Selection

Meaning: 

Finding the interested candidates who have submitted their profiles for a particular
job is the process of recruitment, and choosing the best and most suitable
candidates among them is the process of selection. It results in elimination of
unsuitable candidates. It follows scientific techniques for the appropriate choice of
a person for the job.

The recruitment process has a wide coverage as it collects the applications of

interested candidates, whereas the selection process narrows down the scope and
becomes specific when it selects the suitable candidates.

In simple words, the Selection is the process of choosing the most suitable

candidate for the vacant position in the organization. In other words, selection
means weeding out unsuitable applicants and selecting those individuals with
prerequisite qualifications and capabilities to fill the jobs in the organization.

Most often, the selection and recruitment are used interchangeably but however
both have different scope. The former is a negative process that rejects as many
unqualified applicants as possible so as to hire the right candidate while the latter is
a positive process that attracts more and more candidates and stimulates them to
apply for the jobs.
Definition:

‘Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify

(and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job’.

-Stone

Steps Involved in Selection Procedure/ Selection Process:

A scientific and logical selection procedure leads to scientific selection of

candidates. The criterion finalized for selecting a candidate for a particular job
varies from company to company.  The Selection is a process of picking the right
candidate with prerequisite qualifications and capabilities to fill the jobs in the
organization.

Therefore, the selection procedure followed by different organizations, many

times, becomes lengthy as it is a question of getting the most suitable candidates
for which various tests are to be done and interviews to be taken. The procedure for
selection should be systematic so that it does not leave any scope for confusions
and doubts about the choice of the selected candidate.

Based on the complexity of selecting the right candidate the selection process
consists of several steps. These selection procedures comprises of following
systematic steps:-
1. Inviting applications/ Preliminary Interview:

The prospective candidates from within the organisation or outside the organisation
are called for applying for the post. Detailed job description and job specification
are provided in the advertisement for the job. It attracts a large number of
candidates from various areas.

The preliminary interview is also called as a screening interview wherein those

candidates are eliminated from the further selection process who do not meet the
minimum eligibility criteria as required by the organisation.
Here, the individuals are checked for their academic qualifications, skill sets,
family backgrounds and their interest in working with the firm. The preliminary
interview is less formal and is basically done to weed out the unsuitable candidates
very much before proceeding with a full-fledged selection process

2. Receiving applications:

Detailed applications are collected from the candidates which provide the
necessary information about personal and professional details of a person. These
applications facilitate analysis and comparison of the candidates.

Once the individual qualifies the preliminary interview he is required to fill in the
application form in the prescribed format. This application contains the candidate
data such as age, qualification, experience, etc. This information helps the
interviewer to get the fair idea about the candidate and formulate questions to get
more information about him.

3. Scrutiny of applications:

As the limit of the period within which the company is supposed to receive
applications ends, the applications are sorted out. Incomplete applications get
rejected, applicants with un-matching job specifications are also rejected.

Once the applications are received, these are screened by the screening committee,
who then prepare a list of those applicants whom they find suitable for the
interviews. The short listing criteria could be the age, sex, qualification, experience
of an individual. Once the list is prepared, the qualified candidates are called for
the interview either through a registered mail or e-mails.
4. Written tests:

As the final list of candidates becomes ready after the scrutiny of applications, the
written test is conducted. This test is conducted for understanding the technical
knowledge, attitude and interest of the candidates. This process is useful when the
number of applicants is large.

Many times, a second chance is given to candidates to prove themselves by

conducting another written test.

5. Psychological tests:

These tests are conducted individually and they help for finding out the individual
quality and skill of a person. The types of psychological tests are aptitude test,
intelligence test, synthetic test and personality test.

In order to check the mental ability and skill set of an individual, several tests are
conducted. Such as intelligence tests, aptitude tests, interest tests, psychological
tests, personality tests, etc. These tests are conducted to judge the suitability of the
candidate for the job.

6. Personal interview:

Candidates proving them successful through tests are interviewed personally. The
interviewers may be individual or a panel. It generally involves officers from the
top management.

The candidates are asked several questions about their experience on another job,
their family background, their interests, etc. They are supposed to describe their
expectations from the said job. Their strengths and weaknesses are identified and
noted by the interviewers which help them to take the final decision of selection.

The one on one session with the candidate is conducted to gain more insights about
him. Here, the interviewer asks questions from the applicant to discover more
about him and to give him the accurate picture of the kind of a job he is required to
perform.

Also, the briefing of certain organizational policies is done, which is crucial in the
performance of the job. Through an interview, it is easier for the employer to
understand the candidate’s expectations from the job and also his communication
skills along with the confidence level can be checked at this stage.

7. Reference check:

Generally, at least two references are asked for by the company from the candidate.
Reference check is a type of crosscheck for the information provided by the
candidate through their application form and during the interviews.

The firms usually ask for the references from the candidate to cross check the
authenticity of the information provided by him. These references could be from
the education institute from where the candidate has completed his studies or from
his previous employment where he was formerly engaged. These references are
checked to know the conduct and behavior of an individual and also his potential
of learning new jobs.
8. Medical examination:

Physical strength and fitness of a candidate is must before they take up the job.
In-spite of good performance in tests and interviews, candidates can be rejected on
the basis of their ill health.

Here the physical and mental fitness of the candidate are checked to ensure that he
is capable of performing the job. In some organizations, the medical examination is
done at the very beginning of the selection process while in some cases it is done
after the final selection.

Thus, this stage is not rigid and can take place anywhere in the process. The
medical examination is an important step in the selection process as it helps in
ascertaining the applicant’s physical ability to fulfill the job requirements.

9. Final selection:

At this step, the candidate is given the appointment letter to join the organization
on a particular date. The appointment letter specifies the post, title, salary and
terms of employment. Generally, the initial appointment is on probation and after a
specific time period it becomes permanent.

Finally, the candidate who qualifies all the rounds of a selection process is given
the appointment letter to join the firm.

Thus, the selection is complex and a lengthy process as it involves several stages
than an individual has to qualify before getting finally selected for the job.
10. Placement:

This is a final step. A suitable job is allocated to the appointed candidate so that
they can get the whole idea about the nature of the job. They can get adjusted to the
job and perform well in future with all capacities and strengths.

The company should follow a proper selection procedure as a huge amount of

money is invested in selecting the right candidate for the job. Also, the cost
incurred in training and the induction programme is too high that the wrong
selections could lead to a huge loss to the employer in terms of the time, effort and
money.

Absenteeism and labor turnover are the grim situation for any organization and if
the candidates are not selected appropriately, then these problems will increase and
the overall efficiency of the organization will go down.

The selection process is quite lengthy and complex as it involves a series of steps
before making the final selection. The procedure of selection may vary from
industry to industry, company to company and even from department to
department. Every organization designs its selection process, keeping in mind the
urgency of hiring people and the prerequisites for the job vacancy