USA Hire flashcards
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32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.
- Reliability
- The consistency or dependability of a measurement across time, raters, or items. It is a necessary but not sufficient condition for validity in selection.
- Validity
- The degree to which a selection procedure measures what it intends and predicts job performance. It is the core legal and professional standard for selection tools.
- Criterion-related validity
- A validity strategy that statistically correlates test scores with a measure of job performance, using either a predictive or concurrent research design.
- Predictive validity design
- Applicants are tested before hiring and later performance is correlated with scores. It avoids range restriction but requires a sufficient follow-up sample and time.
- Concurrent validity design
- Current employees are tested and their existing performance is correlated with scores. It is faster but can be distorted by range restriction and incumbent experience.
- Content validity
- Evidence that test content representatively samples the tasks and knowledge required by the job, typically established through expert judgment rather than statistics.
- Construct validity
- Evidence that a test measures the intended psychological attribute and correlates with related measures while not correlating with unrelated ones.
- Structured interview
- An interview using predetermined, job-related questions and consistent scoring anchors. It generally yields higher validity and lower adverse impact than unstructured interviews.
- Four-fifths rule
- An adverse impact guideline stating a protected group's selection rate below 80 percent of the highest group's rate indicates potential discrimination requiring justification.
- Utility analysis
- A method estimating the dollar payoff of a selection system from validity, selection ratio, base rate, and the standard deviation of job performance value.
- Selection ratio
- The number of applicants hired divided by the number of applicants available. Lower ratios generally increase the expected quality gain from a valid selection tool.
- Base rate
- The proportion of applicants who would succeed without any selection procedure. It affects how much a valid test can improve on random hiring.
- Work sample test
- A selection method requiring candidates to perform representative job tasks. It typically has high content validity and favorable applicant reactions.
- Cognitive ability test
- A test of general mental ability, among the strongest single predictors of job performance but associated with elevated adverse impact for some groups.
- Assessment center
- A multi-exercise evaluation using trained assessors to observe behaviors such as leadership, planning, and communication across simulations and role-plays.
- Banding
- A scoring approach treating scores within a statistically defined range as equivalent, often used to reduce adverse impact while preserving validity.
- Job analysis
- A systematic process identifying a job's tasks, duties, context, and required knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics. It underpins all defensible selection.
- Job description
- A document listing a position's duties, responsibilities, working conditions, and reporting relationships, derived from job analysis data.
- Job specification
- A statement of the minimum qualifications, KSAOs, experience, and credentials a candidate must possess to perform the job successfully.
- Essential functions
- Duties fundamental to a position that must be performed with or without reasonable accommodation; they shape qualification standards and selection criteria.
- BFOQ
- Bona fide occupational qualification: a protected-characteristic requirement allowed only when reasonably necessary to normal business operations, interpreted narrowly by courts.
- Uniform Guidelines
- The 1978 federal guidelines describing how employers demonstrate job-relatedness of selection procedures and document adverse impact in the selection process.
- Adverse impact
- A substantially lower selection rate for a protected group compared with the highest-selecting group, commonly assessed using the four-fifths rule.
- Applicant tracking system
- Software that receives, stores, and screens applications, often filtering on keywords and structured fields before recruiter review.
- Structured application form
- An application collecting consistent, job-related information from all candidates, supporting uniform screening and reducing irrelevant or legally risky inquiries.
- Reference check
- Verification of a candidate's prior employment and performance through contacts, conducted consistently and limited to job-related questions.
- Fair Credit Reporting Act
- A federal law requiring disclosure and consent when a third party prepares a consumer report, such as a background check, for employment decisions.
- Employment offer letter
- A written communication stating position, compensation, start date, contingencies, and at-will status where applicable, forming the terms of hire.
- Minimum qualifications
- The lowest level of education, experience, and KSAOs an applicant must meet to be considered, tied directly to job analysis evidence.
- KSAOs
- Knowledge, skills, abilities, and other characteristics required for job performance; they link job analysis results to selection method choice.
- Onboarding
- The post-offer process integrating a new hire through orientation, training, and socialization, distinct from selection but informed by the same job requirements.
- Selection panel
- A group of trained evaluators applying consistent criteria to candidates, often used to standardize scoring and reduce individual rater bias.