SELECTION AND

INTERVIEW

THE SELECTION PROCESS

THE APPLICATION FORM
The dividing line between recruitment and
selection
When application form is completed and signed,
recruitment process is finished.
End of recruitment process marks beginning of
selection process

Parts of the application form

1. Personal Particulars
2. Education and Special Courses Attended
3. Membership of Professional Associations
4. Work History
5. Additional Information
6. References
7. Signature Line

Why Careful Selection is

Important

Performance
Cost
Legal obligations
Person and job/organization fit

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Chapter 6-4

STEPS IN THE SELECTION

PROCESS
1. Short-listing
2. Preliminary interview
3. Selection tests
4. Selection interview
5. Supervisory approval
6. Check of references
7. Medical examination
8. Realistic job previews
9. Hiring decision

EMPLOYMENT TESTS
Advantages and Disadvantages of Employment Tests
Advantages
Help to make better decisions on selection and hiring
Where tests are valid and reliable, they may save
money through increased productivity, less expenses
on training, and reduced turnover.
Disadvantages
Performance related to two main factors, ability and
motivation
Employment tests may accurately measure ability to
perform the job but may not be able to measure
persons motivation or will to perform

Basic Testing Concepts

Reliability
Describes the consistency of scores obtained
by the same person when retested with the
identical or alternate forms of the same test.
Are test results stable over time?

Validity
Indicates whether a test is measuring what it
is supposed to be measuring.
Does the test actually measure what it is
intended to measure?
67

A Slide from the Rorschach Test

68

Types of Validity
Types of
Test Validity

Criterion validity

score on test
related to job
performance

Content validity

test contains fair

sample of task & skills
actually needed for the job
69

Types of Tests
What Different Tests
Measure

Cognitive
abilities

Motor and
physical
abilities

Personality
and interests

Current
achievement

610

Cognitive tests
tests of general reasoning ability (intelligence) and tests of
specific mental abilities like memory and inductive reasoning.
Tests of motor and physical abilities
motor abilities, such as finger dexterity, manual dexterity, and
reaction time.
Personality tests
basic aspects of an applicants personality, such as
introversion, stability, and motivation.
Achievement tests
what someone has learned. They measure your job
knowledge in areas like economics, marketing, or human
resources.

Sample Test

612

Example of Cognitive abilities

613

The Big Five: Personality test

Extraversion

Conscientiousnes
s

Agreeableness

Emotional stability/
Neuroticism

Openness to
experience

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THE BIG FIVE

Extraversion tendency to be sociable,
assertive, active and experience positive
effect e.g. Energy
Neuroticism- tendency to exhibit poor
emotional adjustment and experience
negative effect e.g. anxiety & insecurity
Openness to experience disposition to be
imaginative, nonconforming, unconventional
and autonomous .
Agreeableness tendency to be trusting
compliant, caring and gentle.
Conscientiouness comprised of two related
facet e.g. achievement and dependability

The Uptight Personality

616

Background Investigations
Investigations and Checks
Reference checks
Background employment checks
Criminal records
Driving records

617

Background Investigations
and Reference Checks
Former Employers

Current Supervisors

Sources of
Information

Written References

Social Networking
Sites
618

Making Background Checks

More Useful
1. Include on the application form a statement for
applicants to sign explicitly authorizing a
background check.
2. Use telephone references if possible.
3. Be persistent in obtaining information.
4. Compare the submitted rsum to the application.
5. Ask open-ended questions to elicit more
information from references.
6. Use references provided by the candidate as a
source for other references.
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20

Selection Interview
Characteristic
Selection Interview
Characteristics

Interview
structure

Interview
content

Interview
administration

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Selection Interview Formats

Interview
Structure Formats

Unstructured
(nondirective)
interview

job-applicant is asked
probing, open-ended
question

Structured
(directive)
interview

interviewer ask each

applicant the same series
of job related knowledge
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723

Interview Content
Situational
Behavioral
Background/job
related knowledge

Copyright 2013 Pearson

Education

Chapter 7-24

Interview content
Situational
Focus on how candidates would behave
in given situation

Behavioral
Focus on how candidates reacted to
actual situation in the past

Job related interview

Focus on relevant job-related
knowledge

Situational (What Would You

Do) Questions
Suppose your boss insisted that a presentation
had to be finished by tonight. Your subordinate
said she has to get home early to attend an
online class, so she is unable to help you. What
would you do?
The CEO just told you that hes planning on
firing your boss, with whom you are very close,
and replacing him with you. What would you do?

Copyright 2013 Pearson Education

Chapter 7-26

Behavioral (Past Behavior)

Questions
Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a
particularly obnoxious person. Describe the
situation in detail, and explain how you handled
it.
Tell me about a time when you were under a
great deal of stress. What was the situation, and
how did you handle it?
Copyright 2013 Pearson Education

Chapter 7-27

Background/job Questions
What kind and how much experience have
you had actually repairing computers
Describe the types and years of
experience you have had creating
marketing programs for consumer
products?

Copyright 2013 Pearson Education

Chapter 7-28

SELECTION INTERVIEWS

A formal, in-depth conversation which allows for a

two-way exchange of information
Interviewers learn about applicant, and applicant
learns about employer.
Most widely used single method of selection mainly
because of its convenience and flexibility.
Selection interview is more of an art than an exact
science and there are limitations to its usefulness
in predicting the ability of a candidate to do the job.

OBJECTIVES OF THE INTERVIEW

1.
2.
3.
4.

Interviews allow a two-way exchange of

information: interviewers learn about the candidate
and the candidate learns about the organisation.
Selection interview should have at least the
following objectives for it to be successful:
Obtain additional information about the candidate
Provide information regarding the job and
organisation
Sell the organisation
Maintain good public relations

Method of job Interview

In person/ one to one
Panel
Group/ mass
Phone
Web-assisted interview

What Error Can Undermine An

Interviews Usefulness?
Non vernal
behavior

Strereotyping

First impression

Factors Affecting
An Interviews
Usefulness

Inconsistent
standard

Contrast effect

732

 First impression bias- jump into conclusion

in the first few minutes of interview
Inconsistent standards- Interviewers
misunderstanding of the job- Not
clarifying what the job involves and
requires

 Non verbal behavior non verbal behavior such

as smiling, eye contact voice tone etc)
Contrast effect -Those interviewed immediately
after a weak candidate are assessed more
favourably.
Stereotyping- Interviewer has certain
preconception of the ideal candidate and
individual characteristic (group in which he/she
is belong) for eg, gender and racial

STEPS IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

1.

Interviewer preparation
Preparation divided into three parts;
determining specific objectives of interview
in terms of what kind of person is required
determining kind of structured questions
that need to be developed
collecting as much information as possible
about candidates before the interview.

STEPS IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

2. Establishing rapport
Two types of settings for interview:
physical and mental.
Physical setting should be both
private and comfortable
Mental setting aimed at creating
rapport which is heart of interview
process.

STEPS IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

3. Conduct of interview
Step where most of the action takes
place
Interview process is conversation that
exchanges information
Ask questions to learn as much
information as possible
Also, listen attentively to what the
candidate says.

STEPS IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

4.

Close
As interview process comes to an
end, interviewer must draw session to
a close
Non-verbal communication is useful
Responsibility of interviewer to bring
interview to a smooth close
Candidate should not be given an
indication of his prospects for getting
the job.

STEPS IN THE INTERVIEW PROCESS

5. Evaluation
When candidate has left interview room,
interviewer should immediately undertake task of
evaluating candidate while details are fresh in mind
May involve recording of specific notes and
general impressions about candidate
If rating sheet used, then should fill up required
details with supporting information
Use of rating sheet can improve reliability of
interview as a selection technique.

EVALUATION OF THE SELECTION

PROCESS

Final outcome of selection process is new

employees who are hired.
Feedback required to evaluate both new
employees and selection process.
One major problem with feedback on performance
of new employees:
successful employees = their supervisors usually
claim responsibility
failures = blame placed on selection process.

FIGURE 73
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2.
3.
4.
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18.
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20.
21.
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23.
24.

Suggested Supplementary Questions for Interviewing Applicants

How did you choose this line of work?

What did you enjoy most about your last job?
What did you like least about your last job?
What has been your greatest frustration or disappointment on your present job? Why?
What are some of the pluses and minuses of your last job?
What were the circumstances surrounding your leaving your last job?
Did you give notice?
Why should we be hiring you?
What do you expect from this employer?
What are three things you will not do in your next job?
What would your last supervisor say your three weaknesses are?
What are your major strengths?
How can your supervisor best help you obtain your goals?
How did your supervisor rate your job performance?
In what ways would you change your last supervisor?
What are your career goals during the next 13 years? 510 years?
How will working for this company help you reach those goals?
What did you do the last time you received instructions with which you disagreed?
What are some things about which you and your supervisor disagreed? What did you do?
Which do you prefer, working alone or working with groups?
What motivated you to do better at your last job?
Do you consider your progress in that job representative of your ability? Why?
Do you have any questions about the duties of the job for which you have applied?
Can you perform the essential functions of the job for which you have applied?

Copyright 2011 Pearson Education, Inc. publishing as Prentice Hall

741

FIGURE 75
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3.
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23.
24.
25.

Interview Questions to Ask

What is the first problem that needs the attention of the person you hire?
What other problems need attention now?
What has been done about any of these to date?
How has this job been performed in the past?
Why is it now vacant?
Do you have a written job description for this position?
What are its major responsibilities?
What authority would I have? How would you define its scope?
What are the companys five-year sales and profit projections?
What needs to be done to reach these projections?
What are the companys major strengths and weaknesses?
What are its strengths and weaknesses in production?
What are its strengths and weaknesses in its products or its competitive position?
Whom do you identify as your major competitors?
What are their strengths and weaknesses?
How do you view the future for your industry?
Do you have any plans for new products or acquisitions?
Might this company be sold or acquired?
What is the companys current financial strength?
What can you tell me about the individual to whom I would report?
What can you tell me about other persons in key positions?
What can you tell me about the subordinates I would have?
How would you define your management philosophy?
Are employees afforded an opportunity for continuing education?
What are you looking for in the person who will fill this job?
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FIGURE 71

Officer Programs Applicant Interview Form

743

LETTER OF OFFER
Essential information included in offer letter:
Job title
Starting salary
Effective date
Length of probationary period
Notice period before and after probation
Offer subject to passing medical examination
Last date for acceptance of offer

Review

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Education

Chapter 7-45