Strategies Test 2

In which of the following situations might a business be within its rights to set an age limit on certain jobs:

• Customer safety is a factor.

• Seniority system is in effect.

•   Job requires heavy lifting.

•   Employees must work overtime.

Answer explanation

Customer safety is a factor. The Age Discrimination in Employment Act allows businesses to set age restrictions in a few, limited situations. One of these situations involves the safety of customers. If employees are responsible for customers' safety, businesses may be able to impose an age limit. For example, airline pilots are usually required to stop flying after they reach a certain age. Also, other types of transportation companies may impose similar restrictions on employees who drive customers. The purpose of the exemption is to allow businesses to put the safety of their customers first when hiring and keeping employees. It is illegal for businesses to discriminate according to age simply because a job requires heavy lifting, a seniority system is in effect, or employees must work overtime.

The main advantage of external recruiting of employees over internal recruiting is that it

• encourages employees to seek promotions.

• brings in more applicants.

•   retains good employees.

•   is less expensive.

Answer explanation

Brings in more applicants. External recruiting seeks new employees outside the business. This creates a larger pool of candidates from which the business can choose than internal recruiting. It may also be the only way to attract applicants with the required skills and knowledge. The other alternatives are advantages of filling positions from within the organization.

What is a company using when it lets its current employees know about a new job opening and encourages them to apply?

•   External recruiting

•   Employee turnover

• Internal recruiting

• Group incentive

Answer explanation

Internal recruiting. Internal recruitment involves seeking workers from within the business. External recruiting is seeking workers from outside the business. Employee turnover is the rate at which employees are hired or leave the organization. Group incentives reward employees for cooperative efforts.

When businesses use only external recruiting, their employees often

• feel they have little chance of promotion.

• work hard because of their high morale.

•   feel that their work efforts are appreciated.

• are motivated to high levels of productivity.

Answer explanation

Feel they have little chance of promotion. Employees of companies that use nothing but external recruiting feel they have little chance for promotion if outsiders are routinely brought in to fill vacancies. They also feel that their hard work is unappreciated, and this may reduce their productivity. This kind of situation often damages employee morale.

Businesses often verify the information provided on job applications and résumés by

•   hiring private investigators.

• questioning the applicants.

• interviewing former coworkers.

• conducting background checks.

Answer explanation

Conducting background checks. Before selecting candidates to interview, businesses screen job applications and résumés to identify those who have the appropriate backgrounds. After identifying the best candidates, businesses often conduct background checks to verify the information that was provided. This might include calling the references and former employers who were listed on the applications/résumés. The purpose is to make sure that the information is accurate and that applicants are not misrepresenting themselves. Businesses cannot verify the information by questioning the applicants who provided the information. It would be difficult for businesses to identify and interview former coworkers unless these individuals were listed as references. Businesses do not hire private investigators to verify job application information.

One reason for screening résumés is to determine if the applicants.

• possess the ability to improve their computer skills.

• have the desired skills to perform a specific job.

•   exhibit ethical behavior and are organized.

•   are efficient and highly productive.

Answer explanation

Have the desired skills to perform a specific job. It isn't feasible for businesses to interview every person who submits a résumé for a job opening. Therefore, businesses screen résumés, which is the process of reviewing résumés to determine which candidates have the qualifications to perform the job. For example, if a job requires a worker to type 50 words a minute, and the applicant's résumé indicates that s/he types 70 words a minute, then the applicant would meet the business's criteria for performing one aspect of the job at an efficient level. A résumé is a document and doesn't adequately provide insight or enough information about the applicant's ability to improve a skill, his/her ethics, organizational skills, and efficiency levels.

Which of the following is a question that an interviewer should ask a job applicant to obtain in-depth information:

• How long have you worked for your current employer?

•   Do you have a college degree?

•   What activities do you perform in your current job?

•   When would you be available to start work?

Answer explanation

What activities do you perform in your current job? The interview process allows the business to learn more about the job applicant, so it can make a suitable hiring decision. To obtain more in-depth information about the applicant, the interviewer should ask open-ended questions—questions that require more than a "yes" or "no" answer. Asking applicants about the activities that they perform in their current jobs forces them to respond with more than a yes or a no; therefore, the interviewer is likely to get more in-depth information from applicants. Asking an applicant if s/he has a college degree, how long the applicant has worked for his/her current employer, and when the applicant is available to start work are examples of closed-end questions. Closed-end questions require short, precise answers and do not provide in-depth information.

To verify information about applicants, employers can

• check references.

•   review résumés.

• examine application blanks.

• administer physical examinations.

Answer explanation

Check references. The checking of references is a common method of gathering and of verifying information about applicants. Types of reference checks that are often used are previous employment, credit, education, and personal references. The information provided by applicants in résumés and in application blanks is verified through the use of reference checks. Physical examinations are used to identify applicants' pre-existing health problems.

Although training costs money, businesses may find a lack of training even more expensive because of the loss of

• competitors

• customers

• vendors

•   suppliers

Answer explanation

Customers. Customers may be so frustrated or offended by having to deal with a business's untrained employees that they may take their business elsewhere. Unhappy customers may also share their opinions with others and damage the company's goodwill. Untrained employees are not likely to cause a business to lose its competitors or its suppliers/vendors.

A company's training and development program is influenced by a variety of external factors such as changes in

•   employees' experience.

• modern technology.

•   company needs.

•   employees' skills.

Answer explanation

Modern technology. A company's training and development program is influenced by both internal and external factors. External factors include changes in technology, the economy, and the competition. Internal factors include changes in the company's needs; employees' skills; and the education, experience, and work values of employees.