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RECRUITMENT
AND
SELECTION
Session Extracts

STRATEGIC SIGNIFICANCE
People as competitive advantage
Right person to the right job
Hiring errors are costly

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POOR HIRING
A poor hiring decision can cost as much as five times the
employee’s salary.
(Jackson and Schuler, 2003)

The US Department of Labour estimates that a bad hiring decision

equals 30 per cent of the employee’s first years earning potential
(Hacker, 1997).

Poor hiring is a significant issue in Sri Lankan organizations.

(Dharmasiri et al., 2008)

“If each of us hires people who are smaller than we are, we

shall become a company of dwarfs, but if each of us hires
people who are bigger than we are, we will become a
company of giants”
David Ogilvy

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THE OVERVIEW

STEPS IN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS

The recruitment and selection process is a series of

hurdles aimed at selecting the best candidate for the job.

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RECRUITMENT
Process of attracting and encouraging
potential employees to apply for a position

Selection
Process of making fair and relevant
assessments of the strengths and
weaknesses of applicants with the
intention to hire them.
(Boxall & Purcell 2008; Breaugh & Starke 2000).

RECRUITING YIELD PYRAMID

 Recruiting yield pyramid

– The historical arithmetic relationships between recruitment
leads and invitees, invitees and interviews, interviews and
offers made, and offers made and offers accepted.

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WHAT PEOPLE KNOW VS. WHO THEY ARE

“In interviews, I give people an opportunity
to be fun, to show their sense of humor.
We look for people’s passions, what
they’ve done with their lives: the guy who
took a year off after his MBA to play the
violin or travel the world…”
- Eric Lane, Director of Worldwide Staffing at
Silicon Graphics Inc.

SELECTION OF PEOPLE
Hire for Attitude, Train for Competence

Increasing emphasis is placed on the

attitudinal and behavioural characteristics
of employees, which readily lend
themselves to monitoring through selection
and performance reviews.

- Townley, 1989

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Hiring as Match-making

Do – Fit

Talent –
Task
Match
Feel – Fit Know – Fit

SATISFYING THE NEED

Identify
Job Analysis

Specify
Job Profile

Codify
Hiring Specification

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SELECTION DEVICES
Device Validity for
Predicting
Performance

Work sample tests 0.54

Structured interviews 0.51
General mental ability tests 0.51
Job knowledge tests 0.49

Source: Carlson et al. (2002) in Dessler (2008)

Testing Process

Reliable but not Valid

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Testing Process

Valid but not Reliable

Testing Process

Valid and Reliable

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ASSESSMENT CENTRES (ACS)

• Testing on work-related activities
• Individual as well as groups
• High predictor of future
performance

INDIVIDUAL ACTIVITIES IN
AC

1. Objective
Testing
2. Projective
Testing

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GROUP ACTIVITIES IN AC
1. Case Analysis
2. Management
Games
3. Role Plays
4. Out-bound
activities

SAMPLE PICTURE CARD FROM

THEMATIC APPERCEPTION TEST

How do you interpret

this picture?

© 2005 Prentice Hall Inc. All

rights reserved.
6–20

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TYPES OF TESTS
 Tests of cognitive abilities
 Intelligence Tests
 Tests of general intellectual abilities that measure
a range of abilities, including memory,
vocabulary, verbal fluency, and numerical ability.
 Aptitude tests
 Tests that measure specific mental abilities, such
as inductive and deductive reasoning, verbal
comprehension, memory, and numerical ability.

TYPES OF TESTS (CONT’D)

Tests of motor abilities
 Tests that measure motor abilities,
such as finger dexterity, manual
dexterity, and reaction time.
Tests of physical abilities
 Tests that measure static strength,
dynamic strength, body coordination,
and stamina.

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PROBLEM FROM THE TEST OF

MECHANICAL COMPREHENSION

Which gear will turn the same way as the driver?

6–23

AC – CRITICAL SUCCESS FACTORS

1. Organization-wide commitment
2. Clear information regarding skills and
behaviour required
3. Precise design of assessments needed
4. Standardization of assessment
procedure
5. Availability of an administrative system
6. Procedure to ensure efficient and
ethical usage of assessment
information

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INTERVIEWING
1. Define
2. Discover
3. Decide

APPLICATIONS

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