Employee Selection: Structured Exercises

Employee Selection: Structured Exercises

Part 1: Selection and Assessment

1. Choosing a selection method
2. Education –

Selection method:  Application Form: The applicant’s form should offer all the details concerning the education levels of the recruits.

Justification: It is easier to use as it provides ready data about the recruits’ education level that will be useful in shortlisting based on the job requirements. It is also cheaper for the recruiters to use this method

2. Work experience –

Selection method: Resume: The recruit’s resume offers details on how long he or she has worked, preferably in job areas relating to the new job.

Justification: It is easier to use as it provides ready data about the recruits’ work experience that will be useful in shortlisting based on the job requirements. It is also cheaper for the recruiters to use this method

Math skills –

Selection method: Analytical problem-solving and reasoning skills: These are systematic tests relating to the job that will indicate what knowledge and skills, the recruit has before induction training.

Justification: It gives firsthand information about what mathematical knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics the recruit may have, which is useful in the selection process based on the value to the organization.

3. Verification knowledge –

Selection method: Questionnaire: This method entails formulating a well-structured questionnaire that can help in the verification process.

Justification: This method allows the recruiter to obtain the necessary background knowledge of the recruits regarding the job requirements.

Interpersonal skills–

Selection method: Personal Interview: This refers to face to face interviews to gauge the level of interpersonal skills of the recruits.

Justification: This method allows the recruiter to judge the applicant’s ability to interact positively and carry out their duties effectively alongside others.

4. Work motivation –

Selection method: Personality tests: These are tests put in place to figure out what kind of personality the applicant has and how beneficial it would be about the job at hand.

Justification: This method allows the recruiter to assess the applicant’s level of commitment towards work.

1. Operationalizing the Assessments
2. Education assessed via Application Form

My assessment:

1. Work experience assessed via Resume

My assessment:

3. Math skills assessed via Analytical Problem Solving and Reasoning Skills

My assessment:

1. Verification knowledge assessed via Questionnaire Method

My assessment:

1. Interpersonal skills assessed via Personal Interviews

My assessment:

1. Work motivation assessed via:   Personality Test

My assessment:

1. Applying the Assessment System

Scoring the Applicants

• Which applicant scored best based on the scores you entered into the table?

• What difficulties did you have applying your scoring system?

• Describe changes you would make to the scoring system to improve it.

Part 2: Selection Strategy

1. Using an unweighted compensatory selection strategy

1. Use a weighted compensatory selection strategy
2. Which one of the six factors do you consider the most important in terms of selecting bank tellers? Defend your choice.

2. Based on your answer to the first question, double the points for the four applicants for this factor. Record the answers in the table below.

3. Of the remaining five factors, which two do you see as least important for selecting bank tellers? Defend these choices.

4. Based on your answer to question 3, divide the points in a half for the four applicants for these two factors. Record the answers in the table below.

5. For the three factors not mentioned in questions 1 and 3, copy the scores from the previous table into the table below. Total the scores for the four applicants.

• Who scored the highest?

• Do you think this person is the best applicant? Why or why not?

• Who scored the lowest?

• When you compare your answers using the unweighted to the weighted approach, which approach do you think was better? Why?

1. Using minimum cutoffs, non-compensatory selection strategy

• Which applicant(s) remains?

• If no applicant met all of the cutoffs, would you slightly lower the cutoffs or restart the recruiting process? Why?

• If many applicants exceed the cutoffs, would you slightly increase the cutoff levels, hire all remaining applicants (if possible) or take a compensatory approach for those that exceeded all of the cutoffs? Why?

Part 3: Evaluating the Selection System

1. Conducting and adverse impact analysis

(i) Calculate the selection ratios for each of the three groups.  Show your work.

Formula: Selection Ratios = (number hired/number applied) *100

Caucasians = (36/120) * 100 = 30

African-Americans = (12/60) * 100 = 20

Latinos = (10/40) * 100 = 25

• Does adverse impact exist when you compare the African-American applicant pool with the Caucasian applicant pool? Show your work.

• Does adverse impact exist when you compare the Latino applicant pool with the Caucasian applicant pool? Show your work.

1. Calculating the Total Hit Ratio

• Calculate the total hit ratio by adding the correct predictions and then dividing that number by the total number of decisions made. What is this percentage? Do you think this percentage is impressive? Why or why not?

• What percentage of weak applicants turned out to be excellent hires? Show your work.

• What percentage of strong applicants turned out to be excellent hires? Show your work. This percentage is known as the positive hit ratio.

• Compare your answers to questions (ii) and (iii). Do you think the bank’s system is useful? Why or why not?

Part 4: Reflection on Employee Selection

• You have made several decisions in creating, implementing, and evaluating a selection system for bank tellers. Which of these decisions (in designing the system) do you think is most critical? Why?

• An employee selection approach to hiring (i.e., identifying factors, developing a scoring system, etc.) is more complicated than hiring employees based on who they know or casually scanning a résumé and asking a few “off the cuff” questions for an interview. When you think about your work experiences, do you think the organizations you worked for took an employee selection approach when hiring? Explain your response.

• If you answered yes to question (b), do you think the organization was effective in hiring employees? If you answered no to question (b), do you think the organization should have adopted a selection approach to hiring? Explain your response.

• Describe the overall advantages and disadvantages of an employee selection approach to hiring.

After reflecting on this exercise, would you recommend an employee selection process to hire for virtually any job? Why or why not?

Sources

Joyson Savio P., “ Employee Selection Exercise” 25^th January 2015 https://www.slideshare.net/joysonp55/employee-selection-excercise Accessed 5^th February 2020

Reddy, Chitra, “ 16 Best and Effective Employee Selection Methods” 2016, https://content.wisestep.com/employee-selection-methods/ Accessed 5^th February 2020