Unit 1.5: Selection

Question 1

Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures

Answer 1

Released in 1978 by the EEOC, Civil Service Commission, Department of Justice, and Department of Labor. Apply to tests and other selection procedures that are used as a basis for any employment decision.

Question 2

Types of Employment Interviews

Answer 2

1. Patterned (or structured) Interview
2. Semi-Structured Interview
3. Situational Interview
4. Targeted-Selection Interview
5. Non-directive Interview
6. Stress Interview
7. Virtual Interviews
8. Team and Group Interviews
9. Working Interviews

Question 3

Qualified Privilege Doctrine

How does it relate to background checks?

Question 4

ADA Limitations

Physical Examinations in the Application Process

Question 5

Employee Record Retention

Which Records and how long?

Question 6

Basic Principles of Selection

Answer 6

1. Past Behavior is the best predictor of future behavior
2. Organizations should collect as much reliable and valid data as is economically feasible and then use it to select the best applicants

Question 7

Typical Steps in the Selection Process

Answer 7

These ten steps can be used in the selection process. At each step, the applicant can be rejected or move on.

Step 1: Preliminary Screening

Step 2: Application Blanks

Step 3: Interviews

Step 4: Employment Testing

Step 5: Reference Checks

Step 6: Drug Testing

Step 7: Final Interview

Step 8: Selection Decision

Step 9: Post-offer Medical Exam

Step 10: Placement on the Job

Question 8

Application Blanks

Answer 8

• Assist in preparing for the employment interview.
• Provide names, dates, and places that are subject to verification for reference checks
• Provide information for personnel records, such as vital statistics, SSN, address, in case of emergency

Question 9

Patterned (or structured) Interview

Answer 9

Interviewer asks a series of pre-determined questions.

Question 10

Semi - Structured Interview

Answer 10

An interview in which the interviewer determines the major questions beforehand, but allows sufficient flexibility to probe into other areas as needed to evaluate an applicant’s personality.

Question 11

Behavior Interviews

Answer 11

Interviews that ask applicants to describe specific behaviors or actions they have displayed in the pas to demonstrate particular skills.

Question 12

Situational Interview

Answer 12

A method of interviewing that involves asking job candidates to respond to a series of hypothetical situations.

Question 13

Targeted Interviews

Answer 13

An employment interview that assumes that past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior and focuses on what the person has done in previous situations.

Question 14

Non-directive Interview

Answer 14

An unstructured interview in which the interviewer allows the interviewee to discuss whatever he or she wishes to discuss.

Question 15

Stress Interview

Answer 15

A method of interviewing in which the interviewee is subjected to intentionally created stress to observe how well he or she performs in that situation

Question 16

Empathic Listening

Two Levels

Answer 16

Expressed Level - Interviewer simply paraphrases, restates, or summarizes the content of the response

Implied Level - More Advanced. Involves attending not only to what the applicant expresses but also what was implied or left unstated as well

Question 17

Legality of Questions

Answer 17

Federal law does not prohibit asking about race, religion, and gender but cannot discriminate using this information. Avoided, however.

Question 18

Contrast Effect

Answer 18

An evaluation of one applicant is partially influenced by the previous applicant.

Question 19

Anchoring Bias

Answer 19

An interviewer relies too much on the first piece of information received (the “anchor”) and discounts additional information that contradicts the anchor.

Question 20

Negative Emphasis Bias

Answer 20

An interviewer is highly influenced by negative information, so an interview involves a search for negative rather than positive information about the candidate.

Question 21

Similarity Bias

Answer 21

A candidate who reminds an interviewer of someone outstanding, such as an exceptional coworker, will be viewed more favorably.

Question 22

Halo/Horn Effect

Answer 22

One characteristic about a person strongly influences all other perceptions the interviewer has of the candidate.

Halo = positive perceptions

Horn = Negative perceptions

Question 23

Cultural noise bias

Answer 23

A candidate answers questions based on what he or she thinks the interviewer wants to hear.

Question 24

Stereotyping

Answer 24

An interviewer assumes that because a candidate is a member of a particular group, he or she has specific traits

Question 25

Intuition Bias

Answer 25

An interviewer trusts his or her intuition more than objective data in evaluating a job candidate

Question 26

Ideal employee bias

Answer 26

An interviewer has a preconceived notion of what an “ideal employee” looks like, and evaluates the candidate against this set of skills and attributes

Question 27

Confirmation bias

Answer 27

An interviewer draws a conclusion about a candidate based on early information and then searches for, favors, and remembers information that confirms that conclusion

Question 28

Racial and gender bias

Answer 28

The interview process is occasionally used as an opportunity to discriminate against minorities and women who may be underrated, particularly when applyinging for management positions that have traditionally been dominated by white males.

Question 29

Achievement Test

Answer 29

Measures how individuals have achieved or learned. Used extensively in education.

Question 30

Aptitude/Ability Tests

Answer 30

Measures an individual’s capacity for learning.

Question 31

Assessment Centers

Answer 31

Identifies management potential.

Question 32

Background Investigations

Components

Answer 32

• Employment history verification
• Education Verification
• Professional credential verification
• reference checks
• driver license verification and driving records
• social security number trace
• credit report
• national, state, and county criminal records
• FBI Fingerprint database
• sex offender registry

Question 33

Qualified Privilege Doctrine

Answer 33

Allows previous employers to describe former employees’ work record to prospective employers provided the information is factual and relevant and serves a legitimate business purpose

Question 34

Kadlec Medical Center v. Lakeview Medical Center

Answer 34

Concluded that people who write letters of reference do not have an affirmative duty to disclose negative information since applicants do not ask someone to write a letter unless they are certain that the person will make a favorable evaluation

Question 35

Legal Questions

Answer 35

• dates of employment, gaps in employment, suspicious entries or omissions
• the reasons for leaving the previous employers
• whether the individual is eligible for rehire by a former employer
• educational background including schools attended, degrees awarded
• military service and training
• verification of positions held, titles, salary, and experience
• incidences of anti-social behavior, such as dishonesty, fighting, or illegal drug use
• criminal background

Question 36

Negligent Hiring

Answer 36

Employers can be held responsible for their employee’s wrongdoing. Can be sued for negligent hiring claims that employers knew or should have known that their employees were dangerous.

Question 37

Investigative Consumer Report

Answer 37

Includes information on a consumer’s character, general reputation, personal characteristics, and mode of living

Question 38

Physical Examinations

Answer 38

Can be required, but not until after a conditional offer of employment has been made.

Can be rescinded only if the employer can prove the applicant can’t perform essential job functions

Question 39

Drug Testing

Wilkinson v. Times Mirror Corporation Testing Program

Answer 39

1. The samples were collected in a medical environment by persons unrelated to the employer
2. Applicants furnished the samples unobserved by others
3. The results were kept confidential
4. The medical lab informed the employer if the applicant passed or failed the entire exam
5. The applicants were notified of the portions of the test they failed
6. Applicants could question and challenge the test results.
7. Applicants could reapply for employment in six months

Question 40

Legal and Privacy Issues

Health Insurance and Accountability Act (1996)

Answer 40

Places restrictions on the dissemination of protected health information by covered entities, which include health plans, health care providers, and health care clearinghouses

Question 41

Records Retention