Employee Selection

Introduction: Selection is the process of making a “hire” or “no hire” decision regarding
each applicant for a job. The process typically involves determining the characteristics
required for effective job performance and then measuring applicants on those
characteristics. The characteristics required for effective job performance are typically
based on a job analysis.

Definition:
“Selection process is a series of specific steps used to decide which recruits should be
hired.”
Or
“Selection is the process of choosing individuals, who have needed qualities to fill jobs in
an organization.”
• The process begins when recruits apply for employment and ends with the hiring
decision.
• Employment function: recruiting and selection are combined and called the
employment function.

• Selection ratio:
A selection ratio is the relationship between the number of applicants hired and the total
number of applicants available.

Selection ratio = Number of applicants hired

Total number of applicants

• Selection Process Challenges:

 Determining which characteristics that differentiate people are most
important to performance
 Measuring those characteristics
 Evaluating applicants’ motivation level
 Deciding who should make the selection decision

Types of Errors in selection decision:

1. False – negative errors:

“The process eliminates people who would have performed well”
2. False – positive errors:
“ People will be hired who fail.”

1
Steps involved in Selection Process:

• The selection process typically consists of eight steps:

1. Initial screening interview
2. Completion of the application form
3. Employment tests
4. Comprehensive interview
5. Reference & Background investigation
6. Conditional job offer
7. Medical/physical exam
8. Supervisory interview
9. Permanent job offer

2
1. Initial screening:
• The first step in the selection process whereby job inquiries are sorted.
• Involves two step procedure
 Screening inquiries
 Screening interviews.
• Eliminate some of these respondents based on job description and job specification
because candidates lack adequate or appropriate experience, or adequate or
appropriate education.
• Job description information is shared that frequently encourages the unqualified or
marginally qualified to voluntarily withdraw from candidacy with minimum cost to
the applicant or the organization.
• Salary range is also identify at the initial screening stage because most workers are
concerned about their salaries, even if a job opening sounds exciting, a low salary
may drive away excellent talent.

2. Completion of the application form:

• After completion of initial screening, applicants are asked to complete the
organization’s application form, company specific form used to generate specific
information the company wants.
• Application form gives a job-performance-related synopsis of what applicants have
been doing, their skills and accomplishments.
• Applicants require a signature attesting to the truthfulness of the information given
and giving permission to check references.
• On the basis application form information individuals may be rejected for two
reasons:
o If the job requires following directions, job related, and the individual fails
to do so on the application.
o The company find out the information is false.
Key Issues
• Omit items, which are not job-related; e.g., sex, religion, age, national origin, race,
color, and disability.
• Typically includes “employment-at-will” statement, indicates the right of the
employer or employee to terminate the employment relationship without cause or
notice
• References contacts: Asks for permission to check work references.
• Employment testing: Notifies applicants of required drug tests, physical exams, or
other tests.
• Application time limits: Indicates how long the application will remain active.
• Information Falsification: Indicates that false information is grounds for termination.

Successful applications
• Information collected on application forms can be highly predictive of successful job
performance.

3
 • Forms must be validated and continuously reviewed and updated.
• Data should be verified through background investigations.

3. Employment test:
• Employment tests are devices that assess the match between applicants and job
requirements.
• Estimates say 60% of all organizations use some type of employment tests.
a. Performance simulation tests: requires the applicant to engage in specific job
behaviors necessary for doing the job successfully.
• Meets the requirement of job relatedness because they are made up of actual job
behaviors.
b. Work sampling: Job analysis is used to develop a miniature replica of the job on
which an applicant demonstrates that he/she possess the necessary talents and
his/her skills by actually doing the tasks.
• Desired work samples based on job analysis data determine the knowledge, skills, and
abilities needed for each job, and each work sample element is matched with a
corresponding job performance element.
• Advantages:
 Job samples are essentially identical to job content.
 Better predictor of short-term performance.
 Minimize the discrimination.
• Disadvantages:
 Difficulty in developing good work samples for each job.
 Not applicable to all levels of the organization e.g. managerial jobs.

c. Assessment centers: A facility where performance simulation tests are

administered.
• These include a series of tests and exercises, including individual and group
simulation tests, are used to assess managerial potential or other complex sets of skills
for selection, development, and performance appraisals.

• Testing in a global arena: Selection practices must be adapted to cultures and

regulations of host country.
• Considerable care must be taken in testing the foreign nationals whether they are
applying for a job in the home country or elsewhere.
 Test may have cultural biases, including slang terms that are unfamiliar.
 Laws in other countries may prevent some types of testing.
 Because of cultural differences, social standing, or political connections,
taking a test may be seen as insult.

• Testing tools: Many employment tests exist, but each type of test has only limited
usefulness. The exact purpose of a test, its design, its directions for administration,

4
 and its applications are recorded in the test manual, which should be reviewed before
a test is used.
i. Psychological tests: measure personality or temperament.
ii. Knowledge tests: determine the information or knowledge.
iii. Performance tests: measure the ability of applicants to do some parts of the
work for which they are to be hired.
iv. Attitude and honesty tests: are used in some circumstances to learn about the
attitudes of applicants and employees toward a variety of job-related subjects.

4. Comprehensive interview

• HRM interviewers, senior managers within the organization, a potential supervisor,

potential colleagues, or some or all of these may interview the applicant.
• The selection interview is a formal, in-depth conservation conducted to evaluate an
applicant’s acceptability.
• The interviewer seeks to answer broad questions:
 Can the applicant do the job?
 Will the applicant do the job?
 How does the applicant compare with others who are being considered for
the job?
• Most widely used selection technique or universal selection tool.
• Interviews involve a face-to-face meeting with the candidate to probe areas not
addressed by the application form or tests.

• Advantages:
 Flexibility of interviews
 Can be adapted to unskilled, skilled, managerial, and staff employees.
 Allows a two-way exchange of information: interviewers learn about the
applicant, and applicant learns about the employer.
Types of interviews:
a. Individuals interview: also called one-to-one interviews, between the applicant
and the interviewer.
b. Group interview: variations of group interviews take place in three forms:
 Panel interview: is an example of group interview, where several
interviewers are involved that interviews an applicant at once. Which
allows all the interviewers to evaluate the individual on the same
questions and answers.
 Another variation is to have two or more applicants be interviewed
together by one or more interviewers. It saves time and permits the
answers and interactions of different applicants to be compared
immediately.

Different combinations of interviewers and applicants:

Number of Interviewers Number of Applicants

Individual Interview

5
 1 1

Group Interview
2 or more 1
1 2 or more
2 or more 2 or more

There are other different interview formats on the basis of questions that can be asked
during interviews.

a. Unstructured Interviews/ Non directive interview:

• Allows employment specialist to develop questions as the interview proceeds
and interviewers go into topic areas as they arise, try to simulate a friendly
conversation.
• Applicants are queried using questions that are developed from the answers to
previous questions.
• Disadvantages:
 Lacks the reliability because each applicant is asked different series of
questions.
 May overlook the key areas of the applicant’s skills or backgrounds.
 Possibility of not obtaining needed information.
 Information obtained may not be job-related or comparable to that
obtained from other applicants.

b. Structured interviews:
• Uses a set of standardized or fixed questions asked of all job applicants to
assess job related attributes.
• The structured interview is based directly on a thorough job analysis. It
applies a series of job-related questions with predetermined answers
consistently across all interviews for a particular job.
• Useful for initial screening and comparisons
• Benefits
 Obtains consistent information needed for selection decision
 More reliable and valid than unstructured ones
 Best for determining organizational fit, motivation and interpersonal
skills.
 Especially useful for high-turnover jobs and less routine ones.
 Meets EEO guidelines for the selection process

c. Mixed interviews:
• A blend of structured and unstructured questions.
 Structured questions provide base information that allows comparisons
between candidates;
 Unstructured questions make the interview more conversational and
permit greater insights into the unique differences between applicants.

6
d. Situational Interviews:
• Follow a predetermined pattern that identifies both questions and expected
responses.
• Applicants are asked how they would respond to a specific job situation
related to the content of the job they are seeking.

e. Behavioral interviews:
• Candidates are observed not only for what they say, but how they behave.
• Focuses on a problem or hypothetical situation that the applicant is asked to
solve, where both the answer and the approach are evaluated.
• Applicants are asked to give specific examples of how they have performed a
certain task or handled a problem in the past.
• Helps discover applicant’s suitability for current jobs based on past behaviors.
• Assumes that applicants have had experience related to the problem.

f. Stress interviews:
• An interview designed to create anxiety and put pressure on an applicant to
see how the applicant will responds to job pressure.
• Consist of series of harsh questions asked in rapid-fire succession and in an
unfriendly manner.
• Reliability and validity are hard to demonstrate, since job stress may differ
from the stress posed in the interview.

Interview effectiveness:
• Often are expensive, inefficient, and not job-related.
• Possible biases with decisions based on interviews include prior knowledge
about the applicant, stereotypes, and interviewee order.
• Impression management, or the applicant’s desire to project the “right” image,
may skew the interview results.
• Interviewers have short and inaccurate memories: note taking and videotaping
may help.

Effective interviewing:
Conducting an Effective Interview
– Planning the interview
– Controlling the interview
– Using proper questioning techniques
Question types to avoid in interviews
– Yes/No questions
– Obvious questions
– Questions that rarely produce a true answer
– Leading questions
– Illegal questions
– Questions that are not job related

7
8
The interview process:
The interview process has sequential steps include:
i. Interviewer preparation:
• Review the application and job description information to prepare specific
question before beginning the interview. Answer to these questions determines
the applicant’s suitability.
• Interviews help persuade to applicants to accept subsequent job offers,
interviewers need to e able to explain job duties, performance standards, pay,
benefits, and other areas of interest.
ii. Creation of rapport:
• Beginning the interview on time and starting with non-threatening questions
aid rapport.
• The interviewer may use the body language to help relax the applicant. A
smile, handshake, a relaxed posture, and the moving aside of paperwork- all
communicate without words.
iii. Information exchange:
• The interview process is a conservation in which information is exchanged.
• Asking by interviewee if the applicant have any questions that establishes
two-way communication and allows the interviewer to begin judging the
recruit by the type of questions asked.
• Interviewer will ask the questions in a way that elicit as much information as
possible.
• Questions that begin with “how”, “what”, “why”, “compare”, “describe”,
“expand”, or “could you tell me more about” are more likely to elicit an open
response.
• Questions that can be answered with a simple yes or no don’t give the
interviewer much information.
• Interviewer may want more specific information about the applicant’s
background, skills and interest.
iv. Termination:
• As the list of questions and available time ends, the interviewer must draw the
session to close.
• An interview session may close through many ways that include:
 Nonverbal communication- sitting erect, glancing at a watch or clock,
 Asking from interviewee, do you have any final questions?

9
 • Interviewer notifies the applicant that they wait for a call or letter.
• Interviewer should not give any positive indication of applicant’s prospects for
getting job because not only a subsequent candidate look better, but
subsequent steps in selection process may cause final selection decision to be
much more different from the way it might appear at the end of interview.
v. Evaluation:
• Immediately after the interview ends, the interviewer should record specific
answers by and general impressions about the candidate.
• A checklist is provided to interviewers that improve the reliability of the
interview as a selection technique.

Interviewer Errors:

a. Halo Effect
b. Leading questions
c. Personal biases
d. Interviewer domination
e. Incase of foreign nationals interviewer should not expect similar body language,
expressions, and behaviors. Cultural and behavioral differences may influence the
interviewer’s judgments.

Interviewee Errors:
a. Nervousness
b. Boasting
c. Failure to listen that may result from anxiety about the interview.

5. References and Background Investigation:

• Is the process of verifying information job candidates provide.
• Verify information from the application form is correct or accurate information.
• Typical information verified includes:
–Former employers
–Previous job performance
–Educational accomplishments
–Legal status to work
–Credit references
–Criminal records
References:
a. Personal references –
 Ones that attest to the applicant’s sound character
 Are usually provided by friends, family members.
 Their objectivity and candor are certainly questionable.
 The author of references usually includes only positive points;
therefore theses references are less commonly used.

b. Employment references – discuss the applicant’s work history.

10
 • Negligent hiring liability:
When an employer has failed to properly investigate an employee’s background and that
employee is later involved in wrongful conduct. It assumes that a proper background
check would have uncovered information about the candidate and the candidate would
not have been hired.

• Qualified privilege:
 Employers may discuss employees with prospective employers without
fear of reprisal as long as the discussion is about job-related documented
facts.
 One-third of all applicants exaggerate their backgrounds or experiences.
 A good predictor of future behavior is an individual’s past behavior.

• Background Investigation Methods:

a. Internal investigation: checks former employers, personal references and
possibly credit sources.
b. External investigation: Uses a reference-checking firm that may obtain more
information, while complying with privacy rights

• Documentation, including whom called, questions asked, information

obtained/not obtained, is important in case an employers’ hiring decision is later
challenged, therefore supporting documentation is invaluable.

6. Conditional job offer:

• Offers of employment made contingent upon successful completion of
background check, physical/medical exam, drug test, etc.
• May only use job-related information to make a hiring decision.
• A tentative job offer that becomes permanent after certain after certain conditions
are met.
• It comes from an HRM representative.

7. Medical/ Physical Examination:

• The selection process may include a medical evaluation of the applicant before
the hiring decision is made.
• Americans with Disabilities Act requires that exams be given only after
conditional job offer is made.

• Should be used only to determine if the individual can comply with the essential
functions of the job.
• An examination to determine an applicant’s physical fitness for essential job
performance.
• Jobs that require certain physical characteristics, then may entails a job-related
physical examination.

11
 • Its minimum standards of health exist to enroll in company health and life
insurance programs.
• A company may use this exam to provide a base data incase of an employee’s
future claim of injury on the job.
• Paid by employer.
• Drug Test: the organizations seek to avoid the economic and legal risks associated
with drug users.

8. Supervisory Interview:
• The ultimate responsibility for a newly hired worker’s success falls to the
worker’s immediate supervisor.
• Supervisor is able to evaluate the applicant’s technical abilities.
• Immediate supervisor can often answer the interviewee’s specific job-related
questions with precision.
• The employment function provides a supervisor with the best-prescreened
applicants available. From those two or three applicants, the supervisor decides
whom to hire.
• Benefits:
 The commitment of supervisors is generally higher if they participate in
the selection process.
 When supervisor recommends hiring someone, it creates within the
supervisor a psychological commitment to ensure the employee’s success.

• Realistic Job Preview:

 RJP’ is the process through which a job applicant receives an accurate
picture of the organizational realities of the job.
OR
 RJP’s present unfavorable as well as favorable information about the job
and work settings to applicants before the hiring decision is made.
 May include brochures, films, tours, work sampling, or verbal statements
that realistically portray the job.
 Prevents the development of unrealistic job expectations that cause
disenchantment, dissatisfaction, and turnover in new employees.

 RJP’s reduce the initial surprise of a new job, potential dissatisfaction and
turnover without lowering acceptance rates.
 RJPs are more appropriate when the applicant is not familiar with the job
and least appropriate when expectations about the job are accurate.
9. Job Offers
• Individuals who perform successfully in the proceeding steps are now
eligible to receive the employment offer.
• The offer typically is made by an HRM representative. But actual hiring
decision generally made by the department manager where vacancy exist,
because

12
  The applicant will eventually work for this manager, which
necessitates a good fit between boss and employee.
 If the hiring decision is faulty, the hiring manager has no one else
to blame.
• Candidates not hired deserve the courtesy of prompt notification.
Employment specialists may want to consider rejected applicants for other
openings since these recruits already have gone through the stages of
selection process. Even if no openings are available, the applications of
unsuccessful candidates should be kept on file for future openings.
Retaining these applications can be useful in defending the company
against charges of employment discrimination.
• Guidelines for making a job offer are
 Formalize the offer with a letter to the applicant clearly stating the
terms and conditions of employment.
 Avoid vague, general statements and promises.
 Require return of a signed acceptance of the offer.

The Comprehensive Approach

• Comprehensive selection approach puts applicants through all the steps in
the selection process before making a decision. Final decision is based on
comprehensive evaluation of the results from all stages.
• It overcomes the major disadvantage of the discrete method.
• Assesses both strengths and weaknesses and is considered more realistic.
• More costly because all applicants must go through all screening hurdles.
• Consumes more of the management’s time.
• Demoralize many applicants by building up hope.

Now It’s Up to the Candidate

• The candidate now has to decide whether this is the job for him or her.
• Applicants who are not hired this time will still form an impression about
the company.
• Management should assure the selection process leaves them with a
favorable impression of the company.

Selection for Self-Managed Teams

• Team: interaction of several individuals, coming together as a unified unit.
• If teams are given management responsibilities, it makes sense for them to
select their own members.
• Workers empowered to hire their coworkers. Team members bring to the
selection process varied experiences and backgrounds.
• It enables them to assess applicants’ skills in their field of expertise.
• Team members need training in selection and interviewing techniques.

Selection From a Global Perspective

• Selection criteria for international assignments includes

13
  Interest in working overseas
 Ability to relate to different cultures and environments
 Sensitivity to different management styles.
 Supportiveness of the candidate’s family
• Women executives have done well abroad in Asia and Latin America, despite past
reluctance to assign them to these countries.
• Human resource managers believe that marital stability reduces a person’s
likelihood of returning home early and in many countries enhances the
individual’s social acceptability.
• No only may the candidate’s gender be considered, but also the social
acceptability of single parents, unmarried partners, and blended families.
• Personal factors such as health, background, and education may also be
considered in international placements.

Final Thoughts: Excelling at the Interview

• Suggestions for making your interviews as an applicant successful are:
 Do some homework on the company, its history, markets, financial
situation, and the industry in which it competes.
 Get a good night’s rest the night before.
 Dress appropriately.
 Arrive for the interview a few minutes early.
 Use a firm handshake.
 Maintain good eye contact.
 Sit erect and maintain a good posture.
 Try to relax.
 Be prepared for interview by reviewing a set of questions most
frequently asked by interviewer and develop a rough response.
 To be yourself- don’t give text or recite it from your memory.
 Take the opportunity to have practice interviews.
 Thank the interviewer at the end of the interview and follow up
with a thank you note as little act of courtesy.
Hiring Mistakes

• Failure to identify company needs

 When searching for a job candidate, your company has to clearly define: what
it is you are looking for in terms of skills, character and competency.
– What objective standards must they meet,
– What education should they have,
– What should their prior work experience be and
– What technology should they be able to master?
– What are the short- and long-term needs going to be?
14
• Failure to test their skills
• Hiring out of desperation
• Watch out for infatuation
• Don’t have preconceived ideas and don’t stereotype
• Recommended by a friend
• Blindly promoting from within
• Failure to do extensive background and reference checking
• Failure to recognize that you have made a poor hiring decision

15