Selection Methods Flashcards
What are the different methods of selection?
Application forms and CVs
Interviews
Testing
Assessment centres
References
Trial periods
What are application forms?
An application form is a document, produced by the employer, containing questions that applicants answer to provide details of their skills, experience and qualities.
What are CVs?
Usually a two page document listing a person’s work experience, qualifications and personal experiences.
What are interviews?
All interviews are designed to compare the applicant’s responses to questions against a set criteria.
Interviews can be one-to-one, successive or panel.
What are the advantages of interviews?
Interviews find out how an applicant reacts under pressure.
Interviews give an indication of the applicant’s personality and character.
What are the disadvantages of interviews?
Some applicants can train specifically for interviews and say what the interviewers want to hear but may not be the best person for the job.
Interviews can be highly stressful. This means an organisation may miss out on quality employees who underperform in the pressure of an interview.
What is testing?
Tests provide additional information about an applicant.
What are the advantages of testing?
Helps to judge how well a candidate’s knowledge, skills or personality align with the position they are applying for.
Allows for an easier comparison against other candidates who are asked the same questions.
Can be used to test the accuracy of the information an applicant has given on their CV in terms of skills and qualifications.
What are the disadvantages of testing?
They can be time consuming to carry out.
They may put applicants under too much pressure to perform as they would once they get the job.
Candidates may be more prepared on the day and once hired not perform to the same levels evident in the test.
What are the different types of testing?
Attainment test
Aptitude test
Psychometric test
Intelligence/IQ test
Medical test
What are attainment tests?
This allows an applicant to demonstrate their skills, e.g. ICT skills by completing a typing test.
What are aptitude tests?
This assesses if a candidate has the natural abilities and personal skills for the job, e.g. a prospective customer services assistant roleplaying a scenario with an angry customer.
What is a psychometric test?
This assesses an applicant’s personality and mental suitability for a job.
What is an IQ test?
This measures a candidate’s mental ability; used for jobs where candidates may be solving problems.
What is a medical test?
This measures physical fitness levels which may be required for certain jobs, e.g. the fire service, armed forces etc.
What are assessment centres?
Organisations use assessment centres to see a large number of applicants at the same time. Applicants take part in a variety of team-building and role-play exercises as well as a number of tests.
What are the advantages of assessment centres?
Allows an organisation to really scrutinise applicants over a longer period of time.
Assesses how applicants interact with others.
Assesses how applicants react to role-play scenarios that mimic real work situations.
Reduces the chance of interviewer bias as the results are a true reflection of each applicant’s abilities and not just what one manager thinks.
What are the disadvantages of assessment centres?
A venue will need to be hired, if an organisation doesn’t have its own assessment centre, which is expensive.
Several managers will need to be sent to the centre to conduct and supervise the tests, losing production time.
Such tests require careful planning and preparation, all of which takes time.
What are references?
These are used to confirm that the candidate is who they say they are, and that they are reliable.
What are trial periods?
This involves an applicant being employed for a short period of time, a day, a week or longer, before they are offered the position permanently, to make sure they are capable of doing the job, and that they are reliable and trustworthy.
