B2002

Human Resource Management

Lecture 5

Recruitment & Selection (Unit 3)

The Recruitment,
Recruitment Selection
Selection, and Interview
Process (Unit 4)

Lecturer: Dr. Stephen Or (Email: stephen.or@elitemass.com)

1 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

The Recruitment, Selection,

and Interview Processes
• Primary objective of personnel administration is to
promote production efficiency through optimum utilisation
of HR & machines
• Attainment of this objective depends on:
– selecting & placing the right man,
– in the right job,
– at the right time in the right place.
• Objectives of Recruitment & Selection
– To identify a set of recruitment & selection criteria that are in
line with the strategic objectives of the organization
– To build up well-designed recruitment & selection processes
– To implement recruitment & selection processes efficiently
– To recruit & place suitable people into jobs as defined under
the agreed HR management plan

2 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

1
Definitions of Recruitment
& Selection
• Recruitment
– The process of attracting individuals on a timely basis, in
sufficient numbers, and with appropriate qualifications, and
encouragingi th
them tto apply
l for
f jobs
j b withith an organization
i ti
(Mondy & Noe, 2005, P.119.)
– The examination of the vacancy, the consideration of
sources of suitable candidates, making contact with those
candidates, and attracting application from them
• Selection
– The pprocess of choosing g from a ggroupp of individuals those
individuals best suited for a particular position &
organization (Mondy & Noe, 2005, P.162.)
– Assessing the candidates by various means
– Make a choice followed by an offer of employment

3 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Examination of Vacancies
• Sources of Vacancies:
– New activities
– Increased activities
– Replacement for people who have left the company
– Transfers & promotions following reorganisation
• Considerations:
– Vacancies may be filled internally
– There are alternatives to employment. e.g. part-timer
workers
– Job & personnel specifications may need to be
revised

4 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

2
Function on Scientific
Selection Process
• Scientific Selection Process comprises the following
steps:
– 1. To determine the nature of the job to be filled.
– 2 To determine the nature of the personnel required
2. required.
– 3. To determine the nature of source for recruitment.
– 4. Selection process which contains:
• a. Preliminary interview
• b. Application forms
• c. Reference letters
• d. Interviews
• e. Tests
• f Physical examination
f.
• g. Selection & placement
• h. Induction
• i. Follow up
• 1. Determine the nature of the job to be filled:
– To find out the exact nature of the job to be filled through “job
5 analysis” B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Job Analysis (1) -

Definitions
• Definition 1
– The systematic process of determining the skills, duties, and
knowledge required for performing specific jobs in an
organization (Mondy & Noe, 2005, P. 86). Or
• Definition 2
– The procedure by which the facts with respect to each job are
systematically identified & documented
– Includes the enumeration & identification of the following
aspects of a particular job:
• Duties
• Responsibilities
• Operations
• C diti
Conditions
• Organizational aspects
– Includes a study to determine the following:
• Tasks & responsibilities
• Relationship between tasks & responsibilities
• Conditions under which work is performed
• Personal capabilities required for satisfactory performance
6 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

3
Job Analysis (2) –
Provide Info. On
• Job analysis provides information in 7 areas:
– 1. The job identification:
• Its title including the code no. of the job in companies where each job is
given a code.
– 2.
2 Distinctive or significant characteristics of the job:
• Its location, physical setting, hazards, and discomfort.
– 3. What the typical worker does:
• The specific operation of the tasks that makes up the assignment
• their relative timing and importance
• responsibilities for others
• responsibility for property & parts
– 4. What materials & equipment the worker uses:
• Metals, blades, drilling machines, gadgets, micrometer, etc.
– 5. How the jjob is performed:
p
• The nature of operations such as handling feeding, removing, drilling, etc.
– 6. Required personal attributes:
• Experience, training, physical strength, mental capacity, aptitude, etc.
– 7. Job relationships:
• Opportunity for advancement
• Experience required, etc.

7 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Job Analysis (3) –

Sources of Info.
• Sources of Information for Job Analysis:
– 1. Employees on these jobs
– 2. Other employees who know these jobs (including supervisors)
– 3. Independent observers watching employees perform their jobs
• Job analysis is useful for requirement, selection, and
placement:
– 1. Transfer, promotion, and demotion
– 2. Training & development programmes
– 3. Wage & salary administration
– 4. Settlement of grievances
– 5. Work measurement & method study
– 6. Providing essential guidance in the establishment of
production standards
– 7. Establishing responsibility, accountability, and authority

8 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

4
Job Description

• Definition
– A document that provides information regarding
th ttasks,
the k d duties,
ti and
d responsibilities
ibiliti off a job.
j b Or
O
– A document that describes the work performed,
the duties & responsibilities involved, training
required, conditions of which is done, relationships
with the other jobs, and personal requirements of
a particular job
• Job description is one of the outcomes of job
analysis

9 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

2. To Determine the Nature

of Personnel Required
• Shall consider:
– a. Physical specification:
• Certain jobs require a particular type of ability
• For jobs like radio assembly, television assembly, car driving,
aircraft
f flying,
f etc., clear & good vision is required
• For certain manual jobs, the physical specifications (normally
height, weight, vision, finger denture (artificial replacement for one
or more teeth), stamina (endurance), etc.) are taken into
consideration
– b. Mental capability:
• For certain jobs, mental abilities are given more importance
• For certain jobs, top priority is given to intelligence, memory, as well
as the ability to plan, write, read, and concentrate, etc.
– c. Emotional
E ti l & social
i l specifications:
ifi ti
• In recent years, these traits were given due importance
• e.g. the ability to remain calm, social adaptability, personal hygiene,
poise (easy self-possessed assurance of manner), etc.
– d. Behavioural specifications:
• Important for senior management
• For senior managers, the ability to move with people, social status,
10 and social influences B2002 HRM Lecture 5

5
 Recruitment

11 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Discussion – Recruitment

• As a HR policy, vacancies in Megastone

Builders are primarily filled from external
sources. Describe 5 different types of external
sources where potential job candidates can be
found. [25]

12 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

6
 The Recruitment Process (1)
Political Force External Environment Economic Force
HR Planning

Alternatives to Recruitment

Recruitment

Internal Sources External Sources

Internal Methods External Methods

Recruited Individuals
Internal Environment
13 (Source: Adapted from Human Resource Management (9th
Social Force B2002 HRM Lecture 5 Technological Force
ed.) , Mondy & Noe, 2005, Pearson/Prentice Hall, P. 127.)

The Recruitment Process (2)

• Recruitment begins with an “employee requisition”
– A document that specifies job title, department, the
date the employee is needed for work, and other
details
• Recruitment Sources
– Internal Sources
– External Sources
• Recruitment Methods
– The specific means by which potential employees are
attracted to an organization
g
• Some recruitment sources & methods are better than the
others for locating & attracting potential talents
• Utilizing recruitment sources & methods tailored to
specific needs is very important
14 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

7
Alternatives to Recruitment
(1)
• Considerations on whether to recruit or
not
– Size of the workforce
– Recruitment & selection costs
– Time spent
– Recruited employees may be difficult to remove even
if their performance are marginal/bad
• 4 Alternatives to Recruitment
– Outsourcing
g
– Contingent Workers
– Professional Employee Organizations (PEOs)
(Employee Leasing)
– Overtime (OT)
15 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Alternatives to Recruitment
(2)
• 1. Outsourcing
– Definition
• The process of transferring responsibility for an area of
service & its objectives to an external provider
– Examples of HR functions that can be outsourced
• Recruitment
• Executive/Management Development
• 2. Contingent Workers (“Disposable Workers”)
– Types
• Part-timers
• Temporaries
T i
• Independent contractors
– Rationale for using contingent workers
• To achieve flexibility
• To minimize HR costs
16 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

8
Alternatives to Recruitment
(3)
• 3. Professional Employee Organizations (PEOs)
(Employee Leasing)
– Definition of PEOs
• Firms that work with company clients in a co-employment
relationship to provide HR administration, comprehensive
employee benefit programs, assumption of employer risk,
tax filing, and compliance with employment laws
– Features
• Charges may be based on the number of leased
employees
• Typically
T i ll chargeh 1% tto 4% off th
the customer’s
t ’ gross wages
• PEOs handle the company’s payroll, benefits, HR, and
risk management
• PEOs are usually used by SMEs (small and medium-
sized enterprises)
17 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Alternatives to Recruitment
(4)
• 4. Overtime (OT)
– Employees work longer than normal hours to meet
short-term fluctuations in work volume
– Advantages
Ad t
• Employers save recruitment, selection, and training
costs
• Employees gain increased income during the
overtime period
– Problems with Overtime
• Fatigue
• Employees
E l may pace themselves
th l t ensure overtime
to ti
• Employees may become accustomed to the added
income resulting from overtime pay
• Morale of employees may deteriorate if overtime
pay/compensation is stopped
18 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

9
Sources of Recruitment

• Company Policy – Practice

– Some companies
p have ppolicies or p
practices
governing recruitment
– Some companies give preference to
recruitment of the following people:
• sons & daughters of employees
• relations of retired employees
• relations of employees who have died in service
• former employees who have been retrenched in
the past

19 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Internal Recruitment
Methods (1)
• 4 tools used for internal recruitment
– Employee Database
– Job Posting
– Job Bidding
– Employee Referrals
• 1. Employee Database
– Permit organizations
g to determine whether
current employees possess the qualifications
for filling open positions
– Extremely valuable to organizations if whey
are current/up-to-date
20 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

10
Internal Recruitment
Methods (2)
• 2. Job Posting
– A procedure for communicating to company employees the
fact that a job opening exists
– Possible Media of Posting:
• Internal circulars/notice boards
• Intranet
• Internet
• 3. Job Bidding
– A technique that permits individuals in an organization who believe that
they possess the required qualifications to apply for a posted job
• Advantages of job posting & job bidding
– Provide
P id chances
h tto exiting
iti employees
l
• Disadvantages of job posting & job bidding
– Costs
– When bidders are unsuccessful, someone in the company must explain
to those failed in the bidding
– Credibility would be damaged if less qualified applicant get the job
21 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Internal Recruitment
Methods (3)
• 4. Employee Referrals
– Existing employees actively soliciting
applications from their friends & associates
– Employee Enlistment
• A unique form of employee referral
• Every employee becomes a company recruiter
• The firm supplies employees with simple business
cards that do not contain names or positions
• Message on the card: “We are always looking for
great ______________. For additional information,
log onto our web site.”
• Purpose: let people know that the company really
does want people to apply
22 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

11
Adv. & Disadv. Of Internal
Recruitment
• Advantages:
– Improves morale of employees
– Produces loyalty amongst existing employees
– Existing employees are familiar with the potential posts to be
filled, they know their own suitability, strengths, and weaknesses
– Better motivation of employees, because their capabilities are
considered and opportunities offered for promotion
– Better utilisation of employees, because the company can
make better use of their abilities in a different job
– A present employee is more likely to stay with the company than
an external candidate
– Internal recruitment is quicker & cheaper than external
recruitment
• Disadvantages:
– Tapping internal resources
– With time, people develop certain attitudes, notions, etc. which
may be very difficult to be changed
23 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

External Recruitment
Sources (1)
• Why using external recruitment sources?
– To fill entry-level jobs
– To acquire skills not possessed by current employees
– To obtain employees with different backgrounds to provide a
diversity of ideas
• Possible External Sources
– Inexpensive but Limited Choices
• 1. Recommendations by present employees
• 2. Unsolicited
• 3 Direct links with universities
3. universities, colleges,
colleges and schools
• 4. Trade unions
• 5. Professional bodies’ appointments service
– Expensive, Many Choices
• 6. Private agencies
• 7. Advertising
24 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

12
External Recruitment
Sources (2)
• 1. Recommendations by present employees
– Encouraged by rewards to employees who introduce successful
candidates
– Limited choice, but costs very
y little
• 2. Unsolicited
– Applications are sometimes received from candidates who either:
• call personally at the place of work
• Write letters of enquiry
– Limited choice, but candidates are of variable quality
• 3. Direct links with universities, colleges, and schools
– Many employers maintain connections with universities, colleges,
and schools
• 4. Trade unions
– Recruit employees through appropriate trade unions
– Choice is limited
– Some certainty that the candidate has the skill or knowledge the job
requires

25 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

External Recruitment
Sources (3)
• 5. Professional bodies’ appointments service
– Many professional bodies have an employment service with
which their members can:
• Register
• Supply details of their experience & the kind of job they are
looking for
– Candidates are professionally qualified
• 6. Private agencies
– Commercial enterprises for supplying employers with candidates
for jobs
– Office staff employment agencies
• which mainly deal with clerical, typing, and office machine operator
vacancies
– Senior selection agencies
• which usually undertake the complete recruitment process and the
first stages of selection for managerial and professional vacancies
26 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

13
External Recruitment
Sources (4)
• 7. Advertising
– The most popular method of recruitment
– Job advertisements should aim at pprocuringg a small
number of well qualified candidates quickly & cheaply
– Lengthy & expensive task of sorting out a few
candidates for interview
– Examples of Advertising Media:
• Newspaper
• Magazines
• Internet
• Radio
• Television
• Industry publications
– Professional journals
– Trade journals
27 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Selection

28 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

14
Selection
• Purpose
– To identify & employ the best-qualified individuals
• Significance
g
– Making the right hiring decision
– Select high-quality people to bring about substantial benefits for
the company
– Minimize the costs of poor selection decisions
• Factors Affecting Selection Process
– Other HR functions
– Legal considerations
– Speed of decision making
– Organizational hierarchy
– Applicant pool
– Type of organization
– Probationary period
29 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

The Selection Process

Political Force External Environment Economic Force

Recruited Candidate

Preliminary Interview

Review of Applications & Resumes

Selection Tests
Rejected
Employment Interviews Applicants

Reference & Background Checks

Selection Decision

Medical Examination

New Employee

Internal Environment
30 Social Force B2002 HRM Lecture 5 Technological Force

15
Application Forms (1)
• Purposes
– To ensure that no important details are omitted
– To provide information about the candidate in a logical & uniform order
– To bring to light the more obvious data about the capacity & the interests of the
worker
• The layout of application forms varies, but most of them contain the
following headings:
– a. job applied for;
– b. name, address, telephone number;
– c. date and place of birth, marital status, nationality;
– d. education;
– e. training and qualifications;
– f. medical history (e.g. any serious illnesses, whether disabled);
– g. employment
g p y history
y ((names of p
previous employers,
p y description
p of jjobs held,
dates of employment, reason for leaving);
– h. any other information the candidate wishes to provide;
– i. a signature under the words “This information is correct to the best of my
knowledge;”
– j. date.
• The fundamental document in an employee’s personnel record
• Has legal importance in the contract of employment
31 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Application Forms (2)

• Application form serves 2 purposes during employment interview:
– 1. To provide a series of questions for the applicant to answer
– 2. To provide the interviewer with a checklist as a basis for his
conversation
• Application forms
f should conform
f to the ffollowing patterns:
– 1. Brief – NOT to discourage workers who are unaccustomed to doing
much writing
– 2. Only contain job-related items
– 3. Should NOT contain any question that may tempt the candidate to
answer dishonestly
• Some organisations may require an applicant to fill up an application
form in his/her own handwriting to gather information on:
– Penmanship (quality or style of handwriting)
– Clarity of expression
– Understanding
– Degree of education attained
• Application forms vary with jobs
• Advisable to have different application forms to suit individual needs
& company requirements
32 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

16
Application Forms (3)
• Generally an application form requires the following
information:
– 1. Name of the applicant & his address.
– 2. Personal information (such as sex, marital status, no. of
children, their dependants, details of parents, their occupation,
etc.)
– 3. Education
– 4. Physical characteristics (such as height, vision, health, weight,
etc.)
– 5. Experience
– 6.
6 Hobbies & interests
– 7. Professional membership in associations if any
– 8. References
– 9. Age & salary expected
– 10. Other details
33 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Preliminary Interview
• Purpose
– To screen & eliminate applicants who obviously do not meet
the position’s requirements
– To fill other job vacancies if the interviewees are suitable for
other vacancies
• Interviewer asks a few straightforward questions
• Provides the first opportunity for the candidate to know
about:
– the company
– the job, and
– whether he/she is suitable or not
• Normally carried out by a junior executive in the HR
department
• If not properly conducted, a preliminary interview may
weed out good candidates who otherwise would have
been a potential employee
34 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

17
Review of Applicants &
Resume
• Review of applicants
– How to review?
• Evaluates
E l t th the match
t h between
b t th
the applicant
li t
and position
• Compare the information contained in a
completed application to the job description
– What to review?
• Comments of interviewers in preliminary
interviews
• Application form
• Resume/CV
35 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Selection Test (1)

• Feature
– Rate the personality, abilities, motivation of potential
employees
• Purpose
– Allow the managers to choose candidates according
to how they will fit into the open positions & corporate
culture
• Advantages
– Customized tests are reliable & accurate means to predict on-
the-job performance
– Cost of test is small as compared with the hiring costs
– Efficient way to identify attitudes & job-related skills that
interviews cannot recognize
– Human behaviour can be forecasted by sampling it
– Create a situation to which the applicant reacts; reactions are
regarded as useful clues to his likely behaviour in the work for
which he is applying
36 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

18
Selection Tests (2)
• Characteristics of properly designed selection tests
– Standardization
• Uniformity of the procedures & conditions related to
administering
d i i i tests
– Objectivity
• The condition that is achieved when all individuals scoring a
given test obtain the same results
– Norms
• A frame of reference for comparing an applicant’s
performance with that of others
– Reliability
• The extent to which a selection test provides consistent
results
– Validity
• The extent to which a test measures what it claims to
37 measure B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Selection Tests (3)

• 1. Aptitude Tests
– Measure the applicants’ capacity & his potential for
development
– Focus
F on particular
ti l types
t off talent,
t l t such
h as learning,
l i
reasoning, mechanical, and musical aptitude
• 2. Intelligence Tests
– Apprise one or more of several types of mental ability (the
key factor) including verbal, quantitative, spatial, and
reasoning aptitudes
– The best known & most widely y used aptitude
p tests
• 3. The Army General Classification Tests: (AGCT)
– Developed in World War II
– Have become the most extensively administrated
intelligence tests
38 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

19
Selection Tests (4)
• 4. Achievement Tests
– Probably the most familiar types of tests which are used to
determine:
• class standing in the schoolroom
• admission to many colleges & universities
– They measure what the applicant can do
– Candidate is given an opportunity to work on some apparatus;
his/her ability & skill are measured
– Examples:
• Typing test - notes the time taken & errors made
• Shorthand
p g calculators,, dictating
• Operating g machines,, and simple
p mechanical
equipment
• Trade tests
• 5. Interest Tests
– To discover patterns of individual interest
– To suggest what type of work may be satisfying for the employee
39 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Selection Tests (5)

• 6. Personality Tests
– Self-reported measures of traits, temperaments, or dispositions
– Difficult to evaluate
– They propose to probe deeply to discover clues to an individual’s:
• value system
• emotional reactions & maturity
• characteristic move
– The individual is asked to interpret real or picture behaviour, thus
projecting his personality for examination & interpretation
– Personality testing is sometimes described as a “clerical method”
(because it contrasts with “actuarial analysis”, in terms of group
distribution and norms)
– Most widely used projecting tests are:
• the Rorhach test
• the Thematic Apperception Tests (TAT)
– Ref: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thematic_Apperception_Test
• the Thematic Evaluation of Management Potential (TEMP)
• 7. Tailor-made Tests:
– Some companies develop their own tailor-made tests when they have
continued demand for a large number of new employees
40 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

20
Selection Tests (6) -
Shortcomings
• Tests may predict ability to perform a job (can
do) but may not indicate the motivation to
perform a jjob ((will do))
p
• Not reliable
• Can easily be faked
• Invade the privacy of the individual tested
• Unfair to culturally handicapped group
• Subterfuges (tricks/excuses) used by the
managers to obscure real reasons for rejections

41 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Discussion – Employment
Interview
• 1 (a) What is the purpose of employment interviews? [5]
• 1 (b) Explain briefly any four types of interviews listed below. [20]
– Informal Interview
– Formal Interview
– Planned Interview
– Patterned Interview
– Depth Interview
– Stress Interview
– Group Interview
– Panel Interview
• 2 (a) Explain briefly any three types of interviews listed below. [10]
– Informal Interview
– Formal Interview
– Planned Interview
– Patterned Interview
– Depth Interview
– Stress Interview
– Group Interview
– Panel Interview
• 2 (b) What are the purposes of employment interviews? [15]
• 3. What are the major weaknesses of employment interviews? How can they
42 be overcome? [25] B2002 HRM Lecture 5

21
Employment Interview (1)
• Definition
– A goal-oriented conversation in which an interviewer and an applicant
supposedly exchange information
• Purposes
p
– Employment interview is a primary tool for hiring new employees
– The functions of employment interviews are to get information, to give
information, and to make friends
– Employment interviews provide adequate information upon which an
organization takes a decision to hire or not to hire applicants, and to file
the application for later reference
• Content of Employment Interview
– Occupational experience
– Academic achievement
– Interpersonal skills
– Personal qualities
– Organizational Fit
• Management’s perception of the degree to which the prospective
employee will fit in with the firm’s culture or values

43 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Employment Interview (2)

- Types
• 1. Informal Interview:
– Generally an oral interview without much planning
– The candidate is interviewed byy the employer
p y or the manager g
who may ask a few inconsequential questions of the candidate,
like name, place and date of birth, whether he/she has a job, etc.
– May not be any preparation
– Generally gives an impression that this interview is for the sake
of interview
– Normally followed for an unskilled job
• 2. Formal Interview:
– Generally held on the basis of a written request directing him to
appear for the interview at an appointed time & place
– Certain structured questions are prepared
– Takes place to look for relevant information

44 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

22
Employment Interview (3)
- Types
• 3. Planned Interview:
– A formal interview which is very carefully planned
– The interviewer worked out a plan of action in his/her own mind as to:
• which areas he/she has to concentrate on
• what information he/she should elicit
• what are the important aspects of the candidate he must try to find out
by his/her interviewing technique
– Before such an interview, the manager may use a checklist or merely go
over in his/her own mind the material already gathered about the applicant
– He/she will also want to do some preliminary thinking about the job for
which this individual seems best fitted
– Such preparations enable him/her (the manager), to mentally make a
tentative schedule or to write down the topics to be covered during the
interview according g to their order of importance
p and the sequence
q in which
they can most easily be introduced
– He/she also thinks out in advance the kind of observation that seems most
important to make. Reasons:
• inconsistencies in data previously gathered
• there are indications of unusual qualifications or possible disabilities

45 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Employment Interview (4)

- Types
• 4. Patterned Interview:
– The patterned interview is also a planned interview
– This is more carefully pre-planned to a high degree of accuracy,
precision, and exactitude
– With the help of job & personal specifications, the questions and
areas will be carefully prepared and they will act as the interviewer’s
guide
– With the help of this formal list which covers all requirements, the
interviewer can go down the list of questions, asking one by one
– The formal list acts as a memory aid to the interviewer
• 5. Depth Interview:
– This is designed to intensively examine the candidate’s
b k
background d and
d thinking,
hi ki and
d to go iinto considerable
id bl d details
il off
particular subjects of an important nature or special interest to the
candidate.
– For instance, if a person is appearing for a Law Officer’s post, latest
judicial decisions are asked to find out whether he/she is up to date
with legal decisions
– Likewise, latest technical data is asked in interviews pertaining to
46 technical personnel B2002 HRM Lecture 5

23
Employment Interview (5)
- Types
• 6. Stress Interview:
– This type of interview is designed to test the candidate and his
conduct and behaviour by putting him under conditions of stress
and strain
– Borrowed from the military
– Very useful to test the behaviour of individuals when they are faced
with disagreeable & trying situations
• 7. Group Interview:
– All the candidates are called together in the employment office & a
group discussion is attempted to be started
– The interviewer observes the candidates with regard to
mannerisms, poise, leadership, discussion quality, and makes
his/her own observations
• 8. Panel Interview:
– More than one interviewer (selection board/interview board/selection
committee)
– In this either all the members of the committee together make
observations or individually they make their own observations
– The final tally is made by taking into account the assessment of each &
every one of the committee members
47 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Employment Interview (6) –

Guidance for Interviewers
• 1. Be courteous to the candidate & let him/she feel at home
• 2. Listen attentively & patiently
• 3. Do not ask leading or tricky questions
• 4. Never argue, interrupt, or change the subject abruptly
• 5. Ask questions in simple language which is understandable
to the applicant
• 6. Be tactful in asking direct & personal questions
• 7. Keep the candidate talking & encourage him/she to talk
• 8. Try to get the relevant information
• 9 R
9. Respectt th
the iinterests
t t off the
th candidate
did t
• 10. Answer the candidate’s questions
• 11. Do not overstate the job opportunity in the company
• 12. Lead the interview to its conclusion

48 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

24
Employment Interview (7)
- Limitations
• 1. Halo effect:
– The quality of the candidate in one aspect tends to colour the entire
appraisal or to make all qualities fit a sort of general impression
– For instance, a candidate who has a good appearance may be
rated high on such unrelated qualities as dependability or coco-
operation
– On the other hand, the outstanding weaknesses may occasion
lower appraisals on several or all other qualities
• 2. Stereotyping
– The interviewer’s experience may have created a close
association between some particular trait & the distinctive type of
personality
– Whenever the interviewer discovers that the traits are present,
h / h ttends
he/she d tto ascribe
ib tto the
th interviewee
i t i allll th
the other
th
characteristics of that type
• 3. Subjective elements
– Prejudices
– Likes & dislikes
– First impression
49 – Personal bias B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Offering the Job

• The initial offer of a job needs special care,
particularly as regards the following points:
– a. The wage g or salary
y offered must be:
• appropriate to the job & attractive to the candidate
• consistent with the earnings of present employees
– b. The job must be named & any special conditions stated
– c. The candidate must know the essential conditions of
employment (e.g. hours, holidays, bonuses, and fringe
benefits)
– d.
d Any provisions must be clearly stated (e (e.g.
g “subject
subject to
satisfactory references & medical examination”)
– e. The next stage must be clearly defined; if the candidate
asks for time for consideration, it must be agreed when he
will get in touch
50 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

25
Reference Checks (1)
• Definition
– Validation that provide additional insight into the
information furnished by the applicant and allow
verification
ifi ti off its
it accuracy
• Most application forms include a request for
the names of people from whom references
may be obtained
• Some selection procedures ask candidates
to provide letters of recommendation
• Major elements to verify
erif
– Previous employment
– Education
– Personal references
– Compensation history
51 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Reference Checks (2)

• A clear, unbiased, and comprehensive description of a
candidate’s abilities & behaviour by his previous employer
would be of enormous value in selection
• Unfortunately this ideal is never realised for several reasons:
– a. Most
M t candidates
did t are employed
l d att th
the ti
time off th
their
i application,
li ti and
dddo
not wish their employers to known they are looking elsewhere
– b. Because of (a), a prospective employer would be breaking a
confidence if he asked for a reference before an offer of a job had been
made and accepted.
– c. By the time an offer has been accepted, selection is over, and the
reference is too late to affect it
– d. An offer may be made “subject to satisfactory references”, but, as
most references are received after the candidate has started work, they
can o
ca only
y be used to warn
a managers
a age s o of poss
possible
b e faults
au ts in tthe
e ca
candidate.
d date
– e. Employers giving references are usually extremely cautious; many
references merely state the job title, the dates of employment, and the
reason for leaving.
– f. References are occasionally biased, giving a good reference to
hasten an employee’s departure or a poor one because of a grudge
(resentment/unwillingness).

52 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

26
Reference Checks (3)
• 2 types of recommendations:
– 1. Character references:
• a potential source of information with respect to general
character
h t & reputation
t ti off the
th applicant
li t
– 2. Experience reference:
• It needs someone who is presumably willing & able to write
about the applicant’s area of work
• 2 distinctive types of letters of
recommendation may be needed:
– 1. Special letters:
• directed to a specific employer with respect to the particular
applicant; and
– 2. General letters:
• “To whom it may concern”, usually provided by the applicant
and offered as evidence of his character and experience
53 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Reference Checks (4) –

Limitations
• 1. Normally, the referees would like to avoid
unpleasantness and they speak only in generalities.
This information will be of no use to the employer in
evaluating the applicant
applicant.
• 2. Referees do not generally say anything regarding
the failings of the candidate & they always refer to the
good points.
• 3. Referees are more concerned with avoiding
disagreeableness than in stating their considered
opinion or describing their experience with the
candidates
candidates.
• For the aforesaid reasons, it would not be advisable to
rely too much on references, yet with regard to
character & conducts references have sometimes
been useful in the day-to-day working of organisations.
54 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

27
Medical Examination
• Every candidate should have a medical examination
before the offer of a job is confirmed
• It will show:
– whether he is physically suitable for the job
– what risk there is likely to be of sickness, absence, or
injury
• Medical examinations should always be given:
– a. When the candidate is applying for a particularly
labourious job, or when he will work alone (e.g. a security
officer).
– b
b. Whene tthe
e job de
demands
a ds high
g sta
standards
da ds o
of hygiene
yg e e (e
(e.g.
g
catering & food manufacture).
– c. When the interview or other source reveals a doubtful
medical history
– d. To young persons under the age of eighteen employed
in a factory
55 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Induction
• Definition
– The process of receiving the employee when he
begins work, introducing him to the company and to his
colleagues, and, informing him of the activities, customs,
and traditions of the company.
• 2 Stages:
– a. Introduction to the working group is important
psychologically & is best done by the employee’s
immediate supervisor.
– b.
b Company background (in a large company)
company), which
may be described by lectures, films, or visits. Probably
this should not be done in the first day or week of
employment, because the employee is at that time more
concerned with his immediate surroundings & his own
job
56 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

28
Follow Up
• All selection should be validated by follow up
• The employee himself is asked how he feels
about
b hi
his own progress & hihis iimmediate
di
superior is asked for his comments
• These findings are compared with the notes
taken at the selection interview
• If a follow-up is unfavourable, it is probable
th t selection
that l ti has
h been
b att fault;
f lt ththe whole
h l
process from job specification to interview is
then reviewed to see if a better choice can be
made next time
57 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

Role of Industrial Psychology

in Personnel Mgt.
• In the past 200 years, technological developments have brought
about major changes in the nature & use of human labour
• Some of the functions formerly carried out with the use of hand
tools have become mechanised,, therebyy creating g jjobs involved
in the operation and maintenance of machines
• The on-going trends toward automation is altering further the
nature of many jobs
• These technological developments and the accompanying
changes in the nature of human work have been accompanied
by:
– certain human benefits (such as reduction of human labour,
improvements in working conditions and a higher income)
– certain costs, such as:
• mechanisation of some work processes
• sense of “meaninglessness” involved in such work
• sense of being “lost” in large organisations
• Labour-Management concepts and technological unemployment

58 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

29
 English – Chinese
Glossary
English Chinese English Chinese

Contingent Workers 替代/自由 Internship 實習生職位

員工
Employee Referral 員工推薦 Interview 面談/面試
Job Bidding 職位邀請 Recruitment 招聘

Job Fairs 招聘會 Selection 選拔

Job Posting 職位發表/

宣告
59 B2002 HRM Lecture 5

30