The employee selection process has many components that make it complete and effective. Lacking one component can negatively affect other components, and can thereby affect the whole process. It is important to have an understanding of, and plan for, each part of the process. The parts are as follows, almost always in this order:
- Recruitment
- Reviewing
- Screening
- Interviewing
- Selection
- Testing
The process starts with recruiting possible candidates. This can vary by organization, but as a rule of thumb, social media is one of the most viable ways to make your business visible to those you want to attract.
Next is reviewing. This involves scanning resumes of interested individuals in order to find ones that seem to fit with your organization based on their resume qualities.
After reviewing resumes, the next step is to screen the chosen individuals. Some organizations format this step as a sort of pre-interview, where the basics are established, and first impressions are formed. From this point, the hiring manager decides if the individual is worth calling back for a formal interview.
Interviewing is the next step, where a more detailed inventory of the candidate’s potential is revealed. This step can be face-to-face or over the phone, depending on the availability of the candidate and hiring manager.
The selection process consists of reviewing interview notes, asking for feedback from other human resources employees or department heads, and deciding on which candidate—or candidates—are approved for hire.
Finally, the testing process screens the chosen candidates for personality, soft skills, job fit, compatibility, and competence. This step rounds out the interview in the sense that much more information is obtained that can be received from a time-limited interview.
Selecting employees for hire is one of the most important processes for the organization. Not only is it a necessity but, if done correctly, it can have a positive effect on overall company morale and compatibility.
