Selection Case

Selecting HR

* Contents:

* Definition

* The aims of selection process

* Types of selection device

* Selection process

Selection is the process of gathering information about applicants for a position and then using that information to choose the most appropriate applicant.

Stone has provided a more formal definition of selection as follows:

"Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify (and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job".

Selection process assumes and rightly so, that there are more number of candidates available than the number of candidates actually selected. These candidates are made available through recruitment process.

Aims of the selection process

* Gather as much relevant information as possible about the candidate

* Organize and evaluate the information gathered from the candidate

* Assess each candidate in order to:

 Forecast performance on the job, and

 Give information to applicants, so that

 They can judge whether or not they wish to accept an offer of employment.

So the selection is about collecting evidence to enable the company to make an accurate judgment about a candidate's strengths and weaknesses in relation to the job.

Types of Selection Device

Managers can use a number of selection devices to reduce accept and reject errors. The best-known devices include an analysis of the applicant's completed application form, written and performance-simulation tests, interviews, background investigations, and in some cases, a physical examination. Following chart lists the strengths and weaknesses of each.

Selection Process

The process of selection involves a number of steps. The basic idea is to collect maximum possible information about the candidates to ascertain their suitability for employment. Below is a discussion of the various steps:

A. Screening of Applications

Prospective employees have to fill up some sort of application form. These forms have a variety of information about the applicants like their bio-data, achievements, experience, etc. This is known as the Application Blank. The Application blank provides structured and initial information about the candidate requisite for the job and vacancy. It can be of three types generally. 1. Structured: Generally, public and Government agencies provide structured form of application to get only the relevant and pertinent information for their job requirement, for which they receive large number of applications. It helps them to sort list the candidates with requisite qualification. 2. Unstructured: Generally the private organizations where the number of candidature is less. Candidates can provide all the information they want to give the company in this format.

Strength and Weakness of the Application Form

Strengths:

* Relevant biographical data and facts that can be verified have been shown to be valid performance measures for some jobs.

* When items on the form have been weighted to reflect job relatedness, this device has proved to be a valid predictor for diverse groups.

Weaknesses:

* Usually only a couple of items on the form prove to be valid predictors of job performance and then only for a specific job.

Weighted-item applications are difficult and expensive to create and maintain.

B. Selection Tests

Many organizations hold different kinds of selection tests to know more about the candidates or to reject the candidates who cannot be called for interview, etc. Selection tests normally supplement the information provided in application forms. Such forms may contain factual information about candidates. Selection tests may give information about their aptitude, interest, personality etc, which cannot be known by application forms.

Types of Test

I. Achievement Test: It is also called performance test or trade test. Achievement is concerned with what one has accomplished. When candidates claim that they have done certain things and know these, the achievement test may be conducted to measure how well the candidates know these. A candidate's knowledge may be measured through his answers to certain questions or his performance at a practical test. For example, a typing test may measure the typing performance of a typist in terms of speed, accuracy and efficiency. Performance test may be administered for selecting employees at operative level as well as junior management level

Strengths and Weakness of Performance-Simulation Tests

Strengths:

* Based on job analysis data and easily meet the requirement of job relatedness

* Have proven to be valid predictors of job performance.

Weaknesses:

* Expensive to create and administer.

II. Intelligence Test: Intelligence test tries to measure the level of intelligence of a candidate. This test generally includes verbal comprehension, word fluency, memory, inductive, reasoning, number facility, speed of perception, spatial, visualization, etc. The scores on the test are usually expressed numerically as Intelligence Quotient (IQ), which can be calculated as follows

IQ = Mental age x 100

Actual age

It means that the IQ is derived by converting actual age into mental age and multiplying it by 100 in order to facilitate comparison. Higher is the figure; higher is the level of intelligence. Intelligence test is designed on the basis of age groups. Thus, each age group may have different intelligence tests. The basic idea behind intelligence test is that if the organization is able to get people with higher intelligence,