Deck 8: External Selection I

Question 1

Job analysis sometimes finds that seemingly unrelated jobs may have more in common than would be expected by relying just on job titles.

Answer 1

True

Question 2

Most initial assessment methods have _________ validity.

A) moderate to low
B) high to very high
C) moderately high to high
D) moderate

Answer 2

A

Question 3

A major problem with resumes and cover letters is lying.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Organizations are increasingly finding that the costs of developing a selection plan outweigh the benefits.

Question 5

Contingent methods mean that the job offer is subject to certain qualifications, such as the offer receiver passing a medical exam or a drug test.

Question 6

Although employers can outsource résumé collection to résumé-tracking services, in practice this type of outsourcing is too inefficient to be worth the cost.

Question 7

A power test is used when the speed of work is an important part of the job.

Question 8

External selection refers to the assessment and evaluation of external job applicants.

Question 9

Cost should not be used to guide the choice of initial assessment methods.

Question 10

A finalist is someone who has not yet received an offer, but who possesses the minimum qualifications to be considered for further assessment.

Question 11

Résumé scanning software tends to look for nouns more than action verbs.

Question 12

The first step in developing a selection plan is to list relevant KSAOs associated with a job.

Question 13

If the correctness of a response is essential for a job, then a(n) ________ test should be used.

A) essay
B) speed
C) power
D) objective

Question 14

The strength of the relationship between a predictor and performance is called ________.

A) reliability
B) validity
C) utility
D) instrumentality

Question 15

The logic of prediction indicates that a point-to-point comparison needs to be made between requirements of the job to be filled and the qualifications of the job applicants.

Question 16

The process of translating the results of a job analysis into actual predictors to be used for selection is known as a discriminant validity study.

Question 17

Which of the following is necessary for the logic of prediction to work in practice for selecting employees?

A) the organization has adopted a thorough competency modeling approach
B) qualifications carry over from one job to another
C) that each candidate is assessed based on his or her unique experiences
D) anonymous periodic reviews of applicant files to ensure accuracy

Question 18

The most accurate description of the basic purpose of a selection plan is ______________.

A) a selection plan determines the means for attracting qualified job applicants
B) a selection plan matches applicants to outcome criteria
C) a selection plan describes predictors to be used to assess KSAOs required to perform the job
D) a selection plan consists of interview rating criteria

Question 19

Within the context of the selection process, the "logic of prediction" means that:

A) indicators of an applicant's future performance are predictive of likely job performance
B) indicators of a person's degree of success in past situations should be predictive of future job success
C) predictors of job performance are correlated with KSAOs
D) indicators of job outcomes can be used to predict job performance

Question 20

Essay tests are best used to assess ___________ skills.

A) oral communication
B) written communication
C) interpersonal
D) none of the above

Question 21

Biodata items are generally the same, regardless of the job being staffed.

Question 22

Research on the reliability and validity of biodata has been quite positive.

Question 23

Research shows that applicants have a favorable attitude toward biodata inventories.

Question 24

Research suggests that the quality of the school a person graduates from makes a difference in the labor market.

Question 25

Occupational certifications are nearly all regulated by the Department of Labor to ensure that they accurately reflect job knowledge.

Question 26

College grades are more valid predictors of job performance than high school grades.

Question 27

Biographical information tends to have low reliability.

Question 28

Biodata refers to medical or physiological tests of applicants prior to hiring.

Question 29

The principal assumption behind the use of biodata in selection processes is the axiom, "the best predictor of future behavior is past behavior."

Question 30

Occupational certification helps guard against the misuse of job titles in human resource selection.

Question 31

One study that showed there was a stronger correlation between two letters written by one person for two different applicants than between two different people writing letters for the same person.

Question 32

Scored evaluations of unweighted application blanks are good predictors of job performance.

Question 33

To protect an employer from charges of unfair discrimination, it is best to only include information related to KSAOs demonstrated as important to the job on an application blank.

Question 34

Letters of recommendation are an excellent way to help organizations separate highly qualified from moderately qualified applicants.

Question 35

Research has found that level of education is moderately related to job performance.

Question 36

The validity evidence for weighted application blanks is better than that for unweighted application blanks.

Question 37

Research suggests that biodata does not provide incremental validity over personality and cognitive ability.

Question 38

Biodata is like a background check in many ways, but background checks tend to focus on external references rather than applicant surveys.

Question 39

Most organizations use only weighted application blanks for initial screening decisions.

Question 40

Video résumés have become a major component of selection in most large organizations.

Question 41

The proportion of organizations that conduct pre-hire background checks to determine if employees have criminal records or inaccurate reporting on résumés, has risen dramatically in recent years.

Question 42

Many organizations are reluctant to give out detailed reference information regarding their former employees because they are afraid of being sued.

Question 43

Research on application blanks has suggested that the most common questions that are misinterpreted include _________.

A) previous employers
B) reasons for leaving previous jobs
C) previous positions held
D) all of the above are true

Question 44

Which of the following are common sources of résumé fraud?

A) inflated titles
B) inflated education or "purchased" degrees
C) inaccurate dates to cover up job hopping or unemployment
D) all of the above

Question 45

The most frequently used methods of initial assessment are education level, training and experience, reference checks, and initial interview.

Question 46

Which of the following statements regarding résumés is true?

A) Even background checks cannot reduce the problem of résumé fraud
B) Most surveys suggest that around half of all résumés have substantial inaccuracies or distortions
C) Video résumés are highly respected by most employers
D) Extensive evidence suggests that résumés are highly accurate predictors of employee job performance

Question 47

The initial interview is the least expensive method of initial assessment.

Question 48

Surveys suggest that only 3 out of 10 organizations conduct reference checks.

Question 49

Asking applicants to complete a supplemental application in which they describe their most significant accomplishments relative to a list of job behaviors is known as the _______.

A) behavioral consistency method
B) experiential summary method
C) biodata approach
D) none of the above

Question 50

The purpose of the initial interview is to screen out the most obvious cases of person/job mismatches.

Question 51

Initial interviews can be made more useful by asking the same questions of all job applicants.

Question 52

Level of education requirements have little adverse impact against minority applicants.

Question 53

Which of the following is(are) initial assessment methods?

A) Résumés and cover letters
B) Application blanks
C) Biographical information
D) All of the above

Question 54

Which of the following statements regarding the use of grade point averages as a predictor is true?

A) GPA may be influenced by many factors in addition to the applicant's KSAOs and motivation.
B) GPAs in one's major tend to be highly similar to one's GPAs in other classes.
C) Grades do not vary widely by field.
D) GPAs from different schools mean the same thing.

Question 55

Genetic screening is becoming a valuable component of many organizations' selection systems.

Question 56

When considering the use of extracurricular activities as a job performance predictor, one should _________.

A) use extracurricular activities whenever possible
B) de-emphasize the use of extracurricular activities
C) use extracurricular activities mainly for selection of managerial personnel
D) use extracurricular activities when they correlate with KSAOs required by the job

Question 57

In using educational level as an initial selection criterion, which of the following statements is false?

A) The degree received from an institution is not sufficient as a sole indicator of an applicant's level of education.
B) A GED is a high school equivalency degree and is about as good as a conventional high school diploma in predicting job performance.
C) Educational level is a predictor of job performance.
D) High-level degrees from non-accredited schools may be indicators of lesser accomplishment than lower-level degrees from accredited schools.

Question 58

The most common person to be contacted in a reference check is the applicant's former colleagues who worked in the same position.

Question 59

Most initial assessment methods have moderate to low validity.

Question 60

The highest estimate of validity coefficients of unweighted applicant banks as predictors of job performance are _________.

A) 1.00
B) .80
C) .20
D) .60
E) .40

Question 61

One of the major disadvantages of using handwriting analysis as an assessment method is that it is ______.

A) expensive
B) not related to job performance
C) easy to fake
D) inefficient

Question 62

Biographical information is like application blanks, except _______.

A) biographical information is based on history, but application blanks are based on current events
B) application blanks are more likely to be used for substantive selection decisions
C) biographical data is more likely to be accepted by applicants
D) biographical data can be more fruitfully used for substantive selection decisions

Question 63

One guideline for improving the effectiveness of initial interviews is to ____.

A) ask questions which assess the most basic KSAOs
B) make them long and rigorous
C) ask each applicant different questions
D) A and B are correct

Question 64

The most common person to be contacted in a reference check is the applicant's __________.

A) former coworkers
B) HR department at his/her former employer
C) former supervisor
D) friends

Question 65

Research has indicated that job applicants generally have a __________ view of biodata inventories.

A) very positive
B) negative
C) positive
D) neutral

Question 66

Background testing is concerned with the __________ of an applicant.

A) integrity
B) reliability
C) personal adjustments
D) all of the above

Question 67

The principal assumption behind the use of biodata is the axiom, ________.

A) The best predictor of future behavior is motivation level
B) The best predictor of future behavior is KSAOs
C) The best predictor of future behavior is education level
D) The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior

Question 68

Which of the following is true regarding biodata and background tests?

A) Background information is obtained through interviews and conversations with references.
B) They are two different names for the same thing.
C) Only background tests look into an applicant's past.
D) Biodata is used primarily when screening applicants for positions in which integrity and emotional adjustment are necessary.

Question 69

Employers are advised to let applicants know in advance that they reserve the right to not hire, terminate, or discipline prospective employee for providing false information during the selection process.

Question 70

The laws in most states provide employers with little protection if they provide any information in a reference check that might damage an applicant's chances of getting a job.

Question 71

The issue of consistency of measurement with assessment methods is called ______.

A) validity
B) reliability
C) variability
D) central tendency

Question 72

Which of the following is true regarding genetic screening?

A) It helps to screen out people who will perform poorly on the job.
B) It is used widely by companies in the U.S.
C) It helps to screen out people who are susceptible to certain diseases.
D) A recent court decision has ruled that it is allowable under the Americans with Disabilities Act.

Question 73

Disclaimers are used as a means of protecting employer rights.

Question 74

Which of the following methods is the most valid predictor of performance?

A) Initial interviews
B) Handwriting analysis
C) Biodata
D) Unweighted application blanks

Question 75

The problem with using _____ for hiring purposes is that only very poor applicants cannot obtain these, and the format is unstandardized.

A) certifications
B) biodata forms
C) letters of recommendation
D) MBAs

Question 76

The information collected for an accomplishments record includes ______.

A) a written statement of the accomplishment
B) when the accomplishment took place
C) any recognition for the accomplishment
D) all of the above

Question 77

An example of an assessment method which has relatively low reliability is ________.

A) biographical information
B) initial interviews
C) application blanks
D) resumes

Question 78

One major problem with letters of recommendation is that they _________.

A) are too lengthy to be useful
B) are not structured or standardized
C) are too ambiguous to interpret
D) all of the above are correct

Question 79

Failure to conduct a reference check opens an organization to the possibility of a negligent hiring suit.

Question 80

Which of the following is a criterion on which biodata items can be classified?

A) historical vs. nonverifiable
B) invasive vs. firsthand
C) objective vs. subjective
D) equal access vs. easy access