Human Resource Management
Selection Methods
How to provide employees with appropriate skills, competences etc.?
Analysing jobs/roles Sourcing Recruitment Selection Hiring Socializing/training
Employee selection
Selection is the process by which a firm uses specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants a person or persons most likely to succeed in the job(s), given management goals and legal requirements.
The selection methods
Sifting applications: Application forms, CV-s and covering letters Biodata analysis: objective, weighted scoring of biographical data (e.g. sex, age, family background, work experience, leisure interest) Work sample tests Written tests: ability, intelligence, personality, aptitude Interviews:
individual interviews, interview panels, selection boards Structured or general interview
Assessment centres References The final stage: offer a job contract
Accuracy (validity) of selection methods
If perfect prediction is 1.000:
Development centre is 0.650 Work sample test is 0.550 Ability tests are 0.525 Assessment centre is 0.450 Personality tests are 0.425 Bio-data analysis is 0.375 Structured interviews are 0.350 Typical interviews are 0.166 References are 0.133 The use of graphology, astrology not use at all, but harm
The classic trio of selection techniques
Application forms Interviews References
Definition
An interview (conversation with a purpose) with a candidate for a job in which a manager or personnel worker attempts to obtain and assess information about a candidate to make a valid prediction on the candidates future performance in the job. Key questions are:
Can the applicants do the job are they competent? Will the applicants do the job are they motivated? How will they fit into the organization?
Interviews also provide opportunity to exchange information (partly as a marketing tool)
Advantages of interviews
Opportunity of probing questions Realistic job preview: describing the job & organization Enables face-to-face encounters: organization & team fitness Opportunity for candidates to ask Opportunity for candidates to assess the organization
Disadvantages of interviews
Lack of validity & reliability in predicting performance Rely on the skills of the interviewer (and many are poor in interviewing) Do not necessarily assess competence needed by the particular job Possibility of biased and subjective judgements
Alleviation of the disadvantages
Structured interviewing methods Focusing on competencies and attitudes Training the interviewers
Interviewing arrangements
Depends on the procedures used Information to the candidate: where (map?) and when (timing?) to come, whom to ask Inform the reception, security Facilities for waiting and for the interview Interviewers should have been well briefed on the programme Information on the firm, the job, next step of the selection process Follow-up studies (validating the selection, check on the capabilities of the interviewers) Eliminate any form of prejudice Ethical considerations
Preparation
Study the person specification and the informations in the applicants CV, application form, motivational letter Identify those features that are not fully match the specification or should be probed, gaps in job history etc. Timing relates to job seniority & complexity: e.g. 20 to 60 minutes
Planning the interview
Welcome and introductory remarks Obtaining information about the candidate to assess against the person specification (major part 80% of the time) Providing information to the candidate on the organization and the job Answering questions from the candidate Closing (indication of the next step)
Interviewing techniques
Biographical interview:
Chronological order (concentrating on recent experience)
Reference to a person specification:
Knowledge, skill & expertise (what) Personal qualities (how) Qualifications
Reference to assessment headings Structured situation-based (or critical incident) interviews:
Describing a typical situation: how would the candidate deal with it? Follow-up questions All should be job-related (information to both parties)
Structured behaviour (competency) based interviews:
Each question is based on a criterion Asking about past performance to predict future behaviour
Structured psychometric interviews:
Predetermined questions with coded answers Research and training required large numbers
Asking questions
Open questions:
Good for starting but can miss
Probing questions:
To get further details to ensure getting all the information needed
Closed questions:
To clarify a point of fact The reply is a single word or brief sentence
Hypothetical questions Behavioural event questions
Asking questions 2.
Capability questions:
To establish, what candidates know, what skills they possess etc. They are explicit
Questions about motivation:
Best achieved by inference: career, achievements, triumphing over disadvantages, spare time
Continuity questions:
To keep the conversation going, to encourage
Play-back questions: test the interviewers understanding Career questions
Asking questions 3.
Questions about outside interests
Spend not too many time on it Deepr insight into motivation
Questions to be avoided:
Multiple questions Leading questions Discriminatory questions
Interviewing skills
Establishing rapport (good relationship) Listening Maintaining continuity Keeping control (politely) Note talking
Who selects whom?
The interviewee collects information, too Signaling effect: the interviewers, the physical evidences, the methods, fairness, etc. have impact on the interviewee.
Realistic Job Previews
Definition: provide both positive and potentially negative information to job candidates. Rather than trying to sell the job and company by presenting the job opportunity in the most positive light, realistic job previews strive to present an honest and accurate picture. The goal is not to deter candidates by focusing on factors that might be perceived negatively, but to provide objective information that job candidates can use to self-assess their fit with the job and organization. Functions: self-selection, vaccination, commitment to the coice
Copyright 2012 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall
7-20
Selection tests
Psychological tests
These are measuring instruments: psychometric tests The purpose is to provide an objective means of measuring individual characteristics These are more objective and more valid than the interviews A good test is:
Valid (accurate) Reliable Standardized on a representative sample of the relevant population Sensitive: can differentiate applicants
Types of tests
Intelligence (cognitive ability) tests Personality tests Ability tests Aptitude tests Attainment tests
Intelligence tests
Measures general intelligence: the capacity of abstract thinking and reasoning Test scores can be related to norms (population)
Personality tests
Many different tests Five-factors model
Extroversion/introversion Emotional stability Agreeableness (cooperativity) Conscientiousness Openness to experience
Myers Briggs Type Indicator (in the USA) Self-reporting tests
Aptitude tests
Job specific tests that are designed to predict the potential performance of given job tasks E.g. clerical aptitude, mechanical aptitude
Attainment tests
Measuring abilities and skill already acquired E.g. typing test
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