC
Recreational Marijuana Use & Oregon Employment Law
Summary of legal perspectives of two attorneys:
Matthew C. Ellis (represents employees)
Karen O’Connor (represents employers)
George Rede
June 30, 2015
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Recreational Marijuana Use & Oregon Employment Law
Even though marijuana is legal recreationally, it doesn’t mean it can be used at work
Even with a medical marijuana card, employers can still drug test and fire an employee
Employer has the power to create a policy that employees can be fired for testing positive for marijuana
Employees can bring lawsuit if they perceive injustice and lack of a formal policy
Employer drug-test policy must be fair and applied consistently (even if just for specific types of jobs)
Recreational Marijuana Use & Oregon Employment Law
Still the case that employer can only drug-test after an employment offer is made and not before
Still a lack of scientifically valid test for marijuana impairment or intoxication
SPECIAL TOPIC
Drug Tests
| Reliability | High |
| Validity | High at predicting certain job behaviors (absenteeism, accidents, etc...) |
| Generalizability | High - Drugs are generally thought to be bad. |
| Utility | Can be costly, but can reduce health-related costs |
| Legality | May be challenged on invasion-of-privacy grounds |
Integrity Tests
61
Integrity Tests
Developed to predict a number of negative and counterproductive employee behaviors, such as:
Theft
Malingering
Drug use
Aggression
Two main types of integrity tests:
Overt integrity tests
Personality-based (covert) integrity tests
Example: Overt vs. Covert Integrity Tests
| Personality-Based (Covert) Integrity Test Items |
| I work quickly rather than paying attention to rules and details. |
| I look for excitement and thrills at work. |
| I prefer to get along with other people [reverse scored]. |
| Overt Integrity Test Items |
| I would hit someone if they insulted me. |
| I have used marijuana while at work. |
| I would call in sick if I didn’t feel like coming to work that day. |
Integrity Tests
Evidence generally supports the use of integrity tests for personnel selection (Ones et al., 1993)
Have relatively low adverse impact against ethnic minorities (Ones & Viswesvaran, 1998)
Integrity
Counterproductive Work Behaviors
r = .47
Dealing with Faking
Faking may or may not pose a problem in testing
Tell people not to fake
Add “lie scales” to detect fakers:
“I always practice what I preach”
“All of my habits are good and desirable ones”
Project Questions
66
Project Questions
What kinds of measures will you use for your 2 Ks, 2 Ss, 2 As, and 2 Os? Give a couple detailed samples of each (made up by you, not taken from the text or the notes). Explain why these are good measures. Be sure that your presentation clearly matches each KSAO with its specific measure
A year or so down the road, you’ll want to check the validity of your measures so you know whether to continue using them. Describe exactly what steps you will take to validate your set of measures. Does your strategy have drawbacks?
Project Questions
Based on your Planning & Recruitment strategies, what is your selection ratio likely to be (give a specific numerator and denominator). What does that say about your measures’ utility levels?
Outline
Resumes & References
Cognitive Ability Tests
Personality Inventories
Interviews
Work Samples
Drug Tests
Integrity Tests
Project Questions
69
SELECTION: PART TWO
October 12, 2015
Week 3
MGMT 351
Fall 2015
David Caughlin, Ph.D.
70
