LESSON 4

SELECTION AND PLACEMENT

1. Identify the common methods used in selecting human resources.

There are many selection methods that the company can use. It will help them filter the
applicants and hire the most qualified for the position to provide better services and products to
their customers. Some are interviews, background checks, physical ability tests, cognitive tests,
personal inventories, honesty and drug tests, and work samples.

Interviews are the most common selection method that every company in the country uses.
During the process, the recruiter talks with the applicant about the job and will give them data
about the compatibility and characteristics of the applicant. From this, they will filter the
applicant based on their answers to the personal questions or situational questions that will prove
that they are worthy of the position. In doing interviews, the most effective way is to have a
structured questionnaire to avoid biases of the recruiter. The interview should contain mostly
situational questions to have high predictive validity. It would give information not only to the
company but also to the applicants about the process within the organization.

References or background checks are when the company uses to know more about the
applicant after the interview. It will give the company data about how the applicant interacts with
their affiliates in their last job or college organizations. However, this is not reliable since most
of the references included in the curriculum vitae or neighbors of the applicant always give
positive comments on the applicant because they have already been advised about applicants’
application to the company.

Physical Tests and Cognitive Tests assess the applicants' capabilities. Physical Tests focus on
the physiological aspect of the applicant, while cognitive tests focus on the mental capabilities of
the applicant. There are many ways to test the physical fitness of the applicant, like muscular
endurance, cardiovascular endurance, muscular strength, etc. There are also ways to test the
cognitive aspect of the applicant, like a verbal test, quantitative test, reasonability test, etc. These
tests are applicable only for the jobs that need them. For example, a call center applicant needs to
test their verbal and reasonability to perform the job well. On the other hand, construction
workers need to test their physical capabilities due to the heavy work nature.

Personal inventories test the personality of the applicant and group them through their
characteristics. There are five dimensions that the employer can use to group the employee:
extroversion, adjustment, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness to experiences. It will
give an idea to the employer of how they will interact with the current company's working
environment.
 Work Sample helps the employer to observe the applicant within the working environment
because it is a simulation of a real job. Some companies employ them in real jobs that test their
capabilities to handle the situations. Lastly, honesty tests and drug tests help the employer to
cover the social issues that might affect the company. The honesty test is for the integrity of the
applicant and the drug test is for the addiction of the applicant.

There are many ways that they can use in selecting the best applicant for the position.
However, these should conform with the nature and characteristics of the job. It also helps the
HR department to add value, effectiveness, and efficiency to the company’s operations.