Chapter 7 – Selection

THE STRATEGIC IMPORTANCE OF EMPLOYEE SELECTION
Selection: choosing among people who have been recruited to fill existing/projected job openings begins when a pool of applicants has submitted resumes/application forms as a result of recruiting selection process has important strategic significance  quality of company’s HR is the most important factor in determining the firm’s survival and to reach objectives in the strategic plan.
Successful candidates must fit with the strategic direction (future goals) of the org  ex: if the org wants to expand internationally, then important selection criteria = language skills
When someone’s terminated, the hidden costs are often higher than recruitment costs (for replacement) because of internal disorganization, disruption, and customer alienation
HR legislation in every Canadian jurisdiction prohibits discrimination in all aspects, terms, and conditions of employment  race, religion, colour, marital status, gender, age, disability
Selections procedures must be free of both intentional and systemic discrimination
Orgs required by law to use am employment equity plan must ensure that their employment systems are bias-free and don’t have an adverse impact on the 4 designated groups (women, visible minorities, Aboriginal people, persons with disabilities)
Negligent/wrongful hiring; employers are liable when workers with unsuitable backgrounds are hired and then engage in criminal activities falling within the scope of their employment

Guidelines for avoiding negative legal consequences
1) Ensure that all selection criteria and strategies are based on the job description & specification
2) Adequately assess the applicant’s ability to meet performance standards
3) Carefully scrutinize all info on application forms/resumes
4) Get written authorization for reference checks from prospective workers, check references carefully
5) Save all records and info about the applicant during each stage of the selection process
6) Reject applicants who make false statements on their app forms or resumes

Supply Challenges
Certain vacant positions may get labour shortages (based on job requirements, location, work environment), etc., while other vacant positions experience labour surplus (due to external environment factors, training and education levels, immigration patterns, etc.)
Selection ratio: ratio of the # applicants hired to the total # of applicants available
Small ratio like 1:2 indicates limited # of applicants from which to select  may mean low-quality recruits  better to start recruitment process over again, even with a hiring delay because this is better than hiring a worker who is a marginal performer
Large ratio like 1:400 indicates that the job ad is too vague, that the HR team may need to automate the screening, or that more resources are needed to find the right candidate

The Selection Process
Multiple-hurdle strategy: approach to selection involving a series of successive steps/hurdles. Only candidates clearing the hurdle can move on to the next step. screening techniques, including pre-screening, testing, interview, background/reference check
Meet or exceed the minimum requirements established for that hurdle
Orgs rely on many sources of info to assess applicants
# of steps and sequence of selection process can vary between/within orgs
Types of selection instruments/screening devices used aren’t standardized across orgs
At each step, carefully chosen selection criteria determine which applicants will move on
Use job analysis to identify duties, responsibilities, and human requirements for each job  base selection criteria on these requirements to create a legally defensible hiring system
People hired after thorough screening against good criteria based on job description and specifications learn their jobs readily, are productive, and adjust to their jobs better. effective selection process is made of series of job-related questions for all