Exam 6: Employee Selection

Scenario 6.1 Canadian Fasteners is an Ottawa-based packing firm that packages nuts, bolts, and screws for various Canadian furniture companies. The firm started operations in 2003 with 13 employees and has grown to over 150 employees today. Employees are paid hourly rates with benefits similar to other packing firms across Ontario. The work does not need previous experience. Canadian Fasteners has been struggling to recruit and hire the right employees to take the company into the new millennium. Part of the problem is that workers, especially floor workers, are hired by word of mouth with no formal application process or even an interview. As a result, the company faces a high turnover rate and spends valuable time training new employees who may not have the prerequisite skills to effectively do the job in the first place. -Refer to Scenario 6.1. Canadian Fasteners is trying to implement a process to recruit and hire workers. Which of the following would work best in this type of organization?

Written letters of reference are very valid in the selection of employees.

A manager is examining the number of applicants for a job compared to the number of people needed to be hired. What is this figure called?

Application forms should always require relevant dates, including date of birth.

Asking an applicant for an accounting position to solve accounting problems similar to those encountered on the job is an example of construct validity.

In large organizations, supervisors are usually responsible for making job offers and notifying applicants of selection decisions.

Which of the following best describes drug testing in the selection process?

Although widely used, employment interviews pose potential concerns about validity.

Typically, a computer interview requires candidates to answer a series (75-125)of multiple-choice questions tailored to the job.

A comprehensive analysis of honesty tests reveals that they are valid for predicting theft, disciplinary problems, absenteeism, and job performance.

Identify and explain the five primary types of employment tests.

Why are biographical information blanks difficult for applicants to fake?

Scenario 6.2 Computer Direct Inc. is a midsized technology firm that specializes in designing, manufacturing, and selling computers. The organization staff complement is very diverse, and most of the company's employees are in the development and design, sales, and marketing departments. Computer Direct has been using only one method to make recruitment decisions for all of its employees, from managerial to technical to clerical. Data is gathered on each candidate, and a committee assigns scores to candidates based on its understanding of the job. Candidates, however, are not given the opportunity to be tested and hired based on their respective scores. Essentially, decisions are made based on personal judgments. -Refer to Scenario 6.2. If Computer Direct wants to use more objective methods of decision making, which of the following is the best approach?

When an organization does not hire a person who is described as low in predicted success and low in job performance, what is the term for that situation?

If an organization's selection procedures yield comparable data over a period of time, the procedures are valid.

The federal government relies extensively on employment testing in the selection process.

Which of the following types of test is the Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)?

Employers are required by law to provide references for former employees.

Which term refers to the use of selection tests to measure applicant KSAOs against competencies for the job?

It is estimated that at least 30 percent of applicants stretch the truth on their résumés.