Opposing Perspectives in the Selection Process - Article Example

Human Resource Name of the Student: Name of the Instructor: Name of the course: Code of the course: Submission date: Human Resource Introduction Many scholars from diverse realms of academia have laid great emphasis on the importance of human resource selection in the contemporary era. This is whereby the human resource management needs tend to be integrated in the overall organizational strategy. The importance of selection as a human resource function is founded on the performance as well as the production value which a particular firm is bound to get from good hires and the high costs which are bound to be incurred in the replacement of employees following bad hires (Kokemuller, 1). The ‘classic trio’ has predominantly been used in the selection process by majority of the organizations in the past and even in the present. However, recent years has seen a paradigm shift towards the use of psychometric testing. According to Pilbeam and Corbridge (183), these latter tests can be systematically administered and scored and can be used in the measurement of individual diversity in terms of personality, ability, aptitude, attainment or intelligence. Against this backdrop, this paper will assess the argument that an organization can no longer rely on the ‘classic trio’ of application form, interview and reference to select which individuals would be best suited to work for that organization. Opposing perspectives in the selection process It is evident that there exist two schools of thought regarding the most ideal selection process while selecting individuals to undertake certain tasks in different organization. Firstly, there is the classic trio which entails the selection of candidates in three ways namely examination of the application forms, interviews as well as examining the candidates’ references (Miglič, 46). On the other hand, there is the psychometric testing which is more sophisticated and has gained increased popularity in the recent decades. These latter methods include assessment centers, work samples as well as psychometric testing (Nobble and Bozionelos, 12). It is imperative to note that a number of commentators have pointed out that certain selection methods tend to fit particular organizational structures and this classic trio might fit organizational systems that have become outdated in the present era (Nobble&Bozionelos, 12). This fact is revealed by Scholarios et. al (184) who determined that majority of the employers has reported using the classic trio for both the graduate and non-graduates. On the other hand, professional employers have reported an increased interest in determining the potential commitment of the graduates to the profession as opposed to the technical skills or their qualifications. Different rationales have been proposed for this paradigm shift. This is evidenced by Nobble andBozionelos (12) cited that the relative cost of the classic trio methods can be partially attributed to these changing patterns. On the other hand, resistance to change as well as familiarity with the traditional methods exemplified by the classic trio by both the candidates and the selectors alike has also been floated as a reason for the persistence in the use of these traditional methods. It is imperative to point out that the elevated emphasis on the selection of suitable individuals so that organizations can to a greater extent maximize on their survival fitness has seen the engagement of techniques which utilize knowledge that has been accumulated in the fields of psychometrics and organizational psychology (Nobble and Bozionelos, 12) Empirical research has suggested that the technique of using the latter methods in the selection process has more validity as opposed to the components of the classic trio (Nobble and Bozionelos, 12). This emanates from the loopholes which have been established in the classic trio as analyzed in the subsequent section under various benchmarks. Predictive accuracy The classic trio method of human resource selection has been cited as having limitations in terms of predictive accuracy. This has been cited by Sethi (20) who determined that the predictive accuracy of the classic trio method is not highly convincing and thus the best practice would be the utility of a more multi-method approach like cognitive ability testing and assessment centers among others. This is founded on the fact that the latter methods have exhibited reasonable validity and thus considered to elevate the effectiveness in the selection decisions. Limited predictive accuracy in the classic trio can be evidenced by the application forms whereby the applicants can present an opposite picture of themselves to the selection panel. This is in terms of motivation and cognitive capacity. Both of these aspects cannot be comprehensively assessed from the application forms and thus the selection body can fail to accurately predict the extent to which an applicant will be ideal in undertaking a certain task in the long run. This is opposed to more sophisticated and multi-dimensional approaches like cognitive ability testing and assessment centers which comprehensively evaluate the aspects of motivation and cognitive capacity of candidates and produce a comprehensive and accurate predictions regarding an individual. In addition, Pilbeam and Corbridge (191) revealed that the use of bio data in the selection process which is a more contemporary method is predicted based ways beliefs. Firstly, the prior experiences and circumstances mold distinctive behavior patterns and therefore the candidates’ abilities. Secondly, assessing the experiences and circumstances of an individual enables accurate prediction of their future behavior and subsequent job performance. These are central in the attainment of higher accuracy in predictions. Nonetheless, Reynolds (41) determined that in case an organization opts to use this approach in the selection process, it ought to first make sure that an accurate job analysis has been carried as the design, development and utility of a systematic bio data system is not only organizational but also job specific. Relevance and validity Different scholars have pointed out that the newer psychometric testing methods like work simulation/ samples help in comprehensively assessing the extent to which the skills, knowledge and experience of a candidate are relevant in undertaking a certain task. This is evidenced by Ployhart (880) who determined that work samples present the applicants with a set of tasks which is as nearly as possible identical to those which are performed on the job under recruitment. Reynolds (40) cited that this process is key in permitting the assessor to judge the candidate on the areas which are relevant to the position which they are applying for. Thus, the work samples provide one of the best ways of simultaneously achieving validity as well as assessing the appropriateness of certain individuals to a particular task. This outcome is not greatly possible while using the traditional classic trio methods. This is epitomized whereby in an interview, the candidate is only asked questions regarding his/her competency in performing a particular task based on aspects like academic qualifications and experience among other aspects. Nonetheless, the candidate is not given a chance to prove his/her competitiveness in performing the task. Thus, the selection panel might end up rejecting a particular candidate who is highly capable in performing a certain task but cannot adequately express him/herself due to various factors like language barrier. Diversity Other commentators have also accused the classic trio methods of candidate selection as focusing on singular aspects of the candidates and not encompassing their diversity which is critical in performing different tasks in the contemporary workplaces which are highly dynamic. This is best epitomized by the references method whereby the authors of the reference letters tend to fear giving an in-depth insight about a certain candidate based on various risks associated with this. As a result, most of the ex-employers now fear to commit anything on paper concerning a certain candidate and end-up giving a shallow insight about the candidate which is sometimes biased and uninformative. Some of the commentators like Taylor (281) have asserted that in most cases when the reference letters are used as a predictor of job performance, they have low validity and in most cases tend to say more about the author as opposed to the candidate. This results in the selection panel gaining little understanding about the candidates. However, other psychometric testing methods like assessment centers have been cited as being greatly ideal in gaining diverse information about different candidates and an insight into their behaviors. According to Dayan et. al (102), the assessment centers is a diagnostic tool in which several judges engage in examination of the applicants’ performance in simulations which are job-related. In a situation where the assessment centers are chosen as the tool for selection, several methods are put into utility in evaluating the applicants which include but not limited to interviews, work simulations and testing. This is an example of a multi-assessment procedure in the selection process. Pilbeam and Corbridge (187) determined that over the years, assessment centers have been credited for their extensive accuracy and effectiveness in capturing the capacity diversity of the candidates. This is whereby they have been found useful in extracting behaviors which are related to self-motivation, leadership, interpersonal relationships, problem analysis, competitiveness, tolerance, sociability, influencing capacity and decisiveness among other attributes. This method has been found to be greatly effective in the selection and recruitment of higher level staff like managers. Therefore, this method captures the diversity of the applicants in different perspectives and at the end of the assessment process, the assessors are adequately convinced that the selected candidate is endowed with the capacity of coping with the task allocated to him/her. In addition, based on the fact that different assessors with diverse experiences are used the assessment process and at different times, this helps in minimizing the level of bias and subjectivity in the selection process which has been attributed to the classic trio methods. This is founded on the fact that methods like use of application forms and references are conducted in one sitting and fail to assess the response of the candidates under various stimuli. Nonetheless, it is imperative to note that despite this process being considered among the most effective methods in the selection procedures, it can be a major shortcoming to an organization. This is founded on the high costs that it entails as well as the large amount of time it consumes. Thus, different commentators have expressed that it would not be advisable for organizations to use this process in the recruitment and selection of lower level staff like cleaning operatives (Reynolds, 42). Therefore, all the above merits associated with the newer psychometric testing methods in human selection fortifies the argument that an organization can no longer rely on the ‘classic trio’ of application form, interview and reference to select which individuals would be best suited to work for that organization. However, despite all the above merits which are associated with the psychometric testing, it is not feasible to totally trash and discredit the classic trio method of human resource selection based on the fact that they are also endowed with their own merits. This has seen many organizations still using them, either partially or in totality in their selecting process which shows that they still have some relevance in the contemporary world. Conclusion The preceding discourse has evidenced that there are two basic models of human resource selection in organizations. These are the traditional classic trio and the more contemporary psychometric testing. The latter model has been found to be more suitable in the HR selection in the present organization based on the predictive accuracy, relevance and validity as well as the diversity which are captured in different methods under this model. However, the classic trio model still has some relevance in the modern organizations, a fact which is evidenced by its partial utility in different organizations. Works cited Dayan, Kobi et. al. ‘The Preliminary Employment Interview as a Predictor of Assessment Center Outcomes’, International Journal of Selection & Assessment, 16.2 (2008): 102-111. Kokemuller, Neil. ‘Why Is the Human Resource Selection Process Important?’. 2013. Web. 10th January, 2013. (http://smallbusiness.chron.com/human-resource-selection-process-important-14399.html). Miglič,Docent. Human resourcesrecruitment in stateadministration. 2006. Web. 10th January, 2013. (http://suk.gov.rs/dotAsset/7298.pdf). NobbleCA and Bozionelos, N. ‘The utilization of ‘sophisticated’ selection techniques: Results from a case study in a large organization’. Selection & Development Review, 17. 5 (2001): 12-14. Pilbeam, Stephen and Corbridge, Marjorie. People Resourcing: Contemporary HRM in Practice. Pearson Education: Essex, 2006. Print. Ployhart, Robert. ‘Staffing in the 21st Century: New Challenges and Strategic Opportunities’. Journal of Management 32.6 (2006): 868-897. Reynolds, Louise. ‘An Investigation into the Recruitment and Selection of Cleaning Operatives in Grosvenor’. Diss. National College of Ireland. 2011. Print. Scholarios, Dora. et. al. ‘Anticipatory socialisation: the effect of recruitment and selection experiences on career expectations’. Career Development International, 8.4 (2003): 182-197. Sethi, Deepti. ‘A Study on the Recruitment and Selection practices of IT-ITES firms in India’. Diss. The University of Nottingham, 2005. Print. Taylor, Stephen. Resourcing and Talent Management. Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development: London, 2010. Print. Read More