Selection in human resource management refers to the act of deciding in the right employees for the company. The main goal of this activity is to find the best available employees for the job on offer. It involves assessing the list of employees in order to find out the individuals with the required knowledge, skills, abilities and motivation to fill in the vacant position.
The selection process is normally a very demanding process and is done in a stepwise manner so that no errors are made in selecting the best employees for the organization (Baladad Para. 4). The first step is to clearly outline the organization’s strategy with regards to human resource management; this will help in the clarification of the parameters to be involved in the selection process. The next step is to identify an individual who shall be responsible for the whole selection process (Baladad, Para 5). Then, a selection of a group of managers to be involved in the selection process follows, whose mandate is to help the individual in step 2 to carry out the recruitment process. A list of the available vacant positions and the amount of pay for each one of them is made. The individual who is put in charge of the recruitment process will then identify the vacant positions or those that have not been filled up; this may involve consulting the other managers in the organization so as to find out the vacant positions. The next step involves making a decision on how the vacancies will be filled up. It is important that the positions that are required for the continued operation of the organization are considered first. This stage also involves posting adverts for the available vacant positions (Baladad, Para 7).The applications are then accepted and analyzed and a list of those who have qualified for the interview generated.
The interviewer will then contact the short listed applicants to invite them for the first interview on the determined interview date. The interviewer will then make a decision on which of the interviewees are worth taking a closer look at. The eleventh step is to prepare the final interview list; the date of the interview should again be fixed with the finalists. The recruitment is then done, which is normally done with the final decision from the chief executive officer (Baladad, Para 7). A job offer is then made to the selected candidate and a confirmation is made so as to confirm whether the candidate will take the job or not. The contract is signed and the date for starting the job fixed. The last three steps include preparing the working place or desk of the new hiree, introducing him or her to the other employees and taking the employee through the requirements of the job and the organization at large – orientation (Baladad, Para 7).
Validity refers to the strength of a conclusion made; it also refers to the best available approximation to the truth (Van Wagner, Para 1). On the other hand, reality refers to the ability of an instrument to produce the same results each time it is used under the same conditions with the same subjects (Van Wagner, Para 2). Content validity means that the test would cover all the items it is meant to test (Van Wagner, Para 3) while criterion related validity refers to the ability of the test to effectively predict a criterion. Construct validity means that the test is able to show an association between the scores of the test and a prediction made by theoretical criteria (Van Wagner, Para 5). Face validity shows the ability of the test to generate the information that the researcher is looking for and lastly, concurrent validity occurs when the criterion measures are obtained at the same time with the test scores while predictive validity occurs when the criterion measurements are received some time after the test has been conducted (Van Wagner, Para 6).
Internal equity occurs when an employer pays salaries proportionate to the relative internal value of each job and this is established according to the employers perception on the importance of the work being done (Anonymous, Para 3). Conversely, external equity occurs when the employer pays the salary in proportion to the wages prevailing in the external labor market. The purpose of salary survey is to provide a means for comparison of salaries at the company, and enables the employees to know if the salaries they are getting are worth their work. In addition, it assists them in making a decision on whether to walk out of a job or not, or weather to accept a job offer or to decline it (Anonymous, Para 6). The salary survey helps the organizations in structuring and managing their compensation scheme so as to enhance internal consistency within the company. It also enables the employers to know what their competitors are offering their employees – industry comparison (Anonymous, Para 7).The steps involved in salary survey include; matching out the job description of the employee with that of another employee in similar position in the external market (McKenna, 583), matching the employer factors i.e. matching with a job within the same industry of the same size and in the same geographical region and finally, the comparison of the job with an employee’s personal factors such education, experience and performance is done (McKenna, 583). Many at times, the organization focuses on punishing the employees instead of helping them to change their behaviors, while effective discipline demands that the organization pays attention to the change of job behavior (McKenna, 583). Therefore, all the employees should be disciplined in the same way and at least each one of them must be given a chance for an exit interview.
The problem with the traditional system is that it is costly to install and maintain it. It also experiences a lot of problems if the evaluator is found not to be carrying out his role objectively (McKenna, 583). In addition, it may require extra spending if the job upgrading comes up as a result of the evaluation process. Broad banding has been criticized due to its negative impacts on the employees; this is because it increases the decision making of the employers in organization and it lays emphasis on the flexibility and less control (McKenna, 583). The broad band system makes it difficult to assess the external equities and it is difficult to obtain labor market data for comparison when dealing with a job that is wider in scope. It is not easy to determine the data survey for employees hence this makes it difficult to determine the salaries for new employees coming into the organization (McKenna, 583). Moreover, the system discourages promotion in the organization and this is likely to demotivate employees. Lastly, broad banding brings about managerial difficulties since it does not explain why some employees should be paid more than the others.
Competencies are the knowledge-skills and the attitude needed by every individual employee to carry out his/her job effectively (Anonymous, Para 3). These competencies can incorporate into a pay system to reward the individuals who have contributed positively to the organization. The skill based and competency based pay system are important in linking pay to knowledge, skill and abilities of the employees because the employee is rewarded not only on how much he or she can deliver but also on how he/she delivers it.
In conclusion, selection is a very important human resource activity in that it enables the organization to find the best available candidates for the job on offer. It involves assessing the list of employees in order to find out the individuals with the required knowledge, skills, abilities and motivation to fill in the vacant position.
Works cited
Anonymous. “Importance of Salary Survey for the Employee and Employer.” Article base. 2009. Web.
Anonymous. “Many employees fall victim to the “Grass is Greener” Syndrome.” Workers Say They’re Underpaid — But Are They Right? N.d. 2010. Web.
Baladad, Jerome. “Steps involved in formal recruitment and selection.” Helium. 2002. Web.
McKenna, Eugene. Business psychology and organizational behavior: a student’s handbook. New York. Psychology Press ltd. 2000.
Van Wagner, Kendra. “What is Validity?” About.com. N.d. 2010. Web.