Chapter 6 Selection and Placement

sample of the kinds of situations or

problems that occur on the job.

Selection Method Standards

-

Personnel selection is the process

by which companies decide who
will or will not be allowed into
organizations.
We focus on five: (1) reliability, (2)
validity, (3) generalizability, (4)
utility, and (5) legality.

Generalizability
-

the degree to which the validity of

a selection method established in
one context extends to other
contexts.

degree to which the information

provided by selection methods
enhances
the
bottom-line
effectiveness of the organization.

Reliability
-

The consistency of a performance

measure; the degree to which a
performance measure is free from
random error.
The correlation coefficient is a
measure of the degree to which
two sets of numbers are related.
o The correlation coefficient
expresses the strength of
the relationship in numerical
form.

Utility

Legality
-

Validity
-

the extent to which performance

on the measure is related to
performance on the job. A measure
must be reliable if it is to have any
validity.
Criterion-related Validity
o A method of establishing the
validity
of
a
personnel
selection method by showing
a
substantial
correlation
between test scores and job
performance scores.
Predictive validation seeks to
establish an empirical relationship
between test scores taken prior to
being
hired
and
eventual
performance on the job.
Concurrent validation assesses
the
validity
of
a
test
by
administering it to people already
on the job and then correlating test
scores with existing measures of
each person's performance
.Content validation is performed
by
demonstrating
that
the
questions or problems posed by
the test are a representative

The final standard that any

selection method should adhere to
is legality.
All
selection
methods
should
conform to existing laws and
existing legal precedents.
Age
Discrimination
in
Employment
Act
of
1967
outlaws almost all mandatory
retirement programs (company
policies that dictate that everyone
who reaches a set age must retire).
Americans with Disabilities Act
(ADA)
of
1991
protects
individuals
with
physical
and
mental disabilities (or with a
history of the same), and requires
that employers make reasonable
accommodation
to
disabled
individuals whose handicaps may
prevent them from performing
essential functions of the job as
currently designed.

Types of Selection Methods

-

Interviews
o a dialogue initiated by one
or more persons to gather
information and evaluate the
qualifications of an applicant
for employment.
Situational Interview

An
interview
procedure
where
applicants
are
confronted
with
specific
issues,
questions,
or
problems that are likely to
arise on the job.
Situational interviews can be
particularly effective when
assessing sensitive issues
dealing with the honesty and
integrity of candidates.

Cognitive Ability Tests

o differentiate
individuals
based on their mental rather
than physical capacities.
o Verbal
comprehension
refers to a person's capacity
to understand and use
written and spoken language
o Quantitative
ability
concerns the speed and
accuracy with which one can
solve arithmetic problems of
all kinds.
o Reasoning
ability,
a
broader concept, refers to a
person's capacity to invent
solutions to many diverse
problems.

Work Samples
o attempt to simulate the job
in a prehiring context to
observe how the applicant
performs in the simulated
job.
o Assessment Center is a
process in which multiple
raters evaluate employees'

performance on a number of
exercises.