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DSST Human Resource Management study materials
DSST Human Resource Management study resources

DSST Human Resource Management practice questions

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Question 1Overview of the human resource management field

Which activity best illustrates the human resource management function of workforce planning?

  1. Forecasting how many engineers the firm will need over the next three years Correct answer.
  2. Recording the number of safety incidents reported on a factory floor
  3. Calculating the payroll deductions for hourly employees each pay period
  4. Documenting the disciplinary actions taken against a single employee

Explanation

Workforce planning is the HR activity of projecting future staffing needs and comparing them with the supply of available talent. It looks forward across the organization rather than processing a single transaction or recording a past event.

Question 2Overview of the human resource management field

In the classic HRM framework, which set of practices is grouped under the staffing function?

  1. Job evaluation, pay surveys, and incentive design
  2. Grievance handling, mediation, and disciplinary action
  3. Orientation, skills training, and career development
  4. Recruitment, selection, and placement of employees Correct answer.

Explanation

Staffing covers the activities that bring people into the organization and place them in roles, which includes recruitment, selection, and placement. The other options describe compensation, employee relations, and development functions respectively.

Question 3Overview of the human resource management field

A mid-sized retailer decides that store managers will interview every candidate and that a regional director must approve each hire before an offer is issued. Which concept does this arrangement illustrate?

  1. Line authority
  2. Span of control
  3. Unity of command
  4. Chain of command Correct answer.

Explanation

The chain of command is the unbroken line of authority that runs from the top of the organization down through each level. Requiring approval to move upward through successive levels before a hire is finalized is a direct application of that principle.

Question 4Overview of the human resource management field

What distinguishes human resource management from the older term personnel management?

  1. HRM removes the need for line managers to supervise staff
  2. HRM eliminates the use of job descriptions and specifications
  3. HRM restricts its scope to payroll and recordkeeping tasks
  4. HRM treats employees as a strategic resource tied to organizational goals Correct answer.

Explanation

The shift from personnel management to HRM reflects a broader strategic view in which people are a source of competitive advantage linked to organizational objectives. Personnel management was traditionally narrower and more administrative in focus.

Question 5Overview of the human resource management field

Which statement best describes how line managers and HR professionals divide responsibility for people management?

  1. Line managers handle all HR policy design and HR staff handle only payroll processing
  2. HR professionals directly supervise employees' daily tasks while line managers write policy
  3. Line managers direct daily work while HR provides policy, tools, and advisory support Correct answer.
  4. HR professionals own all people decisions and line managers implement none of them

Explanation

In practice, line managers carry direct responsibility for supervising and motivating their teams, while HR supplies frameworks, policy guidance, and specialist advice. The two roles are complementary rather than exclusive.

Question 6Overview of the human resource management field

Which of the following is an example of an HR activity that is strategic rather than purely administrative?

  1. Updating employees' home addresses in the HR information system
  2. Filing completed I-9 employment eligibility forms
  3. Analyzing workforce data to identify skills gaps that threaten a growth plan Correct answer.
  4. Distributing annual benefits enrollment packets to employees

Explanation

Strategic HR work connects talent decisions to long-term business objectives, such as diagnosing capability gaps that could block expansion. Administrative HR work involves routine processing and recordkeeping.

Question 7Overview of the human resource management field

A company's HR department reports that its workforce planning model forecasts a shortage of skilled machinists within two years as veteran employees retire. Which HR response is most directly aligned with that forecast?

  1. Redesigning the employee assistance program to expand counseling services
  2. Increasing the frequency of all-staff town hall meetings
  3. Launching an apprenticeship and cross-training program to build internal supply Correct answer.
  4. Revising the dress code policy in the employee handbook

Explanation

When forecasting identifies a future skills shortage, the aligned response is to build or acquire that capability, for example through apprenticeships and cross-training. The other options address unrelated workplace matters.

Question 8Overview of the human resource management field

Which environmental trend has most directly increased the demand for HR expertise in compliance and policy design?

  1. A trend toward fewer employees working remotely
  2. A reduction in the average size of organizations
  3. A growing body of employment legislation regulating workplace practices Correct answer.
  4. A decline in the number of jobs requiring specialized skills

Explanation

Expanding employment law creates obligations around hiring, safety, pay, and equal treatment that require HR to design compliant policies. Other trends listed do not logically increase compliance-related HR demand.

Question 9Overview of the human resource management field

Under the HRM concept of strategic alignment, which situation indicates that HR practices are well integrated with business strategy?

  1. A firm pursuing rapid growth freezes hiring across every department
  2. A firm pursuing cost leadership invests heavily in unique executive perquisites
  3. A firm pursuing innovation rewards risk-taking and funds skill development in new technologies Correct answer.
  4. A firm pursuing customer intimacy reduces all training to cut expenses

Explanation

Strategic alignment means HR practices reinforce the chosen competitive strategy, so an innovation strategy fits rewards for experimentation and investment in new capabilities. The other scenarios contradict the stated strategy.

Question 10Overview of the human resource management field

Which of the following best defines a job analysis?

  1. The process of comparing pay rates across competing employers in a labor market
  2. The systematic process of gathering information about the duties and requirements of a job Correct answer.
  3. The process of evaluating an employee's performance against annual objectives
  4. The process of orienting a new hire to organizational policies and culture

Explanation

Job analysis is the systematic collection of information about what a job entails and what qualifications it requires. Its outputs, such as job descriptions and specifications, support many other HR functions.

Question 11Overview of the human resource management field

What is the primary distinction between a job description and a job specification?

  1. The description is used in recruiting, while the specification is used only in payroll
  2. The description lists required qualifications, while the specification lists duties and conditions
  3. The description applies only to managers, while the specification applies only to hourly staff
  4. The description lists duties and conditions, while the specification lists required qualifications Correct answer.

Explanation

A job description focuses on the work itself, including duties, responsibilities, and working conditions. A job specification focuses on the person, listing the knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job.

Question 12Overview of the human resource management field

An HR generalist wants to reduce the chance that a job description becomes outdated and legally risky. Which practice best supports that goal?

  1. Allowing each employee to rewrite the description without manager review
  2. Writing descriptions once at hire and storing them permanently without revision
  3. Removing all mention of physical requirements to avoid liability concerns
  4. Reviewing and updating descriptions on a scheduled cycle and when duties change materially Correct answer.

Explanation

Periodic review keeps descriptions accurate as duties evolve and helps defend against claims that requirements are inconsistent or outdated. Omitting legitimate requirements or abandoning review undermines both accuracy and legal defensibility.

Question 13Overview of the human resource management field

Which HR metric is a leading indicator of future staffing trouble rather than a lagging result?

  1. The count of grievances filed in the previous month
  2. The number of separations recorded last quarter
  3. The projected retirement rate among employees in critical roles Correct answer.
  4. The total payroll cost reported in the prior fiscal year

Explanation

Leading indicators anticipate future conditions, and a projected retirement rate in critical roles signals upcoming capability loss. The other measures report what has already happened.

Question 14Overview of the human resource management field

A human resource information system (HRIS) most directly supports the HR function by doing which of the following?

  1. Replacing the need for managers to evaluate employee performance
  2. Guaranteeing compliance with every employment law automatically
  3. Eliminating the need for job analysis and job descriptions
  4. Centralizing employee data so it can be used for reporting and decision-making Correct answer.

Explanation

An HRIS consolidates workforce data and makes it accessible for reporting, analysis, and decision support. It is a tool that assists HR and managers rather than a substitute for judgment, legal review, or job analysis.

Question 15Overview of the human resource management field

Which practice is most consistent with the HRM principle of treating employees as a source of sustained competitive advantage?

  1. Outsourcing every people-related decision to external vendors
  2. Reducing communication to limit the influence of employee input
  3. Standardizing all roles so that any worker can be replaced instantly
  4. Investing in employee development that builds firm-specific skills over time Correct answer.

Explanation

The resource-based view holds that people can be a sustained advantage when their skills are valuable, rare, and difficult to imitate, which development of firm-specific capability supports. The other practices treat labor as interchangeable or reduce internal capability.

Question 16Overview of the human resource management field

Which of the following best describes the ethical responsibility of HR professionals regarding employee data?

  1. Safeguarding confidential information and using it only for legitimate business purposes Correct answer.
  2. Retaining personal records indefinitely regardless of legal retention rules
  3. Sharing salary details freely so that all employees can compare one another
  4. Providing employee medical information to managers on request without consent

Explanation

HR handles sensitive personal and medical data, so ethical practice requires confidentiality, purpose limitation, and adherence to legal retention and disclosure rules. Unrestricted sharing or indefinite retention violates those duties.

Question 17Overview of the human resource management field

A unionized manufacturer must negotiate wages, hours, and grievance procedures with a recognized union. Which HR role does this represent?

  1. Succession planning
  2. Workforce analytics
  3. Labor relations Correct answer.
  4. Compensation benchmarking

Explanation

Labor relations is the HR specialty concerned with the relationship between management and organized labor, including collective bargaining and contract administration. The other options address pay comparison, leadership pipeline, and data analysis.

Question 18Overview of the human resource management field

Which activity reflects the HR function of employee and labor relations rather than training and development?

  1. Designing a workshop on advanced spreadsheet skills
  2. Administering a grievance procedure and advising managers on disciplinary steps Correct answer.
  3. Evaluating the effectiveness of a leadership program
  4. Assessing training needs through a competency survey

Explanation

Employee and labor relations covers the handling of grievances, discipline, and the ongoing relationship between employer and employees. Training and development focuses on building skills and evaluating learning interventions.

Question 19Overview of the human resource management field

Which statement accurately describes the role of the HR professional as an employee advocate?

  1. The HR professional represents employees exclusively and ignores business objectives
  2. The HR professional always sides with management regardless of policy or fairness
  3. The HR professional avoids involvement in disputes between employees and supervisors
  4. The HR professional balances employee concerns with organizational needs while applying policy fairly Correct answer.

Explanation

The advocate role requires HR to give employee concerns a fair hearing while honoring organizational objectives and consistent policy application. It is a balancing role rather than exclusive loyalty to either side.

Question 20Overview of the human resource management field

Which of the following is a primary purpose of the HR department's policy development function?

  1. Designing the technical specifications of manufactured products
  2. Determining the organization's overall capital investment plan
  3. Setting the organization's product pricing and marketing strategy
  4. Establishing consistent, legally defensible guidelines for treating employees Correct answer.

Explanation

HR policies translate legal requirements and organizational values into consistent rules for managing people. Product, marketing, and capital decisions belong to other functional areas.

Question 21Overview of the human resource management field

A growing services firm finds that supervisors spend excessive time on routine HR questions from their teams. Which HR response best reflects an effective service-delivery model?

  1. Requiring supervisors to answer all HR questions without any HR support
  2. Eliminating HR policies so that supervisors have nothing to interpret
  3. Transferring all HR staff into operating departments with no coordination
  4. Creating a self-service knowledge base and a centralized HR service center for common questions Correct answer.

Explanation

A service-delivery model often uses self-service tools and a centralized service center to handle routine transactions efficiently, freeing HR specialists and managers for higher-value work. The other options reduce consistency and support.

Question 22Overview of the human resource management field

Which of the following best characterizes the HR professional's role as a change agent?

  1. Focusing solely on administrative tasks during a merger
  2. Maintaining existing procedures unchanged during periods of restructuring
  3. Helping leaders plan and implement organizational transitions while addressing employee impact Correct answer.
  4. Limiting communication about change to senior executives only

Explanation

As a change agent, HR supports the design and execution of organizational change and helps employees navigate its effects. Resisting change or restricting communication undermines that role.

Question 23Overview of the human resource management field

Which factor most strongly explains why HRM has become more central to organizational strategy in recent decades?

  1. A reduction in legal regulation affecting employers
  2. Recognition that human capital drives innovation and competitive performance Correct answer.
  3. The decreasing importance of service-sector employment
  4. A steady decline in the educational level of the workforce

Explanation

As knowledge and service work grew, organizations recognized that employee capabilities and engagement drive innovation and performance, elevating HR to a strategic partner. The other trends are inaccurate or would reduce HR's importance.

Question 24Overview of the human resource management field

Which of the following best illustrates the HR function of compensation and benefits?

  1. Interviewing applicants to assess their qualifications for an opening
  2. Conducting a market pay survey and structuring a base pay range for a job family Correct answer.
  3. Investigating a complaint about a supervisor's conduct
  4. Delivering a workshop on conflict resolution skills

Explanation

Compensation and benefits work involves designing and administering pay structures, including market comparisons and pay ranges. Selection, training, and complaint investigation belong to other HR functions.

Question 25Overview of the human resource management field

An organization wants to improve the consistency of its HR decisions across departments. Which approach best supports that aim?

  1. Allowing each department head to set independent hiring and discipline rules
  2. Documented HR policies applied uniformly with manager training on their use Correct answer.
  3. Applying policies only when an employee files a formal complaint
  4. Leaving decisions to informal custom within each work group

Explanation

Consistency comes from written policies that are applied uniformly and understood by managers through training. Department-specific rules, informal custom, and reactive enforcement all produce inconsistent treatment and raise legal risk.

Question 26Overview of the human resource management field

Which functional area of human resource management is primarily responsible for designing the process used to attract and screen applicants for open positions?

  1. Training and development
  2. Safety and health
  3. Staffing Correct answer.
  4. Employee and labor relations

Explanation

Staffing covers the recruitment, selection, and placement activities through which an organization fills positions, so designing the applicant screening process belongs there. The other areas address different employment concerns, such as collective bargaining, skill building, or workplace protection.

Question 27Overview of the human resource management field

An HR manager spends most of the week processing payroll changes, filing required reports, and answering routine benefit questions. According to the administrative versus strategic distinction in HRM, how should this work be classified?

  1. Strategic, because payroll accuracy directly affects retention
  2. Administrative, because it is routine transaction processing and compliance Correct answer.
  3. Administrative, because it is performed by line managers
  4. Strategic, because benefit questions reveal workforce trends

Explanation

Administrative HR work consists of routine transactions and compliance tasks that keep the employment system running, such as payroll processing and record filing. Strategic HR work instead links people practices to long-term organizational goals, so routine transactions do not qualify even when they affect employees.

Question 28Overview of the human resource management field

Which pairing of an HR competency with its description is accurate?

  1. Employee advocacy: the ability to negotiate collective bargaining agreements on behalf of ownership
  2. Talent management: the ability to prepare financial statements for external auditors
  3. Business acumen: the ability to interpret an organization's financial and operational realities and connect people practices to them Correct answer.
  4. HR technology: the ability to conduct job evaluations without any data

Explanation

Business acumen is the HR competency of understanding how the organization creates value, including its financial and operational drivers, and using that understanding to shape people practices. The other descriptions attach unrelated duties to the named competencies.

Question 29Overview of the human resource management field

A mid-sized retailer wants HR to move from reactive record-keeping to a strategic partnership with operations. Which change in HR's role most directly supports that shift?

  1. Adding more steps to the hiring approval process to increase control
  2. Transferring all HR record-keeping to an outside payroll vendor
  3. Requiring HR staff to approve every routine leave request before it is granted
  4. Assigning HR specialists to analyze turnover and productivity data and advise store leaders on workforce decisions Correct answer.

Explanation

Strategic HR partnership means using workforce data and business knowledge to advise operational leaders on decisions that affect performance, which requires analysis and consultation rather than control of transactions. Adding approvals or shifting clerical work elsewhere changes who performs administration but not HR's strategic contribution.

Question 30Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A firm forecasts that it will need 40% more supervisors in three years. Which human resource planning activity most directly converts this forecast into staffing action?

  1. Administering a job satisfaction survey to current supervisors
  2. Designing a performance appraisal form for supervisors
  3. Conducting a utilization analysis of current supervisory headcount against the forecast demand Correct answer.
  4. Writing job descriptions for the supervisor role

Explanation

HR planning compares projected demand with the current supply of employees in a job group, which is a utilization or gap analysis. Only that comparison reveals how many supervisors must be hired, promoted, or trained. Job descriptions and appraisal tools support staffing but do not quantify the gap.

Question 31Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

Which document is the primary output of job analysis and provides the foundation for recruitment, selection, and training?

  1. The affirmative action plan
  2. The job description and job specification Correct answer.
  3. The compensation survey
  4. The succession chart

Explanation

Job analysis produces two linked documents: the job description, which lists duties and working conditions, and the job specification, which lists the knowledge, skills, and abilities required. These become the basis for writing recruitment ads, choosing selection tests, and designing training.

Question 32Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A recruiter wants to reach passive candidates with specialized engineering skills and minimize cost per hire. Which sourcing approach best fits this goal?

  1. Posting a notice on the company bulletin board
  2. Running a general newspaper display advertisement
  3. Holding an open house for walk-in applicants
  4. Using employee referral programs combined with targeted professional network searches Correct answer.

Explanation

Referrals and targeted network searches reach currently employed specialists who are not actively job hunting, and referrals tend to be inexpensive per hire with high retention. Bulletin boards and walk-ins reach only a narrow local pool. General newspaper ads have low yield for scarce technical skills.

Question 33Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

In a structured selection interview, which practice most improves reliability across candidates?

  1. Using hypothetical questions exclusively with no follow-up probes
  2. Allowing each interviewer to improvise questions based on the conversation
  3. Selecting candidates based on first impressions formed in the first five minutes
  4. Asking every candidate the same job-related questions scored against a defined rating scale Correct answer.

Explanation

Structured interviews standardize both the questions and the scoring criteria, which reduces interviewer bias and increases consistency between raters. Improvised questioning and impression-based judgments introduce variability and legal risk. Standardized behaviorally anchored rating scales are the recommended companion.

Question 34Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

Which selection method generally has the highest predictive validity for job performance across many occupations?

  1. Graphology (handwriting analysis)
  2. General cognitive ability tests Correct answer.
  3. Age-based screening
  4. Unstructured reference checks

Explanation

Meta-analytic research consistently finds general cognitive ability tests among the strongest single predictors of job performance and learning ability. Graphology and age screening have negligible validity and are legally risky. Unstructured reference checks add little incremental prediction.

Question 35Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A new employee orientation program is designed primarily to accomplish which outcome?

  1. Evaluating the employee's long-term promotability
  2. Setting the employee's annual compensation level
  3. Reducing first-year turnover by clarifying expectations, culture, and administrative essentials Correct answer.
  4. Replacing formal job-specific technical training

Explanation

Orientation socializes newcomers, communicates performance expectations, and covers policies and benefits, which reduces early turnover and anxiety. It complements rather than replaces technical training. It is not a promotion or pay-setting mechanism.

Question 36Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

According to needs assessment logic in training design, which source of information identifies gaps between required and actual employee performance?

  1. A review of training vendor catalogs
  2. An organizational analysis of company strategy only
  3. A person analysis comparing individual performance to standards Correct answer.
  4. A task analysis of job duties only

Explanation

Training needs assessment has three levels: organization, task, and person. Person analysis identifies which individuals need training by comparing actual performance with performance standards. Organizational and task analyses set context and content but do not pinpoint who needs help.

Question 37Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A trainer wants to confirm that trainees actually learned the material before returning to the job. Which evaluation level from Kirkpatrick's model is being assessed?

  1. Behavior
  2. Results
  3. Learning Correct answer.
  4. Reaction

Explanation

Kirkpatrick's four levels are reaction, learning, behavior, and results. Learning measures knowledge, skills, or attitude gains through tests or skill demonstrations. Behavior measures on-the-job application, and results measure organizational outcomes.

Question 38Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

Which training method is best suited to teaching a new hire to operate a high-risk piece of production machinery?

  1. On-the-job training with supervised hands-on practice Correct answer.
  2. A web-based compliance module
  3. A lecture on the machine's history
  4. A case study discussion

Explanation

Skills requiring physical practice and safety supervision are best taught through structured on-the-job training or simulation with direct oversight. Lectures, case studies, and e-learning can convey knowledge but cannot build psychomotor competence.

Question 39Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A manager uses a behaviorally anchored rating scale (BARS) to appraise employees. What distinguishes BARS from a simple graphic rating scale?

  1. It relies entirely on employee self-assessment
  2. It sets pay rates automatically
  3. It anchors each performance dimension with examples of specific observable behaviors Correct answer.
  4. It rates employees against a forced distribution curve

Explanation

BARS pairs each performance dimension with behavioral examples that illustrate different performance levels, which improves feedback specificity and reduces ambiguity. It is not a forced distribution system and does not set pay directly.

Question 40Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A supervisor rates an employee low on teamwork because of one dramatic disagreement last month, ignoring months of cooperative behavior. Which rating error does this illustrate?

  1. Recency error Correct answer.
  2. Halo error
  3. Similarity bias
  4. Central tendency

Explanation

Recency error occurs when a rater's judgment is dominated by the most recent events rather than the full appraisal period. Halo error is when one positive trait colors ratings on unrelated dimensions. Central tendency clusters ratings in the middle range.

Question 41Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

Which practice is the primary legal safeguard against bias in employment testing?

  1. Validating the selection procedure against job performance and applying it consistently Correct answer.
  2. Using different cutoffs for different demographic groups
  3. Using only subjective judgments by supervisors
  4. Selecting tests based on their popularity in the industry

Explanation

Employment testing must be job-related and validated, and applied uniformly to all applicants to avoid disparate impact. Subjective judgment, popularity, and differential cutoffs undermine validity and invite legal challenge.

Question 42Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A firm needs a quick internal fill for a mid-level manager role and wants to minimize risk of a bad hire. Which approach is most consistent with a succession planning philosophy?

  1. Promoting from a pre-identified talent pool with documented readiness Correct answer.
  2. Hiring a temporary contractor without evaluation
  3. External hiring without reference to internal talent data
  4. Selecting the employee with the longest tenure regardless of readiness

Explanation

Succession planning identifies and develops internal candidates in advance so that vacancies can be filled with employees whose readiness has been assessed. Tenure alone is not evidence of readiness, and external or temporary hires bypass the plan.

Question 43Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

What is the primary purpose of a realistic job preview (RJP) during recruitment?

  1. To replace the structured interview entirely
  2. To give candidates accurate information about both positive and negative aspects of the job Correct answer.
  3. To inflate applicant expectations so the offer is accepted
  4. To screen out all applicants with any concerns

Explanation

A realistic job preview presents balanced information about the role, which sets accurate expectations and reduces early turnover through better person-job fit. It does not replace selection tools and is not designed to discourage all applicants.

Question 44Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A company wants to build a leadership pipeline and finds that most managers were promoted for technical excellence but lack people-management skills. Which development intervention best targets this gap?

  1. A structured management development program with coaching and feedback Correct answer.
  2. Reducing their span of control
  3. Increasing their technical project assignments
  4. Sending them to a general industry conference

Explanation

The gap is in interpersonal and managerial competencies, so a structured development program with coaching and feedback is the appropriate intervention. Technical assignments reinforce existing strengths rather than build new management skills. Conferences provide exposure but little practice.

Question 45Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

Which of the following best describes career plateauing in an HR planning context?

  1. The process of recruiting external candidates
  2. A point at which an employee is unlikely to advance further in the organization Correct answer.
  3. An employee's rapid promotion through several levels
  4. A temporary reduction in an employee's pay

Explanation

A career plateau occurs when further upward mobility is unlikely because of organizational structure, skill limits, or personal choice. HR can respond with lateral moves, job enrichment, or development opportunities. It is distinct from pay changes or recruitment activity.

Question 46Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A training program is evaluated with a pretest and posttest of trainees only, with no comparison group. Which threat to internal validity is most serious?

  1. Maturation effects unrelated to training
  2. The absence of a control group makes it hard to attribute gains to training Correct answer.
  3. Selection bias from nonrandom assignment
  4. History effects caused by external events during the training

Explanation

A one-group pretest-posttest design cannot rule out alternative explanations because there is no comparison group. History, maturation, and testing effects could all explain gains. The fundamental weakness is the missing control.

Question 47Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

An HR planner computes a transition matrix showing that 80% of last year's sales associates remained in the role, 10% were promoted, and 10% left. What is the primary use of this matrix?

  1. Setting the salary for each job category
  2. Determining the training budget
  3. Forecasting future internal supply and movement between job categories Correct answer.
  4. Evaluating the validity of the selection test

Explanation

A Markov-style transition matrix estimates how employees move among job categories and out of the organization, which supports internal supply forecasting. It does not set pay, validate tests, or determine budgets directly.

Question 48Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

Which situation best illustrates a disparate impact claim in staffing?

  1. An employer pays overtime to all employees
  2. An employer requires all employees to attend orientation
  3. A neutral selection test produces substantially lower pass rates for a protected group without being shown job-related Correct answer.
  4. An employer intentionally refuses to hire members of a protected group

Explanation

Disparate impact arises when a facially neutral practice disproportionately excludes a protected group and is not shown to be job-related and consistent with business necessity. Intentional exclusion is disparate treatment. Uniform policies such as orientation apply to everyone.

Question 49Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

A manager must choose between promoting an internal candidate and hiring an external candidate with stronger credentials. Which consideration most directly reflects HR planning principles?

  1. Always hiring externally because external candidates are more qualified
  2. Promoting the internal candidate solely to avoid recruitment costs
  3. Weighing the internal candidate's readiness and development value against the external candidate's immediate qualifications Correct answer.
  4. Ignoring the succession plan in the decision

Explanation

HR planning balances immediate staffing needs with the long-term development of internal talent. The decision should weigh readiness and development value against external qualifications rather than defaulting to one source. Cost and succession data are inputs, not sole determinants.

Question 50Human resource planning, staffing, training and development

Which item is a job specification rather than a job description?

  1. The knowledge, skills, and abilities required to perform the job Correct answer.
  2. The list of duties the incumbent performs daily
  3. The reporting relationships of the position
  4. The working conditions of the role

Explanation

The job specification states the qualifications a candidate must possess, such as knowledge, skills, abilities, and experience. The job description covers duties, working conditions, and reporting relationships. Together they form the output of job analysis.