Explain the steps of

selection process
Selection
The process of selecting the most suitable candidate from
the pool of candidates recruited
Making right selection decision is good business practice, as
it contributes to the sustained, optimal use of human
resources
In south African legislation, a fair selection decision is a legal
requirement
The selection process
• Step 1: screen and short-list applications
- Using the information provided by applicants on the
application blank and/or cv.
- All applicants are evaluated against the predetermined
criteria established from the job description, specification
and profile.
- The outcome of step 1, is the list of candidates who meet
certain minimum requirements for the job and can then
proceed with further assessments.
Step 2: Contact candidates on the shortlist
• They need to be contacted and be advised on the process to follow,
they need to be informed clearly as to
- When and where the interview is?
- Who to ask for when they arrive?
- What they should bring along?
Inform them about the parking difficulties and arrangements
Interviewers should be expecting the candidates and should be
prepared
Bathroom facilities should be pointed out.
continuation
• N.B nobody wants to work in a disorganized, chaotic work
environment where everything is urgent and left to the last
minutes
• A Tidy private venue need to be available, free from
interruption and distractions.
• Those who do not make the shortlist need to be informed
that their application was unsuccessful i.e. the outcome of
their applications
Step 3: Conduct an interview in an efficient
and professional manner
• Interview – the most commonly used selection technique
• Provide business people appointing staff with an opportunity to
assess applicants directly and applicants with the opportunity to
learn more about an organization.
• Interview should be based on the job description, specification, and
profile.
• Other predictors should be used to support the decision making
process. These will measure specific skills and personality traits
required for a particular role.
Step 4: Check background information
• This is about verifying various details supplied by referees on a
candidate and can be used as a predictor
• The most efficient is the telephonic checks, but the employer must
ensure that he or she encourage the referee to provide sufficiently
detailed information relevant to the selection criteria
• They are also encouraged to verify the information provided rather
than to seek new information
• One should not expect too much from referees as they may be
willing only to provide information relating to the former
employee's dates of employments and job title.
Step 5: Ensure the relevant medical examinations
are conducted (if required and permitted)
• Medical testing is prohibited by Employment Equity Act unless
legislation permits or require such testing; and it is justifiable, given
the requirements of the job
• HIV tests are not allowed without the consent of the applicant and
even with the applicant’s consent, the results of the test cannot be
used to discriminate against the person.
• One cannot be disqualified for consideration for a vacancy, simply
because they have tested positive for HIV.
Step 6: Make a final hiring decision
• When making final hiring all information gathered during the
previous steps is considered.
• The primary concern is whether the person will be able to fit into
the business and be able to do the job, given the job description,
specification, and profile
• One must also decide on how to proceed if the person offered the
job declines the offer
• Should be decided whether the runner-up candidate is suitable or
whether the fresh recruitment process will need to be initiated to
find another pool of candidates.
Step 7: Make a fair job offer
• Formulate a letter of appointment congratulating the person on being
selected
• The letter should also include the job title, a brief description of the
job, the starting remuneration package, the length of the
probationary period, if applicable, and a request that the person
indicate in writing by a specific date whether or not he or she will
accept the offer.
• Once the person has accepted the offer, formulate a letter welcoming
the person to the organization and provide information on when,
where, to whom the person should report on the first day, as well as
what the person should bring.
Step 8: Ensure that complete records are
kept
• Keep a complete set of records pertaining to the
recruitment and selection of staff, keep the documents
from every step of the process, including advertisements,
letters to applicants, job description, specifications, CVs,
and any documents used to assist in the decision
• This is to ensure that the employer has the necessary
evidence of the process should it become necessary to
respond to any queries or allegations of unfair
discrimination
Performance management
•An approach of managing people.
•It comprises a set of practices used by
managers to plan, direct, and improve
the performance of employees in line
with achieving the overall strategic
objectives of the organisation
Performance management and
measurements
•PM is a process that begins with
translating the overall strategic
objectives of the organization into clear
objectives for each individual employee.
Performance management process

Individual
Performance
performance
Strategic business monitoring
review
objective
Organisation structure

HR consequences
Individual Rewards
Job design and profiling performance T&D
Staffing planning Succession planning
Job requirements Counselling &
discipline
explanation
• The strategic objectives have a bearing on the structure of the
organization, and this influences the design and profile of jobs.
• When staffed, the performance requirements expected of the job
incumbent are described in the job’s profile
• This job profile, in turn, sets the agenda for the manager and the
incumbent to plan performance requirements, and later on to monitor
and review performance.
• There are HRM consequences of employee performance, whether the
performance has been satisfactory or is to be rewarded, or whether it
has not met the agreed-upon performance requirements and has to be
corrected.
Three approaches that can be used during
organizational-level performance and measurements
• 1. objectives-setting approach – it is typified by management by
objectives, here the needs of an individual manager would be
integrated with organizational goal, it seeks to link strategic intent
with day-to-day organizational activity, the starting point is to ensure
that the organization has a clear purpose and vision which then need
to be broken down to goals, objectives and strategy.
It (MBO)relies on the manager and the employee collaborating in the
setting of objectives, allowing employee to be involved in and to
manage his own performance.
 continuation
2. A bench marking approach- influenced by total quality management
and business reengineering, a benchmarking approach emphases the
identification of best-practice standard that the organization tries to
emulate through continuous improvement (Williams, 2002). While this
approach may be a more common practice in a manufacturing
environment, it is not restricted to this type of business, and, for
example, Campbell and cairns(1994) propose a benchmarking approach
for an organization wishing to become a learning organization.
3. Balanced scorecard-
It can provide organization with a comprehensive framework that can translate
company’s vision and strategy into coherent and linked set of performance measures.
This approach to organizational performance measurement combines the
measurement of four perspectives of performance
• Financial: how do shareholders define financial
Success?
 Customers :how do our customers see us and what must we do to keep them
satisfied?
 Internal business processes: what internal business processes should the
organizational be excellent in, to keep both customers and shareholders satisfied?
 Learning and growth: how does the organization sustain its ability to develop and
improve in key areas?
CONTINUATION (sum up)
• These three approaches to organizational performance management and its
measurement are not mutually exclusive, and in fact are often combined to
create hybrid systems tailored to the organization's specific requirements.
Within this framework of organizational-level performance management and
measurement, the performance of individuals is managed . Individual
performance management is a broader concept than performance appraisal,
and is based on well-established psychological principles stating that people are
more productive when they:
• are knowledgeable of their results through feedback as to how they are
performing
• Have clear, attainable objectives(goals) to achieve and
• Are involved in the setting of tasks and objectives.
The performance management process
Step 1 Strategic business objective
Clarify the strategic objectives of the organization
(see page 287)
Step 2 Meeting to agree on personal objective
The manager then needs to meet with the incumbent of each job to
agree collaboratively on personalized business objectives, key
performance indicators, or output standards. These objective indicators,
and outputs effectively determine the person’s job.
The outcome of the meeting is usually a signed performance agreement
between the manager and the employee.
continuation
• The agreement (document) should include the following:
• Output of the job
• Individual objectives for the current period
• Levels and criteria/standard of performance(poor, acceptable, good
and excellent performance levels need to be defined)
• Etc page 290
• Assisting the manager in this task of establishing a performance
agreement is the work or job profile of each job. This identifies the
outputs and the quality standard for the output of each job.
continuation
• The challenge is to ensure that the performance requirements of each
individual employee are in line with the overall strategic objectives of
the organisation or relevant department of the organisation.
Step 3 assessing performance
Having determined the performance requirements of each employee,
the manager needs to assess continuously, to review the job
performance of individuals on an informal and formal basis and to
improve performance feedback.
Informal assessment occurs in the course of day to day management by
walking around.
continuation
• In gathering performance data, an organisation needs to consider
which method of performance appraisal is most suitable for providing
valid and reliable performance information
• An objective setting approach would typically appraise individual in
terms of their attainment of the objectives agreed to, through, for
example management by objectives approach
• Customer can also be involved in rating the individual performance
and this introduces the idea of a 350-degree appraisal
• Read page 293 - 297
Step 4 meeting to review performance

• In this meeting the past performance is reviewed on the basis of

assessment data and new objectives are agreed to for the next
performance cycle. Here the focus is on the review of the
performance.
• The process on page(298) need to be followed:
• E.g. both parties should be prepared for the interview ( the
manager/rater and the employee)
• Manager should put employee at ease
• There should be a discussion of the strategic objectives of the business
• Provide employee with the feedback etc.
Managing poor performance
It should include at least the following steps
• Step 1: agree that there is a problem and what the problem is
• Identify and reach mutual agreement that there is a performance
problem
• This problem may be insufficient or inconsistent performance in terms
of the agreed objectives and standard
• Sufficient evidence of performance problem should be provided.
Step 2: Explore and identify reasons
• Encourage the employee to open up, identify the reasons and causes
of the performance problem, but do not attach blame to anyone.
• Question whether it is an ability problem, a motivational problem, or
lack of organisational support
• If it is a personal problem affecting the individual’s work performance,
consider counseling the person.
• The manager should be able to distinguish between the reasons
provided by the individual employee and the actual causes of the
problem.
Step 3: Agree on corrective action

• This will depend on the cause/s of the

performance problem, if it is the ability
problem training and development maybe
an option. Other option including
redesigning the job around the person’s
ability, transferring the person to a job more
suited to the individual’s ability.
Step 4: Implement corrective action
• This may involve making arrangements for training or additional
resources depending on the reason for poor performance and the
agreed-upon or most appropriate action.
Step 5: Monitor progress
• Depending on the corrective action, the individual progress needs to
be monitored and feedback needs to be provided to the person. It is
also important to empower staff to monitor their own performance
and to identify further action that could remedy their poor
performance.
Steps in the counseling employees for
performance
• Step 1: Identifying and exploring the problem
• Here the manager aims to get the employee to talk about the
problem, and this is sometimes all that is needed. The idea is that
people need to verbalise or explain their problem – not only to the
manager, but also to themselves – for the purpose of clarifying and
defining the problem
• Openly explain, sensitive in nature
• Create stress free environment, she will explain her problem in
confidence
Step 2: Understanding the problem
• This stage is about moving the employee forward and helping him or
her to visualise a positive future. Whereas in the first stage the
employee does most of the talking, here the manager starts to
influence the employee and assists the employee in making what was
implicit more explicit. The idea is that the employee is able to think
about the problem and to see possible solutions to it.
• Manager uses his understanding of the problem,
• listen with the idea of moving forward by challenging, confronting,
probing, encouraging etc.
Step 3: Action planning
• In this stage the manager becomes more active. The manager
proactively assists the employee in setting out a plan of what needs to
be done to manage the problem and how it needs to be done. it is
important, though, that the employee accepts responsibility not only
for the problem but also for managing the problem. It starts with
exploring options, then sorting through and evaluating the options,
deciding what can be done to make options work, and finally how to
evaluate progress by setting objectives and follow-up dates. At this
stage, the employee may need coaching in decision-making or
problem solving techniques. A record of the counseling session must
be kept.
Step 4: Managing the problem
• The employee returns to the work content and begins to implement
the actions decided upon in the meeting with the manager. The
manager must ensure that he or she is available to provide support
when and if the employee needs it. It may also be that the manager
should take certain actions to ensure that the employee’s actions
lead to the desired outcome.
Criteria for an effective compensation system
• Adequate: how much should a particular employee be paid?
The answer to this question is influenced by external factors,
such as government or industry minimum wage
determinations and collective bargaining and agreements at
the sector level, as well as internal factors, such as job
requirements, organisational strategy, and the financial
position of the business- what the business can afford to pay.
A basic question is whether the rate of pay is going to be
above, below , at the prevailing market rate.
Equitable ( when someone is treated fairly
and equally) PAY EQUITY
• Each person should be paid fairly, in line with the
job requirement and his or her efforts, abilities
and skills , as well as in relation to other jobs in
the organisation and the external job market
(see equity theory of motivation ).
Balanced
• What is the best mix of extrinsic rewards(monetary
rewards such as basic pay and benefits) , intrinsic
rewards ( such as the challenge that the job itself
provides) , and incentives? These components of the
total compensation system should provide a
reasonable package.
Cost-effective
• Given that the wage bill is usually the largest
expenditure item of an oganisation, the pay
policy should take into account what the
business can afford. It should, however, still
attract and retain competent staff.
Performance-related
• Pay can motivate effective and productive work.
How should achievement be rewarded, and
what role should incentive and bonus schemes
play?
Acceptable to the employee
• The employee should understand the pay system
and feel that it is a reasonable and equitable
system for the enterprise and him- or herself.
This can be clarified in the selection interview.
Factors that influence difference between
individual
1. Demographic factors– they are individual differences that can influence a
person’s behaviour
- They include socio-economic background, ethnicity, age, race, sex, gender, marital
status, nationality, and level of education.
- These factors are objective, and are more readily available and easier to define
than other independent variables on the individual level
2. Abilities and skills – Ability is innate or learned. It refers to an individual’s
intellectual or physical capacity to perform the various mental or physical task in
specific job.
- Skills refers to task related competences such as the skills to operate a welder on
the assemble line, but often used interchangeably with ability, they affect an
employees ‘s performance and job satisfaction
3. Personality – it is the heart of individual differences, some people may be
passive and quiet, while others are aggressive and load. It is influenced by
hereditary, cultural, and environmental factors moderated by situational conditions.

• Five dimension of personality

- Extrovertion – the degree to which someone is sociable, outgoing,
assertive, talkative, and expressive. Introverts tend to be reserved, shy
and quiet.
- Emotional adjustment- the degree to which someone is emotionally
stable, non-depressed, secure, and content. Individuals low on this
dimension tend to be anxious, and insecure.
- Agreeableness- the degree to which someone is courteous, trusting,
good nurtured, tolerant, cooperative, and forgiving. People low on
this dimension tend to be antagonistic and disagreeable.
CONTINUATION
- Conscientiousness- someone is dependable, organized, persevering,
thorough and achievement oriented. Those low on this tend to be
unreliable and disorganised
- Inquisitiveness- someone is curious, imaginative, artistic, sensitive,
broadminded, and playful, those low on this prefer the familiar and
conventional
Specific personality characteristics
• Locus of control-. individual with an internal locus of control believe that
they are in charge of and control their own fate, while those with external
locus of control believe that what happens to them in their lives is due to
outside forces such as luck or chance.
• Self-esteem- individual differ in the degree to which they like or dislike
themselves, those with high self-esteem believe in their ability to succeed.
• Machiavellianism- ability to which an individual manipulates and abuses
power
• Self-monitoring- ability to adjust your behavior to the situation
• Type A and B personality- type A tend to be excessively competitive and type
B is opposite.
Personality testing
• Personality testing in the workplace is controversial, and is prohibited
in terms of the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998 unless the test
being used:
- Has been scientifically shown to be valid and reliable
- Can be applied fairly to all employees and
- Is not biased against any particular employee group
learning
• Lifelong human process, a good deal of the way
in which people behave is learned, learning
entails a relatively permanent change in
behavior, which results from the influence of
external stimuli on the inherent, genetic
disposition of the individual.
Important aspects of human learning to
consider when wanting to change behavior
- Learning is a shared experience – we learn when we become actively
involved in discussions with others relevant to the learning experience
- People learn from observing the behavior of others – role modeling is
important, people pick up bad and good behavior/practices from
others
- People learn from observing what happens to others when they
behave in a particular way
continuation
- People learn from the direct experience of actively doing something –
opportunities for learning on the job need to be provided.
- Individual can learn a conditioned response, in that a particular
stimulus can trigger behaviour
- Behaviour is also a function of its consequences ( positive and
negative reinforcement)
continuation
- People must be motivated to learn
- Not everyone learn at the same pace, learners may prefer one style of
learning over another e.g.
Divergent – learn through being involved in concrete experience
Assimilative – learning occurs through reflective observation of ideas
and situation
Convergence – prefer to learn through abstract conseptualisation
(thinking and formulating general theory)
continuation
Accommodative – they learn through the active experimentation and
testing of ideas
Number of internal factors influence learning, such as perception,
ability levels, attitude and motivation
External factors also affect learning, such as rewards, punishment,
relationship with others, and the environment
perception
• Individual receive information from the world using their five senses
of sight, smell, touch, taste, and hearing. Perception is the cognitive
process by which an individual organises and gives meaning to
sensory input from the environment. This meaning is then regarded
as reality for the individual, and influences the way individual
responds.
attitudes
• Attitudes are learned throughout life. They are linked to values and
beliefs, they form an intrinsic part of personality, and they influence
an individual response to people, objects, and situations
Reasons why people choose to leave an organisation( staff
retention and turnover(the rate at which employees leave a
workforce and are replaced))
• Various characteristics of an organisation – including what they pay,
working conditions, opportunities for promotion, the quality of
supervision, peer group relations and so forth
• The attractiveness of the alternative job will be affected by the existing
labour market conditions
• Combination of individual factors contributes to the individual
satisfaction with his current circumstances, this include personal
characteristics such as age, educational qualifications, family
responsibilities, and personality; as well as individual occupational
characteristics such as seniority in the organisation, occupational
background and skill level. Page 172 - 174