SELECTION

Lecture 1
HUMAN RESOURCE
MANAGEMENT
SL HR 502

SEMESTER II NOVEMBER, 2008

SURJYA B. GOHAIN
 Selection
 The next step after recruitment is the
selection of candidates for the vacant
positions from among the applicants
 Selection is the process of
– choosing the appropriate candidate
– from the obtained applications
– to match the requirements of the job
A process of matching individual skills
and job requirements
 Goals of Selection
Program

EFFECTIVENESS EFFICIENCY

LEGALLY COMPLIANT
 Selection
 The
goal of selection isn’t always to find applicants
who have the most of a given quality
 Selectionis the search for an optimal match between
the job and the amount of any particular characteristic
that the applicant may possess
 Eg. depending on the job, more intelligence always
isn’t better than less
 Selection
 Challenging to cope with all possible
objectives of a selection system
 One of the initial tasks is to identify
which objective is most important for
its circumstances
 Designof the selection process has to
be based on
– HRP
– Job Analysis
– Job Description
– Job specifications
What is Performance?
 Selection & Performance
 Apartfrom quantity of output, performance
involves
– quality of output
– absenteeism
– cost
– employee satisfaction
– career development
 Hiring decisions affect
– not only the career of the individual
– but also the future of the organization
 Why is selection
important?
 First: your own performance depends
in part on your subordinates
– employees with the right skills and
attributes will do a better job for you and
the company
 Second: it’s costly to recruit and hire
employees
 Third: the legal implications of

incompetent selection (negligent hiring)

 Factors of Selection
Many factors in the external and
internal environment influence
selection
The amount and type of selection
process is influenced by various
internal characteristics, viz.
– size
– complexity
– technological volatility
 Internal Factors
 Development & implementation of
large-scale selection efforts is costly
 Larger organizations with economic
means deploy complex selection
systems
 Sufficient number of job vacancies
are needed to recover the costs of
developing expensive selection
system
 Internal Factors
 In structurally complex organizations
with many job titles but very few
occupants, time needed to recover
the money invested in selection
system may take many years
 Attitude towards hiring from within is
also an important determinant of the
kind of selection system that an
organization develops
 External Factors
 Organizations are subject to the legal
framework of the country
 Size of the labour markets

 Composition of the labour markets

 Availability of local labour markets

 Economic, social, and political

pressures on a community
– when unemployment rates are low, it’s
difficult to identify, attract, hire the no. of
people required
 Selection Ratio
 Effectsof the labour market on
selection decisions can be evaluated
by selection ratio

No. of Applicants Hired

SELECTION RATIO =
Total no. of Applicants
 Selection Ratio
 When the selection ratio gets close to 1:1, it
is called a high selection ratio
– selection process is short & unsophisticated; may
not be effective
 Asthe no. of applicants increases relative to
the no. of hiring, selection ratio is said to be
low (eg. 1:2)
– selection process becomes detailed
– organizations can be more selective in its choice
– more likely to achieve ‘job-fit’
– have to invest more time & money
 Outcomes of Selection
 Four possible outcomes of selection
– two of the possible outcomes have
positive impact on the organizations
– other two have negative effect
 Positive Outcomes
– selecting the right candidate
– rejecting unsuitable candidate
 Negative Outcomes
– selecting an unsuitable candidate
– rejecting the right candidate
 Selection Outcomes
JOB PERFORMANCE

RIGHT CANDIDATE UNSUITABLE

CANDIDATE
Correct
Decision Correct
Decision

UNSUITABLE RIGHT CANDIDATE

CANDIDATE
Wrong Wrong
Decision Decision

ACCEPT REJECT
 Selection Process
 Selection Process depends on
– Organization’s objectives
– Job description: tasks & responsibilities
– Job specification: KSAOs required
 Organizational objectives determine the
recruitment policy and job design
 Job Analysis yields JD & JS

 ‘Competency Modelling’ helps identifying

the KSAO levels needed
 Selection criteria, procedures and
methods are established
 CV Review/ preliminary screening
application blank

Conducting Tests & Evaluating

Performance

Preliminary Interview Background &

Domain Interview Reference Checks

Selection Decision
Job Offer

Physical Examination

Placement
 Selection Process
 In the past selection decisions were
based on the subjective likes &
dislikes of the boss
 Today selection is viewed as much
more than simply relying on intuition
 Selection decision is proceed as a
series of steps through which
applicants pass
 At each step applicants are screened
out, applicants accept other job
offers, are tested & finally placed
 Preliminary Screening
 Job applications are reviewed; those who do
not match the required basic criteria are
rejected
 Applicants have to complete application blanks
 Application blanks ask for enough information
to determine whether the applicant is
minimally qualified for the position
– Personal information
– Educational Qualification
– Work Experience
– Salary
– Personality Items (strength, weakness, career
goals)
– Reference Checks
 This eliminates subsequent interviews to
gather this information
 Preliminary Screening
 Biographical Information Blank
(BIB)
– usually contains many more items than
a typical application blank
– asks for information related to attitudes
and experiences
– based on an assumption that these prior
behaviours & experiences are good
predictors of an applicant’s future
behaviour
 Preliminary Screening
 Weighted Application Blank (WAB)
– an application form designed to be scored more
systematically
– high & low performers who currently work for
the company are compared on a variety of
characteristics (education, years of experience,
etc.) that were known at the time they applied
for the job
– weights are assigned to the degree of
difference on each characteristic
– ‘0’ may be assigned for no difference, +/-1 for
a small difference, +/-2 for a large difference
– weights are then totalled for each applicant and
the one with the highest score is the preferred
choice
 Employment Tests
A mechanism (either a paper-pencil test
or a simulation exercise) that attempts to
measure certain characteristics of
applicants
– skill level
– psychometric test to assist attitudes &
personality
– intelligence, et al
 Very expensive to develop a test & many
employers purchase existing tests
 These devices should be validated before
it is actually used to make selection
decisions
 Employment Tests
 Thetype of test that is ultimately
used will depend on a no. of factors
– budgetary constraints
– complexity & difficulty of the job
– the size & quality of applicants
– KSAOs required by the job
 Intelligence Tests
– logical reasoning, judgement, memory
– general mental ability, GK
– word fluency, verbal comprehension
– numbers, analytical skills
 Employment Tests
 Aptitude tests
– measure an individual’s ability to learn a
given job when given proper training
 Achievement tests
– also termed proficiency or knowledge tests
– measure the job-related proficiency &
knowledge
 Situational tests
– test the applicant’s likely responses to real life
business situations
– include GD, simulated business games, etc
 Employment Tests
 Interest tests
– help in identifying & understanding the degree
of interest of the applicant in a job
– they are generally inventories of the likes &
dislikes of candidates vis a vis
 work, job, occupations, hobbies, recreational
activities
 Personality tests
– are intended to assess an individual’s value
system, emotions, maturity, self confidence,
optimism, decisiveness, other personality traits
– the least reliable of employment tests
 Employment Tests
 Polygraph tests
– test the validity & truthfulness of an
applicant’s answers
– monitors the physical changes in the body as
one answers a series of questions
– law prohibits the use of such tests for normal
employment
 Graphology

– involves examining an individual’s handwriting

to assess personality, emotional
characteristics & honesty
– lines, loops, strokes & curves are examined in
the applicant’s handwriting
 Selection Method
Standards
 Validity

–tests must be valid, or measure

what they are supposed to
measure
 A test should be job related -
performance on a test should be
a valid predictor of subsequent
performance on the job
 Demonstrating a Test’s
Validity
 Criterion Validity
– those who do well on the test also do
well on the job, and those who do
poorly on the test do poorly on the job
 Content Validity
– showing that the test constitutes a fair
sample of the content of a job
 Construct Validity
– Extent to which a selection method
measures the degree of identifiable
characteristics in the candidates
necessary for successful performance of
the job
 Reliability
 Consistency of scores
obtained by the same person
when retested with the
identical tests or with an
equivalent form of a test
Ethical & Legal Questions
in Testing
• Provability that tests were related
to success or failure on the job
• Validity established in one context
can be extended to other primary
context
• Tests should not unfairly
discriminate against anyone
 Interview
 Selection procedure designed to
predict future job performance on the
basis of applicants’ oral responses to
oral inquiries
 Interviews help in assessing the
candidate and validating the
information provided in his application
 Forms a part of the recruitment
process – employer can sell his
organization & the job to the candidate
 Interview
 Interviewer
bias can be a disadvantage in
making selection decisions
– halo effect
– opinion, values, perception of the interviewer
– timing and setting of the interview can also
influence outcome
 Two strategies for making most out of an
interview
– structuring the interview to be reliable and
valid
– training managers to use the best available
interviewing techniques
 Preliminary Interview
 Brief first round interviews that aim to
eliminate the applicants who are
obviously unqualified for the job
 Generally informal and unstructured
interviews
 Conducted even before the candidates
fill in the application blanks
 More obvious facts and information can
be gathered
 Enables managers to quickly evaluate
the candidate
 A deadline for a
project is near and it
A customer comes in looks like you won’t
angry and upset. How meet the deadline.
would you handle this How would you
situation? handle this?

 Selection Interview
– questions focus on the
candidate’s ability to
project what his or
her behavior would be
in a given situation
– KSAOs are evaluated
by line
manager/expert
 Selection Interview
 Non-structured  Structured
– interviewer asks – questions are
questions as specified in
they come to advance
mind – the responses
– no set format to may be rated for
follow appropriateness
– more open of content
ended questions – based on
– candidates are thorough job
more analysis
comfortable
– tend to be more
subjective
 Structured interviews
 Structured interviews are generally more
valid as there’s no scope for subjectivity
 The same set of questions are asked to all
the candidates, which helps in better
evaluation
 Can also help inexperienced interviewers
to ask questions and conduct useful
interviews
 Don’t always leave the flexibility to pursue
points of interest as they develop
 Interview
 In-depth interview
– suitable for high-end technology, high-
skill jobs
– Experts in the relevant area test the
candidate’s knowledge and understanding
of the subject and assess his expertise
 Panel interview

– candidate is interviewed simultaneously

by a group (or panel) of interviewers
– Interviewers can be from various
departments
– Improves cross-functional interactions &
reduces subjectivity
 What is Stress
Interview, Decision-
making Interview?
 How is Group
Interview different
from Panel
Interview?
 Common Interviewing
Mistakes
 Snap Judgments
 Negative Emphasis

 Pressure to Hire

 Candidate Order (Contrast) Error

 Influence of Nonverbal Behavior

 Common Interviewing
Mistakes
 An interviewer should remember to
keep an open mind and consciously
work against being preoccupied with
negative feedback
 Common Interviewing
Mistakes
Not Knowing the Job
 Interviewers who don’t know
precisely
– what the job entails
– what sort of candidate is best suited

usually make decisions based on

incorrect stereotypes
Guidelines for Conducting
Interview
 Plan the Interview
– objectives of the interview -JD & JS
– scan the candidates background and
credentials
– determine the mode of evaluation
 Structure the interview

– assures greater consistency

– helps to ask questions that provide real
insight into how the person will perform
on the job
Guidelines for Conducting
Interview
 Establish Rapport  Make relevant notes
 Be aware of the  Close the interview in
applicant’s status a subtle and smooth
manner avoiding
 Ask more open- embarrassing
ended questions situations
 Avoid hostile  Explain the expected
question and do not course of action,
invade privacy expected date of
 Listen attentively to intimation of the
the answers of the outcome
candidate  Review your
interview notes
 Evaluate immediately
 Standardization of the
Interview
 Base questions on actual job duties
 Use job knowledge, situational, or
behaviorally oriented questions and objective
criteria to evaluate the interviewee’s
responses
 Train interviewers
 Use the same questions with all candidates
 Use rating scales to rate answers
 Use multiple interviewers or panel interviews
 Take brief notes during the interview
 Reference Checks
 Verify the accuracy of factual
information provided by the
applicant
 Uncover damaging background
information, if any (criminal
records, suspended drivers’
licenses, etc)
 Always get at least two forms of
identification and always require
applicants to fill at a job application
 Medical Examination
 In many organizations medical
examination is mandatory
 It is usually mentioned as a clause
in the offer letter
 Clearance of physical examination
is necessary to ensure compliance
with the physical standards
mentioned in JS
 Have to be compliant with the law
 Placement
 After selection, the employee is
inducted into the organization
 Induction involves familiarization
of the new employee with the
– existing employees (colleagues)
– organization
– his job
 Usuallythe employee is put on a
probation period (between 6
months to 2 years)
 Placement
 Upon expiry of the probation period
and based on the employee’s
performance, aptitude and interest,
the organization decides his final
placement
 If the employee’s performance is not
satisfactory his probation period
may be extended or he may be
asked to quit
 If the employee’s performance is
satisfactory, he will be made a
permanent employee