Selection Methods in Staffing Organisations

Selection methods in recruitment

An early childhood educator at Unicare Early Childhood Centre needs to assist in the high quality care of children, plan and implement a developmental curriculum for each child, and guide and model appropriate social skills and behaviour.

There are certain knowledge, skills and abilities related to the job. I have highlighted 8 important KSA’s out of a total of 25 (Summary Report for: 25-2011.00 - Preschool Teachers 2010):

* Interview * Education and Training * Speaking * Active Listening * Critical Thinking * Fluency of Ideas * Work Sample Test * Speaking * Oral Expression * Learning Strategies * Instructing

Interview
The interview is one of the most widely used selection techniques in modern day human resource management and it can be used for almost all different types of employment vacancy. Research in the 1980’s suggested that the validity of the interview was not very high. Although in more recent research, the validity of interviews especially structured interviews has been proven higher than what was thought. (Compton, Morrissey & Nankervis 2002)

Validity/Reliability
According to Maurer et al., the average validity of the employment interview is .37. Although the literature on the validity of situational and job related interviews is not consistent, it was found that situational interviews were more valid (.35) than job related (.28), which were in turn more valid than psychological (.20). Situational interviews obtain what the applicant’s behaviour would be in different types of situations. Job related interviews obtain past behaviours and job related information, while psychological interviews assess a person’s personality traits. (McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt & Maurer 1994)

Structured interviews are more valid (.31) than unstructured interviews (.23). Structured interviews are when the questions are decided beforehand and the answers are rated on a scale. Unstructured interviews are usually unplanned and little preparation is done for them and can contain casual, open ended questions. (McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt & Maurer 1994)

Individual interviews are more valid (.31) than board or panel interviews (.22) and when both are structured, individual are still more valid (.33) than board interviews (.26). Board interviews have more than one interviewer while individual only have one. (McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt & Maurer 1994)

The reliability for psychological interviews (0.73) job related (0.82). For those that were job related, the unstructured (0.68) and structured (0.84). All pooled reliabilities were (0.81). (McDaniel, Whetzel, Schmidt & Maurer 1994)

Disadvantages
The disadvantages of the interview are that when it is unstructured, therefore not planned and informal, its validity can be hindered by a few different variables. These include first impressions, where the interviewer can make up their mind about an interviewee early on in the interview. This is called the primary effect. The interviewer may also have a stereotype of the perfect applicant in mind and be comparing each applicant to this. Interviewers can also place more focus on the negative aspects of applicants rather than the positive aspects. In addition, if the interviewer notes one good feature of an applicant, they may project this thinking onto their other features. This is called the halo effect. For example if the interviewer thinks an applicant is good looking, they may also assume they are intelligent. (Compton, Morrissey & Nankervis 2002)

Overcoming Disadvantages
While the interview’s validity can be affected by these different variables, research has proven that when the interview is structured, it is more valid (.31) than an unstructured one (.23). The structured interview consists of planned questions that are based on the job analysis and job related knowledge, skills and abilities (hereafter KSA’s) and each response to the question is scored on a rating scale. Also, each candidate is asked the same set of questions keeping the interview consistent. In addition, interviewers can be trained in structured interview techniques, which increase the validity of the structured interview (Compton, Morrissey & Nankervis 2002). Advantages
The advantages of the interview are that it is more convenient when there is a small applicant pool rather than a large one. When there is a large applicant pool, having to interview dozens of applicants can be time-consuming. Unicare is a small organisation and the director stated they prefer to have a small applicant pool to interview.

Applicants also respond more favourably towards interviews, whether is it structured or not. Research has proven that applicants believe the interview is the most job related selection technique compared to all other techniques. (Heneman & Judge 2009)

The interview is also very appropriate when assessing the job related KSA’s. The applicant must have good speaking and active listening skills and have extensive knowledge of education and training. One of the most suitable ways to determine the applicant’s sociability and verbal fluency is to meet and have a face to face conversation with that person. These skills and abilities can be assessed easily in a structured interview, through questions that enable responses which will give a scoring of each certain ability. Certain skills such as fluency of ideas and critical thinking can be scored through situational based questions. (Summary Report for: 25-2011.00 - Preschool Teachers 2010)

Also as outlined above, the interview has a high validity of .37 as well as a relatively high reliability (.81). The validities of situational (.35), structured (.31) and individual (.31) prove that a one on one structured interview with situational based questions is the most successful way to manage an interview. Again as Unicare is a small tight-knit organisation, the executive director is most likely to be the sole interviewer, which is more convenient than arranging panelled interviews for each candidate.

Work Sample Test
Work sample tests are a selection technique that requires the applicant to perform tasks that are part of or very similar to the job. There are two types of work sample tests: motor and verbal. Motor is when the tasks are a physical manipulation of things. Verbal is when tasks are primarily language oriented or people oriented. (Asher & Sciarrino 1974)

Disadvantages
There are a few limitations to the work sample test. The test can be costly and the more similar the test is to the actual job the higher the cost. For example the applicant might need certain materials or expect to be paid for being assessed (usually in situations like internships or where the test is for a whole working day). This also means, the larger the applicant pool, the more expensive the testing will cost. Although, Unicare will have a small applicant pool so this will not be such a problem. In addition, safety needs to be taken into account in the test. If actual work is being performed, then untrained applicants and employers need to take extra precautions. (Heneman & Judge 2009)

Advantages
The reliability of work sample tests is .81 (Cascio & Phillips 1979) and the validity is .54 which is quite high. A work sample test also has a high content validity because it is most related to assessing the particular tasks of the job compared to other techniques and is more suitable for labour intensive roles. (Hunter & Hunter 1984) There are many tasks part of the job which cannot be measured by simply asking what the applicant would do in a certain situation; they can only be measured by seeing physical evidence of an applicant’s behaviour. This is why a verbal work sample test is highly relevant to an early childhood educator job at Unicare, as a considerable amount of the job is physical and verbal. (Heneman & Judge, 2009) A typical work sample test for Unicare would be requiring the applicant to direct and complete an activity with a class of children while maintaining supervision. If used, a work sample test for the early childhood educator position is able to measure (Summary Report for: 25-2011.00 - Preschool Teachers 2010): * how effective applicant is at teaching the children how to do something (Instructing skills) * how appropriate applicant’s instructional methods are for a certain situation (Learning strategies skills) * how effective applicant is at conveying information verbally (Speaking) * how effective applicant is at communicating the activity so that the children will understand (Oral Expression)

Overall Package
Interview and work sample validity are both high but not as high as that of cognitive ability tests. Cognitive ability tests have been found to be the best predictor of job performance (Ng & Sears 1998) with validity of .5 and are also not very costly (Heneman & Judge 2009). Although when it comes to fairness, these tests have a major adverse impact on minority groups, especially in regards to Blacks and Hispanic Americans (Ng & Sears 1998). Interviews and work sample tests both have an overall low adverse impact while still maintaining a high validity. Personality tests have a low cost but are only of moderate validity and can be ‘faked’ meaning responses can be distorted on them easily by applicants. Biodata has a high reliability (.77-.9) and validity (.32-.37) (Hunter & Hunter 1984) but it has received negative reactions from applicants and like personality tests; applicants can distort their responses (Heneman & Judge 2009). In interviews, applicants may be able to distort their responses or ‘talk themselves up’ but in work sample tests, applicants cannot fake their abilities (Asher & Sciarrino 1974). Work sample tests and interviews have both had positive reactions from applicants with applicants saying that they find interviews to be the most job related selection technique (Heneman & Judge 2009). Therefore the combination of an interview and work sample eliminates the possibility of distorted ability measures, while also eliciting a positive reaction from applicants.

Fairness/Adverse Impact of Selection Techniques
Adverse impact is when the selection rate for a minority group is lower than that for the majority group. (Ng & Sears 1998) According to Huffcutt and Roth’s study, there are mixed results regarding adverse impact and interviews. The employment interview has moderate adverse impact on minority groups when unstructured but as a whole does not appear to significantly affect minorities nearly as much as mental ability tests. They said that their “results suggested that structured interviews have the potential to be a selection alternative with high validity and low group differences.” Also that racial group differences for structured interviews were inclined to be low overall and lower than unstructured interviews. In addition they found that behavioural and situational interviews had fairly low group differences overall, and they were low enough to recommend either type of use in selection processes. (Huffcutt & Roth 1998) Another field study stated that “Structured interviews reduce the opportunity for bias and consequently tend to minimize the potential for adverse impact during the interview process”. (Ng & Sears 1998)

The work sample test has been proven to best accommodate cross-cultural values and has low levels of adverse impact. (Heneman & Judge 2009) According to Casio and Phillips, when comparing the work sample tests results of black, white and Latin applicants, there was no significant difference in scores. When male and female scorers were compared, there were no significant differences between the scores for the same test. (Cascio & Phillips 1979)

This research evidence validates the use of a structured interview with situational based questions and a work sample test in selecting an early childhood educator at Unicare, as both these techniques have relatively low overall adverse impact on minority groups

Utility
Utility refers to the monetary return related with using the selection technique, relative to its cost. (Heneman & Judge 2009) Validity is the most important predictor of utility. In most selection methods, the validity directly relates to the utility. E.g. a selection method with a high validity will most likely have a high utility). (Latham & Whyte 1994) There has not been much research done that openly studies the utilities of work samples and interviews but according to Heneman and Judge, the utility of work sample tests is high. Also as both work samples and interviews have high validity, as utility is directly related, I predict their utility will be high also.
Unicare is a small organisation that does not have large amounts of money to spend on selection methods. They also only have a small applicant pool. This is why structured interviews and work sample tests are the most appropriate techniques for an early childhood educator. Both methods are relatively low cost compared to other techniques and also because the applicant pool will be small, the cost will be cheaper than that of a large pool. An important part of an early childhood educator’s job is that they have effective speaking and instructing skills. Due to the face to face nature of these skills, the combination of interviews and work sample test is necessary in providing a valid assessment of them.

References

1. Asher, JJ & Sciarrino JA 1974, ‘Realistic Work Samples: A Review’, Personnel Psychology, vol. 27, no.4, pp. 519-533. Available from: Business Source Complete (EBSCO). [11 May 2011]

2. Cascio, WF & Phillips, NF, 1979, ‘Performance Testing: A Rose Among Thorns’, Personnel Psychology, vol. 32, no. 4, pp.751-766. Available from: Proquest. [11 May 2011]

3. Compton, RL, Morrissey, WJ & Nankervis, AR 2002, Effective Recruitment & Selection Practices, 3rd edn, CCH Australia Limited, Sydney.

4. Heneman, HG & Judge, TA 2009, ‘External Selection II’ in Staffing Organisations, 6th edn, Mendota House & McGraw-Hill/Irwin, Middleton, W.I., pp. 419-461.

5. Huffcutt, AI & Roth, PL 1998, ‘Racial Group Differences in Employment Interview Evaluations’, vol. 83, no. 2, pp.179-189. Available from: Proquest. [11 May 2011]

6. Hunter, JE & Hunter, RF 1984, ‘Validity and Utility of Alternative Predictors of Job Performance’, Psychological Bulletin, vol. 96, no. 1, pp. 72-98. Available from: Science Direct. [11 May 2011]

7. Latham, GP & Whyte, G 1994, ‘The Futility of Utility Analysis’, Personnel Psychology, vol. 47, no. 1, pp. 31-46. Available from: Business Source Complete (EBSCO). [11 May 2011]

8. McDaniel, MA, Whetzel, DL, Schmidt, FL & Maurer, SD 1994, ‘The Validity of Employment Interviews: A Comprehensive Review and Meta-Analysis’, Applied Journal of Psychology, vol. 79, no. 4, pp. 599-616. Available from: Proquest. [2 May 2011]

9. Ng, ESW & Sears, GJ 2010, ‘The effect of adverse impact in selection practices on organizational diversity: a field study’, The International Journal of Human Resource Management, vol. 21, no. 9, pp.1454-1471. Available from: Proquest. [11 May 2011]

10. Summary Report for: 25-2011.00 - Preschool Teachers, Except Special Education, 2010. Available from < http://www.onetonline.org/link/summary/25-2011.00>. [27 April 2011]

Highlighted KSAs (8 out of 25): | Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. | Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. |
Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times.

Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity).

Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects.

Instructing — Teaching others how to do something.

Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things.

Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

All KSA’s

Knowledge: * Customer and Personal Service — Knowledge of principles and processes for providing customer and personal services. This includes customer needs assessment, meeting quality standards for services, and evaluation of customer satisfaction. | * Education and Training — Knowledge of principles and methods for curriculum and training design, teaching and instruction for individuals and groups, and the measurement of training effects. | * English Language — Knowledge of the structure and content of the English language including the meaning and spelling of words, rules of composition, and grammar. | * Psychology — Knowledge of human behavior and performance; individual differences in ability, personality, and interests; learning and motivation; psychological research methods; and the assessment and treatment of behavioral and affective disorders. | * Public Safety and Security — Knowledge of relevant equipment, policies, procedures, and strategies to promote effective local, state, or national security operations for the protection of people, data, property, and institutions. |

Skills: * Speaking — Talking to others to convey information effectively. | * Learning Strategies — Selecting and using training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when learning or teaching new things. | * Instructing — Teaching others how to do something. | * Active Listening — Giving full attention to what other people are saying, taking time to understand the points being made, asking questions as appropriate, and not interrupting at inappropriate times. | * Coordination — Adjusting actions in relation to others' actions. | * Social Perceptiveness — Being aware of others' reactions and understanding why they react as they do. | * Critical Thinking — Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems. | * Monitoring — Monitoring/Assessing performance of yourself, other individuals, or organizations to make improvements or take corrective action. | * Reading Comprehension — Understanding written sentences and paragraphs in work related documents. | * Service Orientation — Actively looking for ways to help people. |

Abilities: * Oral Expression — The ability to communicate information and ideas in speaking so others will understand. | * Oral Comprehension — The ability to listen to and understand information and ideas presented through spoken words and sentences. | * Problem Sensitivity — The ability to tell when something is wrong or is likely to go wrong. It does not involve solving the problem, only recognizing there is a problem. | * Speech Clarity — The ability to speak clearly so others can understand you. | * Originality — The ability to come up with unusual or clever ideas about a given topic or situation, or to develop creative ways to solve a problem. | * Speech Recognition — The ability to identify and understand the speech of another person. | * Information Ordering — The ability to arrange things or actions in a certain order or pattern according to a specific rule or set of rules (e.g., patterns of numbers, letters, words, pictures, mathematical operations). | * Deductive Reasoning — The ability to apply general rules to specific problems to produce answers that make sense. | * Fluency of Ideas — The ability to come up with a number of ideas about a topic (the number of ideas is important, not their quality, correctness, or creativity). | * Written Comprehension — The ability to read and understand information and ideas presented in writing. |

Specific Examples of Selection Techniques

Interview * KSA: Critical Thinking: Using logic and reasoning to identify the strengths and weaknesses of alternative solutions, conclusions or approaches to problems.

* The children are doing an art activity involving paint and paintbrushes. One child is using the wrong paintbrush not as instructed, and is enjoying getting large amounts of paint and aggressively slashing it across their piece of paper. The paint is flying off the paintbrush making a mess in the surrounding area, disrupting the other children. What would you do in this situation?

* Rating Scale: How effectively does the applicant use critical thinking to approach the problem? * Possible scores – 1,2,3,4,5 * 1 – Call out to the child and tell them to stop making a mess and behave properly. If they continue, make them sit out of the activity for a short time.

* 3 – Rush over to the child and take the paintbrush out of their hands, change it to the correct brush and explain that they should not behave like that

* 5 – Same as 3 but also re-explain the activity and show them how to use the brush properly. Explain why behaving in that way is not appropriate. Watch the child for a few minutes while they attempt at the task appropriately.

Work Sample Test * KSA: Learning Strategies

* The applicant is required to direct a worksheet activity with a class of children. The activity includes teaching them a new skill. They are given five different worksheets to choose from and must choose one out of the possible five. They are given half an hour to plan the activity. The scorer then introduces them to the group of children and then gives them half an hour to complete the activity with the children, while watching and scoring their ability.

* Rating Scale: How effectively does the applicant select and use training/instructional methods and procedures appropriate for the situation when directing the activity * Possible scores – 1,2,3,4,5 * 1 – The applicant hands out the worksheet to each child then explains the activity to the children. If some children are being disruptive, the applicant does not stop them. They then give the children time to complete the worksheet. When the time is up, they collect the worksheet in.

* 3 – Same as 1 and also walks around the room checking that the children are completing the worksheet. They give guidance to the children who seem to be struggling. If a child is being disruptive they are told to stop behaving in that way.

* 5 – Same as 3. Then also if a few children are struggling with the activity, stop all the children from doing worksheet and gain all attention again, and clarify any misunderstandings with the worksheet. If a child is being disruptive once they have been told to stop, they are also watched with care while they attempt activity and given extra guidance if needed. Once the time is up, the applicant collects in all worksheets and gives a conclusion to the activity (asking if everyone understood it, stating the key points).