The recruitment and selection process

The objective of the recruitment and selection process must be to obtain at lower cost
the number and quality of employees required to satisfy the human resource needs of
the company. There are three stages of recruitment and selection.

I. Defining requirements: preparing job descriptions and specifications; deciding

terms and conditions of employment.

II. Attracting candidates: reviewing and evaluating alternative sources of

applicants, inside and outside the company, advertising, using agencies and
consultants.

III. Selecting candidates: sifting applications, interviewing, testing, assessing

candidates, assessment centres, and offering employment, obtaining references;
preparing contracts of employment.

The low of work and main decisions required in a recruitment and selection procedure
are shown in Figures 1 and 2.

This assessment contains the key structure about the areas of obtaining and selecting
candidates under the following headings:

o Defining requirements.

o Attracting candidates

o Advertising

o Using agencies

o Using recruitment consultants

o Using executive search consultants

DEFINING REQUIREMENTS

The number and categories of people required should be specified in the recruitment
programme, which is derived from the human resource plan. Demands for
replacements or for new jobs, should be checked to ensure they are justified. In a large
organization it is helpful to have a form for requisitioning staff. However, even a
requisition form is completed, it may still necessary to check on the specification. If a
requisition form is not available, then the job has to be analysed and a job description
and person specification prepared. Existing descriptions and specifications should be
checked to ensure that they are up to date. It is also necessary to establish or check on
the terms and conditions of employment at this stage.

Person requirement

Person requirements, also known as recruitment, personnel or job specifications, define

the qualifications, experience and competences required by the job holder and any
other necessary information on the special demands made by the job, such as physical
conditions, unusual hours, or travel away from home. They also set out or refer to
terms and conditions of employment such as pay, employee benefits, hours and
holidays.

For example, the skills a machine operator requires to operate a machine or group of
machines, the knowledge of word processing needed by a secretary, the persuasive
ability needed by a sales representative, or the competence in delivering training
required by a personnel manager. The list must be objective as possible by focusing the
questions on what the candidate knows and can do. We should develop the principal
objectives for particular jobs.

Competence analysis identifies:

a) Inputs: what the job holder needs to know and be able to do; this identifies job-
based or work-related competences.

b) Process: how the job holder applies knowledge and skill to do the work.

c) Outputs: the value added to the organization as a result of the job holder´s
contribution; this sets out what job holders are expected to achieve as a basis for
objective setting.

The biggest danger we must to avoid at this stage is that of over standing the
qualifications and competences required. Perhaps it is natural to go for the best, but
setting an unrealistically high level for candidates increases the problem of attracting
Applicants, and results in this satisfaction among requirements can, of course, be
equally dangerous, but it happens much less frequently. The best approach is to
distinguish between those requirements that are essential and those that are desirable.

When the requirements have been agreed, they should be analysed under suitable
headings. The ways of doing this were traditionally the seven-point plan developed by
Rodger (1952) and the five-fold grading system produced by Munro-Fraser (1954).

The seven point plan covers:

1.Physical make-up; health, physique, appearance, bearing and speech.

2. Attainments; education, qualifications, experience.

3. General intelligence; fundamental intellectual capacity.

4.Special aptitudes: mechanical, manual dexterity, facility in the use of words or

figures.

5. Interests: intellectual, practical constructional, physically active, social, artistic.

6. Disposition; acceptability, influence over others, steadiness, dependability, self-

reliance.

7. Circumstances; domestic circumstances, occupations of family.

The five-fold grading system covers:

1. Impact on others: physical make-up, appearance, speech and manner.

2. Acquire qualifications: education, vocational training, and work experience.

3. Innate abilities: natural quickness of comprehension and aptitude for learning.

4. Motivation: the kinds of goals set by the individual, his or her consistency and
determination in following them up, and success in achieving them.

5. Adjustment: emotional stability, ability to stand up to stress and ability to get

on with people.

Choice of method
 The five-fold grading scheme is simpler, in some ways, and places more emphasis on
the dynamic aspects of the applicant´s career. Both can provide a good framework for
interviewing. However, more and more recruiters are now using the language of
competences as a basis for the person specification and for a structure interview.
These competences will be defined in terms of:

o Work-based competences: which refer to expectations of what people have to

be able to do if they are going to achieve the results required in the job.

o Behavioural competences: which refer to the personal characteristics and

behaviour required for successful performance in such areas as interpersonal
skills, leadership, personal drive, communication skills, team membership and
analytical ability.

ATTRACTING CANDIDATES

Attracting candidates is primarily a matter of identifying, evaluating and using the most
appropriate sources of applicants. However, in cases where difficulties in attracting or
retaining candidates are being met or anticipated, it may be necessary to carry out a
preliminary study of the factors that are likely to attract or repel candidates – the
strengths and weaknesses of the organization as an employer.

Analysis of recruitment strengths and weaknesses

The analysis should cover such matters as the national or local reputation of the
organization, pay, employee benefits and working conditions, the intrinsic interest of
the job, security of employment, opportunities for education and training, career
prospects, and the location of the office or plant.

The aim of the study might be to prepare a better image of the organization for use in
advertisements, brochures or interviews. The study could make use of an attitude
survey to obtain the views of existing employees. One such survey mounted by the
writer in a medical company wishing to attract science graduates established that the
main concern of the graduates was that they would be able to use and develop the
knowledge they had gained at university.
Sources of candidates

We should consider the internal candidates, although some organizations insist that all
internal candidates should apply for vacancies on the same footing as external
candidates. If there are no people available within the organization, or if the policy is to
advertise all vacancies externally as well as internally the main sources of candidates as
described in the next five sections are:

• Advertising.

• Agencies.

• Recruitment consultants.

• Executive search consultants.

• Educational establishments.

Advertising

Advertising is the most obvious method of attracting candidates. This means looking at
the alternative sources mentioned above and confirming, preferably on the basis of
experience, that they will not do. Consideration should be given as to whether it might
be better to use an agency or a selection consultant. The objectives should be to:

• Attract attention- it must compete for the interest of potential candidates against
other employees.

• Create and maintain interest- it has to communicate in an attractive and

interesting way information about the job, the company, the terms and
conditions of employment and the qualifications required.

• Stimulate action- the message needs to be conveyed in a manner which will not
only focus peoples eyes on the advertisement but also encourage them to read to
the end, as well as prompt a sufficient number of replies from good candidates

To achieve these aims,it is necessary to:

• Analyse the requirement

• Decide who does what

 • Write the copy

• Design the advertisement

• Plan the media

• Evaluate the response.

ANALYSE THE REQUIREMENT

First it is necessary to establish how many jobs have to be filled and by when. Then turn
to the job description and person specification to obtain information on responsibilities,
qualifications and experience required and any other data needed to draft the
advertisement.

The next step is to consider where suitable candidates are likely to come from. Finally,
think about what is likely to attract them about the job or the company so the most can
be made of these factors in the advertisement.

Using an advertising agency

An agency can provide expertise in producing eye-catching headlines and writing good
copy.

The following steps should be taken when choosing an advertising agency:

• Check its experience in handling recruitment advertising

• See examples of its work

• Check with clients on the level of service provided

• Meet the staff who will work on the advertisements

• Check the fee structure

• Discuss methods of working.

Write the copy

A recruitment advertisement should start with a compelling headline and the contain
information on:

• The organization

• The job

• The person required-qualifications, experience etc.

• The pay and benefits offered

• The location

• The action to be taken

Design the advertisement

The main types of advertisement are the following:

• Classified /run-on, in which copy is run-on, with no white space in or around the
advertisement and no paragraph spacing or indentation.

• Classified/semi-display, in which the headings can be set in capitals, paragraphs

can be indented and white space is allowed round the advertisement.

• Full display, which are bordered and in which any typeface and illustrations can
be used.

Using recruitment consultants

They provide expertise and reduce workload. The following steps should be taken when
choosing a recruitment consultant:

• Check reputation with other users

• Look at the advertisements of the various firms in order to obtain an idea of the
quality of a consultancy and the type and level of jobs with which it deals

• Check on special expertise- the large accountancy firms, for example, are
obviously skilled in recruiting accountants

• Meet the consultant who will work on the assignment to assess his or her quality
 • Compare fees, although the differences are likely to be small, and the other
considerations are usually more important.

When using recruitment consultants it is necessary to:

• Agree terms of reference

• Brief them on the organization, where the job fits in, why the appointment is to
be made and any special requirements

• Give them every assistance in defining the job and the person specification,
including any special demands that will be made on the successful candidate in
the shape of what her or she will be expected to achieve-they will do much
better if they have comprehensive knowledge of what is required and what type
of person is most likely to fit well into the organization.

• Check carefully the proposed programme and the draft text of the advertisement

• Clarify the basis upon which fees and expenses will be charged

• Ensure that arrangements are made to deal directly with the consultant who will
handle the assignment.

TYPES OF INTERVIEW

Individual interviews

The individual interview is the most familiar method of selection. It involves face-to-
face discussion and provides the best opportunity for the establishment of close contact-
rapport-between the interviewer and the candidate.

Interviewing panels

Two or more people gathered together to interview one candidate may be described as
an interviewing panel. The most typical situation is that in which a personnel manager
and line managers see the candidate at the same time.

Selection boards
Selection boards are more formal and, usually, larger interviewing panels convened by
an official body because there are a number of parties interested in the selection
decision. Their only advantage is that they enable a number of different people to have a
look at the applicants and compare notes on the spot. The disadvantages are that the
questions tend to be unplanned and delivered at random, the prejudices of a dominating
member of the board can overwhelm the judgements of the other members, and the
candidates are unable to do justice to them because they are seldom allowed to expand.

ASSESSMENT CENTRES

A more comprehensive approach to selection is provided by the use of assessment

centres.

• The focus of the centres is on behaviour

• Exercise are used to capture and simulate the key dimensions of the job

• Interviews and test will be used in addition to group exercises

• Performance is measured in several dimensions in terms of the competences

required to achieve the target level in the organization.

• Several candidates or participants are assessed together to allow interaction and

to make the experience more open and participative.

• Several assessors or observers are used in order to increase the objectivity of

assessments. Involving senior managers is desirable to ensure that they own the
process. Assessors must be carefully trained.

INTERVIEWING

The aim of an interview

Selection interviews aim to provide answer to three fundamental questions:

1. Can the individual do the job? Is he or she competent?

2. Will the individual likely to fit into the organization?

Good interviewers know what they are looking for and how to set about finding it. They
have a method for recording their analyses of candidates against a set of assessment
criteria which will be spelt out in a person specification using a format such as one of
those described earlier in this chapter. The main elements of a good interviews are:

• Preparation

• Sequence and timing

• Starting and finishing

• Structuring

• Interviewing techniques

• Analysing the result

Preparation

It is necessary at this stage to identity those features of the applicant which do not fully
match the specification so that these can be probed more deeply during the interview.

As Fowler (1991b) suggests, there are two fundamental questions that need to be
answered at this stage:

• What more do I need to find out at the interview to ensure that the candidate
meets the essential selection criteria?

• What further information do I need to obtain at the interview to ensure that I

have an accurate picture of how well the candidate meets the desirable and
useful, though not wholly essential criteria?

The preparation should include making notes of the specific questions the interviewer
needs to ask to establish the relevance of the candidate´s experience and the extent to
which he or she has the skills, knowledge and levels of competence required .

Sequence and timing

What is important is to decide in advance what sequence to follow. It is also important

to get the balance right. You should concentrate most on recent experience and not
dwell too much on the distant past.
Starting and finishing

You should start interviews by putting candidates at their ease. You want them to
provide you with information and they are not going to talk freely and openly if they are
given a cool reception.

They should also be given the opportunity to ask questions. At the end of the interview
the candidate should be thanked and told what the next step will be.

Structured and behaviourally-based interviews

The aim of a structured interview, also known as targeted or behaviourally-based

interviews, is to assess the degree to which candidates have the competences which
have been identified by the organization as being necessary to attain the required
standard of performance in a job.

• Describe a situation in which you persuaded others to take an unusual course of

action.

• Describe an occasion when you completed a task in the face of great difficulties

• Describe any contribution you have made as a member of a team in achieving a

successful result

• Describe any situation in which you took the lead in getting something
worthwhile done

Interviewing techniques

The interviewer´s job is to draw the candidate out at the same time ensuring that the
information required is obtained. To this end it is desirable to ask a number of open-
ended questions-questions which cannot be answered by yes or no and which promote a
full response.

• Probing questions which ask for more detailed and specific explanations of a
candidate´s work experience, knowledge, skills, and competences

• Play-back questions which test the interviewer´s understanding of what a

candidate has said by playing back what a candidate appears to have told him or
her

• Closed questions to clarity a point of fact

• Hypothetical questions which involve putting a situation to candidates and

asking how they would respond.
 • Now you know more about the job. Which parts of your experience do you
believe are most relevant?

• Is there any aspect of the job that you are not sure you are qualified to do at
present?

• What steps have you taken recently to extend your knowledge or developed your
skills?

• What are the most significant things you have achieved over the last year or
two?

• What has been the most difficult aspect of your present job and why?

• Is there anything else you would like to tell me about your qualifications,
experience and achievements that we have not covered?

SELECTION TEST

The purpose of a psychometric selection test is to provide an objective means of

measuring individual abilities or characteristics. These involve the application of
standard procedures to subjects which enable their responses to be quantified.

1. It is sensitive measuring instrument which discriminates well between subjects.

2. It has been standardized on a representative and sizeable sample of the

population for which it is intended so that any individuals score can be
interpreted in relation to that of others.

3. It is reliable in the sense that it always measures the same thing

4. It is valid in the sense that it measures the characteristic which the test is
intended to measure. Thus, an intelligence test should measure intelligence
(however defined) and not simply verbal facility.
References:

http://www.ipcc.gov.uk/agreed_recruitment_and_selection_policy-3.pdf

http://www.progressio.org.uk/shared_asp_files/GFSR.asp?NodeID=93666

http://www.ci.concord.ca.us/hr/recruitment.htm

A handbook of personnel and Management practice: Armstrong.

Pedro Luis Cáceres Cantero