Personnel Selection

• Personnel Selection: the process through which

organizations make decisions about who will or
will not be allowed to join the organization.
• Selection begins with the candidates identified
through recruitment.
• It attempts to reduce their number to the
individuals best qualified to perform available
jobs.
• It ends with the selected individuals placed in
jobs with the organization.

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Figure 6.1: Steps in the Selection Process

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 A Strategic Approach
to Personnel Selection
• Organizations should create a selection
process in support of its job descriptions.
• The selection process should be set up in a
way that it lets the organization identify
people who have the necessary KASOs.
• This kind of strategic approach to selection
requires ways to measure the effectiveness of
the selection tools.

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 Table 6.1:
Permissible and
Impermissible
Questions for
Applications and
Interviews

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Gathering Background Information

Application
Résumés
Forms

Reference Background
Checks Checks
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 Application Forms

• A low-cost way to gather basic data from

many applicants.
• It ensures that the organization has certain
standard categories of information:
– Contact information
– Work experience
– Educational background
– Technical experience
– Memberships in professional or trade groups
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Employers are Googling

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 Employment Tests

Aptitude tests: assess how well a

person can learn or acquire skills
and abilities.

Achievement tests: measure a

person’s existing knowledge and
skills.
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Table 6.2: Sources of Information About
Employment Tests

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Employment Tests and Work Samples

Physical
Ability Tests

Medical Cognitive
Examinations Ability Tests

Employment
Job
Tests &
Drug Tests Performance
Work
Tests
Samples

Honesty Tests Work Samples

Personality
Inventories

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 Table 6.3: Five Major Personality
Dimensions Measured by Personality
Inventories

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 Interviews

Nondirective
Interview

Behavior
Description Interviewing Structured
Techniques Interview
Interview

Situational
Interview

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• When interviewing
candidates, it’s valid to ask
about willingness to travel if
that is part of the job.
• Interviewers might ask
questions about previous
business travel experiences
and/or how interviewees
handled situations requiring
flexibility and self-
motivation.

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 How Organizations Select Employees

Multiple-Hurdle Model Compensatory Model

• Process of arriving at a • Process of arriving at a
selection decision by selection decision in
eliminating some which a very high score
candidates at each on one type of
stage of the selection assessment can make
process. up for a low score on
another.

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 Communicating the Decision

• When a candidate has been selected, the

organization should communicate the the offer to
the candidate. The offer should include:
– Job responsibilities
– Work schedule
– Rate of pay
– Starting date
– Other relevant details

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 Summary

• Selection typically begins with a review of

candidates’ applications and résumés. The
organization administers tests to candidates who
meet basic requirements, and qualified candidates
undergo one or more interviews. Organizations check
references and conduct background checks. A
candidate is selected to fill each vacant position.
Candidates who accept offers are placed in the
positions for which they were selected.

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