SELECTION

Selection is the process by which qualified applicants are chosen and unsuitable candidates are rejected. It refers to the process of choosing people by assessing information about the candidates who best meet the position’s requirement. Selection is done by means of various tests for the predetermined numbers, out of the large pool of applicants.
Steps involved in the selection process are as under:-
1. Preliminary Screening and Interview
Scrutinizing of the application forms is made by the personnel department to check whether the candidates fulfill all the qualifications required for the job or not. The rejected candidates are informed.
a) Preliminary Interview

In preliminary interview the prospective candidates are given the necessary information about the nature of the job and the organization. Necessary information is obtained from the candidate about the qualifications, minimum acceptable salary, skills, experience etc. It saves time and efforts of both the company and the candidate.

b) Application Forms
Blank application forms are the printed forms for getting information from a prospective applicant which will enable the management to make a proper selection. Following information is asked:-
i) Biographical Data- Name, Father’s name, date and place of birth, age, sex, nationality, height, weight, physical disability, if any , etc.
ii) Qualification- Educational training acquired in special fields, technical qualification, experience, knowledge of language etc is obtained.
iii) Minimum Acceptable Salary- Minimum salary and other perks acceptable.
iv) References- Candidate is required to write the name of two or three persons who give information about the candidate’s character, social relations etc.
Application Forms are necessary to know whether the applicant has progressed to better job or not.
2. Selection Tests
Many organizations conduct different kinds of selection tests to know about their aptitude, interest, personality. These tests can be discussed as below:-
A. Aptitude Tests
The test that measures the learning capacity of a candidate is called aptitude test. These are more useful for clerical and trade positions.
B. Personality Tests
The personality test determines the ability of a person to interact with others. Personality traits of the candidates such as cooperativeness, emotional balance etc are seen.
C. Interest Tests
The objective of this test is to examine the applicant’s interest. As a result, the candidate gets maximum job satisfaction.
D. Dexterity Tests
The applicant is asked to demonstrate his ability to do the job. For eg test the speed of typing by the computer typists.
E. Intelligence Tests
The aim of this test is that a more intelligent person can do work quickly and efficiently and the organization does not spend much on his training.
F. Knowledge Tests
In this test, how the candidate puts his thoughts in black and white, how is his writing. Certain skills already achieved by the applicants are seen.
3. Employment Interview
In an interview, a candidate is physically and mentally examined. Interview helps to obtain additional information, facilitate information about the company’s policies, products, etc. Departmental manager converses face to face with the candidate and then he satisfies himself and declares the candidate successful.
4. Reference and Background Investigation
After candidate is being declared successful in the interview, information about him is gathered from the references given by the person. Information related to the candidate’s work record, social relations, background is checked.
5. Medical Examination
The medical examination is done to know about the physical fitness for the job concerned. It is necessary to protect the premises from infectious diseases.
6. Job Offer
The selected candidates who fulfill all the above requirements is offered the job. Appointment letter is handed to the candidate.

The selection process, if properly performed, will ensure the availability of competent personnel.

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