Deck 6: Employee Selection

Question 1

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

Answer 1

False

Question 2

Strategies for selecting managerial and technical people are relatively similar.

Answer 2

False

Question 3

The premise of a behavioural interview is that "past performance is the best predictor of future performance."

Answer 3

True

Question 4

Aptitude tests measure what a person knows or can do right now.

Question 5

Credit checks are the most common form of reference check.

Question 6

Situational interviews ask applicants how they would respond,while behavioural description interviews ask applicants how they did respond

Question 7

Data obtained from nondirective interviews are difficult to validate.

Question 8

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

Question 9

A situational interview asks the applicant what he or she actually did in a given situation.

Question 10

Predictive validity is assessed when the test scores of job applicants are held against the performance data for existing employees.

Question 11

Most organizations require application forms to be completed because they provide a fairly quick and systematic means of obtaining a variety of information about the applicant.

Question 12

Measuring construct validity requires linking a psychological test to job performance.

Question 13

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

Question 14

Measuring KSAOs of an applicant against the competencies required for the job is called person-organization fit.

Question 15

Online applications can speed up the selection process,combine information,and disseminate promising leads to hiring managers more efficiently.

Question 16

Since biographical information blanks rarely have obviously right or wrong answers,they are difficult to fake.

Question 17

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

Question 18

Because of the physical differences between the genders,physical ability tests should be carefully validated on the basis on the essential functions of the job.

Question 19

Medical examinations are usually conducted before an offer of employment is made.

Question 20

Conscientiousness refers to the degree to which someone is trusting,amiable,cooperative,and flexible.

Question 21

The Scholastic Aptitude Test (SAT)is an example of a cognitive ability test.

Question 22

Human rights legislation severely limits the types of medical inquiries and examinations that employers may use.

Question 23

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

Question 24

Reliability refers to the extent to which two methods yield similar results,but not to the agreement between two or more raters.

Question 25

Validity refers to what a selection procedure measures and how well it measures it.

Question 26

Person-organization fit has become more of a focus in firms that need teamwork and flexibility.

Question 27

In most instances,employers can legally use polygraph tests to screen applicants.

Question 28

Drug testing is used much more frequently in Canada than in the United States.

Question 29

Content validity is the most direct and least complicated type of validity to assess.

Question 30

Concurrent validity involves testing applicants and obtaining criterion data after they have been on the job for some indefinite period.

Question 31

If a work sample test includes major job functions and predicts job success,it has content validity.

Question 32

In general,a criterion-related method of assessing selection test validity is preferred over other methods because it is based on empirical data.

Question 33

The situational interview is a variation of the unstructured interview.

Question 34

The closer the content of the selection instrument to actual work samples or behaviours,the higher the content validity.

Question 35

Video interviews have the advantages of speed and cost-effectiveness.

Question 36

HRM specialists have found that panel interviews lead to higher reliability and faster decision times than one-to-one interviews.

Question 37

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

Question 38

It is much easier to measure what individuals can do than what they will do.

Question 39

"Tell me more about your experiences on your last job" is an example of a nondirective interview question.

Question 40

"Tell me about the last time you disciplined an employee" could be a behavioural description interview question.

Question 41

Predictive and concurrent validity are determined by comparing test scores with supervisor performance ratings.

Question 42

Behavioural description interviews are based on hypothetical situations.

Question 43

Which of the following is a key basis for the use of biodata tests?

A)Family history is important to job success.
B)They are required by law.
C)Past behaviour is the best predictor of future behaviour.
D)There are no right or wrong answers.

Question 44

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

Question 45

Questions contained in structured job interviews should be based on which of the following?

A)job design
B)job analysis
C)job specialization
D)job knowledge

Question 46

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

Question 47

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

Question 48

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

Question 49

A university uses several criteria for accepting students.There is a minimum score that students have to achieve on each of the criteria to get admitted.What type of selection model is being used?

A)moving criteria model
B)multiple criteria model
C)multiple cutoff model
D)compensatory model

Question 50

What is a key reason to ensure that selection procedures are valid?

A)to ensure comprehensive training for HR professionals
B)to test reliability
C)because validity guarantees the success of the selection procedure
D)because validity is related to employee productivity

Question 51

What do we call the process whereby a test or test battery is administered to a different sample (drawn from the same population)for the purpose of verifying the results obtained from the original validation study?

A)repeat validation
B)cross-validation
C)construct validation
D)inferential validation

Question 52

Which of the following types of tests measure dispositional characteristics such as extroversion,inquisitiveness,and dependability?

A)mental ability tests
B)cognitive ability tests
C)personality tests
D)biodata tests

Question 53

Organization C has developed a new selection system.The company is interested in determining if the system predicts performance on the job,so Organization C gave the selection tests to 100 existing employees.What is the best way to describe this process?

A)assessing concurrent validity through a cross-validation study
B)assessing concurrent validity through a criterion-related validity study
C)assessing predictive validity through a criterion-related validity study
D)assessing predictive validity through a cross-validation study

Question 54

Personality tests measure such things as agreeableness,extroversion,and openness to experience.

Question 55

When trying to achieve person-organization fit,managers will pass up potential employees who don't embrace the values of the company even if they have excellent job skills.

Question 56

Criterion-related validity is the extent to which a selection tool predicts or correlates with important elements of work behaviour.

Question 57

Studies have shown that an objective scoring of biographical information blanks and application forms is one of the most potentially valid methods that can be used to predict job success.

Question 58

Behavioural description interviews appear to be more effective than situational interviews,especially for higher-level positions.

Question 59

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

Question 60

Although many organizations are encouraging applicants to apply for jobs online,this practice slows down the application process.

Question 61

Validity tests related to such things as intelligence and anxiety typically asses which of the following?

A)criterion validity
B)content validity
C)concurrent validity
D)construct validity

Question 62

Which of the following do personality tests measure?

A)disposition and temperament
B)likability and attitude to work
C)intelligence and knowledge
D)attitudes and behaviours

Question 63

Giving applicants a clerical aptitude test and then tracking their performance one year later is an example of which of the following?

A)construct validity
B)concurrent validity
C)content validity
D)predictive validity

Question 64

According to many experts,what are cognitive ability tests are connected to?

A)personality
B)past exposure to a job
C)situational knowledge
D)general intelligence

Question 65

What type of interview allows the applicant the maximum amount of freedom in determining the course of discussion?

A)a structured interview
B)a depth interview
C)a situational interview
D)a nondirective interview

Question 66

Which of the following is the most objective approach in making employee selection decisions?

A)"can-do" approach
B)statistical approach
C)clinical approach
D)"will-do" approach

Question 67

The HR manager and the training manager separately interviewed five applicants for a position.They both ended scoring the five of them very similarly.What is this result an example of?

A)high concurrent validity
B)high inter-rater reliability
C)high construct validity
D)high inter-personal reliability

Question 68

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

A)It is conducted by very few Canadian organizations
B)It is illegal in Canada.
C)It is required by law.
D)It is conducted in most Canadian workplaces.

Question 69

Which of the following types of interviews allows applicants the most freedom in discussing a response to an interview question?

A)a structured interview
B)a non-directive interview
C)an open interview
D)a situational interview

Question 70

Organization B is using an interview format that requires a panel of three interviewers.The company has found that about half of the time,the interviewers disagree in their ratings such that some members of the panel give the candidate a high rating,while others give the same candidate a low rating.What is the best way to describe the interview format that Organization B is using?

A)It is not content valid.
B)It is lacking predictive validity.
C)It is not valid.
D)It is not reliable.

Question 71

Which of the following conditions represents a test that could be described as "construct valid"?

A)A professor puts one essay question on the final exam,and that essay question is drawn from the chapter that she feels is the most important.
B)A manager uses a work sample test used for selection that has facets that tap in to every major aspect of the job.
C)A researcher gives a test of "job satisfaction" to a group of participants and checks to make sure that his results correlate with other measures of satisfaction.
D)A manager assesses how effective his selection test is by checking the performance of successful candidates months after they are hired.

Question 72

Which of the following measures mental capabilities such as general intelligence,verbal fluency,numerical ability,or reasoning ability?

A)a personality and interest inventory
B)a physical ability test
C)a cognitive ability test
D)a job sample

Question 73

What is currently the most effective way to assess a person's honesty during the selection process?

A)graphology testing
B)polygraph testing
C)integrity testing
D)background testing

Question 74

During her interview for a position as a secretary,Nikki was asked to answer a real phone call from a client.The interviewer used her performance to help with the selection decision.Which of the following types of tests was used in this instance?

A)a personality test
B)a work sample test
C)an assessment centre test
D)a cognitive ability test

Question 75

The "will do" factors of an applicant include which of the following?

A)knowledge and skills
B)cognitive abilities
C)aptitude
D)motivation and interests

Question 76

What is the GMAT an example of?

A)a work sample test
B)a cognitive ability test
C)a structured ability test
D)an interest inventory

Question 77

Organization T uses a decision-making model in which an applicant is allowed to score poorly in one area of the selection tests,as long as he or she scores very high in another area.What is this type of decision-making model called?

A)a statistical model
B)a multiple hurdle model
C)a compensatory model
D)a multiple cutoff model

Question 78

Which of the following is appropriate to ask on an application form?

A)whether the applicant has prior arrests
B)whether the applicant is eligible to be bonded
C)whether the applicant has ever been in jail
D)whether the applicant has ever been caught stealing

Question 79

Mary was asked a question in an interview about a hypothetical incident and was asked how she would respond to it.What is this type of interview called?

A)a situational interview
B)a panel interview
C)a mock interview
D)a nondirective interview

Question 80

Six months ago,Organization A used a new selection system to hire 100 front-line staff members.With six months of performance data in hand,Organization A is interested in determining if its new selection system predicts performance on the job.What is the best way to describe this process?

A)assessing concurrent validity through a cross-validation study
B)assessing concurrent validity through a criterion-related validity study
C)assessing predictive validity through a criterion-related validity study
D)assessing predictive validity through a cross-validation study