Here is a list of important concepts from this chapter:

- Identifying the elements of the selection process
- Defining ways to measure the success of a selection method
- The government requirements for employee selection
- Comparing the common methods used for selecting human resources
- Major types of employment tests
- How to conduct effective interviews
- How employers carry out the process of making a selection decision

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 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, a.k.a. personnel selection, to fill each vacant position. Candidates who accept offers are placed in the positions for which they were selected.

The selection process must be conducted in a way that avoids discrimination and provides access to persons with disabilities. This means selection methods must be valid for job performance, and scores may not be adjusted to discriminate against or give preference to any group. Questions may not gather information about a person's membership in a protected class, such as race, sex, or religion, nor may the employer investigate a person's disability status. Employers must respect candidates' privacy rights and ensure that they keep personal information confidential. They must obtain consent before conducting background checks and notify candidates about adverse decisions made as a result of background checks.

One criterion to measure the success of the selection method is reliability, which indicates the method is free from random error so that measurements are consistent. A selection method should also be valid, meaning that performance on the measure (such as a test score) is related to what the measure is designed to assess, i.e. such as job performance. Criterion-related validity shows a correlation between test scores and job performance scores. Content validity shows consistency between the test items or problems and the kinds of situations or problems that occur on the job. Construct validity establishes that the test actually measures a specified construct, such as intelligence or leadership ability, which is presumed to be associated with success on the job.
HR also uses predictive validation and concurrent validation. Predicative validation takes the test scores from all of the applicants and looks for relationships between the scores and future performance. Concurrent validation is a performance test given to those who currently hold a job, then comparing their scores to existing measures of job performance.
A selection method also should be generalizable, which means that it applies to more than one specific situation.
Each selection method should have utility, meaning it provides economic value greater than its cost. The selection method should also meet the legal requirements for employment decisions.

Nearly all organizations gather information through employment applications and resumes. These methods are inexpensive, and an application form standardizes basic information received from all applicants. The information is not necessarily reliable, because each applicant provides the information. These methods are most valid when evaluated in terms of the criteria in a job description. References and backgrounds checks help to verify the accuracy of the information. Employment tests and work samples are more objective. To be legal, any test must measure abilities that actually are associated with successful job performance. Employment tests range from general to specific. General-purpose tests are relatively inexpensive and simple to administer. Tests should be selected to be related to successful job performance and avoid charges of discrimination. Interviews are widely used to obtain information about a candidate's interpersonal and communication skills and to gather more detailed information about a candidate's background. Structured interviews are more valid than unstructured ones. Situational interviews provide greater validity than general questions. Interviews are costly and may introduce bias into the selection process. Organizations can minimize the drawbacks through preparation and training.

Physical ability tests measure strength, endurance, and other physical abilities. They can be accurate but can discriminate and are not always job related. Cognitive ability tests, or intelligence tests, tend to be valid, especially for complex jobs and those requiring adaptability. They are a relatively low cost way to predict job performance but have been challenged as discriminatory. Tests for selecting managers may take the form of an assessment center, which is basically a wide variety of specific selection programs that use multiple selection methods to rate applicants on their managerial potential.
Job performance tests tend to be more valid but are not always generalizable. Using a wide variety of job performance tests can be expensive. Personality tests measure personality traits such as extroversion and adjustment. Research supports their validity for appropriate job situations, especially for individuals who score high on conscientiousness, extroversion, and agreeableness. These tests are relatively simple to administer and generally meet legal requirements. Organizations may use paper- and-pencil honesty tests, which can predict certain behaviors, including employee theft. Although organizations may not use polygraphs to screen job applicants, they may however administer drug tests provided that all candidates are tests. Passing a medical examination may be a condition of employment, but to avoid discrimination, organizations usually administer a medical exam only after making a job offer.

Effective interviews should be structured, narrow, and standardized. Interviewers should identify job requirements and create a list of questions related to the requirements. Interviewers should be trained to recognize their own personal biases and conduct objective interviews. Panel interviews can reduce problems related to interviewer bias. Interviewers should put candidates at ease in a comfortable place that is free of distractions. Questions should ask for descriptions of relevant experiences and job-related behaviors. The interviewers also should be prepared to provide information about the job and the organization.

Interview techniques include choices about the type of questions to ask and the number of people who conduct the interview. Several question types are possible:

- NON-DIRECTIVE; a selection interview in which the interviewer has great discretion in choosing questions to ask each candidate.
- STRUCTURED; a selection interview that consists of a predetermined set of questions for the interviewer to ask.
-SITUATIONAL; a structured interview in which the interviewer describes a situation likely to arise on the job, then asks the candidate what he or she would do in that situation.
- BEHAVIOR DESCRIPTION; a structured interview in which the interviewer asks the candidate to describe how he or she handles a type of situation in the past.
- PANEL; a selection interview in which several members of the organization meet to interview each candidate.

Advantages of doing in-person interviews:

- People tend to share a lot more information when someone is asking the questions in person.
- It’s much easier to ask a follow-up question and get examples to support what people are saying.
- It gives people an opportunity to participate in a more direct way, and they have a greater buy-in to the results of the assessment process.

Here are the disadvantages:

- They’re time intensive, and trying to schedule the interview can be a full-time job in itself.
- Sometimes people use them as an opportunity to vent about everything that’s wrong with an organization, putting HR on the defensive and leaving them to sift through their remarks for constructive criticisms.
- Research has shown that interviews can be unreliable, low in validity, and biased against a number of different groups.
- Interviews are also costly.

The organization should focus on the objective of finding the person who will be the best fit with the job or organization. This includes an assessment of ability and motivation. Decision makers may use a multiple-hurdle model in which each stage of the selection process eliminates some of the candidates from consideration at the following stages. At the final stage, only a few candidates remain, and the selection decision determines which of these few is the best fit. An alternative is a compensatory model, in which all candidates are evaluated with all methods. A candidate who scores poorly with one method may be selected if he or she scores very high on another measure.

This presentation described ways to identify the elements of the selection process; ways to measure the success of a selection method; the government's requirements for employee selection; the common methods used for selecting human resources; major types of employment tests; how to conduct effective interviews; and how employers carry out the process of making a selection decision.