HUMAN RESOURCES SELECTION

The engagement and the preservation of the key personnel of the organisation is one of the problems of the contemporary corporate entities. Social, political and commer- cial changes, the adoption of the new technologies, the reorganisation, the adoption of new legislation, the pressure to raise the quality of doing business are indicators that an organisation cannot afford a weak selection of human resources. The success and the effi- ciency of the organisation depend on the quality of human resources which focuses on the necessity of determination of the organisational strategy of human resources selection.

4.1. Purpose, objectives and the advantages of the selection

process

The selection process is the actual grading of candidates in regard to the offered job position which follows after the phase of human resources planning and catching their attention. The purpose of the selection is to identify and select those candidates who will be employed. It is expected that the selected candidates shall have better qual- ifications than the rejected ones. Thus, the manner and method of selection must be chosen and applied in an adequate way to guarantee the valid grades of all candidates.

The process of employment and selection are the most traditional and most stat- ic organisational processes due to the fact that they have not changed for many decades. The established needs, personal interviews and the examination of recommendations were and still are the universal instruments in most organisations. The interview, as the selection instrument, is also very common. The aforementioned methods are dominant selection methods both in the public and private sector, economy and the tertiary sector despite the understanding of their inadequacy and weak diagnostic values.

Organisations must make an effort to improve the employment process and procedures related to promotion on the basis of quality, fairness and the respect of the adequate factors that determine the needs of the special job positions. A great num- ber of factors influence the subjective factor. An ad hoc selection is usually connected to an increase in costs and a weak selection is induced through the raising of qualifi- cation training needs, great fluctuation of labour, leaves, dissatisfaction with the job position and weakly performed job tasks.

The selection of human resources is a process of measuring, decision-making and evaluation (Picture 4.1) whose aim is the attraction of those individuals that will satisfactorily perform the task of the job position for the needs of the organisation.

Picture 4.1: Process of measurement, decision-making and evaluation in HR selection

O

MESUREMENT Performance of verified and valid tests

DECISION-MAKING The use of combined information on persons who will be employed

EVALUATION

Determination if the decision on employment will influence the increase of business efficiency and the success of the organisation

For the establishment of a precise and just selection system, the organisa- tion must use comparative and valid assessment of the candidate’s characteristics. A good selection system may include a combination of information on attributes of a candidate and rational manner of decision-making on the employment or rejection of candidates. This system makes encouraging impact on the overall effi- ciency of the organisation.

4.2. Relationship between the business strategy

and the organisational culture with the strategy

of human resources selection

An organisation which wants to achieve full objectivity of employment may decide to adjust the selection process to the business strategy of the organisation. The determi- nation of selection objectives is the basis of a good organisational strategy. The manage- ment of the organisation must consider the required factors that should be included in the development of the selection strategy. The following should be emphasised:

• Request for equal opportunities – for example: the positions of the organi-

sation in regard to employment, women, minorities, homosexuals, and other groups (disabled, etc.)

• Quality of people - for example: whether the organisation really wants and

tries to employ the best graduates coming from the best domestic and for- eign schools and universities?

• Human resources – for example: Whether the organisation accepts only

internal promotion or uses a combination of internal promotion and employment from external sources or it solely relies on employment from external sources?

• The role of the organisational units / services and employment experts – for

example: Who decides about employment in the organisation? What is the role of the human resources unit in providing the new human resources and their selection?

• Application of the selection techniques - for example: Are the psychological

tests used? Is there a grading centre which also undertakes selection? Do the candidates undergo a medical test and possible additional psychological tests?

• Counsellors - for example: Whether the employment agencies, external coun-

sellors for the employment were hired in the employment process? If yes, what were their tasks?

• Taking the opinion of the employees into account - for example: Whether the

opinions and recommendations of the trade unions in relation to employ- ment are observed in the organisation?

• Real situation of the organisation – for example: Whether the organisation

performs selection in accordance with its needs or the status of the organisa- tion?

• Legislation – What are the limitations and requests prescribed by the employ-

ment legislation?

It is important for the management of the organisation to confirm the selec- tion process. The selection is mostly based on a systematic collection of information due to which the whole process must be designed to enable the transfer of a greater amount of information on employment which would increase the probability of choosing the right person for the actual job position.

4.3. Phases in the process of human resources selection

The selection process differs significantly from organisation to organisation. The size of the organisation, its activity, the geographical location, the conditions in the labour market and the type of ownership (public / private; commercial / non-commercial) influence the type, the schedule and the number of phases in the selection process.

The most frequent steps in the selection process are the following: 1. reception of candidates

2. introductory interview 3. gathering of basic data 4. tests

5. interviews

6. examination of candidate’s history

7. previous selection by human resources unit 8. final choice by the manager

9. medical test 10. reporting to job.

4.3.1. Reception of candidates

It is important that candidates get a good impression of the organisation since it is very difficult to change that impression in a later stage. An Improper conduct or the lack of interest by the representative of the organisation in the time of reception may discourage good candidates and shape negative opinions of the organisation, including its products and services.

4.3.1.1. Introductory interview

Initial assessment, that is the interview, may be used for the rapid test of oral skills, qualifications, interest in the particular job. The pre-screening interview is a typ- ical means targeted at the very specific needs of the job position. The interview may prove to be a crucial and more efficient means than all other steps in the selection process. A negative feeling during the interview, which includes an inadequate commu- nication with the candidate, is not possible to change later on.

4.3.1.2. Gathering the basic data

Basic data is the main source of information on the employment that is used in the subsequent phases of selection. They are also a tool for detecting unqualified can- didates such as in cases when the job position requires special qualifications and can- didates do to have them (in such a case there will not be any need to continue the

selection process). The personal data and CVs’ are the best indicators although they are often used in a very subjective manner.

4.3.1.3. Weighed basic data

Although they were created to minimize subjectivity of the interviewers, it still happens that the interviewers inconspicuously put more weight on the facts they deem more important. Thus, a small number of organisations use the weighing of basic data.

The development of weighed gathered basic data includes the determination of relationship between the form of the data and the required criteria of ability for a job position, such as: productivity, performance of tasks, special work experience, and other data that affect the raise of a grade. It is assumed that the candidates with the highest number of weighed points are the best candidates. The effect of the weighed data is a good reference for future results in the job position. Although certain weighed data may have a good indicative value for a certain job position, that might not be the case for another job position (Table 4.1).

Table 4.1: An example of the cumulative list of basic data on job candidates

Although the weighed data are developed on the basis of correlation of statis- tical connections between the data and abilities for the performance of job, they may contravene the principle of “equal possibilities for all”. The provision of data such as the age, nationality, race, sex, religion is contrary to the national and most foreign employment legislation (with the occasional exceptions in terms of nationality). These data must be eliminated from the weighed data.

4.3.2. Form of data in accordance with the request

of “equal opportunities for all”

The results in connection with the equal possibilities of employment indicate that the data and questionnaires for interviews on a job are of a discriminatory nature in relation to certain groups of candidates since they require data and impose questions