5.1 Meaning of Selection
Selection is the process of matching applicant
qualifications with job requirements to choose the best candidate. *
Selection vs. Recruitment: Recruitment is
positive (increasing the applicant pool), while selection is
negative (rejecting unsuitable candidates). *
Goal: To identify the “right person for the right job”
to avoid wastage of time and resources.
5.2 Significance of Employee Selection
- Productivity: Competent employees directly improve
organizational output.
- Long-term Impact: Hiring decisions are difficult to
reverse; human capital is a primary competitive advantage.
- HR Synergy: Proper selection reduces future
training costs and management issues.
5.3 Environmental Factors Affecting Selection
- Legal Considerations: Compliance with laws,
executive orders, and court decisions.
- Organizational Hierarchy: Higher-level positions
require more intensive screening than entry-level roles.
- Applicant Pool: A small labor market limits choice;
a large pool allows for true selectivity.
- Probationary Period: Acts as a real-world trial to
validate the hiring decision.
5.4 Selection Criteria
Organizations typically evaluate candidates based on four categories:
1. Formal Education: Used as a cost-effective surrogate
to measure cognitive and interpersonal abilities. 2.
Experience/Past Performance: Often the most reliable
predictor of future success. 3. Physical
Characteristics: Must be directly job-related (e.g., eyesight
for pilots) to avoid illegal discrimination. 4.
Personality: Includes traits and background factors
(e.g., marital status, age) only if they are clearly relevant to the
job.
5.5 The Selection Process
The process is a series of “successive hurdles” designed to eliminate
unqualified candidates.
Steps in Selection:
- Application Blank: Collecting basic biographical
and professional data.
- Preliminary Interview: Brief screening to determine
if basic skills match job needs.
- Employment Tests:
- Aptitude/Psychomotor: Learning ability and physical
coordination.
- Job Knowledge/Proficiency: Technical expertise and work
samples.
- Personality/Interest: Traits and professional
preferences.
- Polygraph/Graphology: Honesty and handwriting analysis
(less common).
- Secondary Interview: In-depth evaluation (see types
below).
- Reference Checks: Verifying history with previous
employers or institutions.
- Selection Decision: Final approval by the
department executive.
- Physical Examination: Ensuring fitness for duty and
recording health status for liability.
- Reviewing the Process: Evaluating the
cost-effectiveness and quality of the hiring cycle.
Types of Interviews
- Structured: Predetermined questions; highly
reliable.
- Semi-structured: Major questions planned, but
allows for probing.
- Unstructured: Spontaneous and conversational; high
risk of bias.
- Stress: Deliberately creates tension to see how
candidates react.
- Depth: Exhaustive life history; typically used for
executive selection.
Common Interview Errors
- Halo Effect: One strong trait (or the order of
candidates) influencing the overall rating.
- Similarity Bias: Favoring candidates who share
traits with the interviewer.
- Snap Judgments: Making a decision in the first few
minutes.
- Negative Emphasis: Allowing one small flaw to
overshadow many strengths.