What is Selection Process? Definitions, 8 Steps of Selection Process

The selection process is the set of steps that a hiring team follows to evaluate and choose a candidate for a job opening. The goal of the selection process is to identify the candidate who has the right qualifications to fill the job opening.

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Definitions of Selection by Different Authors

Dale Yoder defines selection as: “The process of choosing from among a number of applicants the one or more who are best qualified to fill a particular job.”

Heinz Weihrich defines selection as: “The process of identifying and choosing the best qualified candidates from among a pool of applicants.”

Harold Koontz and Heinz Weihrich defines selection as: “The process of choosing the best qualified candidates from among a pool of applicants.”

John D. Campbell defines selection as: “The process of identifying and choosing individuals who have the necessary skills, abilities, and other characteristics to perform the job successfully.”

Michael J. Smith defines selection as “The process of choosing individuals who have the necessary skills, abilities, and other characteristics to perform the job successfully and who are likely to be satisfied with the job.”

Lorenzo J. Lengnick-Hall and Cynthia A. Lengnick-Hall said that “The process of choosing individuals who have the necessary skills, abilities, and other characteristics to perform the job successfully and who are likely to be satisfied with the job, and who are also likely to contribute to the organization’s goals.”

8 Steps of Selection Process

There are 8 steps involved in the selection process for hiring employees:

Application
Resume screening
Phone screening
Pre-employment testing
In-person interview
Decision
Background check
Job offer

Application

The application phase in the selection process is the first step where the hiring team waits for candidates to respond to the job ad. So, that applications can be used as selection tools to sort candidates as qualified or unqualified. Qualifying questions and gamification can be used as options to get started.

Resume screening

Once the application phase is over, the hiring team has a collection of resumes or CVs to sift through and filter those deemed suitable for a screening call. So the resumes are screened to identify prime candidates. There are various ways to filter resumes, such as manually or software-assisted.

Phone screening

Basically after the resumes are screened, the hiring team may conduct a phone screening to narrow the candidate pool further. Phone screening can help save time and resources by eliminating candidates who may not be a good fit.

Pre-employment testing

Pre-employment tests may be administered before a hiring decision is made. These include drug tests, physical tests, personality tests, and cognitive tests. Basically, some organizations also perform reference checks, credit report checks, and background checks.

In-person interview

Once the field of candidates has been narrowed down, the hiring team conducts in-person interviews. So during the interview process, the hiring team should keep their unconscious bias in check and be aware of potential biases, including someone’s name, gender, race, age, class, and even academic background.

Basically, the hiring team should develop criteria related directly to the job analysis and job specifications to ensure a fair selection process.

Decision

After the in-person interviews, the hiring team makes the decision and chooses the candidate with the greatest potential for the organization. So that sometimes this means picking someone less qualified at the moment – but who is committed to growing and staying with the organization for longer.

Background check

A background check is performed to verify the information provided by the candidate during the selection process. So this may include employment history, education, criminal record, and credit history.

Job offer

Once the background check is complete, the hiring team makes a job offer to the selected candidate. Internal candidates may be told in person, but it is more usual for candidates to be informed by telephone, email, or letter.

More About Selection Process

The selection process is an expensive and time-consuming process. Therefore, it is important to hire the right person from the beginning and ensure a fair selection process.

The selection process should be planned carefully. And all individuals involved in the hiring process should be properly trained on the steps for interviewing. Basically, it includes developing criteria, reviewing résumés, developing interview questions, and weighting the candidates.

The criteria should be related directly to the job analysis and the job specifications. In addition to this, include things like personality or cultural fit, which would also be part of criteria development.

So by developing the criteria before reviewing any resume, the HR manager or manager can be sure he or she is being fair in selecting people to interview.

My Perspective

Selection process involves several steps that help the hiring team to evaluate and choose the right candidate for the job opening.

The process starts with the application phase, followed by resume screening, phone screening, pre-employment testing, in-person interview, decision, background check, and job offer.

The hiring team should keep their unconscious bias in check and develop criteria related directly to the job analysis and job specifications to ensure a fair selection process.

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