EMPLOYEE SELECTION

1. EMPLOYEE SELECTION Human Resource Management Chapter 7

2. Objectives • Explain strategic selection. • Understand the need for validation of employee selection procedures. • Describe sone of the major research findings on selection. • Evaluate the use of psychological tests in selection • Appreciate the factors that make for successful selection interviewing. • Discuss two approaches to making the selection decision.

3. What is Selection? • The hiring and retention of key human resources • Choosing the right people for the right job

4. Strategic Selection • The linking of selection activities to the organization’s strategic business objectives and culture. • An organisation’s ultimate success depends on the best applicants being selected. • Jobs and people must be matched to ensure employee satisfaction and organisational effectiveness.

5. The Cost of a Poor selection Decision DIRECT COSTS Employee may not complete probationary period Re-advertising costs  Panel time and effort  Personnel staff time and effort INDIRECT COSTS • Disruption to work routines  Frustration  Quality issues  Colleague investment • Loss of investment • Difference in performance level • Optimum level performance sought • - Marginal performance achieved =Performance gap

6. Selection Policy • Selection decisions must accord with organisational policy • Issues to be considered include: - Equal employment opportunity - Quality of people - Source of people - Management roles - Selection techniques

7. Selection Policy Equal employment opportunity - Means giving people a fair chance to succeed without discrimination based on unrelated job factors such as age, race, sex or nationality Quality of people: how would the “suitability” of candidates be measured? Source of people: Internal/external/domestic/international people Management roles: Who make final decision on hiring? Role of HRM? Selection techniques: interviews/tests/medical examination? Legal issues: licensed person for the professional? Costs: Budget? Which department is responsible for the costs?

8. TYPICAL SELECTION STEPS IN LARGE ORGANISATIONS 1 Reception of applicant 2 Preliminary interview 3 Application form 4 Tests 5 Interviews 6 Background investigations 7 Preliminary screening by human resource department 8 Final selection by line managers 9 Medical examination 10 Placement on the job

9. Application Form and EEO Requirements (Questions not to ask) Questions not to ask on an application form: • Marital status • sex • Age • Residential status • National or ethnic origin • Photographs • Race or colour • Relatives

10. Tests • Employment tests: assess the match between applicant and job requirements • Interest tests: compare applicant’s interest patterns with successful people in a particular job • Aptitude tests: measure special abilities that are required in specific jobs • Intelligence tests: measure an applicant’s intelligence or ‘IQ’ • Personality tests: measure basic aspects of a person’s personality

11. Testing and EEO • Tests must be proven as being able to predict job performance • Tests must not discriminate • Tests must be job related

12. Selection Interviews • Selection interviews confirm/reject information in the application BUT… • The selection interview is a subjective process and prone to • bias • stereotypes • initial impressions • poor memory

13. How to interview successfully • Know the job • Know the personal attributes, experience, skills and qualifications • Set specific objectives • Provide the proper setting for the interview • Review the application form or résumé • Beware of prejudices • Don’t make snap decisions

14. How to interview successfully (cont) • Put the applicant at ease • Watch the body language • Encourage the applicant to do most of the talking • Keep control of the interview • Explain the job • Close the interview • Write up the interview • Check references • Evaluate the interview

15. Listening There are three types of listening • Listening to understand • Listening to empathise • Listening to evaluate • Listening is not easy. Many learn to be passive listeners, merely accepting what is said. This is not good enough for an interviewer.

16. Non-Verbal Actions • Non-verbal actions complement words, add meaning and feelings • Non-verbal actions may be used instead of words. Silence is not a void that has to be filled. • Non-verbal actions may contradict words, convey a different message from what is being said. • Some non-verbal may give a positive or negative impression. Some examples of non-verbal interactions: • Head nods, shakes • Facial expressions • Voice inflection • Posture

17. Interview Questions Questions should be clear and concise, should follow a natural conversational sequence, and be in words the candidate can understand.

18. Questions Types of Questions to Use • Open questions - those requiring more than one word answers • Closed questions - when you want specific information, or wish to limit or close discussion of a topic, eg, How many? How long? When? • Comparative questions - these save time and also give assessment information, eg, ‘Which job did you prefer?’; then ‘Why?’ or ‘How do/did these two jobs differ?’

19. Types of Questions to Avoid 1 Vague or Ambiguous: eg, ‘How did you find that job?’ 2 Direct: eg, ‘I take it you are good with people?’ 3 Double or Triple: eg, ‘What made you choose that job, how did you like it; was it all you had hoped it would be?’ Ask one question at a time, using the others as supplementary questions if necessary. 4 Leading or Loaded: eg, ‘When are you going to settle down to a real career?’ 5 Trick Questions: These could land you in trouble and make you look foolish, with no useful knowledge gained in the process.

20. Other Selection Techniques • Biographical information blank (BIB) • Panel interviews • Group interviews • Computer interviewing • Video interviewing • Assessment centres • The polygraph • Honesty tests • Graphology