3.2 Recruitment & Selection

3.2 Recruitment & Selection

Recruitment is the process of attracting a pool of qualified applicants; selection is the process of choosing among them. The aPHR keeps these distinct: recruiting fills the funnel, selection narrows it.

Internal vs. External Sourcing

Internal recruiting (promotions, transfers, job postings, internal referrals) is faster, cheaper, boosts morale, and the candidate is a known quantity — but it can create a vacancy chain and limit fresh ideas. External recruiting (job boards, social media, agencies, campus recruiting, employee referral programs) brings new perspectives and skills but costs more and carries higher onboarding risk.

Reliability vs. Validity

This pairing is heavily tested. Reliability is consistency — a tool produces the same result over repeated use. Validity is accuracy — the tool actually measures what it claims and predicts job performance. A test can be reliable but not valid (consistently wrong), but a valid test must be reliable. Three validity types:

• Criterion-related validity — test scores correlate with job performance (e.g., a typing test predicts data-entry output).
• Content validity — the test samples actual job tasks (a coding test for a programmer).
• Construct validity — the test measures an abstract trait, such as leadership or conscientiousness.

Interview Types

• Structured interview — every candidate gets the same predetermined questions; highest validity and legal defensibility.
• Behavioral interview — "Tell me about a time you resolved a conflict"; based on the premise that past behavior predicts future behavior. The STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result) frames responses.
• Situational interview — hypothetical "What would you do if..." scenarios.
• Unstructured interview — free-flowing; low validity and highest risk of bias.
• Panel and stress interviews are format variations.

Watch for interviewer rating errors: the halo effect (one strong trait inflates the whole rating), the horn effect (one weak trait deflates it), contrast error (judging a candidate against the previous one), and similar-to-me bias.

EEO in Selection and the 4/5ths Rule

Selection criteria must be job-related and consistent with business necessity. Disparate (adverse) impact occurs when a neutral practice disproportionately screens out a protected group. The 4/5ths rule (80% rule) flags potential adverse impact: if the selection rate for a protected group is less than 80% of the rate for the highest-selected group, regulators presume adverse impact. Example: if 50% of male applicants are hired but only 30% of female applicants are, 30/50 = 60%, which is below 80% — a red flag requiring justification.

Background Checks and the FCRA

When an employer uses a third party (a Consumer Reporting Agency) for background or credit checks, the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) applies. The employer must (1) give clear written disclosure in a standalone document, (2) obtain the applicant's written authorization, and (3) before taking adverse action, provide a pre-adverse-action notice with a copy of the report and a Summary of Rights, then a final adverse-action notice. Skipping the two-step adverse-action process is a frequent compliance failure.

The Selection Process in Order

The aPHR may ask you to sequence the typical selection steps. A common order is: (1) application/resume review to screen against minimum qualifications; (2) initial screening (often a phone screen); (3) testing/assessment (skills tests, cognitive ability, personality, work samples); (4) interview(s); (5) background and reference checks; (6) the conditional job offer; and (7) post-offer steps such as a medical exam or drug test.

Sequence matters legally: under the ADA, an employer may require a medical examination only after a conditional offer has been extended, and the exam must apply to all entering employees in that job category. Asking disability-related medical questions before an offer is a frequent compliance error.

Selection Test Categories

Note the Employee Polygraph Protection Act (EPPA), which generally prohibits private employers from using lie-detector tests for pre-employment screening, with narrow exceptions (e.g., security firms, pharmaceutical handlers).

Yield Ratios and Cost Per Hire

Recruiting metrics appear on the exam. A yield ratio is the percentage of candidates who advance from one stage to the next (e.g., if 100 applicants produce 25 interviews, the yield ratio is 25%). Cost per hire divides total recruiting costs by the number of hires. Time to fill measures days from requisition to acceptance, while time to hire measures from first contact to acceptance. Tracking these helps HR forecast how large an applicant pool a single opening requires.

Common traps: reliability is consistency, validity is accuracy — do not swap them; the 4/5ths rule uses 80% (four-fifths), not 50%; structured (not unstructured) interviews are the most defensible; and medical exams come only after a conditional offer, never before.