When a Business plans to hire an individual for a job, the selection process can be tough. The objective of selection is to result in hiring the best person for the job. The aim is to gather as much information about the candidates as possible which will allow organising and evaluating the information they have enable to assess each candidate. This will enable to employers to evaluate how qualified the candidate will be for the job and make decisions to further the process.
There are many methods of “Selecting”; some of these are listed below:
- Short listing from information on CV’s and application forms
- Interviews
- Tests
There are pros and cons of every method that is used during the selection method. We begin by looking at “Short listing”. This method is used to screen the candidates that have applied for a certain roles or position. It enables the employers to assess what qualifications a person holds and what achievements they have made throughout their careers and personal lives. Although this is a brilliant method when allocating jobs to academic roles, it may not be as applicable with other situations and jobs. It does not allow for the employer to have a ‘one on one’ situation with the individual and analyse their personality or ask questions as to what their goals for life are, where they plan on being in the future.
Next we analyse an “Interview”, this is the process that is taken by an employer which allows the chance for a personal meeting. The employer will have the chance to converse with the candidate and fully depict whether they are the right person for the job. The interview can allow for conversation to go past the formal and the employer can find out more about an individual which may help them in the long run to find the person who would best suit the role and the company. However, there is some speculation that an interview can be a very artificial setting and can be subjective. The interviewer may make judgements on the candidate based within a few seconds and let their own beliefs cloud their judgement on how suited they would be for the available role. The interviewer may see the candidate in a particular stereotype and let that cloud their judgement.
Finally, ‘Tests’ are another form of screening someone for an open position within the workplace. There are many forms of testing and many reasons why this would be a good way to select a person. Positive factors such as being able to find out information which could not be collected through an interview and being able to test a range of different areas instead of just a communication interview are reasons testing an individual. Some forms of testing include:
- Intelligence tests – to assess a range of skills (verbal, numerical)
- Psychometric
- Ability tests – to assess attainment or aptitude
- Personality questionnaires designed by Saville & Holdsworth
- And Occupational Personality Questionnaire and Myers-Briggs test
- Motivation tests
- Interest inventories
- Aptitude tests
All of these are perfectly reasonable forms of analysing an individual’s ability, and even determine what their personality may be however there are cons to this form of selection. An individual may lie or suppress the truth on a test due to wanting to make the right impression. The test may not show the individual in a truthful light.
I took part in an interview during my time at 6th form at school. The interview was for the chance to attend a skiing trip to France. As there were limited places on the trip, an interviewing system was put in place to see who would fill the spaces available. The head of 6th form and another teacher conducted the interview and all who were interested took part. The interviewers asked questions which would find out why we were so interested in the skiing trip, what experiences we wanted to take away from the trip and how much experience we had in skiing. Although the interviewing process allowed every person the same chance and an equal opportunity, I would not say it was extremely effective. I did receive a place on the trip but I do not feel as though it was entirely down to my answers during the interview. The teachers I felt may have also took into consideration how well behaved the students were and what their grades were. The perception of the individual would have played a part in the decision of who went on the trip.
Recently a friend of mine applied for a job. Before being given the job, she had to take part in an interview and also had to take a “Silver Service” test to prove she could manage to set a dinner table and show she was capable of greeting people and show them to their seats. She had to prove she was a good hostess and then she was hired for the job. I would recommend that a CV screening process would be a valid thing to do as it would let the employer see what qualifications and past experience the individual has in the area they are applying for.
To conclude, i think it is necessary that an employer considers all the options of selecting before deciding which one to use. This needs to happen in order for the right candidate to be chosen so that the available job is filled by the person with the most experience and can handle the role sufficiently.
Referencing:
L.J. Mullins Management & Organisational Behaviour (2010) 9th Edition.
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