Ch. 5

• Reference Check


  The process of confirming the accuracy of information provided by an applicant
• Reference


  The expression of an opinion, either orally or through a written checklist, regarding an applicant's ability, previous performance, work habits, character, or potential for future success
• Letter of Recommendation


  Letter expressing an opinion regarding applicant's ability, previous performance, work habits, character, or potential future success
• Reasons for using references and recommendations


  • Confirming details on resume
  • Checking for Discipline Problems
  • Discovering New Information about the Applicant
  • Predicting Future Performance
• Predicting future performance using references and recommendations

  • Leniency - applicants choose references that would help them in application by showing only positive sides
  • Knowledge of the Applicant - the person writing the letter often does not know the applicant well
  • Reliability - the lack of agreement between two people who provide references for the same person
  • Extraneous Factors - method used by the letter writer is often more important than the actual content
• Ethical issues in providing references

  • Explicitly state your relationship with the person you are recommending
  • Be honest in providing details
  • Let the applicant see your reference before sending it
• Job Knowledge Tests


  Designed to measure how much a person knows about a job
• Job Knowledge Tests


  • Excellent content and criterion validity; high face validity
• Ability Tests


  Tap the extent to which an applicant can learn or perform a job-related skill
• Types of Ability Tests

  • Cognitive Ability
  • Perceptual Ability
  • Psychomotor Ability
  • Physical Ability
• Cognitive Ability Tests


  • Result in high levels of adverse impact and lack face validity
  • Difficulty of setting a passing score
• Cognitive Ability Tests

  • Wonderlic Personnel Test
  • Siena Reasoning Test
• Work Samples


  The applicant performs actual job related tasks
• Work Samples


  • Directly related to job tasks, they have excellent content validity
  • Tend to predict actual work performance and thus have excellent criterion validity
  • Samples have excellent face validity
  • Lower racial differences
  • Can be expensive to both construct and administer
• Assessment Centers


  Selection techniques characterized by the use of multiple assessment methods that allow multiple assessors to actually observe applicants perform simulated job tasks
• Requirements for Assessment Centers

  • Assessment center activities must be based on the results of thorough job analysis
  • Multiple assessment techniques must be used
  • Multiple trained assessors must be used
  • Behavioral observations must be documented at the time the applicant behavior is observed
  • Assessors must prepare a report of their observations
  • Overall judgement of an applicant must be based on combination of information from the multiple assessors and multiple techniques
  • Overall evaluation of an applicant cannot be made until all assessment center tasks have been completed
• Assessment Center Process


  1. Do a job analysis

  2. Develop exercises that measure the different aspects of the job

  3. Rate the applicants going through assessment centers
• Experience Ratings


  Past experience will predict future experience
• Biodata


  Selection method that considers an applicant's life, school, military, community, and work experience
• Personality Inventories


  They predict performance better than once thought
• Types of Personality Tests

  • Tests of Normal Personality (based on theory, statistically based, or empirically based)
  • Tests of Psychopathology (Projective Tests, Objective Tests)
• Big Five Personality Traits

  • Openness to experience
  • Conscientiousness
  • Extraversion
  • Agreeableness
  • Emotional stability
• Interest Inventories


  Tap vocational interest
• Interest Inventories


  • Strong Interest Inventory (SII)
• Integrity Tests


  Honesty tests; tell an employer the probability that an applicant would steal money or merchandise
• Conditional Reasoning Test


  To reduce the inaccurate response and get a more accurate picture of a person's tendency to engage in aggressive or counterproductive behavior
• Graphology


  Handwriting analysis
• Predicting Performance Limitations


  • Drug Testing
  • Psychological Exams
  • Medical Exams
• Rejected applicants should be treated well because they are potential customers and potential applicants for another positions
• Applicants who were rejected "properly" were more likely to continue to be a customer at organization and apply for future job openings
• Rejection Letter


  Best way to reject applicants