Selecting employees and placing them in jobs
THE IMPORTANCE OF HIRING DECISIONS
Hiring decisions are about finding the people who will be a good fit with the job and the organization. Any organization that appreciates the competitive edge provided by good people must take the utmost care in choosing its members. The organization's decisions about selecting personnel are central to its ability to survive, adapt, and grow. Selection decisions become especially critical when organizations face tight labor markets or must compete for talent with other organizations in the same industry. If a competitor keeps getting the best applicants, the remaining companies must make do with who is left.
Selection Process
Selection typically begins with a review of candidates' employment applications and resumes. The organization administers tests to candidates who meet basic requirements, and basic qualified candidates undergo one or more interviews. Organizations check references and conduct background checks to verify the accuracy of the information provided by candidates. A candidate is selected, also known as personnel selection, to fill each vacant position. Candidates who accept offers are placed in the positions for which they were selected.
There are 5 basic standards for this, which are
1. The method provides reliable information.
2. The method provides valid information.
3. The information can be generalized to apply to the candidates.
4. The method offers high utility.
5. The selection criteria are legal.
-Reliability-
• The extent to which a measurement is free from random error.
• A reliable measurement generates consistent results.
• Organizations use statistical tests to compare results over time.
– Correlation coefficients
– A higher correlation coefficient signifies a greater degree of reliability.
-Validity-
Will divided in to 2 parts
• The extent to which the performance on a measure (such as a test score) is related to what the measure is designed to assess (such as job performance).
• The federal government’s Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures accept three ways of measuring validity:
1. Criterion-related
2. Content
3. Construct
Criterion-Related Validity
• A measure of validity based on showing a substantial correlation between test scores and job performance scores.
• Two kinds of research are possible for arriving at criterion-related validity:
1. Predictive Validation
2. Concurrent Validation
Predictive Validation
Research that uses the test scores of all applicants and looks for a relationship between the scores and future performance of the applicants who were hired.
Concurrent Validation
Research that consists of administering a test to people who currently hold a job, and then comparing their scores to existing measures of job performance.
Content and Construct Validity
Content Validity
Consistency between the test items or problems and the kinds of situations or problems that occur on the job.
Construct Validity
Consistency between a high score on a test and high level of a construct (i.e., intelligence or leadership ability) as well as between mastery of this construct and successful performance of the job.
-Ability to Generalize-
• A generalizable selection method applies not only to the conditions in which the method was originally developed – job, organization, people, time period, etc.
• It also applies to other organizations, jobs, applicants, etc.
-Practical Value and Utility-
• Being valid, reliable, and generalizable adds value to a selection method.
• Another consideration is the cost of using the selection method.
• Selection methods should cost significantly less than the benefits of hiring new employees.
• Methods that provide economic value greater than the cost of using them are said to have utility.
-Legal Standards for Selection-
• All selection methods must conform to existing laws and legal precedents.
• Three acts have formed the basis for a majority of the suits filed by job applicants:
– Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991
– Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967
– Americans with Disabilities Act of 1991