Question 1

The HR department at Buckworth Consulting recently developed and employed a certain test in the selection process for managers.After observing a certain trend in the organization,the HR department concluded that the test being used was not a valid selection criterion.Which of the following most likely led to that observation?
A) Managers who were recruited without the tests performed well when promoted to other roles.
B) Managers who got low scores on the tests performed poorly when promoted to other roles.
C) Managers who fared well in the tests performed well in their roles.
D) Managers who performed well on the tests performed poorly in their roles.
E) Managers who were recruited without the tests performed poorly in their roles.

Accepted Answer

One way to determine whether a measure is valid is to compare many people's scores on that measure with their job performance. If the managers who performed well in the tests do not demonstrate the same level of performance in their respective job roles, it undermines the validity of the test.

Question 2

Interviewing is considered the most accurate basis for making a selection decision.

Accepted Answer

Despite certain benefits, interviewing is not necessarily the most accurate basis for making a selection decision. Research has shown that interviews can be unreliable, low in validity, and biased against a number of different groups.

Question 3

Which of the following enables organizations to make decisions about who will or will not be allowed to join the organization?
A) Predictive validation
B) Job analysis
C) Concurrent validation
D) Trend analysis
E) Personnel selection

Accepted Answer

Through personnel selection, organizations make decisions about who will or will not be allowed to join the organization.

Question 4

The multiple-hurdle model is based on a process of increasing the number of candidates at each stage of the selection process.

Accepted Answer

The multiple-hurdle model is based on a process of arriving at a selection decision by eliminating some candidates at each stage of the selection process.

Question 5

A correlation coefficient of -1.0 between two sets of numbers indicates _____.
A) a complete lack of any correlation between the two sets
B) that when one set of numbers goes up, so does the other set
C) that when one set of numbers goes up, the other set goes down
D) a positive correlation between the two sets
E) an indefinite relationship between the two sets

Accepted Answer

Correlation coefficients measure the degree to which two sets of numbers are related. At one extreme, a correlation coefficient of 1.0 means a perfect positive relationship-as one set of numbers goes up, so does the other. At the other extreme, a correlation of -1.0 means a perfect negative correlation-when one set of numbers goes up, the other goes down.

Question 6

Amelia takes online practice tests as part of her preparation for a competitive examination.If the tests are known to be highly reliable,which of the following would most accurately be the correlation coefficient of her test results over a seven-day period?
A) 0.5
B) 0.43
C) 0
D) 0.99
E) 0.72

Accepted Answer

Since the test is highly reliable, the correlation coefficient would be 0.99. A reliable test would be one for which scores by the same person or people with similar attributes have a correlation close to 1.0.

Question 7

Which of the following is true of the validity of selection criteria?
A) Validity cannot be explained using correlation coefficients.
B) Validity identifies the extent of random error in a selection procedure.
C) Validity assures the accuracy of selection criteria.
D) Validity cannot measure the relevance of selection criteria.
E) Validity ensures the fairness of employment practices during selection procedures.

Accepted Answer

Validity ensures the fairness of employment practices during the selection procedure. Validity shows that their selection process is indeed valid.

Question 8

Gary,the new human resource manager at Alchemy Corp.,proposes using automated systems for screening résumés of applicants.Gary claims that automated systems are better than humans at picking the right profiles.Which of the following statements weakens Gary's claim?
A) Automated systems arbitrarily reject highly qualified people who submit a creatively worded résumé.
B) Automated systems reduce the pace of the selection process by a large margin.
C) Automated systems prevent candidates from knowing the status of their applications.
D) Automated systems do not help in matching résumés to the keywords in job requirements.
E) Automated systems refrain from replying to the candidates when their profiles are rejected.

Accepted Answer

The process of selecting employees varies considerably from organization to organization and from job to job. Critics point out that automated systems may arbitrarily reject highly qualified people who submit a creatively worded résumé rather than simply mimicking the wording of a company's job posting.

Question 9

Nathaniel believes that assessing the reliability of a selection method is the only requirement for predicting the success of the selection method.Which of the following statements weakens his argument?
A) Reliability cannot clarify if something that matters is being measured.
B) Reliability cannot answer whether something is measured accurately.
C) Reliability is only suitable for tests that measure abstract qualities.
D) Reliability cannot be measured for generalizable selection methods.
E) Reliability is only useful for tests that measure intelligence and leadership quality.

Accepted Answer

Reliability answers one important question-whether something is measured accurately-but ignores another question that is as important: Is something that matters being measured?

Question 10

In a nondirective interview,the interviewer always asks questions from an established set of questions.

Accepted Answer

In a nondirective interview, an interviewer has great discretion in choosing questions. A candidate's reply to one question may suggest other questions to ask.

Question 11

Along with 50 other candidates,Rita applied for the position of analyst at Mechalium Inc.Because Rita's profile stood out from other candidates' profiles,she was called for an interview in which she performed well.In the context of the steps involved in the selection process for recruitment,which of the following would most likely be the next step taken by the recruiter?
A) Reviewing Rita's work samples
B) Negotiating salary and benefits with Rita
C) Verifying Rita's qualifications through background checks
D) Sending Rita a job offer letter
E) Getting Rita to sign the job offer

Accepted Answer

The process of selecting employees varies considerably from organization to organization and from job to job. In this case, the recruiter would verify Rita's qualifications by employing background and reference checks after the interview.

Question 12

In most organizations,the first step in the personnel selection process is:
A) verifying the applicants' qualifications through reference and background checks.
B) negotiating with the employee regarding salary and benefits.
C) screening the applications to see who meet the basic requirements for the job.
D) administering tests and reviewing work samples to rate the candidates' abilities.
E) inviting candidates with the best abilities to the organization for one or more interviews.

Accepted Answer

The process of selecting employees varies considerably from organization to organization and from job to job. In most organizations, however, first, a human resource professional reviews the applications received to see which meet the basic requirements of the job.

Question 13

Which of the following measures of validity is based on showing a substantial correlation between test scores and job performance scores?
A) Criterion-related validity
B) Diagnostic validity
C) Content validity
D) Convergent validity
E) Construct validity

Accepted Answer

Criterion-related validity is a measure of validity based on showing a substantial correlation between test scores and job performance scores.

Question 14

The _____ of a type of measurement indicates how free that measurement is from random error.
A) reliability
B) validity
C) generalizability
D) utility
E) verifiability

Accepted Answer

The reliability of a type of measurement indicates how free that measurement is from random error. A reliable measurement therefore generates consistent results.

Question 15

In a behavior description interview,a candidate is asked by the interviewer how he or she handled a type of situation in the past.

Accepted Answer

A behavior description interview (BDI) is a situational interview in which an interviewer asks a candidate to describe how he or she handled a type of situation in the past. Questions about candidates' actual experiences tend to have the highest validity.

Question 16

The _____ of an employment test is indicated by the extent to which the test scores relate to actual job performance.
A) reliability
B) validity
C) generalizability
D) utility
E) dependability

Accepted Answer

For a selection measure, validity describes the extent to which performance on the measure (such as a test score) is related to what the measure is designed to assess (such as job performance).

Question 17

Juan takes a test in which the questions are of varying levels of difficulty.As the questions become harder,his scores go down.In this context,which of the following accurately shows the correlation factor between the difficulty levels of the questions and Juan's scores?
A) 0.5
B) 0.98
C) 0
D) -0.92
E) -0.24

Accepted Answer

-0.92 would be the most accurate depiction of the correlation between the difficulty levels of the questions and Juan's test results. A correlation of -1.0 means a perfect negative correlation-when one set of numbers goes up, the other goes down.

Question 18

In an organization,a supervisor usually makes the final employee selection decision.

Accepted Answer

Usually a supervisor makes the final decision, often alone. This person may couple knowledge of the job with a judgment about who will fit in best with others in the department.

Question 19

Interviews are the least expensive method of employee selection.

Accepted Answer

Interviews are costly. They require that at least one person devote time to interviewing each candidate, and the applicants typically have to be brought to one geographic location.

Question 20

Numex,an equities firm,requires its employees to be highly analytical.The company's HR department develops a series of tests to be used in the preliminary rounds of interviews to gauge the candidates' analytical skills.Before using it in the selection process,the HR department got some of the best analysts in the firm to take the test on different days of the week.Surprisingly,each of their scores was highly inconsistent on different days.After an evaluation,the test was found to be unreliable.Which of the following assumptions would lead to such a conclusion?
A) The analysts were randomly chosen.
B) The intelligence quotient levels of the different analysts are on par with each other.
C) The analysts have similar amounts of experience.
D) The on-job performance levels of the analysts decreased over the week.
E) The skills of the analysts remain constant over a week.

Accepted Answer

In this scenario, it can be concluded that the test is not reliable because the analysts' skills remain constant. A reliable measurement should generate consistent results.

Quiz 6: Selecting Employees and Placing Them in Jobs

Interviewing is considered the most accurate basis for making a selection decision.

Which of the following enables organizations to make decisions about who will or will not be allowed to join the organization?

The multiple-hurdle model is based on a process of increasing the number of candidates at each stage of the selection process.

A correlation coefficient of -1.0 between two sets of numbers indicates _____.

Amelia takes online practice tests as part of her preparation for a competitive examination.If the tests are known to be highly reliable,which of the following would most accurately be the correlation coefficient of her test results over a seven-day period?

Which of the following is true of the validity of selection criteria?

Gary,the new human resource manager at Alchemy Corp.,proposes using automated systems for screening résumés of applicants.Gary claims that automated systems are better than humans at picking the right profiles.Which of the following statements weakens Gary's claim?

Nathaniel believes that assessing the reliability of a selection method is the only requirement for predicting the success of the selection method.Which of the following statements weakens his argument?

In a nondirective interview,the interviewer always asks questions from an established set of questions.

In most organizations,the first step in the personnel selection process is:

Which of the following measures of validity is based on showing a substantial correlation between test scores and job performance scores?

The _____ of a type of measurement indicates how free that measurement is from random error.

In a behavior description interview,a candidate is asked by the interviewer how he or she handled a type of situation in the past.

The _____ of an employment test is indicated by the extent to which the test scores relate to actual job performance.

Juan takes a test in which the questions are of varying levels of difficulty.As the questions become harder,his scores go down.In this context,which of the following accurately shows the correlation factor between the difficulty levels of the questions and Juan's scores?

In an organization,a supervisor usually makes the final employee selection decision.

Interviews are the least expensive method of employee selection.