The process of choosing the most suitable applicant for a job vacancy is known as the selection process.
- Reviewing Application forms or CV’s
- Conducting Interviews
- Selection Testing
- References
- Notifying Candidates
Reviewing Application or Curriculum Vitae
The Application Form or CV contains personal details, qualifications, employment history and personal interests. The organisation will study the information in an Application and compare it to the Person Specification criteria. People who do not meet the essential criteria will not be considered for the next stage.
Conduct Interviews
These may be conducted face-to-face in person, using Skype, or over the telephone.
Face-to-face interviews allow the organisation to assess the appearance and body language of an applicant as well as some of their personal qualities such as interpersonal skills.
Telephone interviews are good for assessing an applicant’s verbal communication skills if, for example, they are going to conducting their role over the phone.
Skype interviews mean that several people can be involved in several different locations – thus cutting down on travel time and costs.
Interviews allow applicants to ask questions and to expand on details in their Application Form. Applicants should all be asked the same questions – their answers may be compared by allocating points.
A successful interview may involve the following features:
- Putting the candidates at their ease and telling them about the job;
- Asking questions that allow candidates to give full answers;
- Listening to the candidates’ answers and asking follow-up questions;
- Using interview checklists to identify the qualities of the person required;
- Giving candidates an opportunity to ask questions.
Interviews may not always result in the best applicant being selected as some may be good at interviewing while others may get nervous and not show their best side.
Selection Testing
The organisation may carry out formal selection tests to see if the applicant has, or could develop the skills necessary to do the job. These may include:
- Skills tests eg keyboarding skills, driving skills, or a presentation to allow applicants to demonstrate their communication skills.
- Intelligence or Aptitude tests can show an applicant’s potential to learn and use the knowledge and skills to carry out the role.
- Personality (psychometric) tests reveal things about the applicant’s ‘soft’ skills eg how they would respond under pressure, whether they would make a good team player or a successful team leader.
References
Applicants may be invited to give the name of two people – one of which is usually their current employer – who can provide a job reference. This is a statement in which the experience, skills and qualities put forward by the applicant in their Application Form or spoken about at Interview can be verified as being accurate.
References may be taken up before interviews and selection testing, before a job offer is about to be made, or after a job offer has been make ‘subject to satisfactory references’.
Notify Applicants of Outcome
At the end of the selection process, the HRM department will inform the unsuccessful candidates of the outcome and make a job offer to their preferred applicant. They may offer feedback to unsuccessful candidates, and keep their information on file should future vacancies arise, or the preferred candidate decides not to take up the position.
The HRM department should then prepare a Contract of Employment which will signed just before or soon after the employee begins work.
The Contract of Employment will contain information from the Job Description and more details eg pension arrangements, timing of payments, notice requirements, disciplinary procedures, grievance procedures etc.
