Employee Testing & Selection

• Juliana Chan, Ph.D., is an MIT-trained scientist-turned-media entrepreneur and a LinkedIn coach.
• Job information websites are available for Korean university students with resources for various job-seeking needs.
• Employee testing and selection are important aspects of human resources, and are covered in Chapter 6.

Why Employee Selection Is Important

• Employee selection matches the knowledge, skills, abilities, and other competencies (KSACs) required for a job with an applicant's KSA (person-job fit).
• A candidate might be "right" for a job but "wrong" for the company, hence the importance of person-organization fit.
• An experienced airline pilot might excel at American Airlines, but not at Southwest, where all employees help with baggage handling.
• Selecting the right person is crucial to have employees with the required skills performing better.
• It is costly to recruit and hire employees.
• Equal employment laws need nondiscriminatory selection procedures.
• Mismanaging hiring has legal consequences.

Does Appearance Matter in Making Recruitment Decisions?

• This slide discusses the impact of a job applicant's appearance on recruitment decisions, and invites examples and explanations.

Person-Job Fit: Korean Air vs Asiana Airlines

• Korean Air and Asiana Airlines provides examples of differences in person-job fit.
• A former flight attendant with 16 years (12,716 hours) in Asiana Airlines shared insights from their job-seeking experiences.
• They failed the interview at Korean Air three times but was recruited at Asiana Airlines, in their opinion being a result of what they believed the company IMAGE was.
• Since they naturally have slanted eyes and appear somewhat aloof, they were required to make extra effort to appear humorous.
• Image matters a lot in service industries; aligning with the company's desired image can compensate for imperfections like not speaking perfect English.
• First impression is the most important thing in interviews where decisions made the moment someone walks through the door.
• The decision is often influenced by a first impression, potentially leading to a bias against asking further questions if a candidate is immediately liked.
• 8 people for Asiana Airlines and 5 people for Korean Air were interviewed at the same time.
• During interviews, it's important to demonstrate considerate listening rather than constant smiling.
• Showing off is viewed negatively; flight attendants shouldn't stand out too much, especially in service-oriented roles.
• Each job and company has different qualifications and requirements.
• Some candidates who face many questions and those who are overly arrogant tend to fail.
• The competition ratio was 171 to 1.
• The slide asks "Which style look better?" in context of possible airline mergers and the evolution of the Korean Air logo, with images over time being displayed
• There are images of the team alliances of KOREAN AIR with SkyTeam, and ASIANA AIRLINES with OneWorld

Reliability and Validity

• A test is essentially a sample of a person's behavior.
• Any test or screening tool should have two characteristics, reliability and validity.

Reliability

• Refers to how consistent the scores are for the same person when retested using identical or alternate test forms.
• If a person scores 90 on a test on Monday and 130 when retested on Tuesday, there is not much faith in the test.
• Measurements of reliability: test-retest reliability estimates, equivalent or alternate form estimates, and internal comparison estimates.
• A test can be unreliable because of physical conditions, differences in test takers, differences in test administration, or the questions sampling the material

Validity

• The accuracy with which a test measures what it's supposed to or fulfills its intended function.
• Employee selection tests measure the test's job relatedness which is demonstrated through performance on the test which accurately predicts job performance.

How to Demonstrate Validity

• Criterion Validity demonstrates statistically a relationship between scores on a selection procedure and job performance of a sample of workers.
• Higher test scores lead to better job performance.
• Content Validity is about a selection procedure being representative of crucial job performance aspects.
• Construct Validity demonstrates that a selection procedure measures a construct and shows that the construct is important for successful job performance.
• Evidence-Based HR details how to validate a test involves analyzing the job, choosing the test, administering the test, relating your test scores and criterias and cross-validating and revalidating.
• Those who score between 37 and 44 have a 55% chance of being rated as high performers.
• Those scoring between 57 and 64 have a 97% chance of being rated as high performers.

Types of Tests

• Cognitive abilities tests measure specific mental abilities such as memory or inductive reasoning with intelligence (IQ tests) and aptitude tests.
• Motor and physical abilities tests include finger and/or manual dexterity, reaction time, static strength, dynamic strength, and body coordination.
• Measuring personality based on the "big five" personality dimensions: extraversion, emotional stability/neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experience.
• Interest inventories compare a person's current interests with those in various occupations to determine their preferred occupation.
• Achievement tests measure what someone has learned or their "job knowledge".
• Computerized and online testing are increasingly replacing paper-and-pencil tests.
• Timken Company uses online assessment of math skills for hourly position applicants.
• Other companies have applicants take short Web-based tests before reviewing their résumés .
• Analytics use statistical techniques to examine data to draw cause-effect conclusions from that data, e.g., Talent Analytics.
• Machine learning is software that can improve its own performance and "learn" without human intervention.
• Algorithms quickly crunch through thousands of "if-then" branches to find the best matching candidates for the job.
• Legal concerns with Al are present

Work Samples and Simulations

• Work samples are tests that directly measure job performance.
• Examinees encounter situations that are representative of the job they're applying for, and their responses are evaluated.
• A work sampling technique predicts job performance by having candidates perform work samples for a cashier such as counting money.
• Work samples measure actual job tasks while exhibiting better validity than tests and exhibiting no evaluated personality, leading to no evaluated personality.
• Situational judgment tests assess an applicant's judgment regarding a workplace situation.
• For example a sales associate is hired at Best Buy in Miami, Florida
• Customers will check the product with you and then buy it on Amazon, and you get a weekly payment.

Group Work

• A customer comes in to you with a printed quote about a Samsung Galaxy phone from the online retailer, Amazon.com, and proceeds to ask about battery life and how to work the phone.
• The Amazon price is $50 less than the in-store retail price, and you have already spent almost 30 minutes with this particular customer while other customers are awaiting your assistance.

Management Assessment Center

• A 2-3-day simulation in which 10 to 12 candidates perform realistic management tasks under expert observation
• Pros of utilizing the simulation, are that it is effective for selecting management candidates; cons are, that it is costly in terms of money and time.
• The Cheesecake Factory created a Professional Assessment and Development Center to select promotable managers.
• Typical Tasks included in simulations The In-Basket, leaderless group discussion, management games, individual oral presentations, testing and the interview.
• Situational tests involve responding to situations representative of the job.
• Video-based simulations present online or computer video situations, that each is followed by one or more multiple-choice questions.
• The slide tests "If you were this associate, what would you do?".
• In a call center scenario, a customer is upset because their product order has been delayed, and the most effective first step is to Ask the customer to hold while you investigate the issue.

Miniature Job Training

• Training candidates to perform several of the job's tasks and then evaluating their performance prior to hire.
• Honda built an auto plant and then had new employees working with an Alabama industrial development training agency.
• Applicants who lacked the education and those who weren't located near the plant were eliminated and removed.
• Special training was administered for about 340 applicants per 6-week session with new classroom instruction and watched employees in practice.
• Some candidates who watched the videos simply dropped out when they saw the work's pace and repetitiveness.
• The two purposes of training sessions was to allow job candidates to learn the skills they need for their respective jobs, and for assesses to analyze the work that trainees need to complete.
• Those who graduated were invited to apply for jobs at the plants.
• Honda teams did the final screening.

Realistic Job Previews

• The slide stated realism is important.

Choosing a Selection Method

• An employer needs to consider validity, reliability, practicality, applicant reactions, adverse impact and how many applicants will be screened.

Background Investigations

• Includes credit checks, reference checks, pre-employment information services, honesty testing and substance abuse screening.
• Digital tools are changing the background-checking process.
• Employers are Googling applicants or checking Facebook and LinkedIn due to being able to find important information and interests.
• The LinkedIn premium service "Reference Search" lets employers identify and search workers
• Employers can develop specific selection techniques for certain businesses such as dining.

Interviewing Candidates

• Interviews can be classified based on structure, content (types of questions), and administration.

Structured vs Unstructured Interviews

• Unstructured consist of the manager not following a set or required format.
• Structured interview are designed with pre-determined questions, and are a better choice because it is enhancing, reduced, and consistent.

Interview Content

• Situational Interviews involves asking the candidate how they would respond.
• Behavioral Interviews involves asking the candidate to describe how they had reacted. In the STAR method (situation, task, actions, and results).

Job-Related Interview

• Involves assessing a candidate's ability to manage financial concerns.
• Puzzle Questions allow recruiters to see how candidates think under pressure.
• Stress interviews evaluate the applicants response to rude and occasional questions.
• Interviews are a 1-1 discussion, there are multiple interviewers, there all the candidates or a group of candidates are interviewed.
• Computer and video are included in this stage of analysis.
• Phone interviews are the form of interviews and assessments
• Virtual Interview Preparation:
• Ensure a tidy space and presentable self.
• Test audio and camera.
• Remain calm and collected

Avoiding Errors

• Ensure a better interview through structured questions, better focus, and prevent errors and miscalculations.
• First impressions can damage interview process.
• Not clarifying the jobs duties may create bad matches
• Interviewer's behavior:
• Must watch how what you're communicating matches your intentions
• Listen carefully for candidate's performance
• Prevent being pushy or opinionated

How to Conduct the Interview

• Create a structured interview so that experts give answers to each question
• Design interview questions and analyze the rate of jobs
• List all key interview questions
• Create clear benchmark answers
• Know the job, its process, and create and guide the interview.

Management

• Focuses on the company's profile to align interview questions and competencies needed.
• Toyota employs similar techniques in assessing if that employee fits with their vision.
• Use the same competency profile (competencies, traits, knowledge, and experience) for creating interview questions.
• Employee Engagement depends on the talent selected and their work on the team.
• It is quality that employees give back to the firm.
• There is need to have open discussions with individuals to review personal pride and work ethic.
• The "Toyota Way," emphasizes teamwork.
• Toyota looks for open minded and flexible candidates.
• 6 step process in selecting an eligible person.
• Online, computer based, evaluation, checking, offer.

Final Steps

• Google selects candidates using talent management.
• Conducts work sample and test (10 tests)
• Makes an analysis with new data and the 4th interview, but includes situational question.
• Google used the "Wisdom of the Crowd" principle, where the candidate's score is influenced by interviewer's score average.
• "Googleyness" (values such as fun-loving and conscientious).
• Google analyzes resume to find rejected candidates
• In summary, to decide which candidate is best there is a judgmental (personal), an statistical , and hybrid (balanced) approach
• Statistical and hybrid are more defendable; judgmental is better than nothing
• The job offer should include:
• Rates, benefits, job duties, but is negotiable.

The Written Offer

• Should entail a welcome, pay statements, the benefits and additional perks and the overall closing statement.
• Should include:
• The expected duration of your employment, and any severance requests and provisions, and clear codes of conduct.