Session 4

SELECTING EMPLOYEES

Chapter Objectives
After studying this chapter, you should be able to:
Define the selecting employees
Identify environmental factors that affect the

selection process
Describe the major selection methods
Explain the importance of the preliminary
interview.
Describe the importance of the application for
employment.

I. Definitions of Selection
The process of choosing from
a group of applicants those individuals best
suited for a particular position and
organization. There are many ways to improve
productivity, but none is more powerful than
making the right hiring decision.
The process by which an organization chooses
from a list of applicants the person or persons
who best meet the selection criteria for the
position available, considering current
environmental conditions.
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I. Definitions of Selection (Cont.)

The process of determining which job
candidates best suit organizational
needs.
During the process of selection managers
must determine extent to which job
candidates have the skills, abilities, and
knowledge required to perform effectively
in the positions for which they are being
considered.
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 The process of determining which job

candidates best suit organizational
needs. (Cont.)
To help make such judgments, managers
and human resource professionals use
various selection methods, such as
interviews and tests.

Before discussing more specifically the

most commonly used selection
methods, we examine an important
concept underlying their use, validity.
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II. Responsibilities of Selection

1) Human resource unit

Provides initial employment reception

Conducts initial screening interview
Administers appropriate employment tests
Obtains background and reference information
Refers to candied to manager for final selection
Arranges for the employment physical
examination if used
Evaluation success of selection process
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2) Manager
Requisition employees with specify
qualifications to fill jobs
Participate in selection process as appropriate
Interview final candidates
Make final selection decision subject to advices
of human resource specialists
Provide follow-up information on the suitability
of selected individuals

III. Environmental Factors Affecting

the Selection Process
1) Other HR functions
The selection process affects and is
affected by HR functions.
For instance, if the compensation
package is inferior to those provided by
the firms compensation, hiring the best

qualified applicants will be difficult or

impossible.
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2) Legal consideration
HRM is greatly influenced by
legislation, executive orders,
and court decisions.

The basic purpose of selection is to

determine candidates eligibility for
employment, it is also essential for
organizations to maintain
nondiscriminatory practices.
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3) Speed of decision making

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Time available to make selection

decision can have major effect on
selection process.
For instance, the production manager
says My only quality control inspectors
just had both resigned.
In this situation, speed is crucial and a
few pone calls, two brief interviews, and
a prayer may constitute the entire
selection procedure.

4) Organizational hierarchy

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Organization take different approaches to

filling positions at varying levels.
For instance, to hire a chief executive
officer and a data entry clerk.
Extensive background checks and multiple
interviews would most likely apply for the
executive position.
An applicant for a clerical position would
probably take a word processing test and
perhaps have a short employment
interview.

5) Applicant pool

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The number of qualified applicants for a

particular job can affect the selection
process.
The process can be truly selective only if
there are several qualified applicants.
Only a few applicants with the required skills
may be available.
The expansion and contraction of the labor
market also exert considerable influence on
availability and selection process.

6) Type of organization:
Prospective employees in private sector
screened with regard to how they can help
achieve profit goals.
Government civil service systems identify
qualified applicants through competitive
examinations.
Individuals considered for positions in notfor-profit organizations must be qualified
and dedicated to work
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7) Probationary period
Period that permits evaluating employees
ability based on established performance.
May be a substitute for certain phases of
the selection process or a check on the
validity of the process.
If an individual can successfully perform
the job during the probationary period, the
process doesnt require other selection
tools.
In any event, newly hired employees need
monitoring to determine whether the hiring
decision was a good one.
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IV. The Major Selection Methods

More than one selection method typically
is used in assessing job candidates.
The most prevalent methods include
the use of:

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Application form
Employment tests
Selection interviews
Reference checks
Physical exam
Final selection

1. Application form
Is a form containing a series of inquiries
about such issues as an applicant's
educational background, previous job
experience, physical health, and other
information that maybe useful in
assessing an individual's abilities
to perform a job.

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In developing application forms, organizations

need to avoid include questions that are not
valid predictors of job performance, especially
if such as questions tend to have adverse
impact.

 Application form serves 4 purposes

Record of job applicant's desire to obtain
a position.
It provides interviewers with a profile of
job applicant that used during interviews
period
It is a basic employee record of job
applicants who are hired.
It is used for research on the
effectiveness of selection process.

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 Elements of application form

Personal data
Education

Skills
Work experiences

References

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2. Employment tests
Is a means of assessing a Job applicant's
characteristics through paper-and-pencil
responses or simulated exercises.
There are 3 major types of tests used in
the selection process are ability,
personality, and performance tests.
!

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Ability tests: Are means of measuring

mainly mental (such as intelligence),
mechanical, and clerical abilities or
sensory capacities.

Personality: Are means of measuring

characteristics, such as patterns of
thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.

Performance / Work sample tests:

Requires the applicant complete some of
job activity under structured conditions.
a) Cognitive aptitude tests: Types of
tests used to measure a person's
capacity or potential talents to learn and
perform a job. Or tests that determine
general reasoning ability, memory,
vocabulary, verbal fluency, and
numerical ability.

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Verbal tests: Used to measure a persons

ability to use word in oral or written
communication.
Numerical tests: Used to measure a
person's ability to add, subtract, multiply,
divide.
Spatial tests: Used to measure a person's
ability to visualize objects in space and
determine their relationships.
Reasoning tests: Used to measure a
person's to analyze oral or written facts
and make correct judgment concerning to
these facts based on the logical
implication.

b) Psychomotor tests:

Needs to measure a person's strength,

dexterity and coordination.
Speed of arm movements
Manual dexterity
Finger dexterity
c) Job knowledge tests:

Used to measure job related knowledge

of job applicants (oral & written).
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d) Performance/ Efficiency/ Achievement tests:

Used to measure a person's ability how well
applicant can do as sample of the work to be
performed in a job.

e) Personality tests/ Psychological tests:

Used to measure a person's traits.
o Aggression

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o
o
o
o

Autonomy
Understanding
Exhibition
Nurture/ feelings

: MKT. (Salesperson,
Sales supervisor)
: Accountant, Account clerks
: Reporters, Journalists
: Film stars
: Nurse

3. Employment interviews
Is a relatively formal in-depth conversation
conducted for the purpose of assessing a
candidate's knowledge, skills, and abilities,
as well as providing information to the can
the candidate about the organization and
potential jobs.
Is a goal-oriented conversation in which an
interviewer and an applicant supposedly
exchange information.
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 Purposes of interview
Obtaining information about candidates

Creating friendships with job applicants.

Providing information about organization

to job candidates (image of organization

working conditions, policies, opportunities for
advancement).

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 Types of interviews
Board interviews/ Panel interviews:
Job applicant is asked by a group
of interviews
Structured interviews / patterned /
standardized:

Type of interview used by

interviewers to ask interviewees
(Job applicants) with series of
predetermined questions.
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 Stressed interview:
Types of interview is used to create
stress on job applicant to see how
a person responds.

Group interview:
Interviewers ask a group of interviewees
(job applicants) at one time.
Unstructured/ informal / non-directive
interviews:

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Interviewers ask interviewees with

general questions.

 How to interview successfully?

Determine the questions we want to ask
before starting interview.

Encourage job applicants to talk during

the interview period.
Put applicants at quiet place.
Observe closely applicant mannerisms,
speech and attire if these characteristics
are necessary to the job.
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 How to interview successfully?

(Cont.)

Try to avoid interviewing applicants

who we know

Listen to applicants carefully. (active

and passive listening)

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Never argue to applicants

Eye contacts

4. Reference Checks
n

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Are attempts to obtain job-related

information about job applicants from
individuals who are in a position to be
knowledgeable about applicants'
qualifications.
Can be obtained by mail, by telephone, and
in person.
Such checks often are aimed at verifying
information on application blanks and
resumes and may also focus on collecting
additional data to facilitate the selection
decision.

Types of reference
Academic references: vocational training
schools, Universities or Faculties.
Prior-work references: Former employers,
directors of Co, NGO.
Financial references/ credit reports:
Bankers, Savings accounts, credit
cards
Personal references: Family, relatives, and
friends

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Methods for checking references

Telephone-reference checking:
Used to verify information that provided
by applicants such as employment date,
Salary history, types of job
responsibilities, reasons for leaving jobs

Write references checking:

Some Companies have their reference
forms. They give them to applicants in
order to send them to former employers
to fill and signed them.
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5. Physical Exam
Some company use physical exams in
order to check applicant's health.
Once the person is hired, a medical exam
is often the next step in the selection
process (although it may also take place
after the new employee starts work).

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6. Final selection decisions

Some organizations:

Let HRD handles all select steps and

making final selection decisions. But
HRD leaves qualified applicants to
department managers choose based on
information provided by HRD.
Let HRD handles all selection steps but
final selection decisions leaves to top
managers.
It involved with 3 levels of managers in
an organization.
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