Selection Process in Human Resource Management: 9 Easy Steps to follow
- What is the Selection Process?
- What Are The Key Steps In Selection Process?
- Importance of a selection process
- FAQs About the Selection Process
1. What is the Selection Process?
The selection process in organizations is directed towards finding the right talent for vacancies within the organization. Typically, it is akin to filtering through a series of funnels to find the solution via elimination.
More than 84% of the organizations in India have reported ill effects of wrong hiring! A core function of Human Resource Management, the selection process, is crucial to creating a holistic work environment. Did you know that just one bad hire could cost your company up to 29 Lakhs?
The recruitment and selection process varies by industry, organization, and department. Positions differ on the grounds of responsibility and criteria. In this article, we’ve explained the key steps in the selection process.
2. What Are The Key Steps In Selection Process?
Let’s take a look at the step-by-step guide to the employee selection process.
1. Preliminary Interview
Once a requirement is posted, a company may receive hundreds of thousands of applications. In a granular pre-process, the preliminary interview is conducted to weed out all candidates who do not meet the essential eligibility criteria – educational qualifications, required skill sets, proven certifications, and experience. Candidates may also be assessed based on their background and level of interest.
Some companies employ innovative techniques to bring the right candidates to the table right from the get-go. For example, Uber deployed “Code on the road,” an in-app coding game that took candidates straight to the next stage of the selection process if they passed the challenge! Gamifying recruitment selection is among the latest trends in HRM.
2. Receiving Applications
Once candidates pass the preliminary interview, organizations must aim to standardize the application process. Here, candidates must fill out a standard application form that collects bio-data, qualification, experience, background, and educational information. The application could gather a broader understanding of the candidate, such as hobbies and interests. A comprehensive application form will come in handy during the final selection process when decisions are to be made between similar candidates.
3. Screening Applications
This stage includes shortlisting potential candidates from the pool of applicants who applied. The screening committee constitutes various team leads, department members, inter-department associates, and coordinators who would be working closely with the selected candidates. Screening can include multiple criteria, including educational prowess, relevancy in terms of experience, etc. The interview details and requirements are shared with potential candidates via a call or email.
4. Preliminary Tests
Preliminary tests are an essential part of the job selection process. They assess the aptitude, IQ, emotional intelligence, proficiency, and personality of candidates. While some organizations hold these tests remotely, many prefer to arrange a test venue generally within organizational premises. Should they be held at the premises, the candidates are informed of the itinerary.
5. Employment Interview
The selection interview is the crux of the entire process. It could be defined as an in-person conversation that puts candidates on their feet. This step signals how well he/she fits into the company ethos. During this stage, companies provide a detailed brief of the job profile, including the roles and responsibilities that the candidate is expected to shoulder. Likewise, the candidate is encouraged to share his/her concerns or queries with the employer.
The employment interview itself may be divided into several rounds, including group discussions and other activities. In-person interviews allow employers to judge the candidate’s calibre, personality, teamwork, and leadership skills.
6. Checking References
Although in-person interviews provide a fair idea about the candidate, contacting references allows employers to verify their understanding. Through discussions with references who vouch for the candidates’ professionalism and work ethics, they may discover other qualities about him/her. For this stage of the recruitment process in HRM, organizations may reach out to previous employers or the concerned educational institutions.
7. Medical Examination
Although not strictly followed, medical examinations are slowly becoming commonplace among organizations today. Modern companies are viewing medical fitness (both mental and physical) as a cost function. A healthy employee would require fewer sick leaves and handle stress relatively quickly, allowing greater productivity in dynamic, fast-paced environments. Some employers view this matter seriously and consider this a preliminary phase during the screening stage.
8. Final Selection
The last phase of the selection process is to cross the t’s and dot the i’s; candidates who have successfully qualified through all rounds of the recruitment and selection in HRM receive an offer/appointment letter from the organization. More often than not, candidates receive a temporary position with an assurance of permanency on completion of the probation period. The appointment letter typically includes all such details, including salary and company policies. Candidates may also be asked to sign an NDA (Non-Disclosure Agreement) that ensures the protection of company data.
3. Importance Of A Selection Process In Hrm
The process of selection is critical because the organization’s overall performance can be enhanced by the hiring of high-quality resources. Because of poor hiring practices, new hires can harm the work being done, and the cost of replacing them is high.
The goal of the process of selection is to identify the most qualified candidates for open positions within a company. Many factors, such as a candidate’s qualifications, experiences, skills, and overall attitude should be considered to ensure that the right person is hired for the job. It is critical because:
- The success of a business is directly related to the quality of its employees and their ability to contribute effectively. In a similar vein, the company can only be as good as its employees.
- Employees with high levels of talent and expertise speed up the growth of the business.
- In technical jobs, workplace accidents can be drastically reduced if the appropriate technical personnel is employed for the appropriate positions.
- People who are satisfied with their roles are more likely to have high morale and motivation to succeed.
A significant amount of money is invested in finding the right person for a position, so the company must use a systematic approach to the HR selection process. When the hiring goes wrong, the company has to spend a significant amount of time, effort, and money training and integrating the new employee.
4. FAQs About the Selection Process
- Recruitment And Selection Process In HRM – What’s The Difference?
When selected individuals (who may or may not have shown interest in working for the organization) are offered a position, the process is known as recruitment in HRM. On the other hand, during the selection process, candidates interested in working for a company apply for a particular position. Among the applicants, individuals who qualify are chosen using the process mentioned above. Both selection and recruitment form a vital part of maintaining organizational health.
- Why Is It Necessary For Companies To Build A Robust Selection Process?
Building a specific selection procedure is vital to ensure that company resources are not wasted on the wrong individual. Apart from the cost and time took to post job advertisements and conduct interviews, companies are liable to train candidates. Therefore, the selection process must be given due diligence.
- What Makes A Well-Designed Selection Process?
A fair selection process ensures cost-effectiveness, accounts for time, adjusts for bias, and conducts robust background checks. Ultimately, the process should be designed to disallow unqualified individuals to progress while making room for exceptional outliers.
Conclusion
In this era of digital transformation, the traditional meaning of a job has been redefined. Consequently, the selection process definition must also follow suit. Jigsaw Academy’s People Analytics & Digital HR program, in collaboration with IIM Indore, is designed to empower the next-gen HRM to make smart, practical, and data-driven decisions. The program allows individuals to be well-equipped to handle a post-pandemic economy’s requirements – providing organizations, both large and small, the impetus necessary to push for performance and productivity through people-oriented actions.
Also, Read
