Reference no: EM132809379
Use the following scenario to answer questions 1 through 6.
Peak Software needs to hire sales representatives for a new product release. The sales manager and assistant manager decide to make their selection decisions based on interviews of each applicant.
During the first day of interviews, the sales manager and the assistant manager interview fourteen people who have applied to work as sales representatives. Before interviewing more applicants, the manager decides to correlate how she ranked these fourteen applicants with how the assistant manager ranked them. The correlation between the two rankings is .29.
This correlation is a measure of ________.
- Alternate forms reliability
- Content validity
- Concurrent validity
- Inter-rater reliability
What does the correlation indicate about the interview process?
- It is very reliable
- It is reliable 29 percent of the time
- It is not reliable
- It is reliable 71 percent of the time
What does the correlation obtained indicate about the sales manager and assistant manager?
- They probably have different criteria for what makes a good sales representative
- They are both asking mostly irrelevant questions
- They are each using a different patterned interview schedule
- They have different levels of previous interviewing experience
Which of the following probably contributed most to the correlation?
- Contrast effect
- Leniency-strictness phenomena
- Inconsistent criteria
- Halo effect
As they prepare to interview more applicants, what should the sales manager and assistant manager do?
- Agree to average their rankings
- Review the job descriptions to clarify the necessary job skills
- Evaluate the applicants independently
- Develop a 10-point rating scale rather than a ranking scale
What legal complaint might be raised regarding Peak Software's interview process?
- Some interviews were longer than others, giving some applicants a disproportionate amount of time with the interviewers.
- Some applicants are better at interviews than others, giving them an unfair advantage over other applications.
- The interview questions focus primarily on past behavior, which tends to portray some applicants in a negative light.
- The interview process is not reliable, and therefore cannot be a valid predictor of job performance.
Use the following scenario to answer questions 7 through 10.
Several months later, Peak Software needs to hire more sales representatives. Unhappy with the results of the previous selection process, the sales manager decides instead to create a weighted application blank to use in making the hiring decision. The weighted application blank is completed by all applicants, and applicants receive scores based on their responses. Each applicant's score determines whether or not the applicant is hired. Of the thirty applicants for the sales representative position, twelve are hired.
What is the most essential element in developing the weights for the sales representative application blank?
- A list of the sales manager's preferred characteristics for sales representatives
- Performance measures of the company's current and past sales representatives
- Data reflecting the average amount of time incumbents have held this job
- An inventory of job duties and responsibilities
In order to avoid potential legal liability, which of the following types of information should not be requested on the application blank?
- Explanation of gaps in employment history
- Description of any military service and training
- Years of experience as a sales representative
- History of arrests or legal problems
What kind of data should the sales manager expect to obtain from the weighted application blank?
- Data that is neither reliable nor valid
- Data that is highly reliable and valid
- Data that is valid by not reliable
- Data that is reliable but not valid
What is the selection ratio for the sales representative position?
The sales manager has made hiring decisions based on the interviews using the weighted application blank. Some applicants scored high enough on the application blank to be hired as sales representatives but turned out to be poor performers on the job. How would these applicants be classified?
- True negatives
- False positives
- False negatives
- True positives
An applicant who is not offered a job claims that the weighted application blank is discriminatory and has an adverse impact on people of her race. What should the sales manager do?
- Demonstrate that the application blank is a valid predictor of performance on the job.
- Immediately stop using the application blank as a selection tool
- Remove the questions from the application blank alleged to be discriminatory
- Explain that the application blank was designed by experts
Which of the three types of validity accepted by the U.S. government's Uniform Guidelines on Employee Selection Procedures does the weighted application blank demonstrate?
- Content validity
- Concentric validity
- Criterion-related validity
- Construct validity
The sales manager would like to improve the selection ratio for the sales representative position. Which of the following measures would be the best approach?
- Lower the cut-off score on the weighted application blank
- Make the selection criteria more demanding
- Solicit more internal candidates
- Employ a more targeted recruitment strategy
The sales manager would like to avoid receiving claims of negligent hiring. What should the manager do?
- Validate the selection process
- Conduct thorough background checks
- Complete an I-9 form for each applicant
- Classify employees as either exempt or nonexempt with accuracy