Human Resource and management Testing and selection

1. HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT
Kanan Farhat
Department of Management Sciences
CHAPTER 5 : TESTING & SELECTION

2. Why Careful Selection is Important?
The importance of selecting the right employees
 Organizational performance always depends on
subordinates having the right skills and attributes.
 Recruiting and hiring employees is costly.

3. Selection
 Selection is the process designed to determine
the most qualified candidate from the group
of applicants. It includes tasks like reviewing
resumes, interviewing, work related testing,
reference checks and the final employment
offer.
 Selecting them by interviewing and other
means such as conducting test; and making a
job offer.
 The process of making a “hire” or “no hire”
decision regarding each applicant for a job.

4. Selection

5. Basic Testing Concepts
Test Reliability
 The consistency of scores
obtained by the same person
when retested with the
identical or equivalent tests.
 Are the test results stable over
time?
Test validity
 The accuracy with which a test,
interview, and so on measures
what it purports to measure or
fulfills the function it was
designed to fill.
 Does the test actually measure
what we need for it to
measure?

6. How to Validate a Test
Step 1: Analyze the job
 Predictors: job specification
(KSAOs)
 Criterion: quantitative &
qualitative measures of job success
Step 2: Choose the tests
 Multiple tests or single test?
Step 3: Administer the test
Step 4: Relate Test Scores & Criteria
 Correlation analysis
 Actual scores on the test with
actual performance
Step 5: Cross-Validate & Revalidate
 Repeat Step 3 and Step 4 with a
different sample of employees.

7. Types of Tests
1. Tests of cognitive abilities
 Intelligence Tests
 Tests of general intellectual abilities that measure a range of abilities,
including memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, and numerical ability.
 Aptitude tests
 Tests that measure specific mental abilities, such as inductive and deductive
reasoning, verbal comprehension, memory, and numerical ability.
2. Tests of motor abilities
 Tests that measure motor abilities, such as finger dexterity, manual dexterity,
and reaction time.
3. Tests of physical abilities
 Tests that measure static strength, dynamic strength, body coordination, and
stamina.

8. Measuring Personality and
Interests
Personality tests
 Tests that use projective techniques and trait inventories to
measure basic aspects of an applicant’s personality, such as
introversion, stability, and motivation.
 Disadvantage
 Personality tests—particularly the projective type—are the
most difficult tests to evaluate and use.
 Advantage
 Tests have been used successfully to predict dysfunctional
job behaviors and identify successful candidates for
overseas assignments.

9. Sample Picture Card from
How do you interpret
this picture?
Source: Harvard University Press. Used with permission.

10. Work Simulations
 Management assessment
center
 A simulation in which
management candidates are
asked to perform realistic
tasks in hypothetical situations
and are scored on their
performance.
 Video-Based situational
testing
 A situational test comprised of
several video scenarios, each
followed by a multiple choice
question that requires the
candidate to choose from
among several courses of
action.

11. Graphology
 Graphology (handwriting analysis)
 Assumes that handwriting reflects basic personality traits.
 Graphology’s validity is highly suspect.
Source: Reproduced with permission from Kathryn Sackhein, Handwriting Analysis
and the Employee Selection Process (New York: Quorum Books, 1990), p. 45.
Handwriting Exhibit Used by Graphologist

12. Checking Background Information
1. Step 1—Disclosure and authorization.
1. Inform the employee/applicant that a report will be requested and
obtain written authorization.
2. Step 2—Certification.
1. The employer must certify to the reporting agency that the employer
will comply with the federal and state legal requirements.
3. Step 3—Providing copies of reports.
1. The employer must provide copies of the report to the applicant or
employee if adverse action is contemplated.
4. Step 4—Notice after adverse action.
1. After the employer provides the employee or applicant with copies
of the investigative reports and a “reasonable period” has elapsed,
the employer may take an adverse action.

13. Physical Examination
Reasons for pre-employment medical examinations:
 To verify that the applicant meets the physical requirements of the
position
 To discover any medical limitations you should take into account in
placing the applicant.
 To establish a record and baseline of the applicant’s health for
future insurance or compensation claims.
 To reduce absenteeism and accidents
 To detect communicable diseases that may be unknown to the
applicant.

14. Job offer
 It is an attempt by the organization to induce the offer
receiver into the establishment of an employment
relationship.
 Job offer letters also serve as the legal basis for employment.
 Briefly describe the benefits provided by the company such
as dental, health and/or other types of insurance.
 State when you want the signed offer returned.
 the length of the probationary period.
 working hours per week.
 Job start date and time.

15. Job offer
Facts to include in a job offer letter:
1. Salary
2. Compensation
3. Benefits
4. Dates and Times

16. Employment Contracts
 A comprehensive contract of employment allows an employer to specify
an employee's duties and responsibilities - so an employee knows exactly
what is expected of them.
 Employment contract contents
1. Names of the Parties
2. Start Date
3. Job Title and Description
4. Place of Work
5. Hours of Work
6. Probationary Period
7. Salary
8. Holidays
9. Sickness
10. Pension

17. Job Offer Vs. Employment Contracts
Job Offer
 Send as initial document.
 offer letters are less detailed
employment agreements.
Employment Contracts
 After the candidate accept the
job offer, he signs the
employment contract.
 Employment contracts spell
out an employer's
expectations in much greater
detail than offer letters do.

18. QUESTIONS