Staffing, Training and Career Development
Mindanao State University School
Ronald C. Tres Reyes
Student Lecturer
Topic: Selection
Underlying the process of selection and the
choice of techniques are two key principles:
1. Individual differences: Attracting
a wide choice of applicants will be of
little use unless there is a way of
measuring how people differ, i.e.
intelligence, attitudes, social skills,
psychological and physical
characteristics, experience etc.
2. Prediction: Recognition of the way
in which people differ must be
extended to a prediction of
performance in the workplace.
Selection
Choosing from a pool of applicants the
person or persons who offer the greatest
performance potential
Placement - Fitting a person to the right
job
Person-Job Fit
– Matching knowledge, skills
and abilities (KSAs) of
individuals to characteristics
of jobs (tasks, duties and
responsibilities–TDRs).
Topic: Staffing Selection Mr. Ronald C. Tres Reyes
Graduate
– Benefits of good person-job
fit:
• Higher employee
performance
• Lower turnover and
absenteeism
Selection Process
1. Initial Screening or
Preliminary Interview
2. Completion of a formal
application form
3. Testing
4. Interviewing
5. Reference checks
6. Physical examination
7. Final analysis and decision to
hire or reject
8. Orientation
Initial Screening or Preliminary
interview - It is used to eliminate
those candidates who do not meet
the minimum eligibility criteria
laid down by the organization.
Formal Application Form - It
contains data record of the
candidates such as details about
age, qualifications, reason for
leaving previous job, experience,
etc.
Psychological or Psychometric
testing - The purpose is to provide
an objective means of measuring
 Staffing, Training and Career Development
Mindanao State University School
individual characteristics. A good
test is:
1. Valid (accurate)
2. Reliable
3. Standardized on a
representative sample of the
relevant population
4. Sensitive: can differentiate
applicants
Common types of employment
tests:
– Intelligence - measures
general intelligence; abstract
thinking and reasoning
– Aptitude - job specific tests
that are designed to predict
the potential performance of
given job tasks e.g. clerical
aptitude, mechanical aptitude
– Personality – measure a
prospective employee’s
motivation to function in a
particular working
environment
– Ability Test - helps to
determine how well one can
perform his task
– Interests - measure an
individual’s activity
preferences. (For career
change or when there is
Topic: Staffing Selection Mr. Ronald C. Tres Reyes
Graduate
multiple career option
available)
Interviewing - Exchange of information
between job candidate and key members of
the organization.
Traditional Interview - Interviews follow
a more traditional format (quite common
with people who are not used to
interviewing). In this type of interview the
questions are often resume based.
Behavioural Interview - Also known as
“competency-based interviews” or “targeted
selection.” It focuses on questions that
probe into your past behaviours. Candidates
develop stories to illustrate that they have
the necessary skills for the position and/or
employer.
Traditional Interview vs. Behavioural
Interview
Behavioural interviewing, in fact, is said to
be 55 percent predictive of future on-the-
job behaviour, while traditional interviewing
is only 10 percent predictive.” - Katharine
Hansen
Reasons why Behavioral Interviewing is
better than Traditional Interviewing:
 Past behavior predicts future
success.
 Used as an indicator of personal
attributes and characteristics.
 Looks at your thought processes and
problem-solving skills.
 Candidates cannot prepare in
advance.
 Less chance of candidate “making
up” answers.
 Wrong hire costs 1.5 times the
salary.
Preparing for a Behavior Interview
 Staffing, Training and Career Development Graduate
Mindanao State University School

Challenge of Hiring Process

1. Situational or Task - Describe
situation—be specific not general.  Determining the characteristics most
Provide enough detail for the important to performance
interviewer to understand.
 Measuring the characteristics that
2. Action you took - Describe action determine performance
you took—keep focus on you. Even
 Evaluating applicants motivation
if discussing a team project, talk
levels
about what you did.
 Who should make the selection
3. Result you achieve - Describe
what happened, how the event
ended, what you accomplished, and
what you learned

Reference and Background

Investigation - Inquiries to previous
employers, academic advisors, coworkers
and/or acquaintances regarding applicants: decision?
1. Qualifications

2. Experience

3. Past work records

Physical/Medical Examination – It
ensure applicant’s physical capability to
fulfill job requirements. It is the basis for
enrolling applicant in life, health, and
disability insurance programs.

Final Decision to Hire or Reject – The

best selection decisions will involve
extensive consultation among multiple
parties. Selection decision should focus on
all aspects of the candidate’s capacity to
perform the designated job.

Orientation - Set of activities designed to

familiarize new employees with their
jobs, coworkers, and key aspects of the
organization.

Topic: Staffing Selection Mr. Ronald C. Tres Reyes