Methods and Techniques Used in the Job Selection Process - Essay Example

? Job Selection Process Job Selection Process This study explored the of police selection process with regard to the important considerations that are involved. Specifically, the study focussed on the methods often used, the procedure of the selection process with regard to the strengths and weaknesses of the system. Some of the issues explored in the study focussed on the merits of the selection process in determining the right choices for inclusion into the police force. The study discussed various subjects ranging from screening in and screening out, the multiplicity of police tasks, and the details of the selection process including matters of cognitive competency, education and psychological processes. The core concern of the study was the suitability of the police officers to handle potentially stressful situations. In terms of methods, the study made use of a range of relevant literature that dealt in whole or in part with the subject of police recruitment process. The findings of the study showed that the kind of methods and techniques used in the selection process is a major determinant of the effectiveness of the police to thrive or fail in the profession of policing. Discussion A variety of professional and personality issues are normally considered in the process of police selection and recruitment. The considerations of matters of choice are usually premised on the fact that policing is a task that involves multiple stressors and traumatizing experiences (McCoy, 2009). The task of maintaining law and order in a world that is defined by various challenges and choices require the application of some sense of balance and extreme restraint. Police officers find themselves in situations that require fast and appropriate judgment. According to some scholars, the very nature of policing is fraught with high elements of risk that require people to make appropriate decisions that may involve the lives of the police officers or that of other people who come into their line of duty (Ross & Ross, 2010; Palmiotto & Unnithan, 2010). Another issue to be considered in the selection and recruitment processes in the police force is the evolving nature of crime. Criminal activities have become increasingly complex particularly due to the incorporation of technology in the criminal processes (Abadinsky, 2010). Equally important is the fact that the processes of recruitment must be carried out in ways that mirror socio-cultural realities. The nature of personality of the police officers is an important consideration because it helps in the determination of their levels of preparedness (Galeotti, 2007; Mallory, 2011). Usually character is determined by the kind of environment in which the police recruits or aspiring recruits are brought up (Scaramella, McCamey & Cox, 2010). In usual cases, the challenge of the recruitment processes is based on the need to reconcile the different personalities of the recruitment process to the general and specific objectives of policing. The police recruits must demonstrate the capacity to adjust to new responsibilities and tasks within the context of policing (Leenen, 2002). There is always the minimum threshold psychological balance that the recruits must attain in order for them to go through the selection process. Police culture is the sum total of the image and conduct that the police present about themselves. This culture is based on the written principles that the practice of policing that takes place in the ordinary discharge of their duty (Chan, 1997). Generally, several factors combine to form the definition of police culture. These factors include loyalty, self-protection, and fidelity to the call of duty, teamwork, and secrecy. Police culture differs from one country to another depending on the constitutional and statutory provisions that control policing. However, certain elements of police culture have a universal application. Such elements include self-protection and corruption. Other attributes such as brutality are dependent on the political and legal environment in which the police operate. Police culture has been perceived either positively or negatively. The negative part of the culture includes such attributes as corruption, public harassment, misuse of power, and extortion (Chan, 1997). By implication, police culture is determined and shaped by internal and external factors that affect the operations of the force. A survey in the standard police recruitment process shows that the methods are mostly centred on screening out method as opposed to screening in processes. With specific regard to screening out, the focus is the singling out of certain elements in the police recruits for the purpose of elimination (Kenney, 1999). Some of the issues that are considered for exclusion during the screening out program include psychological maladjustment, poor judgment, obvious portrayal of bias against gender, race, or minority groups, and other issues that relate to ethics in the practice of police service. In other words, the process mostly targets the unfit elements for excluding them from the selected team (Crank, 2004). The process of screening is important in the entire domain of police selection. The nature of police work is that it involves various tasks that relate to different aspects of life. Police work generally transits beyond the obvious roles of security provision to matters of road safety, maintenance of public order, prosecution of suspects, intervening in crises and distress calls, among many other diverse fields of operation (Kenney, 1999). In the modern world, the tasks of the police officers may involve varied aspects such as global terrorism and environmental protection. At the psychological levels, these tasks may require sufficient balance and composure, which could be assessed during the recruitment process and in the course of the training schedule (Kenney, 1999). The cost factor in the selection process is another important matter that requires the attention of the parties involved. The qualities and abilities of the groups and individuals selected will determine the amount of resources that will be required in their training. According to proven estimates, well-designed selection processes will often lead to highly competent members of the police force (Mallory, 2011). As such, the requirements of such groups would be significantly lower than the requirements that may be necessary for poorly selected groups. More resources may be required in the process of training that it would be necessary. Cost-effective selection processes are designed in ways that ensure adequate screening from the lower levels of the groups in order to enhance the efficiency during the formal training sessions of the force ((Mallory, 2011). The curriculum of police training programs is usually structured in ways that promote the aspect of efficiency in the course of the training. In most countries, budgetary allocations set aside for the training purposes are usually not sufficient to include lengthy and expensive training schedules. The process of police selection often begins with a detailed background check of the individuals. The necessity of the background checks is based on the need to determine the past histories of the group in order to avoid the selection of individuals whose nature and history does not accord with the principles and ethics of policing (Palmiotto & Unnithan, 2010). Such background information may include matters of criminality, issues of origin, affiliation to groups or societies that could create conflicts of interest and general upbringing. Background information and historical checks are necessary in establishing the psychological state of the officers. Another important area in police selections is medical examinations. In the course of medical examinations, tests are conducted in order to ascertain the state of health of the individuals. Certain conditions such as mental impairment, heart problems, and lifelong diseases may have to be screened in order to qualify individuals into the general selection process (Palmiotto & Unnithan, 2010). Competent police officers must be those who demonstrate physical and psychological well-being to a level that fits in well with the demanding nature of policing. Selection interviews are usually incorporated into police selection to test the knowledge and abilities of the police officers in performing different tasks. During the interview schedules, the selected individuals are required to reach certain thresholds that demonstrate the minimum qualifications and competence in a wide range of matters that concern the discourse of policing (Scaramella, McCamey & Cox, 2010). Their conflict-resolution and problem-solving skills may be tested in the course of the interviews. It is also during these sessions that the unique abilities of the individuals are noted and used for career development at a later stage. The assessment of personalities during the selection process is a necessary activity that involves multiple goals. In the course of the selection process, it is possible to determine the variations in the individuals for detecting the degree of personality competence or incompetence as it affects matters of professionalism. By nature, certain types of personalities may prove to be incompatible with the calling of the police force (Scaramella, McCamey & Cox, 2010). For instance, highly radical personalities may not constitute the best qualities of police officers. Equally, highly emotive individuals may fail to stand the test of competence with regard to policing. The selection process often seeks individuals who demonstrate some remarkable aspects maturity in handling matters of a diverse nature (Scaramella, McCamey & Cox, 2010). The task of policing requires frequent and appropriate application of good judgment and logical decisions. These qualities are necessarily resident in the aspect of personality. By nature, the task of policing requires some aspect of physical agility. Occasionally, police officers confront situations that require the application of physical agility. Tasks such as carrying out arrests, confronting riots, or pursuing fleeing suspects require some level of physical competence on the part of the police (Smith & Henry, 2007). The course of training may often involve some aspect of martial arts to prepare the police in the arts of disarming suspects and other roles that require significantly high levels of physical activity (Smith & Henry, 2007). Personality traits theories generally apply in the discourse of policing in terms of the various ways in which the individual personalities of people could be used to predict patterns of behaviour and to make judgments about their characters (Palmiotto & Unnithan, 2010; Skogan & Fryd, 2004). According to this theory, the nature of personality carries a certain measure of social significance (Kenney, 1999; Wright, 2002). The theory may be incorporated in the process of police selection by determining the nature of character of the individuals in accordance with their unique abilities (Crank, 2004). Determining whether a certain individual fits into the selection matrix may involve tests on their criminality or disposition to criminal character (Wright, 2002; Skogan & Fryd, 2004). Further, such personality theories may be used in the determination of leadership honesty by assessing the levels of openness or honesty as it may apply within the general discourse of leadership in the force (Palmiotto & Unnithan, 2010). The selection process of police officers is an important preliminary step that prepares them for the often strenuous schedules of policing. In the usual cases, this selection process may involve difficult conditions in the sense that the groups available for selection present a wide range of demographic variables (Kenney, 1999). Critics of the old styles of selection have argued that these old styles of selection do not consider some of the special needs and requirements of some special variables within the chosen groups. The special needs may entail matters of cultural origin, gender variables, socio-economic backgrounds, and other issues that tie around the selection process. On this score, it might be argued that the selection process necessarily entails the structuring of systems in order to meet certain issues that meet the diverse needs of the groups. One of the challenges of old systems of selections is that they are designed to favour dominant groups. The designers of the systems did not carry out adequate assessments on the variations in the social groups (Wright, 2002). This often results in feelings of alienation, as the less dominant groups feel affected by the systems. As such, proposals have been made regarding the incorporation of multi-level selection processes, which would cater for the diverse needs of the groups. Culturally, there have been claims regarding the patriarchal elements within the selection process. Women rights lobbyists have argued that the police selection process does not include sufficient structures that would guarantee the special needs of women before, during, and after the selection process. There is need for the inclusion of more requirements to be fulfilled by aspirants before they are considered for recruitment into the police force. An expansion of the list of requirements would satisfy the conditions for the inward and outwards needs in the selection process. In order to fulfil this requirement, it would be appropriate for the police to carry out special changes in the structure and policies that govern the recruitment process. Past studies have focussed significantly on the need of the police to meet physical requirements at the expense of emotional and psychological requirements (Rawlings, 2002). In many cases, the thresholds to be met are structured in such police officers serving in special units receive more training than the ones selected for inclusion into general duties. The selection process should be changed and redesigned in such a manner that includes all the officers regardless of the designated positions in the selection process. Another important factor to be considered in the selection process is the use of trained personnel to conduct the selection process. According to tradition, the selection process of police officers in many countries is heavily reliant on serving members of the police units. Psychological experts should be involved in ascertaining of certain features that concern the capability of the police aspirants to meet certain psychological agents. According to some specialists, the training schedules should be structured in a manner that involves different specialists and experts in ascertaining the qualities and merits of the selected aspirants. Trained experts in these areas could conduct the determination of knowledge on human rights, the legal procedure systems, and other aspects of growth. Such an arrangement would take care of the some of the weaknesses that relate to weaknesses of internal systems of selection. The methods employed in the process of police recruitment are important determinants of the success or failure of the selection. The traditional ways of police selection processes may have to be adjusted to meet emergent realities that require the application of various factors necessary for the aligning the reality of policing with situational requirements. The various studies employed seem to agree on the fact that the process of selection must be adequate to prepare the police with the kind of resources, knowledge, and skills that would suit them to the stressful situations that are normally associated with the task of policing. The screening and selection process requires a balance between screening in and screening out to enhance the aspect of competence. The selection process also involves matters of physical fitness since the police must routinely apply their physical strengths to the process. It might be appropriate to consider revision of the selection processes to match the needs of an expanding market clientele. References Abadinsky, H. (2010). Organized crime (9thEd.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Chan, J, B. (1997). Changing police culture: policing in a multicultural society. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Crank, J. P. (2004). Understanding police culture. Sydney: Elsevier. Galeotti, M. (2007). Global Crime Today: The Changing Face of Organized Crime. New York: Taylor & Francis. Kenney, D., J. (1999). Police and policing: contemporary issues. Westport: Greenwood Publishing Group. Leenen, W., R. (2002). Enhancing Intercultural Competence in Police Organizations. New York: Waxmann Verlag. Mallory, S., L. (2011). Understanding Organized Crime. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. McCoy, A. W. (2009). Policing America's empire: the United States, the Philippines, and the rise of the surveillance state. New York: University of Wisconsin Press. Palmiotto, M., J. & Unnithan, N., P. (2010). Policing and Society: A Global Approach. London: Cengage Learning. Rawlings, P. (2002). Policing: a short history. Cullompton: Willan. Ross, J. I. & Ross, J. (2010). Policing Issues: Challenges & Controversies. New York: Jones & Bartlett Publishers. Scaramella, G., L, McCamey, W., P. & Cox, S, M. (2010). Introduction to Policing. London: SAGE. Skogan, W., G. & Fryd, K. (2004). Fairness and effectiveness in policing: the evidence. New York: PublisherNational Academies Press. Smith, D., J. & Henry, A. (2007). Transformations of policing. New York: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. Wright, A. (2002). Policing: an introduction to concepts and practice. Cullompton: Willan. Read More