Selection

Once enough candidates have been recruited, the actual selection process begins. This process usually begins with an initial screening interview (short listing), which is followed by completion of application forms. This initial screening and completion of application forms allows the employer to get basic information about the candidates, determine the level of interest of the candidate and determine whether or not the selection process will continue after this screening interview, the successful candidates then appear for the formal interview where the candidates meet face to face with the recruitment panel who mainly give the candidate certain tests e.g. skills and abilities test and psychological tests. The tests may be oral or written depending on the interviewer.

Formal interviews have certain defects:

•    The interviewee is likely to be inexperienced in interviews and he/she may feel uneasy and have an uncharacteristically tense manner.

•    Interviews may cause the candidate to adopt a phony behaviour. The candidate feels compelled to project an image that he or she thinks will be acceptable to the interviewer. Sometimes the act put on by a qualified applicant may be obviously false or projects an image that is contrary to the organizations style. A less qualified candidate who projects a realistic position may be given the job.

•    Tendency of interviewers to ask questions that have no useful answers e.g."tell me about yourself" or open ended questions like "what would you say is your greatest weakness".

•    The interview process may also prove unreliable becasue of the different objectives of interviewer and interviewee. A prospective employer will want to sell the organization as a good place to work and may exaggerate the organization's strength. The prospective employee on the other hand wants to be hired and may exaggerate his/her qualities.

A candidate who has successfully gone through the formal interview may be asked for a physical examination, the prospective employer may also make reference checks about the candidate and if these and the physical examination are acceptable then the candidate gets the job offer.

The whole selection process has certain limitations:

•    The diversity of selection approaches and tests indicates that there is no perfect way to select employees/managers. Even carefully chosen selection criteria are still imperfect in predicting performance.

•    There is distinction between what a person can do (ability) and what he/she will do. Selection techniques and instruments are not a sure way to predict what people will do even though they may have the ability to do it.

•    Testing itself especially seeking information may be considered an invasion of privacy. In addition it has been charged that some tests unfairly discriminate against members of minority groups.

•    Time and cost involved in making personal decisions e.g. advertising expense agency fees, costs of test materials, time spent interviewing candidates, costs of reference checks, medical, start up required for new managers and orientation of new employees