Selection Methods Flashcards
What are application forms?
Application forms is a document, produced by the employer, containing questions that applicants answer to provide details of their skills, experience and qualities.
What is a curriculum vitae (CV)?
A curriculum vitae (CV) is usually a two page document listing a person’s work experience, qualifications and personal experiences.
What types of interviews are there?
- one-to-one
- successive
- panel
What is one-to-one?
This refers to when there is only one manager interviewing you.
What is successive?
This refers to when you are interviewed by a single manager and then another manager after.
What is panel?
This refers to when you are being interviewed in front of a number of people at the same time.
What are the advantages of interviews?
- ~Interviewers find out how an applicant reacts under pressure.
- Interviewers 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 what 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 disadvantages of testing?
- They can be time consuming to carry out.
- They may put applicant 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 types of tests are there?
- attainment test
- aptitude test
- psychometric test
- intelligence/IQ test
- medical test
What is an attainment test?
This allows an applicant to demonstrate their skills, e.g. ICT skills by completing a typing test. Performance of candidates can be directly compared.
What is an aptitude test?
This assesses if a candidate has the natural abilities and personal skills for the jobs, e.g. a prospective customer service assistant roleplaying a scenario with an angry customer.
What is a psychometric test?
This assess an applicant’s personality and mental suitability for a job. There are no right or wrong answers; instead, the test gives an insight into how an applicant thinks and if they would fit into an organisation.
What is an intelligence/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?
This is for organisations 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. This allows an organisation to scrutinise applicants, to assess their suitability for the job, as well as how they interact with others.
What are the advantages of assessment centers?
- Allows an organisations to really scrutinise applicants over a longer period of time.
- Assess how applicants interact with others.
- Assesses how applicants reacts to role-play scenarios that mimic real work situations.
- Reduces the chances of interviewers bias as the result 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?
This is using references, or information from referees. They 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 they are capable of doing the job, and that they are reliable and trustworthy.
