SELECTION

INTRODUCTION
• Human resource selection is the process of choosing qualified
individuals who are available to fill positions in an organization.

• In the ideal personnel situation, selection involves choosing the

best applicant to fill a position.

• Selection is the process of choosing people by obtaining and

assessing information about the applicants with a view to
matching these with the job requirements
.
• It involves a careful screening and testing of candidates who
have put in their applications for any job in the enterprise.

• It is the process of choosing the most suitable persons out of all

the applicants
 INTRODUCTION

• It can be conceptualised in terms of either choosing the fit

candidates, or rejecting the unfit candidates, or a
combination of both.

• Selection involves both because it picks up the fits and

rejects the unfits. In fact, in Indian context, there are
more candidates who are rejected than those who are
selected in most of the selection processes.

• Therefore, sometimes, it is called a negative process in

contrast to positive programme of recruitment.
 DEFINITION

According to Dale Yoder, “Selection is the process in which candidates for

employment are divided into two classes-those who are to be offered
employment and those who are not”.

According to Thomas Stone, “Selection is the process of differentiating

between applicants in order to identify (and hire) those with a greater
likelihood of success in a job”.

In the words of Michael Jucius, “The selection procedure is the system of

functions and devices adopted in a given company for the purpose of
ascertaining whether or not candidates possess the qualifications called for by
a specific job or for progression through a series of jobs.”

According to Keith Davis, “Selection is the process by which an organisation

chooses from a list of screened applicants, the person or persons who best
meet the selection criteria for the position available.
 RECRUITMENT SELECTION
The basic objective of recruitment
Difference in is to attract maximum number of The basic objective of selection is to
Objective candidates so that more options choose best out of the available
are available candidates
Recruitment adopts the process Selection adopts the process through
of creating application pool as which more and more candidates are
large as possible and therefore. It rejected and fewer candidates are
Difference is
is known as positive process selected or sometimes even not a single
Process
candidate is selected. Therefore, it is
known as negative process or rejection
process
Recruitment techniques are not In selection process, highly specialised
very intensive, and not require techniques are required
Technical high skills. As against this Therefore, in the selection process, only
Differences personnel with specific skills like expertise
in using selection tests, conducting
interviews, etc., are involved
The outcome of recruitment is The outcome of selection process is in the
Difference in
application pool which becomes form of finalising candidates who will be
Outcomes
input for selection process. offered jobs
Selection Process
1. Preliminary Interview: The purpose of this interview is to scrutinize the applicants, i.e.
elimination of unqualified applications

2. Application Blank or Application Form: An application blank is a traditional widely

accepted device for getting information from a prospective applicant which will enable
the management to make a proper selection. The blank provides preliminary
information as well as aid in the interview by indicating areas of interest and discussion.

3. Selection Tests: Different types of selection tests may be administrated, depending on

the job and the company. Generally tests are used to determine the applicant’s ability,
aptitude, and personality

4. Employment Interview: The next step in the selection process is employment interview,
an interview is conducted at the beginning, and at the selection process of the
employment interview can be one- to-one interview or panel interview.

5. Reference and Background Checks: Many employers request names, address, telephone
numbers or references for the purpose to verify information and gaining additional
background information of an applicant.

6. Selection Decision: Selection decision is the most critical of all steps in selection process.
The final decision has to be made from the pool of individuals who pass the tests,
interviews and references checks
 1.Preliminary interview

❑ Preliminary interview is a sorting process in which the

prospective candidates are given the necessary information
about the nature of the job and the organisation.

❑ Necessary information is obtained from the candidates about

their education, skills, experience, expected salary etc.

❑ If the candidate is found suitable, he is elected for further

screening.
 2 Application Blank or Application Form:

❑ An application blank is a traditional widely accepted device for

getting information from a prospective applicant which will enable
the management to make a proper selection.

❑ The blank provides preliminary information as well as aid in the

interview by indicating areas of interest and discussion.
 Many types of application forms, sometimes very long and comprehensive
and sometimes brief, are used. Information is generally taken on the
following items:

(a) Biographical Data: Name, father’s name, data and place of birth, age, sex,
nationality, height, weight, identification marks, physical disability, if any,
marital status, and number of dependants.

(b) Educational Attainment: Education (subjects offered and grades

secured), training acquired in special fields and knowledge gained from
professional/technical institutes or through correspondence courses.
(c) Work Experience: Previous experience, the number of jobs held with
the same or other employers, including the nature of duties, and
responsibilities and the duration of various assignments, salary
received, grades, and reasons for leaving the present employer.

(d) Salary and Benefits: Present and expected.

(e) Other Items: Names and addresses of previous employers,

references, etc. An application blank is a brief history sheet of an
employee’s background and can be used for future reference, in case
needed
The application blank must be designed from the viewpoint of the applicant as
well as with the company’s purpose in mind.

❑ Application form helps to serve many functions like:

❖ Reference checking, good interviewing, and correlation with testing data

❖ Weed out candidates who are lacking in education, experience or some

other eligibility traits.

❖ Formulating questions to be asked in the interview.

❖ Data contained in application form can be stored for future reference

❖ Candidate’s ability to write, to organize his thoughts, and to present facts

clearly and succinctly.

❖ Check whether the applicant has consistently progressed to better jobs.

Weighted Application Blanks

Some organisations assign numeric values or weights to the

responses provided by the applicants. This makes the application
form more job related.
 3. Selection Tests

A. Aptitude Tests: Useful for clerical and trade positions.

B. Personality Tests: personality traits of the candidate such as cooperativeness,
emotional balance etc.
C. Interest Tests: applicant is asked whether he likes, dislikes examples of school
subjects, occupations, amusements, peculiarities of people, and particular
activities.
D. Performance Tests: demonstrate his ability to do the job. For example,
prospective typists are asked to type several pages with speed and accuracy.

E. Intelligence Tests: testing the mental capacity of a person word fluency,

numbers, memory, comprehension, picture arrangement, etc.

F. Knowledge Tests: skills already achieved by the applicants such as

engineering, accounting etc.
G. Achievement Tests: capacity to learn in the future, achievement is concerned
with what one has accomplished.
H. Projective Tests: Applicant projects his personality into free responses about
pictures shown to him which are ambiguous.
 4. Interview

❑ An interview is a procedure designed to get information from a person

and to assess his potential for the job he is being considered on the basis
of oral responses by the applicant to oral inquiries by the interviewer

Objectives of Interviews: Interview helps:

❑ To obtain additional information from the candidate.
❑ Facilitates giving to the candidate information about the job, company, its
policies, products etc.
❑ To assess the basic suitability of the candidate

The selection interview can be:

❑ One to one between the candidate and the interviewer
❑ Two or more interviewers by employers representatives-sequential
❑ By a panel of selections, i.e., by more than representative of the employer
Types of interviews: Interviews can be classified in various
ways according to:
(1) Degree of Structure
(2) Purpose of Interview
(3) Content of Interview
1. Degree of Structure:
(1) Unstructured or non directive: in which you ask questions
as they come to mind. There is no set format to follow.
(2) Structured or directive: in which the questions and
acceptable responses are specified in advance. The
responses are rated for appropriateness of content

2. Purpose of Interview: A selection interview is a type of

interview designed to predict future job performance, on the
basis of applicant’s responses to the oral questions asked to him.
A stress interview is a special type of selection interview in
which the applicant is made uncomfortable by series of awkward
and rude questions
3.Content of Interview:
The content of interview can be of a type in which
individual’s ability to project a situation is tested.
In job-related interview, interviewer attempts to
assess the applicant’s past behaviours for job related
information, but most questions are not considered
situational.
In a behaviour interview a situation in described and
candidates are asked how they behaved in the past in
such a situation.
Situational interviews candidates are asked to
describe how they would react to situation today or
tomorrow
Advantages of using structured interviews
• Produces comparable and quantifiable data
• Suitable for simple, straightforward, factual information
• Less interviewer bias as more formal
• As structure is the same, it gives good reliability
• Less time consuming (than unstructured) so can use a
larger sample therefore more representativeness

Disadvantages of using structured interviews

Respondent unable to go into depth with answers therefore
producing less valid data
• Has to choose answer from a set of responses already
chosen for them by interviewer, so the researcher is
imposing their choices on the participant (validity?)
• Not good for researching sensitive subjects or sensitive
groups
Advantages of using unstructured interviews

▪ Useful for researching sensitive groups and sensitive subjects Respondent can
develop answers and direct interview to areas that interest them
• If feel at ease, more likely to open up and speak truthfully
• High validity
• Suitable for discovering meanings, values, beliefs, attitudes and opinions that
are usually difficult to express

Disadvantages of using unstructured interviews

• Interviewer bias
• Social desirability (both of these impact on the validity of the data)
• Time consuming to conduct and analyze
• Hard to replicate study Hard to compare the data as it’s qualitative
 5. Background Investigation

The next step in the selection process is to undertake an investigation

of those applicants who appear to offer potential as employees.

This may include contacting former employers to confirm the

candidate’s work record and to obtain their appraisal of his or her
performance/ contacting other job-related and personal references,
and verifying the educational accomplishments shown on the
application
Advantage of interview

• Easy correction of speech

• Development of relationship
• Selection of suitable candidate
• Collection of primary information
• Sufficient information
• Time saving
• Less costly
• Increasing knowledge
• Explore cause behind the problem
• In depth analysis
• Solving labor problems:
• Flexible
Disadvantages of interview:

There are some limitations of the interview process. It is not free

from defects. The disadvantages of the interview are discussed
below:
• Incomplete process
• No record
• Lack of attention
• Time consuming:
• Biases of interviewer
• Inefficiency of the interviewer
• Not suitable for personal matters
 6. Physical Examination:

After the selection decision and before the job offer is made, the candidate is
required to undergo physical fitness test.

Candidates are sent for physical examination either to the company’s physician or
to a medical officer approved for the purpose

Such physical examination provides the following information.

✔ Whether the candidate’s physical measurements are in accordance

with job requirements or not?
✔ Whether the candidate suffers from bad health which should be
corrected?
✔ Whether the candidate has health problems or psychological attitudes
likely to interfere with work efficiency or future attendance?
✔ Whether the candidate is physically fit for the specific job or not?
7. Approval by Appropriate Authority:

Organizations may designate the various authorities for

approval of final selection of candidates for different
categories of candidates.
Thus, for top level managers, board of directors may be
approving authority,
For lower levels, even functional heads concerned may be
approving authority.
 8. Final Employment Decision:
After a candidate is finally selected, the human resource department
recommends his name for employment.
The management or board of the company offers employment in the
form of an appointment letter mentioning the post, the rank, the
salary grade, the date by which the candidate should join and other
terms and conditions of employment.
Some firms make a contract of service on judicial paper.
Usually an appointment is made on probation in the beginning.
The probation period may range from three months to two years.
When the work and conduct of the employee is found satisfactory,
he may be confirmed.
The personnel department prepare a waiting list and informs the
candidates.
In case a person does not join after being selected, the company
calls next person on the waiting list.
 9. Evaluation:

The selection process, if properly performed, will ensure availability of

competent and committed personnel.
A period audit, conducted by people who work independently of the
human resource department, will evaluate the effectiveness of the
selection process.
The auditors will do a thorough and the intensive analysis and evaluate the
employment program.
Selection Decision Outcomes
Group Discussion or GD is a type of discussion that involves people
sharing ideas or activities. People in the group discussion are
connected with one basic idea. Based on that idea, everyone in the
group represents his/her perspective
❑ In the case of recruitments, Group Discussion can be the
starting or at the end, depending on different companies
or organizations.
❑ It is not fixed that the group discussion is always
performed around the table.
❑ People can sit in any arrangement, but everyone should be
able to see every face.
❑ It is not only the usual discussion, but it is also a discussion
with knowledge and facts
Importance of Group Discussion
❑ Group Discussions are an essential part of testing candidates in the
organizations, recruitment process, etc.
❑ It also plays an important role in improving the skills of a candidate.

Increases confidence
Focuses on Deep thinking
Improves Communication Skills
Removes hesitation of speaking
Team Work
Behavior
Listening Skills
Listening Skills
Recruitments
Process of GD
Types of Group Discussion
There are two types of Group Discussion, which are listed below:

❑ Topic-Based Group Discussion

▪ Controversial Topics
▪ Knowledge-Based topics
▪ Abstract Topics
▪ Conceptual topics

❑ Case Study Based Group Discussion

 Written Test

• A job interview written test is a part of the recruitment process

that consists of a written examination with the purpose of
assessing the applicant's skills, abilities and knowledge on
various matters that are related to the job they are applying for.

• The written test generally takes place during the interview or

online before the interview
 Types of written tests in job interviews

❑ Communication skills test: sample letter, essay or press

release

❑ Aptitude test: general behavior compared for people within

the same age group and experience level as well as testing
their abstract reasoning, memory, verbal and numerical
literacy, perception of space and time, attention

❑ Intelligence test: understand abstractions and to deal with

various unique situations.

❑ Personality test: applicant's character and overall personality

 Various other Tests

❑ Hard skills assessment test

❑ Creative thinking test
❑ Problem-solving test
Instructions on how to perform well on a written test for job
interview

Be mindful of the allocated time

Keep calm
Check your writing for minor errors
Make sure you are well-rested
Pay attention to the directions
Be truthful in personality tests
Prepare for the test
Try to arrive early
 Psychological testing

• Personal interview is the most widely used method of selection of

employees, it has its limitations.
• It is a costly, inefficient and usually invalid procedure.
• It is vitiated by the bias, prejudices and subjective attitude of the
interviewer.
• Because of these drawbacks, it is aided by Psychological tests.

A psychological test is an objective and standardized measure of a sample

of behavior from which inferences are drawn as to future behaviour or
performance

It is used to measure the abilities, aptitudes, interest, intelligence and

personality of an individual in quantitative terms
Different types of Psychological Tests

• Personality Tests
• Achievement Tests
• Attitude Tests
• Aptitude Tests
• Emotional Intelligence Tests
• Intelligence Tests
• Neuropsychological Tests
• Projective Tests
• Observation (Direct) Tests

• Psychological Testing is mainly used for psychological diagnosis,

screening job candidates, academic placements, identifying certain
behaviour, research purposes, etc
 Characteristics of Psychological Test

1. Validity: Ability of a test to measure what it is intended to

measure
2. Reliability: Test consistency; the ability to yield the same
result under a variety of different circumstances.
3. Objectivity: Free of personal biasness in terms of scoring,
interpretation of scoring, and in administration.
4. Standardization: In terms of time, place, material employed
in a test, atmosphere.
TOP AND MOST POPULAR PSYCHOLOGICAL TESTS
 Advantages of Psychological Tests
• Psychological testing is a series of test that measure traits.
• It also measures feelings, beliefs and abilities that can
possibly lead to peoples problems.
• It is helpful to know the test results.
• As part of a psychological test a tool is used, which can detect
psychological characteristics, such as, current conditions, or
endurance characteristics of persons, groups or
organizations.
Limitation of Psychological Tests
• Many applicants experience anxiety.
• Human mind is beyond any assessment and limit , at a times
one can behave complete different from original state.
• Negative attitude of applicant can alter the validity of test.
• Administration and interpretation can be done only by
qualified psychologist
 Induction procedure

❑ First developed in early 1970’s in the U.S.

❑ Next to Selection and Placement.

❑ Brief introduction about the organization.

❑ Rehabilitated in the changed surroundings.

❑ Welcoming Process.

❑ Also called Orientation programme.

❑ Used by prominent Indian companies like Taj group of Hotels, Citibank, HUL,

P&G