Selection

SELECTION

Objectives  Explain the significance of employee selection.  Identify environmental factors that affect the selection process.  Describe the general selection process. Explain the importance of interview

Selection • The process of choosing from a group of applicants the individual best suited for a particular position in an organization • Goal of the selection process is to properly match people with jobs and the organization • Individuals overqualified, underqualified, or do not fit either the job or the organization’s culture, will probably leave the firm

Environmental Factors Affecting the Selection Process • • • • • •

Legal considerations Decision making speed Applicant pool Place of posting Image of the company Demand and supply Human Resources

The Selection Process • Screening interviews • Application blank • Selection tests • Selection interviews • Reference and background checks • Selection decision • Physical examination

Advantages of Selection Tests

• Reliable and accurate means of selecting qualified candidates • Identify attitudes and job-related skills • Deficiencies in other techniques

Characteristics of Properly Designed Selection Tests • Standardization - Uniformity of the procedures and conditions • Objectivity - Everyone scoring a test obtains the same results • Norms - Frame of reference for comparing an applicant's performance with that of others • Reliability - Provides consistent results • Validity - Measures what it is supposed to measure

Types of Selection Tests • Cognitive aptitude • Job Knowledge • Work-sample (simulation) • Personality • Grapho Analysis • Polygraphy

The Employment Interview • Goal-oriented conversation in which interviewer and applicant exchange information • Interview planning • Content of the interview

Interview Planning • Compare application and resume with job requirements • Develop questions related to qualities sought • Step-by-step plan to present position, company, division, and department • Determine how to ask for examples of past applicant behavior, not what future behavior might be

Content of the Interview • Occupational experience • Academic achievement • Interpersonal skills • Personal qualities • Organizational fit • Candidate’s objectives

Types of Interviews • Unstructured (nondirective) • Structured (directive or patterned) • Behavior Description

Unstructured (Nondirective) Interview • Asks probing, open-ended questions • Encourages applicant to do much of the talking • Often time-consuming • Different information from different candidates • Potential legal woes

Structured (Directive or Patterned) Interview • Situational questions • Job knowledge questions • Job-sample simulation questions • Worker requirements questions

Behavior Description Interview

• Find knowledge, skills, abilities and behaviors important for job success • Determine which behavioral questions to ask about particular job to elicit desired behaviors • Develop structured format tailored for each job • Set benchmark responses - examples of good, average and bad answers • Train interviewers

Methods of Interviewing • One-on-one interview - Applicant meets one-on-one with an interviewer • Group interview - Several applicants interact in the presence of one or more company representatives • Board interview - Several of the firm’s representatives interview one candidate • Stress interview - Anxiety is intentionally created • Realistic job previews - Job information is conveyed to the applicant in an unbiased manner

Potential Interviewing Problems • Inappropriate questions • Premature judgments • Interviewer domination • Inconsistent questions • Central tendency

Potential Interviewing Problems • Halo error • Contrast effect • Interviewer bias • Lack of training • Behavior sample • Nonverbal communication

Assessment Centers • Candidates subjected to exercises that simulate actual job tasks • In-basket exercises • Management games • Leaderless discussion groups • Mock interviews • Measures candidates’ skills in prioritizing, delegating and decisionmaking