INTRODUCTION TO HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

TOPIC 5: SELECTION
It is the process of carefully screening and testing of candidates who have put in their applications for
any job in the enterprise. It is selecting the best candidates out of the available and rejecting the
unsuitable candidates. It is a negative process or a process of elimination.

It begins after the completion of the recruitment process. Sometimes, it can be during the recruitment
period, (rolling basis) because the organisation could require the position to be filled urgently.

The process can sometimes be lengthy, with the purpose is to avoid selection of unsuitable candidates.
Different tests will be applied, together with interviews. In addition, references will be checked.

The principle of “right man for the right job” will be achieved when the selection process is used
scientifically.

While recruitment is a positive function, in the sense that it seeks to induce as many persons as possible
to apply for the jobs in the organisation, selection is a negative function, in the sense that it aims at
eliminating or weeding out those applicants whom it is not possible to provide employment due to lack
of suitability or otherwise.

Selection of suitable candidates is a matter of special importance in personnel management.

Inefficiency, low productivity, high wastages, industrial accidents etc. are all due to faulty selection of
candidates. An unsuitable candidate becomes a permanent problem, as long as he is in the organisation.
This is because he has no liking for the job, interest, initiative and finally capacity to handle the job.

For future progress and prosperity, a company needs a team of efficient, loyal, capable and co-operative
workers and managers. Such a team is only available when the selection is made systematically.

In light of the details available from the job analysis. Applicants who do not possess the required
qualifications are rejected. All applications that are incomplete in any important aspect are also rejected.

To aid in the selection process, human resource managers use interviews, tests, medical examinations
and checking of references among others.

INTERVIEWS

An interview is a formal consultation to evaluate the aptitude, training etc., of a prospective

employee. It is a “face-to–face”, observational and personal appraisal method” to evaluate a
candidate for a job. In any interview, the interviewer is in a dominant position. For if both the
interviewer and the interviewee have the same status and role, it will be more of a meeting,
rather than an interview.

Purposes for conducting interviews include:

 To see how the applicant looks, talks, behaves and interacts

 To give the applicant data about the job
 To check on the factual data on the application and in the CV
 To assess potentials for advancement
 To determine the ability to get along with others
 To determine if the person would fit into the job
 To establish a rapport or mutual understanding between the candidate and the organisation
 To Assess suitability of candidates. They provide a good basis for measuring a candidates’
suitability
 To allow for Verification of facts. Claims made by a candidate in respect of his qualifications,
experience etc. can be properly verified
 To allow for Objective assessment. They reduce the possibility of any personal preference or
prejudice concerning any candidate.

Types of interviews

 Direct interview. Brief, straight-forward, face to face question and answer session
 Indirect interview. No direct or straight questions put to the candidate. He is encouraged to
express his view on any topic of liking. The interviewer is a patient listener, neither interrupting
the candidate, nor expressing any opinion or judgement on what he says. Such an interview
puts the interviewee at considerable ease. But it requires a really competent and experienced
interviewer to conduct it successfully.
 Patterned interview. The standards questions to be put to a candidate are framed in advance.
Ideal answers are also determined beforehand. The answers given during the interview are
verified with the ideal answers to assess his suitability for the job in question. Individual
interviewer bias is lessened, and different questions covering wider areas are able to be asked.
It is however easy for a candidate to be stressed, and it is hard for him to develop a close
relationship/rapport to any interviewer during the interview.
 Stress interview. The interviewer deliberately creates a situation that puts the candidate to
considerable stress and strain. The object is to provoke the candidate into reacting so as to assess
how he meets a given situation
  Board/panel interview. There is not one but many interviewers to put questions to a candidate.
Each interviewer is assigned an area from which he has to choose his questions. A candidate is
selected or rejected on the basis of the combined performance-rating by all the interviewers.
 Group interview. A number of candidates are interviewed simultaneously. A question or
problem-situation is posed before them and each candidate is asked to participate in the
discussion that follows. It is on the basis of a candidate’s performance during the group
discussion that he is selected or rejected.
 Depth interview. An interview whereby details of one key area are sought. It is designed to
intensively examine the candidate’s proficiency in the area of special interest.

Guidelines to effective interviewing

1. An interview should have a definite time schedule, with ample time for its conduct.
2. A personal approach should be adopted by developing a friendly and cordial relationship with
the candidates.
3. An interview should have an element of privacy.
4. The interview should be based on a checklist of what to look for in a candidate.
5. Competent, trained and experienced persons should be chosen as interviewers.
6. Proper method of interview should be employed.
7. A specific set of guidelines should be given to the interviewers
8. The interviewers should listen carefully to what the candidate says and the information
collected should be recorded carefully.
9. The interviewer should minimize personal bias and prejudice.
10. The interviewer must not end the interview abruptly but close it tactfully so that the candidate
feels satisfied and that he will be told about the results in due time.
11. Let the candidate talk and answer questions and provide feedback.
12. Relevance. A good interview aids the employer in properly assessing the candidate’s
performance on a specific job. If it is not relevant to the job for which it is intended, it would
merely be an exercise in futility
13. Consistency. It should produce consistent results irrespective of the number of times it may be
carried out in respect of any candidate.
14. Suitability. It should suit the competency level of the candidate. A simple interview to persons
who are highly qualified and skilled, will similarly be useless.
15. Standardization. Any interview should follow standardized methods and procedures, whether
for conducting it or for measuring and interpreting its results.
16. Prepare. Review of background information. Before proceeding to interview a candidate, it is
advisable to collect and co-relate all relevant information about him and also about the job for
which he is to be interviewed.
 17. Preparation of the question plan. As a question is put to the candidate and answered by him, it
should be cross-marked.
18. Conducting the interview. Putting the candidate at ease. (the physical setting) For most
candidates, undergoing an interview means considerable mental and emotional strain. Display
proper understanding and sympathy on the part of the interviewer to relive the tension.
The interview should strictly be a private affair, candidate should be provided all the necessary
facilities and comforts. The interviewer should patiently listen to the answers given by the
candidate and not project himself as being superior. E.g., causing interruptions, raising eye-
brows, pouting lips..
19. Concluding the interview. Just as important as the opening. It should end with a happy note,
without any awkward or embarrassing situations.
20. Evaluation of the results. After the interview is over, the candidate has left the room, the
interviewer should quickly glance through his notes, and bring to mind his impressions about
the candidate so as to make a provisional assessment of his performance. Only after this, the
next candidate should be called in.
21. Dress code. Remember to dress officially and formally.
22. Keep time. Arrive within the interview location a few minutes before the scheduled time
23. Know more about the organisation in question i.e., history, mission, values etc.
24. Ask /prep questions that you are most likely going to be asked.
25. Know the organisational location of the interview
26. Be Gentle in answering questions.
27. Ask for clarifications where you have not understood details concerning the interview; whether
before, during, or after
28. Rehearse and practice on the questions likely to be asked
29. Confidence
30. Stick to the questions asked, don’t give too many stories
31. Prepare the documents required for the interview
32. Don’t get yourself sick (e.g., nausea, headaches etc. because of the fear attached to interviews)
33. Call the organisation beforehand to confirm details of the interview

Advantages of interviews

 provide opportunities for interviewers to ask probing questions about the candidate’s
experience and to explore the extent to which the candidate’s competences match those
specified for the job;
 enable interviewers to describe the job (a ‘realistic job preview’) and the organization in more
detail, suggesting some of the terms of the psychological contract;
 provide opportunities for candidates to ask questions about the job and to clarify issues
concerning training, career prospects, the organization and terms and conditions of
employment;
 enable a face-to-face encounter to take place so that the interviewer can make an assessment of
how the candidate would fit into the organization and what he or she would be like to work
with;
 Give the candidate the same opportunity to assess the organization, the interviewer and the job.