Deck 9: The Supervisor and Employee Recruitment, Selection, Orientation and Training

Question 1

The use of a directive interview makes it more difficult for supervisors to compare one applicant's background to another.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

If there isn't a job description of a position, the supervisor should request the human resource department draft one.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The purpose of an employee selection interview is to collect information and arrive at a decision concerning a job applicant.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Regardless of approach, the supervisor must develop relevant job-related questions.

Question 5

A supervisor should have considerable input in making the final decision to hire a candidate, but should not be the only one to make the decision.

Question 6

Every five years a supervisor should compare each job description to what each employee does.

Question 7

It is fair to say that job applicants are "interviewing" a company just as much as the company "interviews" the applicants.

Question 8

Education, prior work experience, and test scores are all examples of selection criteria.

Question 9

After recruiting the qualified applicants, the human resource department weeds out the less qualified workers and then conducts the selection of the final candidate.

Question 10

When supervisors follow the human resource staff's advice, they are no longer accountable for the outcomes of their decisions.

Question 11

Supervisors should study each job category in their department to determine how many employees are needed to get work done.

Question 12

Supervisors should strive to blend directive and nondirective techniques to obtain optimal information during the interview.

Question 13

The supervisor may find it helpful to ask departmental employees to write down the tasks they perform.

Question 14

The management of human resources is the supervisor's most important activity.

Question 15

Most organizations try to fill job openings above entry-level positions through promotions and transfers.

Question 16

Asking "Who will care for your children while you are at work?" during an interview is not a discriminatory question because you want to make sure the employee has this issue covered before starting work.

Question 17

The staffing function is an ongoing process.

Question 18

Nondirective interviews provide the applicant latitude in responding.

Question 19

Job posting creates a greater openness in an organization by making all employees aware of job opportunities.

Question 20

Every organization needs a human resource department.

Question 21

Documentation of hiring decisions is necessary to ensure that a supervisor's decision was based upon job-related factors and was not discriminatory.

Question 22

The halo effect is the tendency to allow one favorable aspect of a person's behavior to positively influence judgment on all other aspects.

Question 23

The term competencies refers to the set of skills, knowledge, and personal attributes possessed by the superior performer.

Question 24

Different circumstances call for customized questions, therefore, not all questions need to be objective.

Question 25

A checklist is a valuable supervisory tool to use when developing an orientation program.

Question 26

College-campus-based training programs for employees is an example of on-the-job training

Question 27

The majority of job applicants submit false informatio on their resumes.

Question 28

Employers need not verify any references or application form data, since it is very rare for any employee to falsify data.

Question 29

A selection criterion is uniform in application if it is applied consistently to all job candidates.

Question 30

The supervisor's subordinates should never be allowed to be involved in the hiring decision since this decision is a management right.

Question 31

Supervisors should create a sense of informality in the interview process in order to relieve tension.

Question 32

"Who cares for your children while you are at work?" is a potentially discriminatory question to ask.

Question 33

The supervisor should always hire the individual who will get along best with the other employees in the department.

Question 34

More important than the actual techniques used to orient new employees are the attitudes and behaviors of the supervisor.

Question 35

Orientation should be accomplished entirely on the employee's first day on the job.

Question 36

Mentoring is the process of having a more experienced person provide guidance to a less experienced person.

Question 37

The acronym O.U.C.H stands for Objective, Unique, Consistent, and Harmless.

Question 38

There is no certainty that the best person for the job has been hired, but an applicant's sense of humor, extrovert personality, and literacy provide the greatest amount of comfort in the applicant selected.

Question 39

An employer cannot be found liable for serious misconduct that might have been avoided by an investigation into the employee's background prior to being hired.

Question 40

Part of the orientation process involves shaping the new employee's behavior in a way that is conducive to the organization.

Question 41

Cross-trained employees are especially valuable to organizations that have experienced downsizings or reorganizations.

Question 42

Over which of the following staffing decisions would the supervisor have the LEAST authority?

A) The initial decision to hire a candidate for a job within the department.
B) The final decision to hire or not to hire a particular candidate for a job within the department.
C) Determining whether a job position is open in his or her department.
D) The permanent removal of an employee due to corporate downsizing.

Question 43

Human Resource Management includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Philosophies.
B) Perceptions.
C) Policies.
D) Practices.

Question 44

How often should a supervisor review the job descriptions for his/her department?

A) Monthly.
B) Annually.
C) Every time a new employee is hired.
D) Never; this is a human resources task.

Question 45

The directive approach to interviewing differs from the nondirective in that:

A) The length of the directive interview is always longer.
B) Supervisors are increasingly asking the same questions of all applicants in a directive interview.
C) The supervisor uses broad, open-ended questions in a directive interview.
D) The directive interview is more difficult but allows for more flexibility than the nondirective.

Question 46

All of the following are conditions of conducting a successful selection interview, EXCEPT:

A) Using the halo effect.
B) Taking notes.
C) Asking job-related questions.
D) Allowing time for the applicant to ask questions.

Question 47

Which statement is most CORRECT regarding the staffing process and the supervisor?

A) The staffing function is an ongoing process for the supervisor.
B) Once the supervisor has the department fully staffed, the staffing function is over.
C) The staffing function is carried out only when the department is established.
D) Supervisors should concentrate only on running the department and not be overly concerned with how many people the department needs; that is the role of the human resources department.

Question 48

The role of the human resource department in the staffing process includes all of the following EXCEPT:

A) Writing the job description.
B) Conducting preliminary interviews.
C) Making reference checks on all applicants.
D) Making the final hiring decision.

Question 49

The supervisor should never be involved in on-the-job training. It should be done by the human resource department.

Question 50

Training programs should be provided for all employees.

Question 51

The set of skills, knowledge, and personal attributes possessed by the superior performer are known as:

A) Components.
B) Mindsets.
C) Clusters.
D) Competencies.

Question 52

Which managerial function involves recruiting, hiring, and training employees?

A) Planning.
B) Leading.
C) Staffing.
D) All of the above.

Question 53

Supervisory training and developmental programs generally distract the supervisor from his/her daily tasks and will ultimately hinder professional advancement.

Question 54

The finance supervisor is in the process of creating a new job for the finance department. Who should NOT be involved in creating it?

A) The human resources department.
B) The finance supervisor.
C) Other employees in the finance department.
D) Employees from a variety of departments.

Question 55

Organizations usually promote from within the company for all of the following reasons EXCEPT:

A) Applicants already know the organization.
B) It minimizes the cost and time it takes to recruit, orient, and train.
C) Most qualified applicants are usually already working for the company.
D) The employee fits into the company culture.

Question 56

Which of the following would NOT be a legitimate selection criteria?

A) Education.
B) Experience.
C) Test scores.
D) Age.

Question 57

Training needs to be relevant, informational, interesting, applicable to the job, and actively involve the trainee.

Question 58

Which of the following statements regarding a job applicant's references is NOT true?

A) An overwhelming majority of U.S. companies do not check applicants' references before hiring.
B) Many former employers are reluctant to provide either positive or negative information about job applicants.
C) Applicants generally provide only references they know will say positive things.
D) Organizations that fail to check employees' references can be charged with criminal negligence if those employees later commit crimes.

Question 59

Which of the following type of discrimination is NOT covered by EEOC laws:

A) Discrimination based on race.
B) Discrimination based on mode of dress.
C) Discrimination based on gender.
D) Discrimination based on religion.

Question 60

Vijay asks a question of job applicants that seems to have a different impact on men versus women. The question does not pass the OUCH test based on the fact that it is NOT:

A) Consistent in effect.
B) Harmless.
C) Uniform in application.
D) Objective.

Question 61

Describe the various components that are involved in the process of orientation, often referred to as onboarding.

Question 62

Judy is the department supervisor at a two-year community college. She has recently hired a new faculty member who will be starting work on Monday. She knows that the new employee, Nguyen, has extensive work experience in the field, but relatively little teaching experience, especially at the community college level. She should:

A) Assign an experienced qualified faculty member to serve as Nguyen's mentor.
B) Have Nguyen start teaching and encourage him to approach Judy with any questions or concerns.
C) Have Nguyen find effective teaching styles and strategies.
D) Have Nguyen take a communications course prior to having any classroom assignments.

Question 63

Contrast the halo effect with the horns effect.

Question 64

Name at least three situations that may require the hiring of additional employees.

Question 65

Which of the following approaches to orienting a new employee is CORRECT?

A) Only the supervisor should show the new employee around.
B) The supervisor can ask an experienced employee to orient the new employee.
C) The employee should be self-sufficient from day one.
D) Orientation of new employees is the job of the human-resources department.

Question 66

Which of the following are methods of training employees?

A) Meetings and seminars.
B) On-the-job training.
C) Education and training courses at educational institutions.
D) All of the above.

Question 67

What functions does the human resource department serve?

Question 68

In today's turbulent technological environment, jobs, careers, and the skills required for those jobs and careers are all experiencing rapid change. From the perspective of employee training needs, Fernando, as a supervisor, should:

A) Identify training that can be handled by the human resources department rather than by his department.
B) Identify jobs that will continue to remain important within the department, and new skills that could help employees assume additional responsibilities in the event of changes.
C) Reclassify all jobs in the current system and assign employees accordingly.
D) Wait for the changes to come and institute a new training approach.

Question 69

Documenting the reasons for a hiring decision is necessary to ensure that:

A) The supervisor's decision is based on job-related factors and is not discriminatory.
B) The decision could be incorporated into company policy statements.
C) All other supervisors know why you hired the person you did.
D) Each and every applicant is informed about the reason for non-selection.

Question 70

Which of the following is NOT a serious pitfall to avoid when evaluating applicants?

A) The halo effect.
B) Making judgments too quickly during the interview.
C) Asking job-related questions.
D) Asking probing personal questions and evaluating the response.

Question 71

Nepotism is:

A) Hiring the applicant whose personality you like the best.
B) Hiring a relative.
C) Hiring from within the organization without knowing what external applicants might be interested.
D) None of the above.

Question 72

Name at least four goals a job applicant hopes to achieve in an employment interview. Name at least four goals the employer hopes to achieve in the interview.

Question 73

Provide examples of interview questions that could be considered unlawful.

Question 74

Which of the following is an example of on-the-job training?

A) Learning technical skills from an experienced employee.
B) Completing a college course on Principles of Supervision.
C) Attending a tradeshow.
D) All of the above.

Question 75

Considering supervisors are short on free time, it might be in their best interest to:

A) Join a professional association that meets monthly.
B) Meet with each employee daily.
C) Attend seminars weekly.
D) All of the above.

Question 76

Raj is a supervisor who has just hired a new employee, Christopher. Unfortunately, Raj does not have much time to devote to Christopher's on-the-job training. What would you suggest that Raj do?

Question 77

Why is it important to document the hiring decision?