Deck 6: Personnel Selection

Question 1

Cognitive ability tests enable the hiring manager to directly measure an applicant's ability to perform the physical tasks of a job.

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Assessment Centers use a very narrow range of testing methods to determine a candidate's likelihood of success in entry-level positions.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

There is no way that a hiring manager can predict that one candidate will remain in the job any longer than the other candidates.

Answer 3

False

Question 4

If a company conducts background checks on applicants,they reduce the potential to be sued for negligent hiring.

Question 5

The majority of personality tests have been developed around five personality factors.

Question 6

The NEO personality inventory is one of the most reliable and valid measures of the five-factor model.

Question 7

One of the concerns with projective personality tests is that applicants can determine the purpose of the test,and fake their results to match the desired outcome.

Question 8

Personnel selection applies only for promotions.

Question 9

A selection method that has low cost per hire and results in hiring employees who have significantly higher productivity rates,has high utility and validity.

Question 10

A linear relationship between test scores and job performance indicates that there is no relationship between higher test scores prediction of higher performance on the job.

Question 11

Introversion is a positive personality characteristic to look for in candidates for managerial positions.

Question 12

A company that provides a three-week management-training program for it's new hires would benefit from administering the Wonderlic Personnel Test.

Question 13

The most important criterion for a selection method is reliability.

Question 14

Achievement,dependability,order,and cautiousness,as subfactors of conscientiousness (C)help improve the prediction of job performance.

Question 15

The level of reliability can be represented by a consistency of measurement.

Question 16

Weighted application blanks use qualitative data to help make decisions regarding the likelihood that an applicant's response will be significantly related to higher performance on the job.

Question 17

You have a high degree of turnover and theft at your company.It would be wise to incorporate a personality test into the selection process.

Question 18

Lower correlations indicate stronger validity.

Question 19

Job Compatibility Questionnaire (JCQ)is an example of disguised-purpose dispositional measure.

Question 20

Drug use has not been linked to employee productivity measures; however,it is linked to increased medical costs and that is the reason that a high percentage of U.S.companies use drug testing.

Question 21

During an interview,Josh realized that the interviewee displayed the same work attitudes that he held.Based on this,Josh gave the interviewee favorable ratings.Josh's ratings were most likely biased by which type of phenomenon?

A)Similar-to-me effect
B)Coping effect
C)Efficiency effect
D)First-impression effect
E)Matching effect

Question 22

While companies may have a difficult time increasing the validity of their interviews,the good news is that because they are a subjective methodology,interviews are not held to the same standards related to discrimination as other more objective methods.

Question 23

The General Mental Ability Test (GMAT)is an example of a(n)__________.

A)achievement test
B)personality test
C)performance test
D)cognitive ability test
E)knowledge-based test

Question 24

How can an organization improve the reliability and validity of interviews?

A)Use a standardized job related interview (e.g. structured, panel, or situational)
B)Assure consistency through the use of a single interviewer.
C)Encourage hiring managers to pay attention to their "gut feel".
D)Allow interviewees to share information about their unrelated previous work history.
E)Avoid training managers because is can increase anxiety related to interviewing.

Question 25

Which of the following is NOT a type of interview format?

A)Appraisal interview
B)Structured interview
C)Situational interview
D)Panel interview
E)Behavioral interview

Question 26

A candidate's ability to complete an actual job task is best tested through a(n):

A)Predictive test
B)Work sample test
C)Aptitude test
D)Achievement test
E)Drug test

Question 27

Taking on challenging assignments is linked to likelihood of promotion above measures of current performance on the job.

Question 28

The XYZ Company has a large number of job openings that need to be filled in the next two weeks.The majority of the supervisory and management staff is new to the organization and has limited interviewer training and experience.What should they do to be able to ensure that the decisions made from interviewing applicants are as valid and effective as possible?

A)Implement drug testing and develop a medical examination for the jobs.
B)Ensure the use of ambiguous questions that differ from one candidate to another.
C)Implement either a panel interview with at least 3 interviewers or have the applicants participate in at least three separate interviews.
D)Do not allow the managers to review the job description before conducting the interviews to ensure their neutrality.
E)Hold interviews away from the work site to ensure that the applicants are not influenced by the experience of visiting the work site.

Question 29

Correlations from __________ show the direction and strength of the relationship between selection methods and successful performance on the job.

A) 0 to 1.0
B) -1 to +1
C) -1 to 0
D) -1 to 0.8
E) 0.8 to 1

Question 30

Interviews are the most common form of personnel selection and the method that requires the least amount of training and attention to achieve high overall validity.

Question 31

What is a significant feature that all projective personality tests have in common?

A)The meaning of each test question is clear.
B)Evidence of their validity is substantial.
C)The purpose and scoring procedure is disguised.
D)They are quantitative in nature.
E)Respondents must answer questions within a rigid framework.

Question 32

As part of its selection process,Techno industries requires that each applicant be interviewed by the department manager,direct supervisor,and human resource director,all at the same time.This type of interview format is known as __________.

A)panel interview
B)serialized interview
C)structured interview
D)behavioral interview
E)semi-structured interview

Question 33

As part of a selection process,candidates are asked to assume the responsibility of a manager to deal with a subordinate experiencing performance problems.This form of assessment is often referred to as a(n):

A)Leaderless group discussion
B)Role-play
C)In-basket session
D)Oral presentation
E)Decisiveness skills

Question 34

You are hiring a cashier,who will be earning minimum wage.You could consider using

A) an assessment center to determine risk of theft from the applicants.
B) General impressions gathered through a non-structured interview.
C) Evaluating information from candidates based on a variable rating standards.
D) Selection methodology with limited utility to control costs.
E) A weighted application blank that factors in where the applicant lives.

Question 35

Which type of interview uses questions based on the critical incident technique (CIT)analysis?

A)semi-structured
B)situational
C)highly structured
D)group or panel
E)psychological

Question 36

An employer's best defense when a case of negligent hiring goes to court is to

A)Produce the employee's signed application form
B)Produce letters of reference provided by the employer
C)Produce evidence of employment and reference checking
D)Prove that the misconduct occurred after regular work hours
E)Produce evidence that the employee was given a personality test

Question 37

A typing test has _____ validity while a personality test has ______ validity?

A) empirical, content
B) content, empirical
C) consistency, subjective
D) generalized, construct
E) construct, generalized

Question 38

The same standard of job relatedness is applicable to interviews as a selection methodology and therefore,it is important that the interview be free of bias and that questions be based on information related to successful performance on the job.

Question 39

Assessment Centers are very popular because they provide a quick and inexpensive solution to assessing managerial candidates.

Question 40

Employers should obtain which of the following before extending a contingent offer of employment?

A)Results of a polygraph test
B)Medical records and a physical examination
C)Written authorization from the candidate to check credit score
D)Information related to previous worker's compensation claims
E)Background report indicating prior arrest record

Question 41

Define the Situational Judgment Test (SJT).

Question 42

When making a selection decision on an expatriate assignment

A) It is important to remember the skills necessary for success in foreign assignments is the same for domestic assignments
B) It is important to look for someone who is married, because the spouse adds a level of stability.
C) The candidate needs to possess both technical skills and relational attributes to be successful
D) Candidates who show the least amount of interest in other cultures will be most successful; they can keep their focus on the job
E) A candidate should think short term and not consider how the assignment fits with their overall career plan

Question 43

Describe the basic steps in the process of deriving record weights for WABs.

Question 44

What is the advantage of the 16PF over other self-report inventories?

Question 45

What does the self-report personality inventory consist?

Question 46

Please describe the strategy a manager should use who has been asked to establish an employee selection testing program.

Question 47

Which of the following is true about the administration of drug tests?

A) The tests are administered mainly out of curiosity, there is no link between drug use and behavior on the job
B)Employees have successfully challenged dismissals based solely on the result of a random drug test.
C) Use of drug testing is in decline given the number of law suits lost when applicants claim "invasion of privacy"
D)Maintaining the confidentiality of test results is not an important part of the drug testing process
E) The most useful information gained from drug testing is an indication of how frequently an applicant uses drugs.

Question 48

Honesty has been correlated with increased job performance and a decrease in theft.In order to test for this trait you recommend using

A) a polygraph test
B) Achievement tests
C) Cognitive ability test
D) an integrity test
E) Minnesota Clerical test

Question 49

List the five-factor model (FFM)to describe personality.

Question 50

Which of the following requires test takers to quickly compare either names or numbers and to indicate pairs that are the same?

A) Knowledge-based test
B) Achievement tests
C) Cognitive ability test
D) Bennett Mechanical Comprehension test
E) Minnesota Clerical Test

Question 51

Briefly explain the reasons for the low (but useful)validity of personality and motivational tests in the employment context.

Question 52

Discuss the ethical issues and points of view raised by both the critics of employment testing and those who support the use of employment testing.

Question 53

When deciding what selection test to use,a company should not consider

A) The number of people who have taken the test
B) The degree to which there is a linear relationship between test results and performance
C) Evaluating cut off scores based on the race of the candidate to eliminate adverse impact
D) Using a multiple hurdle approach for instance using both testing and interviews
E) The validity of the test and potential for causing adverse impact

Question 54

In order to be in compliance with the Fair Credit Reporting Act the company:

A) Must provide verbal notification to the applicant that you will be pulling their credit history
B) Should not tell the employee that they intend to look at their credit until after the results have been received and there is a negative report
C) Should use the information only as a tie breaker if there are two candidates who are otherwise equally qualified
D) Avoid getting the report in writing; until there is a written report, the company is under no obligation to share the report with the candidate
E) Can allow other companies to share the report as long as they are hiring for the same job, without notification to the applicant.

Question 55

The basic formula for calculating utility involves __________.

A) estimating the decrease in revenue as a function of the use of the selection method before adding the cost of the method.
B) estimating the increase in revenue as a function of the use of the selection method after adding the cost of the method.
C) estimating the increase in revenue as a function of the use of the selection method after subtracting the cost of the method.
D) estimating the increase in revenue as a function of the use of the selection method before subtracting the cost of the method.
E) estimating the decrease in revenue as a function of the use of the selection method after adding the cost of the method.

Question 56

Letters of recommendation are:

A) Used for selection in the public sector, however, it is illegal to ask for letters of recommendation in the private sector
B) Most useful to an organization as a selection tool, when they are written by the reference without any direction from the company with regard to tasks related to the job in question
C) Very helpful in the selection process because they provide information that is not related to the job, and that would otherwise not have been known.
D) Useful predictors of performance on the job because they provide details about the applicants personal life that can not be asked on an application
E) Most useful to the company when there is some guidance provided to the reference related to the specific skills required for the job

Question 57

Cognitive Ability Tests are controversial because while they demonstrate high validity,they:

A) Have little economic utility
B) Often result in adverse impact
C) Often result in disparate intent
D) Have not proven to be valid predictors of job performance.
E) Can be replaced with tests with lower validity

Question 58

List the predictors of voluntary turnover.

Question 59

List the most common assessment exercises and explain any two.

Question 60

Above all it is important to maintain "fairness" in the selection process.Fairness can be attained when managers do all of the following except:

A) Treat applicants consistently
B) Base selection on job related criteria
C) Follow organizational policy
D) Use subjective, arbitrary criteria
E) Communicate in an honest and accurate way