Selecting the Best Candidate for a High-Profile Job in a Large International Bank

Overview of the Hiring Process

Use what you’ve learned in the chapter to respond to the multiple choice mini-scenarios. International Bank Top executives and board members of a large international bank in New York are meeting to consider three finalists for a new position. The winning candidate will be in a high-profile job, taking charge of a group of top loan officers who have recently gotten the bank into some risky financial arrangements in Latin America. The bank had taken a financial bath when the Mexican peso collapsed, and the board voted to hire someone to directly oversee this group of loan officers and make sure the necessary due diligence is done on major loans before further commitments are made. Although the bank likes for decisions to be made as close to the action level as possible, it believes the loan officers have gotten out of hand and need to be reined in. The effectiveness of the person in this new position is considered to be of utmost importance for the bank’s future. After carefully reviewing resumés, the board selected six candidates for the first round of interviews, after which the list of finalists was narrowed to three. All three candidates seem to have the intellect and experience to handle the job. Before the second-round interview, the board has asked its regular consulting firm to review the candidates, conduct more extensive background checks, and administer personality tests. A summary of the reports on the three candidates follows: A.M. This candidate has a relatively poor self-concept and exhibits a fear of the unknown. She is somewhat of an introvert and is uncomfortable using power openly and conspicuously. A.M.’s beliefs about others are that all people are inherently noble, kind, and disposed to do the right thing, and that it is possible to influence and modify the behavior of anyone through logic and reason. Once a person’s shortcomings are pointed out to her, A.M. will try to help the person overcome them. She believes that all employees can be happy, content, and dedicated to the goals of the organization. J.T. J.T. is an extrovert with a strong drive for achievement and power. He likes new experiences and tends to be impulsive and adventurous. He is very self-assured and confident in his own abilities, but highly suspicious of the motives and abilities of others. J.T. believes the average person has an inherent dislike for work and will avoid responsibility when possible. He is very slow to trust others, but does have the ability over time to develop close, trusting relationships. In general, though, J.T. believes most people must be coerced, controlled, and threatened to get them to do their jobs well and to the benefit of the organization. F.C. This candidate is also an extrovert, but, although she is competitive, F.C. does not seem to have the strong desire for dominance that many extroverts exhibit. F.C. is also highly conscientious and goal-oriented, and will do whatever she believes is necessary to achieve a goal. F.C. has a generally positive attitude toward others, believing that most people want to do their best for the organization. F.C. does, though, seem to have a problem forming close, personal attachments. Her lively, outgoing personality enables her to make many superficial acquaintances, but she seems to distrust and avoid emotions in herself and others, preventing the development of close relationships. Sources: Based on information in “Consultant’s Report” in John M. Champion and Francis J. Bridges, Critical Incidents in Management: Decision and Policy Issues, 6th ed. (Homewood, IL: Irwin, 1989), pp. 55–60; and James Waldroop and Timothy Butler, “Guess What? You’re Not Perfect,” Fortune (October 16, 2000), pp. 415–420. Candidate J.T. is a "big picture" guy. He doesn't worry about finishing projects – he figures someone else can do that. lnstead, he thinks it is his job to dream up the next big idea and move on. The details can sort themselves out. In the context of the Big Five personality dimensions, this indicates that J.T. scores: a. low on conscientiousness. b. high on authoritarianism. c. low on extroversion. d. high on dominance. Before A.M. starts any project, she uses project management software to lay out the project’s requirements and timelines. Because she doesn’t like to take risks, she works with the same group of high-performance team members for every project. At the first meeting, A.M. introduces the project, passes out assignments, and sets deadlines. In the whole brain concept, A.M.'s dominant quadrant is: a. quadrant A. b. quadrant B. c. quadrant C. d. quadrant D. Candidate J.T. is confident and positive about his aspirations, but is very skeptical of the motives of others. He believes that an average person does not like to work and does not want to be accountable for its completion or its quality. He thinks that people will work only if they are forced or threatened. This implies that J.T. believes in: a. Theory Y. b. external attribution. c. perceptual defense. d. Theory X.