Q.1 Explain different types of tests used for selection.

Types of Tests
The main types of selection test as described below are intelligence,
personality, ability, aptitude and attainment tests.

A distinction can be made between psychometric tests and psychometric

questionnaires. As explained by Toplis et al (1991), a psychometric test such
as one on mental ability has correct answers so that the higher the score, the
better the performance. Psychometric questionnaires such as personality
tests assess habitual performance and measure personality characteristics,
interests, values or behaviour. With questionnaires, a high or low score
signifies the extent to which a person has a certain quality and the
appropriateness of the replies depends on the particular qualities required in
the job to be filled.

Intelligence tests:
Tests of intelligence such as Raven’s Progressive Matrices measure general
intelligence (termed ‘g’ by Spearman (1927), one of the pioneers of
intelligence testing). Intelligence is defined by Toplis et al (1991) as ‘the
capacity for abstract thinking and reasoning’. The difficulty with intelligence
tests is that they have to be based on theory of what constitutes intelligence
and then have to derive a series of verbal and non-verbal instruments for
measuring the different factors or constituents of intelligence. But
intelligence is a highly complex concept and the variety of theories about
intelligence and the consequent variations in the test instruments or batteries
available make the choice of an intelligence test a difficult one.

For general selection purpose, an intelligence test that can be administered to

a group of candidates is the best, especially if it has been properly validated,
and it is possible to relate test score to ‘norms’ in such a way as to indicate
how the individual taking the test compares with the rest of the population,
in general or in a specific area.

Personality tests:
Personality tests attempt to assess the personality of candidates in order to
make predications about their likely behaviour in a role. Personality is an all-
embracing and imprecise term that refers to the behaviour of individuals and
the way it is organized and co-ordinated when they interact with the
environment. There are many different theories of personality and,
consequently, many different types of personality tests. These include self-
report personality questionnaires and other questionnaires that measure
interests, values or work behaviour.

One of the most generally accepted ways of classifying personality is the

five-factor model. As summarized by McCrae and Costa (1989), this model
defines the key personality characteristics. These ‘big five’, as Roberts
(1997) calls them, are:

Extraversion/introversion – gregarious, outgoing, assertive, talkative and

active (extraversion); or reserved, inward- looking, diffident, quiet,
restrained (introversion);

Emotional stability – resilient, independent, confident, relaxed; or

apprehensive, dependent, underconfident, tense;

Agreeableness – courteous, co-operative, likeable, tolerant; or rude, unco-

operative, hostile, intolerant;

Conscientiousness – hardworking, persevering, careful, reliable; or lazy,

broad- minded; or blinkered, unimaginative, complacent, narrow -minded.

Research cited by Roberts (1997) has indicated that these factors are valid
predictors of work performance and that one factor in particular,
‘conscientiousness’, was very effective.

Self-report personality questionnaires are the ones most commonly used.

They usually adopt a ‘trait’ approach, defining a trait as a fairly independent
but enduring characteristic of behaviour that all people display but to
differing degrees. Trait theorists identify examples of common behaviour,
devise scales to measure these, and then obtain ratings on these examples of
behaviour by people who know each other well. These observations are
analyzed statistically, using the factor analysis technique to identify distinct
traits and to indicate how associated groups of traits might be grouped
loosely into ‘personality types’.

‘Interest’ questionnaires are sometimes used to supplement personality tests.

They assess the preferences of respondents for particular types of occupation
and are therefore most applicable to vocational guidance, but can be helpful
when selecting apprentices and trainees.
‘Value’ questionnaires attempt to assess beliefs about what is ‘desirable or
good’ or what is ‘undesirable or bad’. The questionnaires measure the
relative prominence of such values as conformity, independence,
achievement, decisiveness, orderliness and goal- orientation.

Specific work behaviour questionnaires cover behaviour such as leadership

or selling.

Personality questionnaires were shown to have the low validity coefficient

of 0.15 on the basis of research conducted by Schmitt et al (1984). But as
Saville and Sik (1992) point out, this was based on a rag-bag of tests, many
developed for clinical use and some using ‘projective’ techniques such as the
Rorschach inkblots test, the interpretation of which relies on a clinician’s
judgment and is therefore quite out of place in a modern selection procedure.
Smith’s (1988) studies based on modern self-report questionnaire revealed
an average validity coefficient of 0.39, which is reasonably high.

A vigorous attack was launched on personality tests by Blinkorn and

Johnson (1990). They commented: ‘We see precious little evidence of
personality tests predicting job performance.’ But Fletcher (1991)
responded: ‘Like any other selection procedure, they (psychometric tests)
can be used well or badly. But it would be foolish to dismiss all the evidence
of the value of personality assessment in selection on the basis of some
misuse. Certainly the majority of applied psychologists feel the balance of
the evidence supports the use of personality inventories.’ Personality tests
can provide interesting supplementary information about candidates that is
free from the biased reactions that frequently occur in face-to-face
interviews. But they have to be used with great care. The tests should have
been developed by a reputable psychologist or test agency on the basis of
extensive research and field testing and they must meet the specific needs of
the user.

Ability tests:

Ability tests measure job-related characteristics such as number, verbal,

perceptual or mechanical ability.

Aptitude tests:
Aptitude tests are job-specific tests that are designed to predict the potential
an individual has to perform tasks within job. They can cover such areas as
clerical aptitude, numerical aptitude, mechanical aptitude and dexterity.

Aptitude test should be properly validated. The usual procedure is to

determine the aptitudes required by means of job and skills analysis. A
standard test or a test battery is then obtained from a test agency.
Alternatively, a special test is devised by or for the organization. The test is
then given to employees already working on the job and the results are
compared with a criterion, usually managers’ or team leaders’ rating. If the
correlation between test and criterion is sufficiently high, the test is then
given to applicants. To validate the test further, a follow-up study of the job
performance of the applicants selected by the test is usually carried out. This
is a lengthy procedure, but without it no real confidence can be attached to
the result of any aptitude test. Many do-it- yourself tests are worse than
useless because they have not been properly validated.

Attainment tests:

Attainment tests measure abilities or skills that have already been acquired
by training or experience. A typing test is the most typical example. It is
easy to find out how many words a minute a typist can type and compare
that with the standard required for the job.

Q.2 Describe the designing of an induction program

Definition of Induction
Induction is the process of receiving and welcoming employees when they
first join a company and giving them the basic information they need to
settle down quickly and happily and start work. Induction has four aims:

To smooth the preliminary stages when everything is likely to be strange and

unfamiliar to the starter;

To establish quickly a favorable attitude to the company in the mind of the

new employee so that he or she is more likely to stay;
To obtain effective output from the new employee in the shortest possible
time;

To reduce the likelihood of the employee leaving quickly.

Why is induction important?

Induction is important for the reasons given below:

Reducing the cost and inconvenience of early leavers.

As pointed out by Fowler (1996), employees are far more likely to resign
during their first months after joining the organization. The costs can
include:

Recruitment costs of replacement;

Induction costs (training etc);

Costs of temporary agency replacement;

Cost of extra supervision and error correction;

Gap between the employee’s value to the company and the cost of the
employee’s pay and benefits.

These costs can be considerable. The cost for a professional employee could
be 75 per cent of annual salary. For a support worker the cost could easily
reach 50 per cent of pay. If 15 out of 100 staff paid an average of 12,500 a
year, total cost could amount to 90,000-7.5 per cent of the payroll. It is
worth-making an effort to reduce that cost. First impressions are important,
as are the impact of the first four weeks of employment. Giving more
attention to induction pays off.

Increasing commitment

A committed employee is one who identifies with the organization, wants to

stay with it and is prepared to work hard on behalf of the organization. The
first step in achieving commitment is to present the organization as one that
is worth-working for and to ensure that this first impression is reinforced
during the first weeks of employment.
Clarifying the psychological contract

The psychological contract consists of implicit, unwritten beliefs and

assumptions about how employees are expected to behave and what
responses they can expect from their employer. It is concerned with norms,
values and attitudes. The psychological contract provides the basis for the
employment relationship, and more this can be clarified from the outset, the
better. Induction arrangements can indicate what the organization expects in
terms of behavioural norms and the values that employees should uphold.
Induction provides an opportunity to inform people of ‘the way things are
done around here’ so that misapprehensions are reduced even if they cannot
be eliminated.

Accelerating progress up the learning curve

New employees will be on a leaning cure – they will take time to reach the
required level of performance. Clearly, the length of the learning curve and
rates of learning vary, but it is important to provide for it to take place in a
planned and systematic manner from the first day to maximize individual
contributions as quickly as possible.

Socialization

New employees are likely to settle in more quickly and enjoy working
for the organization if the process of socialization takes place
smoothly. The social aspects of work relationships with colleagues –
are very important for many people. The extent to which employees
can directly influence the quality of socialization may often be limited,
but it is a feature of introduction to the organization to which they
should pay attention, as far as this is possible, during the induction
arrangements described below, which are concerned with reception,
documentation, initial briefing, introduction to the workplace, formal
induction courses and formal and informal training activities .
Q.3 Explain the hiring process.

Q.4 Discuss HR Audit as an intervention.

Q.5 What is the rationale of HR Valuation and Auditing .Explain

Q.6 Discuss the application of HR Audit with reference to the case of a

manufacturing industry.