Deck 5: Branding the Talent Pool: Recruitment and Careers

Question 1

What is the most likely outcome of hiring someone from outside the organization?

A) It would lead to revitalization of the organization.
B) It would increase morale among executives.
C) It would lead to an increase in information about a rival's competitive advantage.
D) It would limit your labour market.

Answer 1

A

Question 2

What is an important advantage of external recruitment, especially for higher level jobs?

A) It helps to promote inbreeding.
B) It helps the organization maintain a rich organizational culture.
C) It helps the organization gain access to knowledge from previous employers.
D) It helps to lower initial pay, thus saving on compensation costs.

Answer 2

C

Question 3

What is the primary purpose of the organizational practice of promoting from within?

A) to reward employees for past performance
B) to protect the organization from internal discrimination suits
C) to reduce long-term compensation budgets
D) to alleviate some of the need for HR planning

Answer 3

A

Question 4

Learning in Development (LID)is a high-tech firm that specializes in applications for hand-held devices. It is looking for a cheap, fast, and effective way of recruiting new candidates. Which strategy would best suit LID?

A) Internet recruiting
B) executive search firms
C) labour unions
D) walk-in job applicants

Question 5

What is correlated with the recruitment success of the organization?

A) formal vs. informal recruitment sources
B) the accuracy and completeness of advertisements
C) employment equity programs
D) unsolicited applications and résumés

Question 6

According to a recent survey, which of the following recruitment sources was identified as the most effective?

A) executive search firms
B) help-wanted advertisements
C) employee referrals
D) private employment agencies

Question 7

Organization W has had an opening in a key managerial role for three weeks, which is viewed as a long time. In situations like this in the past, Organization W has had to resort to hiring external to the organization, which is less preferable to the company, in order to fill the position in question. What is Organization W likely suffering from?

A) poor HR planning
B) a weak training and development program in the organization
C) a weak talent bench
D) a lack of value for promotions in the organization

Question 8

Which recruitment method is most likely to result in discrimination against members of protected groups?

A) Internet recruiting
B) employee referrals
C) unsolicited applications and résumés
D) executive search firms

Question 9

Which of the following is the most important disadvantage of using employee referrals for recruitment?

A) It makes human resource planning near impossible due to the unpredictable nature of the talent pool.
B) Training recruiters to recognize potential in candidates in this way is difficult and costly.
C) Discrimination may result because people tend to refer others from similar backgrounds.
D) It is likely that individuals will refer weak candidates in order to lessen internal competition for promotions.

Question 10

What does the value of a computerized record system (SAP and PeopleSoft)for locating qualified internal job candidates largely depend on?

A) the experience of the employees
B) the extent to which data in the system is kept up-to-date
C) the extent to which the system is "user-friendly"
D) the availability of the system to line personnel

Question 11

According to a recent study, which factor is most important to executives in determining what company to work for?

A) job security
B) prestige of title
C) a talented workforce to work with
D) values and culture

Question 12

What is key to the success of any employee referral program?

A) paying employees well for good referrals
B) increasing the visibility of the program
C) widening the scope of the program
D) measuring results

Question 13

If an executive search firm found a successful candidate for the role of a senior executive where the annual salary is $200,000 per year, what would be the most likely fee charged by the search firm?

A) $80,000
B) $35,000
C) $120,000
D) $100,000

Question 14

What is the most likely outcome of recruiting from within?

A) It would increase recruiting costs.
B) It would reduce employee motivation.
C) It would inhibit creativity.
D) It would increase an organization's technology.

Question 15

Which external recruiting source normally provides applicants who stay with the organization the longest?

A) educational institutions
B) newspaper ads
C) employee referrals
D) job postings

Question 16

Which of the following occurs in a tight labour market?

A) unemployment is high
B) the numbers of job applicants and job openings are about equal
C) compensation rates decline
D) the demand for labour exceeds the labour supply

Question 17

Which of the following is a factor in determining the choice of outside sources from which to recruit applicants?

A) legal requirements
B) the cost-per-hire of the firm's job posting system
C) the job identification
D) the firm's success in achieving its employment diversity program

Question 18

What is the term for a tool used to examine current performance data and future potential within an organization?

A) a managerial matrix
B) a potential assessment centre
C) a 9-box grid
D) a performance analysis

Question 19

For each vacant position, how many résumés do HR staff and managers typically review?

A) 20 to 100
B) 15 to 50
C) 10 to 20
D) 1 to 8

Question 20

Which of the following is true with respect to the use of the Internet for recruiting?

A) it is popular with job seekers, but not recruiters
B) it is popular with recruiters, but not job seekers
C) it is cheaper and easier, but less effective than other methods
D) it is the most commonly used search tactic by job seekers

Question 21

Which of the following best describes private employment agencies?

A) They are managed and directed by Human Resources and Skills Development Canada.
B) They do not charge job seekers a fee.
C) They commonly specialize in providing services for a specific occupational area.
D) They commonly provide services only to college graduates.

Question 22

Public employment agencies may help employers by providing all of the following services EXCEPT which one?

A) employment testing
B) human resource planning
C) job analysis
D) community wage surveys

Question 23

In which of the following processes are individuals evaluated as they participate in a series of situations that resemble what they will likely experience on the job?

A) performance appraisal
B) assessment centre
C) management talent inventory
D) job postings and biddings

Question 24

Sukhi is an excellent engineer and has been promoted three times within her current organization-she is now at the top level of engineering. She loves being an engineer, but the organization has now offered her a very lucrative position as a manager. If she wants to continue to be promoted, the only way is to move into management, since there are no higher engineering jobs for her. Which of the following programs would benefit Sukhi?

A) a boundaryless career
B) competency analysis
C) dual career tracking
D) a structural career plateau

Question 25

Which of the following best describes outplacement services?

A) They are useful methods of attracting individuals into a career.
B) They are designed to help terminated employees find a job elsewhere.
C) They are rarely given to executive employees.
D) They are vital parts of any career management system.

Question 26

If 50 applicants came from a recruiting source, and 14 were invited for interviews, what would the yield ratio for that source be?

A) 14 percent
B) 24 percent
C) 28 percent
D) 7 percent

Question 27

Sandeep has been fired from his managerial position. His organization provides services to help him become employable and find a suitable position elsewhere. What are these services called?

A) coaching
B) mentoring
C) relocation
D) outplacement

Question 28

In order to identify qualified candidates for the job of "tennis teaching professional," Canmay Tennis Clubs have job candidates face a series of situations while they are observed, such as dealing with a series of emails from an unhappy club client in a difficult situation, role-playing a lesson, and a behavioural interview. Which method of identifying qualified candidates is Canmay using?

A) in-basket exercises
B) interviewing
C) a work sample
D) an assessment centre

Question 29

In identifying career opportunities and requirements within an organization, what is the vital first step?

A) preparing a competency or job analysis
B) preparing performance appraisals of existing staff in those positions
C) ensuring the job progressions within the organization are clear
D) identifying career paths

Question 30

If you are to offer advice to an employer for an effective newspaper advertisement, which is NOT something that you should advise?

A) try to be too creative
B) overlook community newspapers or classified publications that target a specific market segment
C) encourage impulse applicants with weekend telephone numbers
D) highlight the major assets of the position

Question 31

What does employability refer to?

A) the skills and support needed to find a job
B) access to outplacement services
C) individual achievements gained through completing assessment centre activities
D) organizational benefit from developing a training program

Question 32

Which of the following is the best example of a person with a boundaryless career?

A) When Deborah become pregnant with her third child, she decided that working less would be best for her family. She now shares her job with another person who also works part-time.
B) Yusef quit his job of 10 years to open his own business and work from home. He has the freedom of being his own boss and being flexible with his schedule.
C) Bill works in a creative role within an organization with a flat structure. In such an organization there are opportunities to contribute at all levels.
D) Sally has worked for three different organizations in five years. Each time she moves to a new organization, and usually a higher position, she takes with her the skills and abilities she learned in her previous role.

Question 33

How is it possible to find out which sources produce qualified applicants?

A) by calculating and comparing yield ratios for each recruitment source
B) by using Markov analysis
C) by training recruiters more effectively
D) by advertising only in specialized media

Question 34

Which organizational situation is most likely to benefit from using realistic job previews?

A) in the financial industry where there are few jobs but the training is arduous and jobs are not very lucrative despite the promise of wealth in the long run
B) in creative organizations, such as symphony orchestras, where the work is not well paid and the training is intense
C) in a high-tech organization where despite being in a very competitive industry engineers are allowed to explore their creative side and are motivated financially to suggest innovative products
D) in a meat-processing plant where the work is very messy, the smell is strong and unpleasant, and a lot of expensive training is needed to do the job well

Question 35

What is the most important drawback of using educational institutions for recruitment?

A) that HR still has to perform a host of selection tests
B) that the candidates usually have no full-time job experience
C) that the type of recruitment is limited to sales and retail
D) that basing recruitment of candidates on grade transcripts is not a valid selection tool

Question 36

Which organizations help employers find the right person for the job instead of helping jobseekers find the right job?

A) public employment agencies
B) labour unions
C) private employment agencies
D) executive search firms

Question 37

What is the term for the lines of advancement for an individual within an organization?

A) career paths
B) job progressions
C) career lines
D) job paths

Question 38

What is the first step in HR's role in career management?

A) identify career opportunities and requirements
B) match individual and organizational needs
C) gauge employee potential
D) institute career development initiatives

Question 39

Which of the following best captures the "Peter Principle"?

A) Through natural selection, incompetent employees tend to turn over.
B) When promoting based on past performance and seniority, employees will be promoted regularly until they are promoted to a position where they cannot perform well.
C) Incompetence breeds incompetence.
D) Managers who are incompetent tend to produce situations where there are more grievances, more voluntary turnover, more absenteeism, and more harassment.

Question 40

Which approach to recruitment informs applicants about all aspects of the job, including both desirable and undesirable facets?

A) honesty recruiting
B) the realistic job preview
C) balance recruiting
D) negative/positive job assessment

Question 41

Scenario 5.2
Star Bright Consulting, a Canadian private employment agency specializing in IT staffing, has been successfully providing qualified IT employees to various firms in the Greater Toronto Area. Recently, the agency has been experiencing problems with its selection process. Primarily, the agency's clients are not happy with the length of time it takes to fill positions that become available. Even though Star Bright has been successful over the years, it is not fully leveraging technology to aid in its recruitment and selection efforts.
Refer to Scenario 5.2. Which of the following can be used to speed up the recruitment process while providing valuable information such as time and costs related to hiring?

A) quality of fill statistics
B) online software application
C) leveraging technology
D) applicant tracking system

Question 42

Luba is developing a mentoring program for her organization. She has put a great deal of effort into making sure that all protégés are matched demographically with their mentor (gender, race, etc.), educating participants about facts such as the reciprocal nature of the relationship, and that the relationship can be used for personal and professional development. In her plans, which myth about mentors has Luba fallen victim to?

A) A mentor has to be the same gender and race as the protégé.
B) Mentoring should focus on the professional and not the personal.
C) Although mentoring can be reciprocal, that is just a by-product. The focus should be on the protégé.
D) Highly profiled people make the best mentors.

Question 43

Which of the following is the LEAST significant factor in career counselling?

A) the employee's current job activities and performance
B) the employee's past career decisions
C) the employee's personal and career interests and goals
D) the employee's personal skills

Question 44

Job posting and bidding can be done via electronic bulletin boards or on regular bulletin boards, employee publications, special handouts, direct mail, and public address messages.

Question 45

Scenario 5.1
Beloitte Industries Inc. (BI Inc.)has been one of Canada's leading financial advisory firms for over 50 years. Staffed by roughly 4,000 employees in most major cities across the country, BI Inc. prides itself on hiring recent graduates from renowned business schools and offering them competitive salaries, excellent benefits and perks, and limitless training and development opportunities. Employees also have the opportunity to work from home a couple days a week. Over the years, the company realized that while it has no problems recruiting top candidates to the firm, it is having a harder time retaining them. Exit surveys reveal that while employees appreciate all the perks, benefits, and top salaries that attracted them to the organization, they are not able to enjoy them due to six-day workweeks and 14-hour days, leaving very little time for friends and family. They did not know of these work situations when they were hired.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. Adopting a realistic job preview at BI Inc. can lead to which of the following?

A) turnover of employees who are more driven by the money
B) better job satisfaction and lower turnover
C) inaccurately reflecting the culture for which the candidate is signing up
D) negative effect on the socialization process

Question 46

Scenario 5.1
Beloitte Industries Inc. (BI Inc.)has been one of Canada's leading financial advisory firms for over 50 years. Staffed by roughly 4,000 employees in most major cities across the country, BI Inc. prides itself on hiring recent graduates from renowned business schools and offering them competitive salaries, excellent benefits and perks, and limitless training and development opportunities. Employees also have the opportunity to work from home a couple days a week. Over the years, the company realized that while it has no problems recruiting top candidates to the firm, it is having a harder time retaining them. Exit surveys reveal that while employees appreciate all the perks, benefits, and top salaries that attracted them to the organization, they are not able to enjoy them due to six-day workweeks and 14-hour days, leaving very little time for friends and family. They did not know of these work situations when they were hired.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. Which of the following is helpful in achieving retention at BI Inc.?

A) highlighting only the positive aspects of the job when hiring
B) not providing a tour of the working facility during the recruitment process
C) providing a recruitment package that covers desirable and undesirable attributes
D) discussion of how to compensate for any negative consideration

Question 47

Scenario 5.2
Star Bright Consulting, a Canadian private employment agency specializing in IT staffing, has been successfully providing qualified IT employees to various firms in the Greater Toronto Area. Recently, the agency has been experiencing problems with its selection process. Primarily, the agency's clients are not happy with the length of time it takes to fill positions that become available. Even though Star Bright has been successful over the years, it is not fully leveraging technology to aid in its recruitment and selection efforts.
Refer to Scenario 5.2. Star Bright can use which of the following tools to promote the IT careers it offers?

A) blogs and articles in industry publications
B) chat lines in cyberspace
C) an intranet where positions can be quickly viewed and applied for
D) links to current employees' Facebook profiles

Question 48

Which of the following refers to those artificial barriers based on attitudinal or organizational bias that prevent qualified individuals from advancing upward in their organizations into management positions?

A) labour barriers
B) the glass ceiling
C) barriers to entry
D) trade barriers

Question 49

Which of the following is NOT a factor included in a self-evaluation for successful career development?

A) your interests
B) organizational opportunities for advancement
C) academic aptitude
D) academic achievement

Question 50

Recruiters usually have minimal influence on an applicant's decision to work for one organization or another.

Question 51

The effectiveness and attractiveness of recruiters is often a main reason why applicants select one organization over another.

Question 52

In addition to the positive morale benefits, recruiting from within the organization also attempts to capitalize on HR and human capital investments.

Question 53

When unemployment levels are low, employers may need to use more sources of recruitment.

Question 54

Recruiting is the process of attempting to locate and encourage potential applicants to apply for existing or anticipated job openings.

Question 55

Excessive reliance upon internal sources can create the risk of employee cloning.

Question 56

Scenario 5.2
Star Bright Consulting, a Canadian private employment agency specializing in IT staffing, has been successfully providing qualified IT employees to various firms in the Greater Toronto Area. Recently, the agency has been experiencing problems with its selection process. Primarily, the agency's clients are not happy with the length of time it takes to fill positions that become available. Even though Star Bright has been successful over the years, it is not fully leveraging technology to aid in its recruitment and selection efforts.
Refer to Scenario 5.2. Which of the following is not useful in assisting Star Bright with efforts to improve its recruitment and selection process?

A) yield ratio
B) time to fill a position
C) hiring metrics
D) cost per hire

Question 57

Scenario 5.1
Beloitte Industries Inc. (BI Inc.)has been one of Canada's leading financial advisory firms for over 50 years. Staffed by roughly 4,000 employees in most major cities across the country, BI Inc. prides itself on hiring recent graduates from renowned business schools and offering them competitive salaries, excellent benefits and perks, and limitless training and development opportunities. Employees also have the opportunity to work from home a couple days a week. Over the years, the company realized that while it has no problems recruiting top candidates to the firm, it is having a harder time retaining them. Exit surveys reveal that while employees appreciate all the perks, benefits, and top salaries that attracted them to the organization, they are not able to enjoy them due to six-day workweeks and 14-hour days, leaving very little time for friends and family. They did not know of these work situations when they were hired.
Refer to Scenario 5.1. BI Inc.'s problems stem from which of the following?

A) not providing all the realities of the job when hiring
B) lack of flexibility for employees
C) too many unexpected surprises
D) providing unrealistic rewards

Question 58

Organizations tend to integrate their promotion-from-within policy and their employment equity programs.

Question 59

In many cases, hiring someone from outside is seen as essential for revitalizing the organization.

Question 60

The best source for recruitment will vary depending on the industry.

Question 61

Private employment agencies often specialize in particular occupations or professions.

Question 62

Educational institutions are typically a source of young applicants with formal training but relatively little full-time work experience.

Question 63

The most commonly used search tactic for job seekers is Internet recruiting.

Question 64

Labour unions can be a recruiting source for some professional job openings.

Question 65

Often, applicants will respond to an advertisement even if they don't meet the job requirements.

Question 66

Placement is the process of attempting to locate and encourage potential applicants to apply for existing or anticipated job openings.

Question 67

Human resources information systems can be used to predict the career paths of employees.

Question 68

Skill inventories are an important tool for succession planning.

Question 69

The realistic job preview informs applicants about all aspects of the job, including both its desirable and its undesirable facets.

Question 70

For technical and managerial positions, community colleges are generally the primary source of recruitment.

Question 71

Realistic job previews reduce turnover, but also reduce job acceptance rates.

Question 72

Applicants who find employment through an employee referral tend to be a problem because they tend to quit more often.

Question 73

Public employment agencies work closely with private employment agencies.

Question 74

Recruiters sent to university and college campuses must be properly trained and prepared to talk to candidates about their company and job requirements of specific openings.

Question 75

Advertisements can allow selectivity in attracting applicants.

Question 76

There is a correlation between the accuracy and completeness of an advertisement and recruitment success.

Question 77

A recruiter's job is to "sell" applicants on the organization, but they have no influence on their decision.

Question 78

The most common method used by job searchers is responding to printed advertisements.

Question 79

At least one research study has found that managers often hire external candidates rather than promote their current employees because they have a tendency to overvalue unfamiliar candidates and undervalue known ones.

Question 80

Nepotism is a problem with executive search firms.