SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Practice Questions and Exam Preparation

SHRM SHRM-SCP Online Questions & Answers

• Question 1001:

  A global securities organization is expanding and contracts an external vendor to assist with employee recruitment and selection. An HR manager for the organization is responsible for coordinating with the external vendor. During a meeting with the external vendor, the HR manager and vendor decide to divide the interviewing efforts such that internal recruiters will screen and interview half of the applicants, while the vendor handles the other half. After a few months, the HR manager receives several complaints from managers about the quality of newly hired employees. The situation escalates when the VP of security calls the HR manager screaming that a new security manager caused a breach that could hurt the organization's reputation. The VP demands the security manager be terminated immediately.

  The HR manager wants to ensure that employees hired to work under the VP of security are able to meet performance requirements. Which action should the HR manager take?

  A. Observe the employees who work under the VP of security.
  B. Discuss with the VP the skills and characteristics necessary for effective performance.
  C. Require candidates to pass a competency assessment before starting the position.
  D. Arrange for candidates to shadow current employees to learn more about the daily job responsibilities.
  B. Discuss with the VP the skills and characteristics necessary for effective performance.

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  Collaborating with the VP to identify the specific skills and characteristics required ensures the selection process targets candidates who can meet the role's performance standards.

• Question 1002:

  A large hospital in the city acquires a smaller hospital, resulting in a total employee count of 1,200. As a result of the purchase, the accounts receivable unit of the small hospital, which has only six employees, is handling all outstanding patient accounts. During a workforce planning session, the HR director questions the accounts receivable manager about staffing requests for the following year. The manager informs the HR director that the department is adequately staffed and will not need more employees. Later the HR director learns that the manager has confided in other managers that he hopes to be promoted to by saving the hospital money from not hiring additional employees. Three accounts receivable employees terminate their employment abruptly. When cleaning out the desks of these employees, the accounts receivable manager finds over 100 accounts that have not been processed; monies are still outstanding on these overdue accounts. The manager distributes these overdue invoices to the other three remaining employees and tells them not to mention this to the senior manager. These employees come to the HR director in confidence to complain about the additional work, and they confide that they were instructed not to tell the senior manager about the incomplete work.

  Since the accounts receivable manager is against adding staff, which workforce strategy should the HR director encourage the manager to take for developing the accounts receivable department?

  A. Encourage the manager to consider buy or build workforce approaches to help the department meet the organizational demands in the immediate future
  B. Implement a retention incentive program to encourage employees of the department to stay
  C. Develop a management training program for employees to be trained on the accounts receivable tasks as prospective replacements
  D. Reorganize reporting relationships to expand opportunities for job enrichment and span of control
  A. Encourage the manager to consider buy or build workforce approaches to help the department meet the organizational demands in the immediate future

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  The best answer is for the HR director to work with the manager to develop new workforce solutions to meet the staffing needs of the department. Buy talent means hire someone; build talent means train existing employees, borrow talent means engage the services of a freelancer or consultant.

• Question 1003:

  Which of the following is not true about background checks?

  A. Background checks are a form of consumer report
  B. Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements apply when an employer does its own investigation
  C. Background checks must be disclosed and consent must be obtained
  D. When background checks result in adverse employment action, the employer must provide the applicant with a copy of the report and their FCRA rights.
  B. Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements apply when an employer does its own investigation

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  It is only when employers use a third party to conduct background checks on applicants or employees that the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA) requirements apply. The FCRA does not apply when an employer does its own investigation. The FCRA requires employers to disclose that consumer reports may be used for employment decisions and to secure consent from employees or applicants prior to obtaining these reports. If consumer reports provide information that results in an adverse employment action against an individual, the employer must provide the person with a copy of the report and his or her FCRA rights.

• Question 1004:

  The Chuckle Corporation is heavily involved in working with lawmakers and lawmaking bodies to gain support for its business initiatives and to canvass for specific services. What is the strategic advantage of the Chuckle Corporation's efforts?

  A. The organization will be able to obtain positive publicity
  B. The organization is able to proactively influence legislation in favor of company policies and procedures
  C. The organization is able to proactively lobby and shape future laws for its competitive advantage
  D. The organization will have high compliance levels in financial and employment requirements
  C. The organization is able to proactively lobby and shape future laws for its competitive advantage

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  A strategic advantage is connected to enabling and fostering an organization's competitive advantage. Legislative advocacy is an effective way to bolster a cause and obtain business gains for an organization's strategic advantage.

• Question 1005:

  In the sender-receiver communications model, what is it called when things get in the way of the communication exchange?

  A. Poor listening
  B. Blocking
  C. Lack of attention
  D. Noise
  D. Noise

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  In the sender-receiver model, the sender has an idea or concept he/she wants the receiver to appreciate. Before any useful outcome can be achieved from the communication, the receiver has to accurately understand the sender's idea. This means the message has to be effective in the receiver's space; if the message does not engage the receiver, the sender is wasting his/her time. Each of those concepts are defined as follows: Sender: the originator of message. Encoder: the transmitter which converts the message into signals (the way message is changed into signals, for example sound waves). Channel: the signal carrier or medium. Decoder: the reception place of the signal which converts signals into message. Decoding is done by the receiver when he gets the message. Receiver: the recipient of the message from the sender. He usually gives feedback to the sender in order to make sure that the message was properly received. Noise and Feedback: the message, transferred through a channel, can be interrupted by external noise (for instance, conversation may be interrupted by thunder or crowd noise). Thus, the receiver can get an inaccurate message. This makes feedback from the receiver important in case the message is not properly received. Furthermore, the noise can also affect the decoding of the message by the receiver. Things that get in the way of the communication exchange are called "noise."

• Question 1006:

  The CEO of a small distribution company wants to create a succession management plan. The CEO has used a talent assessment tool in the past and has asked the HR director to create one for the distribution company. The company has never had a formal process for evaluating its talent pool and identifying potential leaders, and senior managers are neither familiar with nor supportive of this new initiative. The CEO asks the HR manager to gain the cooperation and support of senior managers for the initiative.

  After three months, senior managers have made little progress in completing the individual development plans needed for the succession management plan, and the CEO sends an email to the managers accusing them of stalling the initiative. How should the HR manager respond to the CEO's accusation?

  A. Advise the CEO to conduct a meeting with senior managers to confront them about stalling the initiative.
  B. Ask the CEO to provide evidence that the senior managers are stalling.
  C. Suggest that the CEO apologize to senior managers for sending the email.
  D. Meet with the senior managers to determine if they have a legitimate reason for stalling the initiative.
  D. Meet with the senior managers to determine if they have a legitimate reason for stalling the initiative.

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  By meeting directly with senior managers to uncover any legitimate obstacles, the HR manager can identify root causes of delays and develop informed solutions before advising the CEO, ensuring actions are based on accurate insight rather than assumptions.

• Question 1007:

  Which of the following is an example of disparate treatment?

  A. All production workers are subject to stricter attendance requirements.
  B. Asians are subject to stricter disciplinary procedures.
  C. A skill-based test with cultural nuances results in lower pass rates amongst minorities.
  D. Height requirements are set for all firefighters.
  B. Asians are subject to stricter disciplinary procedures.

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  Disparate treatment occurs when employees who are members of a protected class (in this case, Asians) are treated differently from other employees. Option C and D are examples of disparate impact. Disparate impact occurs when people of a protected class are being disproportionately excluded from employment as a result of using seemingly neutral practices.

• Question 1008:

  Which of the following is a consistent determining factor in union agreements in the United States?

  A. A no-strike clause in which the union agrees that during the life of the contract employees will not engage in strikes but will submit to a grievance arbitration provision
  B. Union security agreements in the form of union shops and agency shops
  C. Seniority systems that give special benefits to members based on the length of service within which an employee has been a union member working in a union job.
  D. Clauses where the employer and union agree to compel employees to join the union and pay dues in a bid to eliminate the "free rider" problem
  C. Seniority systems that give special benefits to members based on the length of service within which an employee has been a union member working in a union job.

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  A consistent determining factor in union agreements in the USA is seniority where collective bargaining agreements base employee benefits, promotions, and raises on seniority. Note that right-to-work states prohibit union security agreements that require an employee to join a union or pay union dues.

• Question 1009:

  What measures the degree to which a test meets the qualities of a good test?

  A. The test gives consistent results over time
  B. The test leads to internal and external equity
  C. The test measures success on the job
  D. The test gives accurate and consistent results
  D. The test gives accurate and consistent results

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  The qualities of a good test is its degree of reliability and validity.Validity refers to accuracy while reliability refers to consistency of measures and outcomes.

• Question 1010:

  A __________ is similar to a portfolio of independent businesses where the headquarters is in the home country, but the divisions have a great level of autonomy.

  A. multidomestic organization
  B. transnational organization
  C. global organization
  D. international organization
  A. multidomestic organization

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  A multidomestic organization is similar to a portfolio of independent businesses where the headquarters is in the home country, but the divisions have a great level of autonomy. Multidomestic corporations often have very decentralized and loosely coupled structures where subsidiaries worldwide are operating relatively autonomously and are independent from the headquarters.