Methods of selection 16.00 / 20

The selection process follows the recruitment process. The goal of the selection is to evaluate and verify the adequacy between labor supply of the company and the motivation, characteristics and skills of the job applicant. Why? To find the most suitable person for this position. The selection of the personnel is essential for a company because it’s an economic imperative. It must reach 2 objectives: -The first is economic. The "risk taking" for each candidate must be seriously evaluated in order to avoid him being in situation of professional failure. Moreover, the costs of recruiting and hiring are relatively high so the company must find the right employees at the beginning to minimize these costs. -The second objective is qualitative. The candidates must possess all the skills required for the proposed post in order to have better services or a better quality output. How to select the candidates? There are different tools/selection means, each testing specific items. We'll talk about validity, that’s to say that we will use psychometric tests measuring intellectual performances and analyzing the components of personality in order to predict future job performances. However, be careful with the prediction because the results of the tests don't always correspond with the candidate's behavior once at work. For example, tests can generate false positive profile: applicants are employed but they will be laid off because the profile generated doesn’t correspond with the job. To avoid these errors, we can measure the reliability of the selection using equivalent/similar tests to check the coherence of the results. What are the different methods of selection? 1) CV: it allows to check if the informations given are true 2) Several tests: -Tests of cognitive abilities are focused on the process of knowledge acquisition (verbal and numerical reasoning) -Personality tests attempt to measure behavior/personality style (feelings, emotions) 2 well-known tests: - MMPI (Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory): questions "yes or no" - Rorschach (the "test ink blots"): cards with inkblots and you must give a description of images -Tests of job knowledge or abilities -Tests of motor abilities (manual): dexterity, reaction time, physical abilities, strength, body, coordination, stamina… 3) Interviews: often, the questions are about the experience and behavior of the applicant but also about his vision of the skills and requirements for this job. (be careful: don't ask private questions) 4) Work samples: measuring work performances directly. There are mainly scenarios / exercises allowing to stimulate a task or a particular scenario, required for this post.