Employee selection is the process of interviewing and evaluating candidates for a job based on certain criteria. Its main purpose is to match the company’s needs and requirements with the skills and qualifications of individuals. The selection procedures vary depending on the company, position, type of business, and working environment. In order to develop an effective selection process, a number of aspects need to be considered and adapted to fit particular job requirements.
MBTI, Personality, Work Style
In order to set relevant career goals and identify available means to achieve them, an individual first needs to understand their strengths, weaknesses, personality traits, and preferences. Self-assessment is one of the first things a person needs to do when planning a career. Conducting a realistic self-assessment may help a person to select a position which is best suited for them and provides the best opportunities for career growth.
A number of techniques allow an individual to determine their personality type and work style. They are also sometimes used by recruiters to assess whether an applicant is a good fit for a position personality-wise. One of the most popular tools is the Myers–Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), which is an introspective self-report questionnaire that indicates an individual’s psychological preferences. It is divided into four categories, which measure a person’s degree of extraversion or introversion and their preferences towards sensing or intuition, thinking or feeling, and judging or perceiving (Martocchio, 2019). The MBTI is criticized for poor validity and reliability and cannot be recommended for formal assessment. Overall, the tests aimed to assess an individual’s personality and work style can be most useful in career planning but are not reliable assessment tools for employee selection.
Pre-employment and Selection
Selection is the process of choosing an individual from a group of applicants who is best suited for a position and the organization. It typically consists of several stages, which may vary from company to company and depending on the type of the job. The selection process usually begins with preliminary screening; next, applicants complete an application form or provide a resume; then they progress through a series of selection tests and interviews and undergo pre-employment screening (Martocchio, 2019). It is generally believed that the more complicated the selection process is, the greater is the chance to make a good selection decision.
What can be noted in regard to the overall selection process is that its complexity depends on the position that the individual is selected for. In large companies which hire a lot of low-qualified personnel, such as McDonald’s, the selection process is largely automated. Applicants fill in an application form either online or in-store, which consists of basic questions and a personality test, and then are invited for an interview, during which the hiring decision is made (Roberts, 2020). In the companies which hire qualified personnel, more attention is given to skill assessment tests. For example, when hiring programmers, recruiters thoroughly examine their portfolio and previous work experience, conduct a detailed interview, and ask them to perform a coding or even a live coding test to assess their skills (Morris, 2018). Overall, it is crucial for the employer to accurately identify the requirements for a job to organize the selection process effectively, and for employees, relevant preparation is required depending on the desired position.
Psychometric Concepts
Psychometrics is a field of study that is concerned with the theory and techniques of psychological measurement. In recruitment, psychometric tests are used to “obtain an objective, unbiased, and standardized assessment of a candidate’s personality, behaviors, motivation, career interests, competencies, and intellectual abilities” (Carlson, 2020, para. 7). It is generally believed that a properly designed personality profile helps to select individuals who are best suited for the particular job.
Different organizations use psychometric tests aimed to assess various characteristics of a person relevant to a particular position, such as leadership, responsibility, friendliness, integrity, or teamwork. For example, when hiring managers, companies aim to evaluate their abilities to introduce long-term change and handle day-to-day management tasks (Martocchio, 2019). For simpler jobs, basic personality tests are used; for example, at McDonald’s, applicants are asked to complete a test aimed to determine what they would do in a particular situation. It helps to ensure that the position is the right fit for an individual’s personality type.
The main disadvantage of psychometric tests is that in most cases, they do not assess the context and environment and require more detailed personality profiling to determine whether the person is really the right candidate. According to Andrew Gemmel, an experienced recruiter, “they are simply a guide or enrich information to some extent about [the applicant’s] base level personality and how they may approach the role” (as cited in Carlson, 2020, para. 27). They do not consider a person’s intrinsic motivation and additional skills, which may drive higher performance on the job. Overall, for some roles, basic psychometric tests provide enough information, while for top-level positions, more sophisticated personality assessment tools are required in combination with interviews and skills tests to make a successful hiring decision.
Types of Tests
Tests are essential components of the employee selection process. Apart from psychometric tools, different types of tests are used by employers to assess the skills, abilities, attitudes, and motivation of employees, as well as their knowledge of the company. They are considered to be an efficient way to obtain the necessary information about applicants that interviews cannot provide and predict their ability to perform the job (Martocchio, 2019). The more customized the tests are, the more helpful they are in making effective hiring decisions.
Employment tests are divided into two main categories: aptitude tests and achievement tests. Aptitude tests measure a person’s ability to acquire new skills, while achievement tests assess an individual’s current knowledge and skills (Martocchio, 2019). The main types are cognitive ability, psychomotor abilities, personality, and job knowledge tests (Martocchio, 2019). Cognitive ability tests measure a person’s general reasoning abilities, which are required for most employees to adapt to job changes and technological advances quickly. Psychomotor abilities tests measure bodily functions, such as physical strength, which are essential for labor jobs. Personality profiling refers to assessing individual differences which are critical for performing specific jobs, for example, in nursing, management, retail, or law enforcement. Job knowledge tests measure a candidate’s technical or theoretical expertise in a particular field. Such tests are often designed specifically for a job based on the company’s requirements. The selection of tests that an applicant is asked to complete is typically determined by the position for which they are applying, the company, and the specifics of the business.
Judging from experience, the most widely used type of tests are work-sample tests, which require an individual to perform a task or a set of tasks representative of the job. For example, designers may be asked to design a landing page to demonstrate their skills, and managers may need to describe how they would solve a particular work-related problem. Such tests allow recruiters to evaluate the applicant’s practical knowledge and skills in application to a specific job. While for different positions varying types of tests may be considered most appropriate, for the jobs that need a particular set of skills, work-sample tests can be recommended as the best assessment tool.
The Interview
The interview is another essential part of the selection process, which can be defined as a conversation in which the interviewer and applicant exchange information and the interviewer assesses the applicant’s qualifications. During this conversation, the interviewer clarifies certain points, uncovers additional information, explores the candidate’s knowledge, skills, and motivation, and provides information about the company and job expectations (Martocchio, 2019). The main advantage of the interview is that it allows the employer to observe the applicant’s personal qualities, such as appearance, communication skills, cooperative spirit, and adaptability, which can be relevant for the position.
Typically, the interview is the last part of the selection process. Despite its many disadvantages, such as subjectivity, it is the primary method used by most companies to evaluate applicants (Martocchio, 2019). Top-level specialists generally have to undergo a multiple-stage interview process, which involves in-depth face-to-face meetings with key staff members. For simpler jobs, one interview is conducted, with the interviewer asking each applicant the same series of job-related questions. With interviews being stressful, subjective, and time-consuming, it can be recommended for employers to thoroughly evaluate whether they are really required for each particular position and clearly state the goals they aim to achieve.
Employee Selection and Ethics
Ethics plays a crucial role in employee recruitment and selection. Hiring or refusing to hire an individual can have significant ethical and legal implications for a company, which need to be considered by employers when making a decision. Hiring managers have a difficult task of finding people who have the right qualifications for the job while adhering to ethical standards and internal company requirements. To prevent unethical behavior, they have to act as gatekeepers for their respective organizations, guided by the principles of moral obligation, diversity, equality, integrity, and fairness when making hiring decisions (Villegas et al., 2019). The employment laws of the United States stipulate that any applicant should be protected from discrimination based on age, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion, or disability (Villegas et al., 2019). These laws need to be regarded as the default standards for managers during the hiring process.
Career Decision Making
The career development approach is used by businesses to ensure that people with the proper qualifications and experiences are available when needed and are provided with opportunities for growth. It begins with a person’s job placement and initial orientation, followed by identifying their strength and weaknesses and coordinating a person’s career plans with the organization’s needs (Martocchio, 2019). Career decision-making is key to effective talent development because it ensures employee satisfaction and loyalty.
For individuals starting at entry-level jobs, it is essential to provide opportunities for growth. For example, at McDonald’s, employees who wish to pursue a management career are offered free education and training. For senior-level positions, other career-decision options can be provided, such as relocation opportunities and professional development courses. It is essential for an organization to recognize its employees’ career plans and satisfy their personal development needs to maintain their satisfaction, commitment, loyalty, and productivity.
The Proposed Employee Selection Process
The employee selection process needs to vary depending on the organization and the position. The basic hiring steps are preliminary screening, completion of an application form and providing a resume, a series of tests and interviews, and pre-employment screening. Depending on the position, some steps may be omitted and some given particular attention. For example, entry-level jobs do not require a thorough skills assessment, and the hiring decision can be made after a basic personality test and an interview. When hiring highly qualified specialists, such as programmers, it is recommended to pay particular attention to work-sample tests, with the interview playing a less important role. The higher is the level of responsibility associated with the job, the more sophisticated the selection process should be. Overall, the most important thing is to carefully design each stage of the selection process, from the job description to final decision making, to make it as efficient as possible for both the applicant and the company.
Conclusion
An effective employee selection process is based on a number of principles. It needs to be fitted for a particular job and company, based on ethical principles, aimed to be as efficient as possible for both the applicant and the organization, and devoid of any unnecessary steps. When an applicant understands their career goals, personality traits, knowledge, and skills, and the company takes effort to evaluate them adequately, the selection process is basically reduced to matching an individual with an organization. A company that carefully manages all stages of its hiring process makes better employment decisions and uses its human capital more effectively, which significantly contributes to its business success.
References
Carlson, S. (2020). Should psychometric assessments be used for hiring? Vervoe.
Martocchio, J. J. (2019). Human resource management (15th ed.). Pearson.
Morris, N. (2018). How to test developers’ coding skills before hiring. Codingame.
Roberts, J. (2020). The hiring process at McDonald’s: From application to interview to orientation. ToughNickel.
Villegas, S. G., Lloyd, R., Tritt, A., & Vengrouskie, E. F. (2019). Human Resources as ethical gatekeepers: Hiring ethics and employee selection. Journal of Leadership, Accountability, and Ethics, 16(2), 80–88.