Staffing Final Exam Textbook Definitions

person-job fit

the fit between a person's abilities and the demands of the job and the fit between a person's desires and motivations and the attributes and rewards of a job

person-group fit

the match between an individual and his or her work group, including the supervisor

person-organization fit

fit between an individual's values,

beliefs, attitudes, and personality and the values, norms, and culture of the organization

person-vocation fit

the fit between a person's interests, abilities, values, and personality and his or her chosen occupation, regardless of the person's employer

stereotype threat

awareness of subgroup differences on standardized tests creates frustration among minority test takers and ultimately lower test scores

unconscious bias

the automatic mental shortcuts we all use to quickly process information and make decisions

blind assessment

concealing applicant information about gender and other protected characteristics from recruiters and initial applicant screeners

screening methods

methods that narrow a pool of job applicants down to a smaller group of job candidates

evaluative assessment methods

methods that evaluate the pool of job candidates to determine who will be hired

contingent assessment methods

methods whereby a job offer is made contingent upon a candidate passing the assessment

job applications

forms that require applicants to provide written information about their skills and education, job experiences, and other job-relevant information

weighted application blank

a job application on which different information receives different weights

biodata

information about candidates' interests, work experiences, training, and education

cognitive ability tests

tests that assess a person's general mental abilities, including their verbal and mathematical reasoning, logic, and perceptual abilities

psychomotor tests

tests that assess the capacity of a person to manipulate and control objects

sensory tests

assess visual, auditory, and speech perception

physical ability tests

tests that assess a person's physical abilities including strength, flexibility, endurance, and coordination

derailers

personality or other attribute that contributes to failure

integrity tests

tests that measure people's trustworthiness, honesty, moral character, and reliability

polygraph test

measures and records physiological factors thought to be indicators of anxiety, including a candidates' blood pressure, respiration, pulse, and skin conductivity while the person answers a series of questions

job knowledge tests

tests that measure candidates' knowledge (often technical) required by a job

unstructured interview

questions that vary from candidate to candidate and that differ across interviewers

structured interview

interviews in which candidates are asked a series of standardized, job-related questions with predetermined scores for different answers

behavioral interview questions

uses information about what the applicants have done in the past to predict their future behaviors

situational interview question

asking how someone might react to a hypothetical situation

semi-structured interview

combines a pre-determined set of open-ended questions with the opportunity for the interviewer to explore some responses or themes further

case interview

gives the candidate a situation, problem, or challenge and ask him or her to address and resolve it

situational judgement test

measures of noncognitive skills; short scenarios are presented verbally, in writing, or in videos, and candidates are asked what they believe is the most effective response, or to choose the best response from a list of alternatives

job simulation

a means of measuring a candidate's job skills by having them perform tasks similar to those performed on the job

fidelity

the similarity between the scenario and the actual job tasks

work samples

require a candidate to perform observable work tasks or job-related behaviors to predict future job success

assessment center

put candidates through a variety of simulations and assessments to evaluate their potential fit with and ability to do the job

graphology

any practice that involves determining personality traits or abilities from a person's handwriting

background check

an employee screening method that assesses factors such as a person's personal and credit information, degrees held, character, lifestyle, criminal history, and general reputation

race norming

adjusting scores on a standardized test by using separate curves for different racial groups

banding

assigning the same score to applicants who score in a range on the assessment

assessment plan

describes which assessment method(s) will be used to assess each of the important characteristics on which applicants will be evaluated, in what sequence the assessments will take place, and what weight each assessment will receive in determining an overall score for that characteristic based on the importance of each characteristic to job performance

moral distress

when a person's values and perceived obligations are incompatible with the needs and the prevailing views of the work environment

internal assessment

the evaluation of a firm's current employees for training, reassignment, promotion, or dismissal purposes

job posting

a manager posts an open job and invites interested internal candidates to apply

job slotting

a manager personally identifies a preferred employee and "slots" him or her into an open position

skills inventory

a company-maintained list outlining which employees have certain skills, competencies, and other relevant job characteristics

mentoring

a dynamic, reciprocal relationship between a more-experienced employee (mentor) and a more junior employee (protégé) aimed at promoting the career development of both

multisource assessments

(sometimes called 360-degree assessments) performance reviews that involve an employee's supervisor as well as other people familiar with the employee's job performance

clinical assessment

assessments that rely on trained psychologists to subjectively analyze a candidate's attributes, values, and styles in the context of a particular job

expatriate

an employee sent on a foreign assignment

cultural agility

the ability to recognize and

appropriately respond to different cultural behaviors and worldviews to build strong intercultural working relationships

nine-box matrix

a combined assessment of an employee's performance and potential

succession management

an ongoing process of systematically identifying, assessing, and developing an organization's leadership capabilities to enhance its performance

succession management plans

a written policy that guides the succession management process

replacement planning

the process of creating backup candidates for specific senior management positions

career planning

a continuous process of career-oriented self-assessment and goal setting

moral disengagement

the process of convincing ourselves that ethical standards do not apply to us in a particular context

multiple hurdles approach

a scoring approach whereby candidates must receive a passing score on an assessment before being allowed to continue on in the selection process

compensatory approach

an approach whereby high scores on some assessments can compensate for low scores on other assessments

unit weighing

giving multiple assessments equal weight when computing a candidate's overall score

rational weighting

weighting method whereby experts assign a different subjective weight to each assessment score

statistical weighting

weighting method using a statistical technique, such as multiple regression, to assign a different weight to each assessment score

standard error of difference

used to calculate the bands around a given test score when

banding is used; 1.41 x the standard error of measurement

fixed band

start at the top score and select all applicants within that band; calculate a new band starting from the highest score of the applicants not making it into that band, repeating the process until the desired number of hires has been made

sliding band

once the top scorer in the band is selected, a new band is constructed from the next highest score providing greater opportunity to select minority applicants

collaborative hiring

information and evaluations from

the entire hiring team including recruiters, hiring managers, team leads, and the employee who submitted a referral are all considered in the evaluation process

nonexempt employee

not exempt from overtime

pay requirements of the FLSA; receives 1.5 times the employee's hourly rate for working over 40 hours in a workweek

exempt employee

is not eligible for overtime and is exempt from the FLSA overtime or compensatory time off payment requirements

protected activity

asserting an equal employment opportunity (EEO) right to be free from employment discrimination including harassment

low job offer

a job offer that consists of a below-market rewards package

competitive job offer

a job offer in which the total rewards package offered is competitive with the market offer

high job offer

a job offer in which the total rewards package is above the market offer

maximum job offer

the company's best and final offer

offer

contains the terms and conditions of employment as proposed by the employer, and

possibly specific requirements for the offer's acceptance, such as a deadline

acceptance

a clear expression of the job candidate's agreement to the terms of the offer

consideration

the bargained-for exchange between the contract parties; something of value must pass from one party to the other for consideration to have occurred

golden parachute

significant benefits including large severance pay packages if their employment is terminated

trade secret

any type of information, process, idea or "know how" that is not generally known and gives the possessor an advantage in the marketplace

restrictive covenant

a contract clause that requires one party to do, or to refrain from doing, certain things

nonsolicitation agreement

prevent departing employees from soliciting their customers for business on behalf of their new employers

nondisclosure agreement

protects the confidentiality of a secret disclosed to the employee during employment

noncompete agreement

require employee to agree to not enter into or start a similar profession or trade in competition against the employer for a period of time

mandatory arbitration clause

a pre-dispute contract clause requiring parties to use

arbitration rather than litigation to resolve disputes

disclaimer

explicitly limits an employee right, such as his or her right to employment, and reserves it for the employer

offer letter

a written letter describing in clear and precise terms exactly what the compensation structure and terms of an employment contract will be

explicit employment contract

a written or verbal employment contract

implicit employment contract

an understanding that is not part of a written or verbal contract

form i-9

document used to verify the identity and employment eligibility of new hires

reneging

backing out of a contract after it is accepted

promissory estoppel

the legal doctrine that supports a harmed party in enforcing promises that were made and is the claim for damages that a rejected candidate is most likely to make

onboarding/orientation

the process of completing new hires'

employment-related paperwork and familiarizing them with their jobs, coworkers, work spaces, work tools, and the company's policies and benefits

socialization

a long-term process of planned and unplanned, formal and informal activities and experiences through which an individual acquires the attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge needed to successfully participate as an organizational member and learns the firm's culture

norms

norms, values, behavior patterns, rituals, language, and traditions that provide a framework that helps employees interpret and understand their everyday work experiences

employee engagement

the degree to which employees are engaged in their work and how willing they are to put in extra effort

individual socialization

a socialization process whereby newcomers are socialized individually, as in an apprenticeship

collective socialization

a socialization process whereby newcomers go through a common set of experiences as a group

formal socialization

a structured socialization process conducted outside of the work setting using specifically designed activities and materials

informal socialization

an unstructured, on-the-job socialization process conducted by a new hire's coworkers

sequential socialization

a socialization process that follows a specific sequence of steps

random socialization

socialization steps are ambiguous or changing

fixed socialization

a socialization process whereby new hires are informed in advance when their probationary status will end

variable socialization

a socialization process whereby employees receive few clues as to when to expect their probationary periods to end, and the timeline isn't necessarily consistent across employees

tournament socialization

a socialization process whereby each stage is an "elimination tournament," and a new hire is out of the organization if he or she fails

contest socialization

a socialization process whereby each stage is a "contest," and each new hire earns a track record, or "batting average," after each stage