SELECTION PROCESS AND SELECTION DEVICES:

Introduction
Many people confuse recruitment and selection as they fail to distinguish between the two.
Dowling and Schuler (1990) look at recruitment as the “searching for and obtaining potential
job candidates in sufficient numbers and quality so that organizations can select the most
appropriate people to fill job needs”.

On the other hand, selection according to Hackett(1991) is concerned more with “predicting
which candidates will make the most appropriate contribution to the organization now
and for the future”( see Beardwell et` al, 2004:190). In simple terms selection is the process of
decision makers seeking to predict job applicants who will be successful if hired. These are
the applicants who fulfil the criteria used by the organization that they can perform
well. In other words selection involves differentiating between applicants in order to identify those
with a greater likelihood of success in a job.
Selection is mainly done with two objectives;
1. To predict the job applicants who will be successful
if selected.
2. To inform and sell the candidates on the job and the
organization i.e. Evaluating and contracting.
STEPS IN THE SELECTION PROCESS:
Selection is a long process, commencing from initial screening of the applicants and ending with the
contract of employment and evaluation.
There are mainly seven steps that the selection process consists of:
1. Initial screening:
This is through the job description and the job specification where some respondents can be
eliminated due to failure to meet the requirements. This could be as a result of inadequate or
inappropriate experience or education. Some people who are unqualified even voluntarily
withdraw from competing for the job.
2. Completion of application form:
Application forms give a summary on the applicants about their experience, life, skills etc.
Torrington and Hall (1998) argue that the application form is one of the avenues that can be
explored to improve the quality for the decision of employment. This is because application
forms provide useful preliminary information that is very vital before employment
interviews can be conducted.
3. Short listing :
This is the process aimed at eliminating such applicants who do not meet the necessary
criteria. Accordingly, the initial step in selection of the candidates is categorizing them as
probable, possible or suitable. This is done by comparing the information provided on the
application form or CV with the predetermined selection criteria.
4. Employment tests:
The historical tests organizations have relied on include intelligence, aptitude, ability and interest
tests as well as hand writing analysis and detecting lies. These tests however resulted in
charges of violating title VII. E.g. intelligence tests were seen as having unequal impact on
minorities. Emphasis therefore shifted to written tests that can easily be justified as job
related.
5. Comprehensive interview:
The candidate may be interviewed by a panel of interviewers composed of the personnel
department, executives of the organization , potential supervisors, potential colleagues or a
combination of these. This is aimed at assessing individuals’ motivation, ability to work under
pressure, and ability to fit in the organization.
Employment Interview: Errors to Avoid

 Excessive talking by the interviewer that limits the

amount of job-related information obtained from the
applicant/interviewee.
 Inconsistency in the questions used with applicants
results in different types of information being obtained
from the applicant/interviewee.
 Asking questions that are either unrelated or only
slightly/remotely related to the performance on the job.
 Inability to put the interviewee at ease during the
interview, making it difficult to gather spontaneous or
follow-up information.
 Overconfidence in the interviewer’s ability to evaluate applicants which results in
hasty decisions.
 Stereotyping applications and allowing personal bias to influence evaluations.
 Being influenced by non-verbal behaviour of applicants.
 Rating many applicants the same in evaluations such as superior (leniency error),
average (central tendency error), or poor (stringency error).
 Allowing one or two either good or bad characteristics of an applicant to influence the
evaluation of all other characteristics (halo effect).
 Allowing the quality of the applicants who preceded the present applicant to
influence the ratings of the present applicant (contrast effect).
 Making an evaluation of the applicant within the first
minutes of the interview (first impression error).
 Favorably evaluating an applicant because he/she is
similar to the interviewer in some way (similar-to-me
error).
6. Background investigation:
This is where you undertake an investigation of applicants regarded as potential
employees. This can be by contacting former employers, personal references
and verifying the education qualifications indicated by the applicant.

7. Physical Examination:
This is aimed at making sure the selected candidates comply with the
requirements of the job and the organization. This is mainly useful in future for the
organization’s life and medical insurance and compensation claims.

8. Final employment Decision.

The people who fulfil the above requirements employed in the process are
considered to be eligible for employment. For administrative purposes, this
decision is made by the Human Resource Department, though the actual hiring
decision is made by the manager in the department that had the position.
However, management may reach this decision, but every thing can’t be
confirmed until the selected candidate accepts.
ASSIGNMENT ONE
Madam Rahel received a miraculous call
yesterday from the executive director of plan
international informing her about her appointment
as a human resource director of Plan. Madam
Rahel is ready for her new job but she is only
confused about what could be the roles and
responsibility of the human resource Director. In
view of the statement, help madam Rahel,
a) Discuss the roles and responsibilities of a
Course work one
Lina has been appointed new Human resource manager of KFC LTD located along
acacia avenue Kololo.Lina has joined the company when there is need to higher an
expert for the post of a logistic officer, when madam lina inquired from a friend
about who could be the best person to help her design a job advert for the available
vacancy, the friend referred her to you. In view of the statement, design a job advert
for the post of logistic officer?
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