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SelectionBryan Andrews

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The Selection Process

Begins when recruits apply for employment and ends with the hiring decision.

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Strategic Significance of the Selection Function

• Successful execution of an organization’s strategy depends on the calibre of its employees

• An organization’s selection decisions must reflect job requirements

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Strategic Significance of the Selection Function

• Selection strategy should recognize organizational constraints

• Selection strategy should recognize labour market realities

• Selection strategy should be ethical

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Steps in the Selection Process

• Preliminary reception of applicants

• Review of application blanks/screening interviews

• Administration of employment tests

• Verification of references

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Steps in the Selection Process

• Employment interviews

• Realistic job previews

• Medical evaluation

• Hiring decision

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Validity

• Validity requires that the test scores significantly relate to job performance or some other relevant criterion.

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Reliability

• Reliability means that the test yields consistent results.

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Usefulness of Application Forms

A well designed application form, among other things, will:

• Collect specific information about applicant’s past work experience in similar and related jobs

• Collect information on applicant’s educational background summarizing key competencies and job relevant skills

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Usefulness of Application Forms

• Collect information on applicant’s special training or unique skills/competencies

• Help identify gaps and unaccounted for time in the record

• Help summarize the overall direction and consistency in the applicant’s career progression

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Usefulness of Application Forms

• Provide insights into applicant’s motivation indicating whether the energies are all focused in one direction or diffused in several directions

• Avoid illegal, unethical, and personally intrusive questions

• Assess the applicant’s overall leadership qualities and outside interests

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Usefulness of Application Forms

• Reveal potential problem areas such as language deficiency, inability to travel, and ethical concerns, (e.g. if the applicant is currently working for a competitor in a sensitive area)

• Indicates how the applicant introduces innovative practices on the job

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Employment Interview

The employment interview is a formal, in-depth conversation conducted to evaluate the applicant’s acceptability.

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Employment Interview

• An interview allows

•a personal impression.

•assessing a candidate’s ability to perform well on the job

•to make a match between the person’s personality and the team

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Employment Interview

• An interview offers the firm an opportunity to

• sell a job and the company to a candidate.

• explain the employment policies, compensation, flexible work arrangements, career opportunities and overall quality of worklife

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Types of Interview

• Unstructured interviews

• Structured interviews

• Mixed interviews

• Behavioural description interviews

• Stress-producing interview

• Computer-assisted interviews

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Stages in the Typical Employment Interview

Interviewer Preparation

Creation of Rapport

Termination

Information Exchange

Evaluation

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Interviewer Errors• Halo Effect

Interviewers who use limited information about an applicant to bias their evaluation of that person’s other characteristics are subject to the halo effect. In other words, some information about the candidate erroneously plays a disproportionate part in the final evaluation of the candidate.

Examples:

An applicant who has a pleasant smile and a firm handshake is considered a leading candidate before the interview begins.

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Interviewer Errors• Leading questions

Interviewers who “telegraph” the desired answer by the way they frame their questions are using leading questions.

Examples:

“Do you think you’ll like this work?”

“Do you agree that profits are necessary?”

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Interviewer Errors• Stereotypes

Interviewers who harbour prejudices against specific groups are exhibiting a personal bias based on stereotypical thinking.

Example:

“I prefer to hire older male waiters.”

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Interviewer Errors• Interviewer domination

Interviewers who use the interview to oversell the applicant, brag about their successes, or carry on a social conversation instead of an interview are guilty of interviewer domination.

Examples:Spending an entire interview telling the applicant about the company plans and benefits.

Using the interview to tell the applicant how important the interviewer’s job is.

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Role Play

The Interview