Selecting Employees

Meaning of Employee Selection

 Employee selection is the process of choosing the
most suitable candidate for a particular position
from among the prospective candidate.
 Selection programs try to identify applicants with
the best chance of meeting or exceeding the
organization’s standards of performance.
 The goal is to select the right person for the right
job.
 It is concerned with hiring as well as rejecting the
applicants.
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 Selection Process
A) Initial Screening
I. Screening inquiries
 On the basis of job description and job specification
II.Screening interviews
 Company may describe the job in enough detail so the
candidate can consider if they are really serious about
applying.
 May be phone interviews
 Suitable to identify expected salary level.

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 B) Completing the Application Form
 Company specific employment form used to generate
specific information the company wants.
 In general, the application form gives a job performance
related synopsis of applicant’s life, skills and
accomplishments.
 If the company finds out the information is false, it can
justify immediate dismissal.

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 C) Employment Tests
I. Performance simulation test
 It evaluates actual job behavior.
 In addition to, psychological, aptitude (ability & talent) and
other type of written test, interest has been increasing in
performance simulation test.
II. Work sampling
 Applicants demonstrates necessary knowledge, skills and
abilities needed to do each job.
III. Assessment center
 Where selection, development & performance tests are
administered for managerial potentials.
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 D) Comprehensive Interview
 It aims to obtain depth information about a candidate.
 It is designed to probe areas not easily addressed by the
application form or test. For example, candidate's
motivation, value, ability to work under pressure, attitude
etc.
Some issues
 Interviewer bias (by reviewing CV, application prior to
actual interview)
 Impression management (applicants attempts to project an
image)

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 E) Background Investigation
 The process of verifying information job candidates
provides. It includes:
 Reference check
 Former employers
 Educational accomplishment (asking original
transcript)
 Criminal record
 Background check (by third party investigators)

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 F) Physical Examination
 An examination to determine an applicant’s physical fitness for essential job performance.

G) Final Employment Decision

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 Types of Selection Tests
1. Intelligence test
 The capacity for abstract thinking and reasoning.
 Intelligence is a highly complex concept.
2. Personality test
 Attempt to assess the personality of candidates in order to
make predictions about their likely behavior in a role.

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 Types of Selection Tests (contd.)
Types of personality
 Extraversion/introversion
 Outgoing, assertive, talkative and active
 Reserved, inward-looking, quiet
 Emotional stability
Independent, confident, relaxed, dependent, under-confident,
tense etc.
 Agreeableness
Cooperative, likeable, tolerant; or rude, uncooperative, hostile,
intolerant etc.

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 Types of Selection Tests (contd.)
3. Ability Tests
 Ability tests measure job-related characteristics such as verbal,
perceptual or mechanical ability.
4. Attainment Tests (job knowledge & work sample test)
 Attainment tests measure abilities or skills that have already been
acquired by training or experience.
5. Situational Tests
 Evaluating a candidate in a situation that is similar to the jobs to be
done in the future. (example-group discussion)
6. Aptitude Tests
 Helps determine a person’s potential to learn in a given area – e.g.
General Management Aptitude Test (GMAT)
7. Honesty Test (polygraph test-lie detector)
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 Employment Interview
 Interview is a formal, in-depth conversation
conducted to evaluate the applicant’s acceptability.
 It is considered to be an excellent selection device.
 It can be adapted to unskilled, skilled managerial
and professional employees.
 It allows a two-way exchange of information, the
interviewers learn about the applicant, and the
applicant learn about the employer.

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 Objectives of Interview
1. Helps to obtain additional information from the
applicant.
2. Facilitates giving general information to the
applicant such as company policies, job, products
manufactured etc.
3. Helps to build the company’s image among the
applicants.

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 Types of Interview
1. Structured
2. Unstructured
3. Semi-structured
4. Behavioral
5. Stress
6. One-to-one
7. Sequential
8. Panel
9. Phone
10. Computer

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 Interview Questions
 Open Questions
 Probing questions (inquiry)
 Probing questions are used to get further details or to ensure
that you are getting all the facts.
 Closed questions
 Closed questions aim to clarify a point of fact.
 Why did that happen?
 Hypothetical questions
 Hypothetical questions are used in structured situational-
based interviews to put a situation to candidates and ask
them how they would respond.
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 Interview Questions (contd.)
 Behavioral event questions
 Aim to get candidates to tell you how they would behave in
situations that have been identified as critical to successful
job performance.
 Capability questions
 What candidates know, the skills they possess and use and
their competencies – what they are capable of doing.
 Career questions
 Questions about outside interests

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 Steps for Effective Interviewing
1. Review the job description and job specification
2. Prepare a structured set of question
3. Review the application form and resume
4. Open the interview
5. Ask your question and listen carefully
6. Take a few note
7. Close the interview
8. Write your evaluation

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 Barriers to Effective Selection
1. Perception: Our inability to understand others accurately is probably
the most fundamental barrier to selecting the right candidate.
2. Fairness: It requires that no individual should be discriminated
against on the basis of religion, region, race or gender, age etc.
Efforts to minimize inequity have not been very effective.
3. Validity: It is a test that helps predict job performance of an
applicant. However, a validated test does not predict job success
accurately. It can increase possibility of success.
4. Reliability: A reliable method is one which will produce consistent
results when repeated in similar situations. It fails to predict job
performance with accuracy.
5. Pressure: It is brought on the selectors by politicians, relatives,
friends, peers, bureaucrats to select particular candidates.
Appointments to public sector undertakings generally takes place
under such pressures.
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 Questions
1. Define employee recruitment. Explain briefly the internal sources and
methods of recruitment with merits and demerits.
2. Mention two major goals of employee recruitment. Explain briefly the
external sources and methods of recruitment with merits and demerits.
3. Define employee selection. Differentiate between recruitment and selection.
4. Why should HRM conduct a background investigation?
5. How is information on job description and specification useful in the
recruitment and selection process?
6. Describe the major steps of selection process and identify any four barriers to
effective selection.
7. What are the major problems of the interview as a selection device? What can
HRM do to reduce some of these problems?
8. Discuss the various types of selection tests that can be beneficial for HRM
practitioners.
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