Scientific Selection Process

Recruitment and Selection Process

Recruitment and selection process can be defined as a procedure that is used to choose the most qualified individuals from a group of applicants for a specific position. The process is considered by managers to be one of the critical decision functions. In this procedure, managers evaluate the knowledge, abilities and skills of the applicants to determine whether it matches the requirements of the job (Townley, 2014). The selection process is not standard for all organisations as they vary. The steps and procedures are different from organisation to organisation. The steps in the scientific selection process include recruitment, applications, written tests, interview, reference check, medical examination, and final selection, placement, and induction. Several steps are taken in recruitment.

Job Analysis

The first one is job analysis. The personnel department is expected to analyse the job first. The job analysis entails collection, analysis of the job description, and the qualifications and specifications required for the job. The next step in the recruitment section is to determine sources of labour. It is done through advertising the positions on newspapers and the internet so that it can reach more applicants (Mitchell, 2010). After this, the vacancies are advertised. The personnel department is expected to provide enough information about the job and the expected qualifications of the candidates. Also, necessary information about the company such as their contacts should be provided in the advertisements. The deadline for submission should also be indicated in the ad.

Application

The second step in the process is the application. The personnel department examines the forms and sent application blanks. While reviewing, the department collects all the requests that were received before the deadline. They take time to analyse the application in detail. Those candidates who are unqualified, who have incomplete applications and those who have submitted after the deadline are not considered. After this, application blanks are sent to the candidates who qualify for the job. The application blank is expected to source for more information about the applicants. Some of the reports include the candidates’ background, their level of education, their working experience and training, and references. The candidates are expected to fill out the forms and return them to the organisation before a specific deadline. Here, photographs and certificates are also provided.

Written Tests

The next step is the written tests. After the application forms have been returned, the personnel department takes time to examine them. Again, if any of the forms are incomplete or submitted late, they are rejected. The accepted candidates receive letters of their written tests. Here, the personnel department will assess the personality, intelligence, performance, aptitude, and interests of the candidates.

Interview

In most cases, the tests are carried out by educationists or psychologists. The criteria can either be objective or descriptive. The candidates who make it past this stage are given call letters for an interview (Gatewood, 2015). Personality refers to several characteristics that are combined to form a person’s unique character. Also, the validity of the candidates will be tested. Validity can be defined as the ability to be logical and factual.

Reference Checks

The next step of the scientific selection process is the interview. An interview can be defined as a form of verbal or visual interaction between individuals for a specific reason. In simpler terms, it is an oral evaluation of the candidates. The primary purpose of this step is to confirm if the candidate matches the qualities required for the job. Different organisations carry out different types of interviews. For example, panel interview, group interview, stress interview, and individual interview. A candidate’s attitude is evaluated during the real interview. Attitude can be explained to as a person’s way of thinking or his thought about particular issues. His feelings on these issues are also looked into.

Medical Examination

The next step in the process is reference checks. At the end of the interview, the personnel department looks at the references provided by the qualified candidates. The references are then contacted either physically through a phone call, letter, or email (Robles, 2012). The interviewers try to inquire about the candidates’ character and capabilities from the references. The information on the candidates’ past performance will help the interviewers to predict their future performance. Also, the department needs to confirm whether or not the information provided by the candidate is valid. Here, they will also determine whether or not the candidates are reliable. Reliability refers to the ability to work well consistently or be trustworthy.

Final Selection, Placement, and Induction

The next step is the medical examination. After passing the reference check, the candidates are expected to undergo a medical exam. From this, the organisation will be able to determine whether or not the candidate is both physically and mentally qualified to do the job. The final step is the final selection, placement and induction. The candidates who have completed the process are given appointment letters. The letters contain the date that they are expected to join the firm. On this date, they will be appropriately placed and inducted into the organisation.

Benefits of a Scientific Selection Process

Several organisations implement the scientific selection process in the recruitment and selection to be able to get employees who are the most qualified in their field of work. In this way, the businesses can become more productive and save money. The hiring process puts more focus on soft skills (Highhouse, 2015). The characters of the individuals have a significant influence on whether or not they will be hired. It is quite difficult to train individuals on these personal attributes. For instance, an individual cannot be trained on how to have an upbeat personality, intelligence, social, and how to be eager to learn new things. Despite how smart and qualified a candidate is, their soft skills matter a lot to their employers. The companies that implement this strategy tend to benefit a lot.

Matching Company Values and Culture

The company looks for attitudinal characteristics that are in line with its brand. In this way, it is easy to instil the company core values and culture of the new employees. When the values of the employees match the company’s culture, the company ends up having a happier staff that is engaged and committed to their work. Also, the company will improve its one on one interaction between the customers and its staff. In the end, customer satisfaction will increase leading to the overall success of the business. When checking the soft skills, the organisation is expected to be clear about what it is looking for from the candidates.

There is a need to clearly state the qualities that they seek from their new employee. For instance, if the company says that it wants social individual, lesser introverts will apply for the job thus making the hiring process more comfortable. When the personal qualities are stated, more candidates who are qualified that they meet these qualifications will be attracted. During the interviews, the interviewers should focus on knowing the individual rather than the papers they present. It is hard to tell a person’s attitude and personality form the resume they submit. It is why a face to face interval is an ideal part of the process.

Importance of Soft Skills

Even though hard skills are vital, employees are now putting more emphasis on soft skills such as an individual’s attitude and personality. It is believed that a person with the right approach to the job will be happier and more committed to doing the job correctly. A dedicated workforce will increase the overall productivity of an organisation. Also, the organisation will handle minor conflicts among the employees.

References

Townley, B. (2014). Selection and appraisal: reconstituting. New Perspectives on Human Resource Management (Routledge Revivals), 92.

Highhouse, S., Doverspike, D., & Guion, R. M. (2015). Essentials of personnel assessment and selection. Routledge.

Gatewood, R., Feild, H. S., & Barrick, M. (2015). Human resource selection. Nelson Education.

Robles, M. M. (2012). Executive perceptions of the top 10 soft skills needed in today’s workplace. Business Communication Quarterly, 75(4), 453-465.

Mitchell, G. W., Skinner, L. B., & White, B. J. (2010). Essential Soft Skills for Success in the Twenty-First Century Workforce as Perceived by Business Educators. Delta Pi Epsilon Journal, 52(1).