Other selection methods

 Work samples

Interviews suffer from a basic problem: (...) When asked what they would do in a particular situation ... candidates give the answer which they feel the interviewer wants to hear. (...)

The work sample technique attempts to overcome this problem by asking candidates to take on mini-jobs in a selection situation. ... properly designed work samples capture key elements of a real job. (...) Work samples have shown some of the highest validity scores compared to other selection methods. (...) even the smallest companies could employ the simpler forms, such as the following:

* a typing test for keyboard skills
* role-playing
* group decisions
* presentations
* reports

The most sophisticated of work-sample procedures include 'in-basket tests', sometimes called 'in-tray exercises'. (...) Candidates are given a typical in-tray containing a selection of material such as letters to be answered, reports to be analysed, items to be prioritized, etc. They are given instructions on what to do and a time limit. Standard scoring methods are available.

 Assessment centres

(...) Assessment centres are procedures and not necessarily places. They function on the principle that no individual method of selection is particularly good and no individual assessor is infallible. ... they use multiple methods and several assessors in structured programmes which attempt to minimize the inadequacies of each method and cancel out the prejudices of individual selectors. Inevitably, assessment centres are a very expensive method of selection. (...) ... they are focused on potential. (...)

The history and basic methodology are described on pages 424-427 (pages 247-248 in the first edition) of Human Resource Management in a Business Context

 Problems with assessment centres

... the impact on management time is considerable. Managers may appreciate the value of high-quality selection procedures, but will be reluctant to devote so much time. Additionally, the traditional process is group-based and is unusable in situations where only one or two candidates are being considered.

The effectiveness of an assessment centre depends upon its design and the anticipation of problems.

Pages 426-427 (page 249 in the first edition) of Human Resource Management in a Business Context details these

Dulewicz (1991) considered that there were three broad phases which accounted for most of these difficulties:

* programme design
* selection and training of assessors
* effective follow-up action

He attributed many of the difficulties to inexperience. Assessment centres are involved and complex. Good design is dependent on the knowledge and skills to design and develop what is a 'highly precise and sophisticated tool'.

 Graphology

Graphology or handwriting analysis has a long history on the mainland of Europe. It originated in Italy in the early seventeenth century and was further refined in France and Germany, where it is used widely. The essence of graphology is that analysts claim to be able to describe an individual's personality from a sample of their handwriting. Their theoretical basis is that of trait psychology, which holds that personality has a number of fixed dimensions which are relatively unchangeable and do not depend on the situation.

In the UK there has been a marked resistance to its use, especially among psychologists.

 Resourcing decisions

This section of Human Resource Management in a Business Context goes into the decision-making processes in selection. (...) Poor selection decisions are frequently the result of confusing essential competences with trivial characteristics associated with good performance. These associations arise from past-focused rather than forward-looking resourcing criteria. This is the essence of cloning, a key issue in our next section on the management of diversity.

  Only around 10 per cent of HR professionals in the UK within large organisations use applicant tracking systems, as opposed to approximately 90 per cent in the US. Read: USA 90% vs. UK 10%

  Webhire Workforce Intelligence: 'Webhire Workforce Intelligence enables corporate executives, hiring managers, recruiters and other talent stakeholders to fine-tune hiring practices and talent management programs by analyzing critical talent management metrics and trends against internal and external benchmarks.'

  As organizations, one of the biggest investments we will ever make is in recruitment, says Ed Hurst in Recruitment: What is the return on your investment?

  What Hiring Managers Want: Hiring managers value teamwork even higher than other personal qualities such as ambition and the ability to think on their feet.

  Is it racism or something else?: Looking for a white-collar technical job on the web? Make sure your name sounds Japanese, Jewish or "white." That increases the likelihood of an interview by a factor of seven to eight times compared to names that sound African-American, Greek, Hispanic or Italian.

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