A company’s employees are its most valuable assets, and acquiring those assets can be as complex as it is critical.
The first step of recruitment is attracting the right talent to apply for an open position. The selection process filters those talents to ensure your company identifies and selects candidates who reflect the organization’s values.
You’re not looking for just competence when hiring workers; you’re also searching for character, drive, and in many cases, experience.
This article covers the six steps in the employee selection process and shows you ways to land the best employees.
What Is the Employee Selection Process?
The employee selection process is a structured sequence of activities organizations use to identify and hire the best employees. It is a critical aspect of any company’s human resource management and plays into long-term goals.
HR professionals usually set up a series of custom steps to match the right applicant to an open position. The process typically begins with a job analysis outlining the duties, responsibilities, and qualifications required for the post.
There’s no cookie-cutter standard for the selection process. Hiring managers create different strategies for evaluating and selecting employees based on the company’s unique needs. They also tailor the selection process to the open position.
Well-tailored and strict employee selection processes help companies hire workers that will reduce turnover, improve company culture, and boost productivity.
Six Ideal Steps in the Employee Selection Process
The fact that every company should employ custom steps in their employee selection process remains valid. However, these tailored steps should be governed by ideas and strategies that help profile suitable candidates, attract them, and separate them from the rest.
Creating the Selection Blueprint
An effective employee selection process must be structured, fair, objective, and consistent. It must also be tailored to the open position and align with the company’s values. To achieve all that, you must create a blueprint for the process.
An employee selection blueprint is a detailed plan or guide outlining the specific skills, knowledge, abilities, and qualities required for the position. It also explains the guidelines that govern the process and how each step leads to the other.
The plan is the foundation of the entire process. It makes life easy for the hiring team and the applicants. When followed correctly, it will ensure the team keeps up with the suitable candidates and that promising applicants don’t get frustrated and quit midway.
Analyze the Job
The first step in creating a blueprint for the employee selection process is conducting a job analysis. A job analysis involves identifying the key responsibilities and requirements of the job, such as necessary skills, knowledge, and experience. This analysis helps to ensure that the job description accurately reflects the expectations of the role and that the hiring team is looking for candidates with the right qualifications.
Assign Roles
Once the job analysis is complete, the next step is defining roles for the hiring team. The hiring team should include individuals with various skills and experiences, including those with expertise in the job function, HR professionals, and those with experience conducting interviews. Defining roles for the hiring team ensures that each member understands their responsibilities and that the selection process is fair and effective.
Build Employee Persona
Creating an employee persona is also an essential component of the blueprint for the employee selection process. An employee persona is a detailed description of the ideal candidate for the job, including their education, work experience, and personal characteristics. This persona helps the hiring team focus their search on candidates who match the job requirements and helps ensure that they are looking for the right qualities in candidates.
The Application Process
The application step covers many activities, from announcing the job to setting up the application method. It involves managing how applicants express their interest in the position and how they’ll submit their resumes and relevant documents.
Many may regard this step in the selection process as a formality, but it’s far from that. It’s an opportunity to target the right candidates from the onset. So how do you set up an ideal application process?
The job posting must hit the right notes
The job posting is the first phase of the application process. It involves announcing the job to the right applicants. This phase’s goal is to ensure the hiring team only has to deal with candidates with the right qualifications and interests.
Ideally, the job posting should cover the following:
- Job Title: The job ad must convey the duties and responsibilities of the position clearly and accurately.
- Job Description: The next step is providing a comprehensive position summary outlining the key responsibilities, necessary qualifications and skills, and expectations.
- Required Qualifications: Listing the qualifications required for the position tells an interested applicant whether they should apply. These qualifications include education, work experience, and specific skills.
- Job Location: The job posting should indicate the location, whether remote, on-site, or hybrid.
- Compensation and Benefits: Indicating a salary range and the benefits of the job is a great way to attract people who will value the position. Studies have shown that job seekers are more likely to apply for a role when the job ad shows the salary range.
- Company Culture: The job posting should provide an overview of the company culture, values, and mission to help the candidate determine whether they would be a good fit.
- Application Process: The job posting should indicate the application process, including how to submit a resume or cover letter and the deadline for submissions
Submissions should be easy
It is crucial to make it easy for applicants to submit their resumes and other supporting documents. A simple application process saves time and resources for both the applicant and the hiring organization. It also reduces the chances of candidates giving up due to frustration or confusion. Lastly, a user-friendly application process strengthens the employer’s reputation and brand, which is vital for attracting top talent and maintaining a positive image in the job market.
Leverage automation
Some candidates may not be suitable for the job because they don’t meet specific conditions, such as location, availability, and experience. You can create a form where they can provide answers to specific questions. For example, if your firm has a strict payment policy restricted in some jurisdictions, you can quickly identify applicants who won’t cut based on that requirement.
Use a small test
Depending on the nature of the job, a simple test that assesses the candidate’s competence before moving them to the next phase can be game-changing. You don’t have to rely solely on automated systems to determine candidates’ progress using their qualifications alone. The test helps you to identify applicants whose documents are worth screening.
The Screening Phase
The screening phase is where the hiring manager takes a deep dive into the documents provided by the applicants. By looking at the contents of each candidate’s resume and cover letter, they can determine who stands out the most and move them on to the next step in the process.
There are different ways to make the screening process effective.
Follow the selection blueprint
You should stick to the guidelines you set for yourself and your team during this phase. It is the first opportunity to confirm that the candidate meets your qualifications, aligns with your company culture and objectives, and embodies the employee persona you created.
Use screening tools
Going through hundreds of resumes can be time-consuming, even if you spend seven seconds scanning each application. Since some candidates won’t meet basic requirements, it’s best to narrow down the pool using technology.
Resume screening applications, known as Applicant Tracking Systems, can help you identify and remove applicants without these requirements. While you don’t have to resort to the tool entirely, it can help determine which candidates to focus on.
Spend time on the cover letter
A cover letter is an invaluable tool for employers seeking to gain a deeper understanding of a job applicant beyond the standard resume. It offers a window into the applicant’s personality, allowing you to get a glimpse of their character, values, and priorities.
By detailing their commitments, principles, and skills, the cover letter provides a rich narrative to help you envision how the applicant would fit within your organization.
In contrast to the resume, which offers a snapshot of an applicant’s qualifications and experience, the cover letter also allows applicants to showcase their unique qualities and accomplishments.
Don’t forget the screening call
After the screening phase, candidates progress to the more expensive stage, typically involving practical assessments and interviews. However, you can’t get them all. The screening call allows you to identify those still pursuing the job. That way, you get to prepare the next stage for a specific number of interested people, saving you time and money.
Testing
The testing phase of the employee selection process typically involves evaluating the skills, knowledge, and abilities of job applicants through various assessments. These assessments include cognitive ability tests, personality tests, situational judgment tests, and job simulations.
Testing aims to gather objective and standardized data about applicants to inform your hiring decisions. Using tests, you can better predict how well an individual will perform in the job and whether they will fit in with the company culture.
You must design your tests to measure the knowledge, skills, and abilities required for the job. There are different things to consider when setting up a testing procedure.
Ensure standardization
You should standardize the testing process to ensure all candidates are given the exact instructions and testing environment. This measure will ensure that the results are consistent, fair, and reliable.
Use multiple tests
Using multiple tests can provide a complete picture of a candidate’s abilities and strengths and help reduce the impact of any test that may be biased or unreliable. You may choose to administer multiple tests to all applicants or to only those who successfully pass each prior stage.
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For example, an in-person audition or on-site assessment may be offered to candidates who pass an online test. It all depends on the nature of the position you want to fill.
The Interview
One of the main challenges of any selection process is that you may have to let many promising and skilled candidates go. However, that’s the primary purpose of a no-nonsense and thorough process.
When you get to the interview phase, you’ll have potential employees with the abilities, skills, and qualifications to thrive in the role. This stage allows you to assess their personalities further and test their experience.
There are different ways to conduct an effective interview.
Optimize the interview process for the applicant
While you want applicants to handle challenges during recruitment, the interview logistics should not be different from one of them. Ensure you communicate the procedure to them, such as the date, time, and requirements. You can specify when you want them to check in and provide an estimate for the interview duration.
Prepare the right questions
Different interview questions assess candidates on various levels. These questions include:
- Technical questions to evaluate the applicant’s technical skills
- Behavioral questions to understand the interviewee’s work ethics and principles
- Situational questions to assess the candidate’s response to specific workplace issues and measure their problem-solving and decision-making skills
- Career goals questions to confirm whether their aspirations align with your company’s objectives and how long they’re willing to work with you
- Collaboration questions to evaluate their teamwork and interpersonal skills.
Background Check
Conducting background checks is vital to ensure prospective employees are trustworthy and do not pose any risks to their organization. These checks are beneficial in high-risk positions where unsuitable candidates can cause significant damage.
Pre-employment checks are primarily conducted to verify the accuracy of candidates’ resumes. However, various background checks are available, including criminal record checks, credit reports, driving records, and verification reports such as identity, education, work history, social security numbers, and national insurance numbers.
Background checks are particularly essential for roles with a high degree of responsibility. For example, a sex offender won’t be an ideal candidate for a caregiver position.
Common Mistakes to Avoid in the Employee Selection Process
Mistakes in the employee selection process can lead to hiring the wrong person for the job, which can have significant consequences for the company. Some common mistakes to avoid in the employee selection process include the following:
Not creating a Job-specific Selection Process
Your selection process will be inadequate if you don’t optimize it for the position you want to fill. Since every job has unique responsibilities and requires specific skills, you must add those considerations to the process, from the application stage to the interview phase.
Lack of Clarity About Job Requirements
Not providing your hiring team with the specific skills and qualifications required for the position can lead to hiring the wrong candidate.
Relying Too Heavily on Interviews
Interviews can help assess a candidate’s communication skills and personality, but they may not provide a complete picture of the applicant’s ability to perform the job.
Ignoring References and Background Checks
Failing to check references and conduct background checks can result in hiring someone with a history of poor performance or unethical behavior.
Rushing the Process
Hiring managers may be under pressure to fill a position quickly, which can lead to making hasty decisions and overlooking important factors.
Hiring Based on Gut Feelings
While intuition can be helpful in some situations, it should not be the sole basis for making a hiring decision.
Conclusion
There’s a perfect employee for every position, but only an optimized selection process can attract, identify, and choose them. So, ensure you’re making the right decision when creating your strategy, and don’t forget to configure each step for the position you want to fill.
