Deck 6: Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs

Question 1

How does this approach to selection contribute to making selection decisions that avoid illegal discrimination

Answer 1

The best thing about questionnaire is it does not have right or wrong answers. Candidates are free to choose the alternatives they find suitable and sometimes a blank space is provided to them to answer the question as per their understanding.
When similar questionnaire is given to all the candidates who apply for the job in company A, there is no question of discrimination. It is quite possible that one candidate has earned the degree from a respectable university and another candidate has earned a degree from a local university; at this scenario normal recruitment process prefers to select the one with a degree from respectable university. This is an example of discrimination. Company G tries to remove all those barriers which can stand as examples of discrimination. It is providing each candidate equal opportunity to come and express their qualities in an indirect way.
Creativity and innovation are two things which should always be appreciated. Change is the law of nature. If some companies are trying to change the recruitment process, there will be specific reasons for that. In today's competitive world, overall performance counts more than only academics performance.

Question 2

Since electronic recruiting is generating a flood of job applicants, how could technology also help employers communicate with these applicants

Answer 2

Electronic recruiting has made the job of the recruiters easy and feasible. They are no more supposed to check the hard copies of the resumes do the sorting and call the candidate for interview. There are various online platforms which act as recruiter agencies. These platforms simply apply the filters and get the resumes with the necessary qualifications as the job demands.
Technology has also provided the recruiters with the options to communicate with the applicants. After applying filters many resumes get rejected. All those resumes can be sent a common email stating that their candidature can't be taken to the next step as their profile do not get matched with what the company is hiring for. The ones who are to be called for the interview can be sent common e-mail providing the venue, date and time for the interview. This process takes a few minutes. One click does all the work. Mails are not to be typed separately; blind carbon copy option can be used to send the mails to the candidates together.
Technology also provides the option of system generated mails. These mails can also be used as and when required. HR mangers should effectively use the technology and communicate the results to the employees. Technology keeps the whole process short and reliable.

Question 3

Why should the selection process be adapted to fit the organization's job description

Answer 3

Selection procedure is the series of activities that is undertaken to ensure the most suitable candidate is absorbed by the Organization for filling a job vacancy.
There could be various forms of job description. According to such descriptions, the job skills sets required to match the same shall differ. A candidate may possess various types of skills but an Organization needs to select such candidates who either possess certain sets of required skills or shall be in the capacity to acquire the same through the Training and Development programs of the Organization. In some cases, there is an urgent need of filling the vacancy and hence the Organization may not have sufficient time in hand to train a candidate. In such circumstances, selection method shall facilitate the Organization to avail the apt candidate who already is skilled enough to undertake an activity without many instructions involved in training the same.
Hence, the Organizations need to adapt to a customized selection process that shall help the Organization to align its job vacancy requirements with that of the candidate's talents.

Question 4

Does an employer have an ethical obligation to recruit older workers Does it have an ethical obligation to retain technical workers as they grow older (and more experienced) Why or why not

Question 5

The writer of this article expresses and opinion that the utility of background checks is high. Do you agree that employers should place more emphasis on background checks

Question 6

Besides the questionnaires, what other selection methods would you recommend that Google use How would these improve selection methods

Question 7

Choose two of the selection methods identified in this chapter. Describe how you can compare them in terms of reliability, validity, ability to generalize, utility, and compliance with the law.

Question 8

Suppose you are an HR manager at a company that employs computer programmers. In light of the trends described in this article, consider whether you can identify a business opportunity in taking the ethical high road in regard to your recruiting and selection processes. Summarize your recommendations for how you would proceed.

Question 9

Why does predictive validation provide better information than concurrent validation Why is this type of validation more difficult

Question 10

How do U.S. laws affect organizations' use of each of the employment tests Interviews

Question 11

Suppose you are an HR manager at a company that needs to fill an important management position. In what situations would a candidate's educational background be important In what situations would a candidate's track record as a manager or a leader be important

Question 12

Suppose your organization needs to hire several computer programmers and you are reviewing résumés you obtained from an online service. What kinds of information will you want to gather from the "work experience" portion of these résumés What kinds of information will you want to gather from the "education" portion of these résumés What methods would you use for verifying or exploring this information Why would you use those methods

Question 13

Based on the information given, would you say that Google's use of questionnaires is a reliable, valid and generalizable way to select employees Why or why not

Question 14

For each of the following jobs, select the two kinds of tests you think would be most important to include in the selection process. Explain why you chose those tests.
A. City bus driver
B. Insurance salesperson
C. Member of a team that sells complex high-tech equipment to manufacturers
D. Member of a team that makes a component of the equipment in (c)

Question 15

Does it matter whether a company communicates with people it doesn't plan to hire Why or why not

Question 16

Suppose you are a human resource professional at a large retail chain. You want to improve the company's hiring process by creating standard designs for interviews, so that every time someone is interviewed for a particular job category, that person answers the same questions. You also want to make sure the questions asked are relevant to the job and maintain equal employment opportunity. Think of three questions to include in interviews for each of the following jobs. For each question, state why you think it should be included.
A. Cashier at one of the company's stores
B. Buyer of the stores' teen clothing line
C. Accounts payable clerk at company headquarters

Question 17

What activities are involved in the selection process Think of the last time you were hired for a job. Which of those activities were used in selecting you Should the organization that hired you have used other methods as well

Question 18

How can organizations improve the quality of their interviewing so that interviews provide valid information

Question 19

If a company tends to hire young engineers or programmers, is this necessarily age discrimination Is it necessarily unethical Why or why not

Question 20

Some organizations set up a selection process that is long and complex. In some people's opinions, this kind of selection process not only is more valid but also has symbolic value. What can the use of a long, complex selection process symbolize to job seekers How do you think this would affect the organization's ability to attract the best employees

Question 21

If you are considering a candidate whose management track record is good, would it matter whether the candidate described his or her educational background accurately Why or why not What if the misrepresentations involved the candidate's work history Would your opinion change