Recruitment and selection
(Originally published on the OUBS Blog)
The key to successful recruitment is to ensure that the criteria of suitability are overt and relevant to the job itself. => Rational decision
Qualities of the applicant need to match organisation requirements
Recruiter perception will by influenced by the halo effect (similarities to yourself). Pay attention to keep your prejudice and preferences out of it.
The person-job fit should be concerned with accessing and measuring personal factors which can be compared to those required for the job.
The person-organisation fit accesses how suited the applicant is to the organisation – its style, approach, pace of change and informal ways of working, … the culture of the organisation.
1\. Specifying job and person requirements
You need to look at:
\- Job analysis
i. Discuss with the current holder, supervisor
ii. Build a checklist
1\. What, when where how are things done.
2\. What responsibilities.
3\. What relationships?
4\. What requirements?
5\. What working conditions?
6\. Who needs to be consulted?
\- Organisational analysis
\- Job description
i. Summary of main responsibilities and activities
ii. Specific responsibilities
1\. staff
2\. assets
3\. planning
4\. technical decisions
5\. financial
6\. confidential info
7\. degree of supervision
8\. contacts
9\. working conditions
10\. organisational
All in all the job description has various uses including review of staff performance, assessing training needs and it leads to the next stage….
\- Person specification
Here you need to be as precise as possible. Specific what is essential as well as what is desirable.
Next you need to look at recruiting and selecting internal candidates who should receive the same treatment as all other candidates.
Next you need to find sources of recruits which is a lot of things. Advertising is one of them but you need to be sure where to advertise and that you get the most effective response for your money. You can take the information for this from the job analysis and job description.
Fields should be title, organisation name, nature of activity and location, aims and responsibilities of the job, qualifications and experience needed, salary and fringe benefits, promotion prospects, how to apply, closing date.
Also make sure that application forms are there and that everything is in place for dealing with paperwork. You need to keep detailed records at every stage.
Next you need to shortlist your replies. 6 per position is common. You can then see where people meet the minimum and where the desirable option.
References need to be checked but pay attention that you are allowed to.
You need to treat candidates as sensitive and responsive human beings and they make decisions too.
2\. Methods of selection
Interviews are useful for assessing such things as practical intelligence and interpersonal and comm.. skills.
Tests can actually replicate parts of the job but they are time-consuming.
The selection interview shows if the candidate is interested and competent. An interview needs to be well planned (What does the interviewer need, candidate need, location requirements, …)
Requirements for a good interview:
\- could do the job
\- would do the job
\- would fit
\- a clear idea of questions
\- agreement of the roles in the interview
\- disciplined approach to timing
An interview should be split up in an introduction and the main body in which 70% of the time the candidate should be talking.
There are some essential skills:
\- Effective questioning
o when you can zoom in do so. Probe.
o Frame your questions to suit your purpose
o Use questions about specific incidents in the past
o Questions should elicit info that is relevant
o Not random but comprehensive and grouped
o Similar areas for all candidates
o Allow you to compare candidates
\- Controlling the flow of the interview
o The ability to keep a candidate talking about the things you need to know
\- Using listening skills
\- Evaluating the information
\- Drawing the interview to a close, then ->
o Invite c. to talk about anything that has not been covered
o Let c. ask questions about job or the terms and conditions associated
\- Reaching a final decision
o Pull together notes and impressions
o The selection process will be the objective one but intuition should not be ignored