Author: indiafreenotes

According to Harold Koontz, “Selection is the process of choosing from the candidates, from within the organization or from outside, the most suitable person for the current position or for the future positions.”

Dale Yoder said, “Selection is the process by which candidates for employment are divided into classes those who will be offered employment and those who will not.”

David and Robbins said, “Selection process is a managerial decision-making process as to predict which job applicants will be successful if hired.”

According to R.M. Hodgetts, “Selection is the process in which an enterprise chooses the applicants who best meet the criteria for the available positions.”

Selection is the process of choosing from a group of applicants those individuals best suited for a particular position.

Most managers recognize that employee selection is one of their most difficult, and most important, business decisions.

This process involves making a judgment -not about the applicant, but about the fit between the applicant and the job by considering knowledge, skills and abilities and other characteristics required to perform the job Selection procedures are not carried out through standard pattern and steps in this.

The process can vary from organization to organization some steps performed and considered important by one organization can be skipped by other organization.

Personnel Selection is the methodical placement of individuals into jobs. Its impact on the organization is realized when employees achieve years or decades of service to the employer.

The process of selection follows a methodology to collect information about an individual in order to determine if that individual should be employed. The methodology used should not violate any laws regarding personnel selection.

Steps in Selection Process

The selection process typically begins with the preliminary interview; next, candidates complete the application for employment.

They progress through a series of selection tests, the employment interview, and reference and background checks. The successful applicant receives a company physical examination and is employed if the results are satisfactory.

Several external and internal factors impact the selection process, and the manager must take them into account in making selection decisions.

Typically selection process consists of the following steps but it is not necessary that all organization go through all these steps as per the requirement of the organization some steps can be skipped while performing the selection process.

1. Initial Screening

The selection process often begins with an initial screening of applicants to remove individuals who obviously do not meet the position requirements.

At this stage, a few straight forward questions are asked. An applicant may obviously be unqualified to fill the advertised position, but be well qualified to work in other open positions.

The Purpose of Screening is to decrease the number of applicants being considered for selection.

Sources utilized in the screening effort

Personal Resume presented with the job application is considered a source of information that can be used for the initial screening process. It mainly includes information in the following areas:

• Employment & education history.
• Evaluation of character.
• Evaluation of job performance.

Advantages of Successful Screening

If the screening effort is successful, those applicants that do not meet the minimum required qualifications will not move to the next stage in the selection process. Companies utilizing expensive selection procedures put more effort into screening to reduce costs.

2. Completion of the Application Form

Application Blank is a formal record of an individual’s application for employment. The next step in the selection process may involve having the prospective employee complete an application for employment.

This may be as brief as requiring only an applicant’s name, address, and telephone number. In general terms, the application form gives a job-performance-related synopsis of applicants’ life, skills and accomplishments.

The specific type of information may vary from firm to firm and even by job type within an organization. Application forms are a good way to quickly collect verifiable and fairly accurate historical data from the candidate.

3. Employment Tests

Personnel testing is a valuable way to measure individual characteristics.

Hundreds of tests have been developed to measure various dimensions of behavior. The tests measure mental abilities, knowledge, physical abilities, personality, interest, temperament, and other attitudes and behaviors.

Evidence suggests that the use of tests is becoming more prevalent for assessing an applicant’s qualifications and potential for success. Tests are used more in the public sector than in the private sector and in medium-sized and large companies than in small companies.

Large organizations are likely to have trained specialists to run their testing programs.

Advantages of using tests

Selection testing can be a reliable and accurate means of selecting qualified candidates from a pool of applicants.

As with all selection procedures, it is important to identify the essential functions of each job and determine the skills needed to perform them.

4. Job Interview

An interview is a goal-oriented conversation in which the interviewer and applicant exchange information. The employment interview is especially significant because the applicants who reach this stage are considered to be the most promising candidates.

Interview Planning

Interview planning is essential to effective employment interviews.

The physical location of the interview should be both pleasant and private, providing for a minimum of interruptions. The interviewer should possess a pleasant personality, empathy and the ability to listen and communicate effectively.

He or she should become familiar with the applicant’s qualifications by reviewing the data collected from other selection tools. In preparing for the interview, a job profile should be developed based on the job description.

5. Conditional Job Offer

Conditional job offer means a tentative job offer that becomes permanent after certain conditions are met.

If a job applicant has passed each step of the selection process so far, a conditional job offer is usually made.

In essence, the conditional job offer implies that if everything checks out such as passing a certain medical, physical or substance abuse test the conditional nature of the job offer will be removed and the offer will be permanent.

6. Background Investigation

Background Investigation is intended to verify that information on the application form is correct and accurate.

This step is used to check the accuracy of application form through former employers and references. Verification of education and legal status to work, credit history and criminal record are also made.

Personal reference checks may provide additional insight into the information furnished by the applicant and allow verification of its accuracy.

Past behavior is the best predictor of future behavior. It is important to gain as much information as possible about past behavior to understand what kinds of behavior one can expect in the future.

Knowledge about attendance problems, insubordination issues, theft, or other behavioral problems can certainly help one avoid hiring someone who is likely to repeat those behaviors.

Background investigations primarily seek data from references supplied by the applicant including his or her previous employers. The intensity of background investigations depends on the level of responsibility inherent in the position to be filled.

7. Medical/Physical Examination

After the decision has been made to extend a job offer, the next phase of the selection process involves the completion of a medical/physical examination.

This is an examination to determine an applicant’s physical fitness for essential job performance.

Typically, a job offer is contingent on successfully passing this examination.

For example, firefighters must perform activities that require a certain physical condition. Whether it is climbing a ladder, lugging a water-filled four-inch hose or carrying an injured victim, these individuals must demonstrate that they are fit for the job.

8. Permanent Job Offer

Individuals who perform successfully in the preceding steps are now considered eligible to receive the employment offer. The actual hiring decision should be made by the manager in the department where the vacancy exists.

Notification to Candidates

The selection process results should be made known to candidates—successful and unsuccessful—as soon as possible.

Any delay may result in the firm losing a prime candidate, as top prospects often have other employment options. As a matter of courtesy and good public relations, the unsuccessful candidates should also be promptly notified.

An interview is essentially a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other provides answers. In common parlance, the word “interview” refers to a one-on-one conversation between an interviewer and an interviewee. The interviewer asks questions to which the interviewee responds, usually so information is offered by the interviewee to interviewer and that information may be used or provided to other audiences, whether in real time or later. This feature is common to many types of interviews a job interview or interview with a witness to an event may have no other audience present at the time, but the answers will be later provided to others in the employment or investigative process.

The “information” or answers may also be transferred in both directions in a tradition interview.

Interviews usually take place face-to-face and in person, although modern communications allow conversations in which parties are separated geographically, such as with videoconferencing software, and telephone interviews can happen without visual contact. Interviews almost always involve spoken conversation between two or more parties. In some instances a “conversation” can happen between two persons who type their questions and answers.

Interviews can be unstructured, free-wheeling and open-ended conversations without predetermined plan or prearranged questions, or highly structured conversations in which specific questions occur in a specified order. They can follow diverse formats; for example, in a ladder interview, a respondent’s answers typically guide subsequent interviews, with the object being to explore a respondent’s subconscious motives. Typically the interviewer has some way of recording the information that is gleaned from the interviewee, often by keeping notes with a pencil and paper, or with a video or audio recorder. Interviews usually have a limited duration, with a beginning and an ending.

The traditional two-person interview format, sometimes called a one-on-one interview, permits direct questions and followups, which enables an interviewer to better gauge the accuracy and relevance of responses. It is a flexible arrangement in the sense that subsequent questions can be tailored to clarify earlier answers. Further, it eliminates possible distortion due to other parties being present.

Face to face interviewing makes it easier for people to interact and form a connection, and it helps both the potential employer and potential hire who they might be interacting with. Further, face to face interview sessions can be more enjoyable.

Interviews can happen in a wide variety of contexts:

(i) Employment

Interviews in an employment context are typically called job interviews which describe a formal consultation for the purpose of evaluating the qualifications of the interviewee for a specific position. Interviews are seen as a useful tool in assessing qualifications. A specific type of job interview is a case interview in which the applicant is presented with a question or task or challenge, and asked to resolve the situation. Sometimes to prepare for job interviews, candidates are treated to a mock interview as a training exercise to prepare the respondent to handle questions in the subsequent ‘real’ interview. Sometimes the interviews happen in several waves, with the first interview sometimes being called a screening interview which is a shorter length interview, followed by more in-depth interviews later on, usually by company personnel who can ultimately hire the applicant. Technology has enabled new possibilities for interviewing; for example, video phoning technology has enabled applicants to interview for jobs despite being in different cities or countries than the interviewer.

(ii) Psychology

Psychologists use a variety of interviewing methods and techniques to try to understand and help their patients. In a psychiatric interview, a psychiatrist or psychologist or nurse asks a battery of questions to complete what is called a psychiatric assessment. Sometimes two people are interviewed by an interviewer, with one format being called couple interviews. Criminologists and detectives sometimes use cognitive interviews on eyewitnesses and victims to try to ascertain what can be recalled specifically from a crime scene, hopefully before the specific memories begin to fade in the mind.

(iii) Research

In marketing research and academic research, interviews are used in a wide variety of ways as a method to do extensive personality tests. Interviews are often used in qualitative research in which firms try to understand how consumers think. Consumer research firms sometimes use computer-assisted telephone interviewing to randomly dial phone numbers to conduct highly structured telephone interviews, with scripted questions and responses entered directly into the computer.

(iv) Journalism and other media

Typically, reporters covering a story in journalism conduct interviews over the phone and in person to gain information for subsequent publication. Reporters also interview government officials and political candidates for broadcast. In a talk show, a radio or television “host” interviews one or more people, with the topic usually chosen by the host, sometimes for the purposes of entertainment, sometimes for informational purposes. Such interviews are often recorded.

(v) Other situations

Sometimes college representatives or alumni conduct college interviews with prospective students as a way of assessing a student’s suitability while offering the student a chance to learn more about a college. Some services specialize in coaching people for interviews. Embassy officials may conduct interviews with applicants for student visas before approving their visa applications. Interviewing in legal contexts is often called interrogation.

Step 1: Profile the position functions

The key to effective interviewing and hiring is the establishment of functions. By deciding upon the essential functions of the position, you will be able to determine the job’s specific requirements.

Essential Functions are defined as the basic job duties that an employee must be able to perform satisfactorily. Carefully examine each job to determine which functions are essential to satisfactory performance.

Factors to consider in determining if a function is essential include:

• Whether the performance of the functions is one of the reasons the position exists
• The number of other employees available to perform the function or among whom the performance of the function can be distributed
• Consequences of not requiring that an employee perform the function
• The degree of expertise or skill required to perform the function
• Time spent performing the function
• The actual work experience of a present or past employee in the job

Step 2: Establish specific requirements

Determine the specific skills, knowledge, ability, experience, etc. needed by the applicant to fulfill each function.

To gain a clear understanding of these requirements, try to categorize them according to those items that are behavioral in nature and those that are technical. “Technical” requirements refer to specific skills or experience that the position demands. “Behavioral” requirements refer to how a person needs to act in order to fulfill a given responsibility (e.g. self-motivated or well organized). Please note that behavioral requirements must be defined in behavioral terms. For example, rather than listing “good communication skills” as a requirement for a position interacting with disgruntled students, it would be better to list “the ability to listen and respond to students’ complaints effectively.”

Step 3: Establish your priorities

The last step is the establishment of priorities in your requirements. You want to ensure that in an interview you will gain information about the essential requirements. Categorize your requirements according to critical (“must haves”/non-negotiable) and desirable (“want to haves”/can be acquired on the job).

Critical requirements are those you absolutely must have. Desirable requirements, secondary selection criteria, are attributes you would like an applicant to possess in addition to the critical requirements. Desirable requirements can generally be learned on the job.

Step 4: Contact your HR Employment Services Consultant/Recruiter

Set aside time at this point to develop an understanding of the position, settle any questions regarding special requirements, and define selection criteria. Ask any questions you may have about the position regarding your selection criteria, special requirements, applicants referred, interview questions, and/or the interview process.

Step 5: Choose a diverse selection committee

The selection committee will help you pick the candidate best suited for the position and for the unit overall. Select committee members and a chairperson based on the following criteria, keeping diversity within the panel in mind:

• Vested interest in the responsibilities of the position
• Knowledge of the goals of the unit or office
• Working relationships
• Supervisory responsibilities
• Campus interaction

Step 6: Have a plan

Review the position description to identify skills, knowledge and abilities essential for successfully performing the job. Develop a set of carefully thought-out interview questions based on the predetermined selection criteria and functional areas listed on the position description. Your Employment Services Consultant/Recruiter can also help you develop job-related questions. Prepare another list of questions to use when checking references for finalists.

You may use these as a resource during an interview:

• Sample of Interview Questions
• Interview Rating Scale – Managers/Supervisors
• Interview Rating Scale – Staff

Step 7: Screen carefully

Note: The Employment Services unit will review and screen applications against the criteria stated in the position description before referring to the department. After the final filing date, referrals will be forwarded to the department contact identified on the requisition.

The selection committee must screen applications for the most appropriately qualified applicants to interview. After applicants are selected, the committee members should review their applications again to pinpoint areas where additional information may be needed or can be clarified during the interview. Prepare key areas of inquiries for all applicants.

Step 8: Contact the applicants

The committee chairperson will contact the applicants for an interview and advise them of the time, date, location, expected length of the interview, parking availability, and interview procedures. You may also want to ask the applicants to bring any additional information they would like to share, such as performance evaluations, reference letters or work samples. Please contact your Employment Services Consultant/Recruiter for more information.

Step 9: Interviewing

The following guidelines are provided as an aid in complying with university policy and procedures and with federal and state laws. Before the interview, take a few minutes to review the job application materials.

(a) Create a relaxed interview setting

The interview setting should be quiet, comfortable, and free of distraction and any other kind of interruption. If you use an office, arrange for phone calls be forwarded to another line. Keep on schedule, as candidates become apprehensive when asked to wait.

Ask each candidate to arrive 10-15 minutes before the interview. Give them a copy of the position description and any other materials you feel are important before the interview, such as an organizational chart, agenda for the interview, and a list of the selection committee members with their titles. Allow at least 15 minutes between interviews to permit candidates to come and go without overlap, and to allow the committee members to evaluate a candidate’s responses to questions.

(b) Follow a logical sequence

Keep the same format for each candidate and allow an equal amount of time for each candidate to answer questions. Introduce the candidate to the rest of the committee and invite him or her to be seated. Provide information regarding the expected timeframe for filling the position and what the interview is meant to accomplish. You can briefly define the job responsibilities.

(c) Let the candidate do the talking

After defining the job responsibilities, let the candidate “do the talking.” It is extremely important to listen and concentrate on what they are saying. The candidate should carry 80-85 percent of the total conversation. The panel members’ input should be limited to asking questions, probing deeper, and keeping the candidate on track. The panel should clear up points on the application form, asking follow-up questions that encourage the candidate to talk. Ask only questions that are directly related to the job. Use “W” questions — who, what, when, where, and why; also, how? Several types of questions are useful:

• Direct questions are easy to understand, and are more likely to yield concise answers and specific information. Example: “Why did you apply for this position?”
• Open ended questions often produce unexpected and valuable information, may reveal attitudes and feelings, and can indicate how well an applicant can organize his or her thoughts. Example: “Tell us about your job at XYZ Corp.”
• Behavioral questions require a candidate to analyze a situation and can reveal the extent of their experience. These questions must be specifically related to the job functions discussed in the position description. Example: Describe an experience when you…
• Probing questions such as “Could you explain what you mean by …?” can further clarify the candidate’s views.

Allow silence after asking a question so that you don’t interrupt the candidate’s thinking process. Encourage candidates with “take your time, we want you to be specific.”

(d) Be mindful of your questions

Formulate questions that indicate whether or not a candidate meets the requirements you have established for the position. Keep three rules in mind:

Ask questions that focus on past employment performance. Avoid questions that address the candidate’s personal lifestyles or habits.

Ask questions that relate to your listed skill, ability, knowledge or experience requirements.

Ask the same questions of all candidates.

Avoid:

• Closed questions that require merely a yes or no response.
• Multiple questions that require several answers.
• “Loaded” questions that force a choice between two alternatives.
• Questions that are illegal and dealing with areas that are not factors for job performance, such as gender (if you would not ask a question of a man, do not ask it of a woman, and vice versa), age, race, religion, veteran status, marital status, medical conditions and disability (it is illegal to ask about the nature and/or severity of the disability, if the applicant will need treatment or special leave, or about any prognosis or expectation regarding the condition or disability). Contact your Employment Consultant/Recruiter if you have questions.

(e) Close on a proper note

After the committee members have explored all performance factors, they can ask the candidate if he or she has any questions, needs clarification, or anything to add. Thank the candidate for coming, and explain when a decision will be made, whether a second interview will be conducted, and how candidates will be notified. Remember to smile, shake hands, and lead the candidate to the door.

Step 10: Check references

• Verify employment
• Verify what you have learned during the interview
• Obtain employment recommendations

References should always be checked regardless of your impression of the interviewed candidate’s qualifications. Reference checks should be conducted for every finalist, after you have completed your interviews. A list of job-related questions should be developed ahead of time to ensure consistency and fairness to all candidates. Responses can be used in consideration only if documented. Ask, “is this information documented or a matter of record?”

If the candidate is a current employee, you may review the employee’s personal file in Human Resources. Please contact your Employment Consultant/Recruiter for information regarding this review. If you review the candidate’s personnel record file, be mindful of how the information is to be used. Compare information that relates to the new position in terms of skills, knowledge, and abilities. Also, be aware that aged information that speaks unfavorably may no longer reflect the candidate’s attributes. Check current references to ensure fairness to the candidate.

Step 11: Make your selection

All information obtained in the interviews should be kept confidential. Evaluate the candidate solely on what you learned in the interview, the candidate’s responses to interview questions and information gathered during the reference check. Each panel member should ask themselves “would I hire this person with reasonable confidence that they could handle the job successfully?” Select the candidate who has the qualifications to perform the duties of the position effectively.

Step 12: Decide on a salary

New hires: In general, a department can make an offer up to the mid-point of the salary range for new hires . Any salary above these levels will be by exception only and requires the approval of Employment Services/HR before a hiring commitment can be made. Salary request letters should outline candidates background as it relates to the position, recruitment difficulty, salary history, candidate’s experience in relation to placement within a salary range, and relationship to internal employees in the same classification (salary equity among internal employees is an important consideration when setting salaries). Offers of employment above midpoint for non-covered range positions require Employment Services unit approval prior to the salary offer. You must always check with internal protocol(s) established for funding issues. For SMG positions, please consult your SMG Coordinator.

Current Employees: In general, a employee who is promoted to a step-based position with a higher salary range maximum may receive a salary increase to the minimum of the new salary range or the equivalent of a one-step increase, whichever is greater, provided that the resultant salary does not exceed the maximum of the new salary range. Please consult with your Employment Consultant/Recruiter regarding collective bargaining stipulations prior to a job offer. For non-represented positions, a employee who is promoted to a position with a grade-based salary range may receive a salary increase from 0-25 percent, provided that the resultant salary does not exceed the maximum of the new salary range and all combined salary actions do not exceed 25 percent within a fiscal year. Please consult with your Employment Consultant/Recruiter prior to making a job offer.

An employee who transfers laterally into a position with an equivalent salary range typically does not receive a change in salary. Consult with your Employment Consultant/Recruiter regarding policy and collective bargaining stipulations prior to salary offer.

Step 13: Complete the recruitment process

Good personnel practices are:

• Follow any internal protocol established for your unit/college/service area.
• Touch base with your Employment Consultant/Recruiter to advise of your selection and to discuss salary offers.
• Call the successful candidate to offer the position.
• Follow up with a confirmation of the offer, acceptance, salary, title and starting date, etc.
• A candidate has the right to know the reason(s) for not being selected; however, reason should be suggested by selection criteria based on the position description.
• Provide justification for hire/non hires to withstand internal or external audit.

1. Aptitude Test

This test is commonly used to judge the latest (existing but not yet developed) ability of a candidate to know new job skills. This will enable to understand whether a candidate is selected would be having the inclination of mechanical or clerical jobs. The aptitude test will guide the following forms of like Medicine, Art, Music, Painting or Clerical and many other activities. This test may lead to mental or intelligence test, mechanical aptitude test or psychomotor tests.

This test is further subdivided into 4 tests:

(a) Mental or intelligence test

This form of test measures the overall intelligence activity or IQ (Intelligence Quotient) of a person. It also measures the capacity for comprehensive reasoning, word fluency, verbal comprehension and other factors like digital span both forward and backward comprehension. But this test is proved to be dull as a selection device.

(b) Mechanical Aptitude Test

This test estimates capacity of spatial visualisation, perceptual accuracy and knowledge of mechanical aspects. This test is useful for selecting skilled mechanical employees and technicians.

(c) Psychomotor test

This test accounts for abilities like manual dexterity, motorability and coordination of individuals. It is also used for selection of semi­skilled workers, who can assist the main work force.

(d) Clerical aptitude test

Test look on specific capacities required for office work, which includes checking and correcting spelling mistakes, copying, typing letters, keeping office records and files and despatching of mail from one place to another as an office administrative requirements.

2. Achievement Test

This test is conducted when an applicant claims to know some special professional knowledge. It is useful to understand the quantum of specific knowledge the individual possesses at the time of an employment needed by the organization to select experienced candidate.

This test includes:

(a) Job knowledge test

In this test a candidate is examined for the knowledge he possesses. For instance, to promote a junior person to a seminar post, e.g., a LDC (Lower Division Clerk) to UDC (Upper Division Clerk) in an organization.

(b) Work sample test

A worker is doing his work of moulding section in a workshop of the company. To find out his capability, the in charge of the section may give him to mould a hot liquid material into a shape of one inch metal plate. If he succeeds in moulding the desired shape; he can be rated as an experienced “Sheet Metal Worker.”

3. Situational Test

This test is used to find out basic characteristics of an individual, viz., value system, reactions and maturity, etc. A candidate is observed in his real life situation. In this he is told to involve himself with other candidates to solve a critical situation by bringing out his ideas.

(a) Group Discussion

A topic of common interest is given to the group to discuss and to arrive at a conclusion. In this the candidates’ ability to communicate with others, leadership quality, introducing valuable ideas, coordinating skill and ability to converse and conclude the subject in a cordial manner are judged.

(b) Basket Test

This is another type of situational test conducted through a basket containing different type of letters, requests, orders, etc., to be analysed by the candidates after going through the contents of varied documents in the basket.

After studying contents of each appropriate reply is to be made or solution is to be found by the individuals. In this a candidate’s capability to understand the subject of each paper and will bring out his perception, conception, investigation and decision making capabilities as a leader.

4. Interest Test

It is the state of wanting to know something about or a capacity about a subject arousing in a person, who is normally non-intellectual in nature. This test-is an inventory of “likes and dislikes” of a person. The assumption of the test is that there is correlation between the interest of a person in his job and attaining success.

5. Personality Test

Personality attributes are considered as important since they effect the entire behavioural pattern of a person. Personality refers to the im­pression which an individual forms on others. They are expressed in such traits like self-confidence, tact, conformity emotions, control opinion, decisiveness sociability, so on and so forth.

(a) Objective test

Most of the personality tests are objective tests, as they are suitable for group tests and can be scored objectively.

(b) Projective test

The test projects interpretation of certain ‘stimulus’ situ­ations on confused form of pictures and figures.

Your business’s survival depends on hiring the right people, yet, finding the best employees can be difficult. If you don’t have effective interviewing skills, you risk losing a brilliant candidate, or worse hiring a person that’s not qualified for the job.

In a competitive graduate job market, conducting effective interviews is more important than ever. While you’re sizing up a candidate, that person is also considering you as a potential employer.

The key to successful recruitment is having clear objectives and a consistent technique for assessing candidates.

When interviewing candidates for an open position, you have a limited time to cover a significant amount of information. Interviewing techniques are useful strategies that can help you effectively and efficiently evaluate candidates so you make the right hiring decision.

5 effective interview techniques for employers

Here are the top 5 interview techniques HR professionals use to choose the right candidate for the job:

1. Traditional interview

You’ve probably most familiar with the traditional job interview technique you know, the one where you ask your candidates about their skills and experiences in order to find out if they’re a good fit for your open job position.

Traditional interviews come in many shapes and sizes. For example, a traditional interview can be structured, unstructured or semi-structured. It can also be a one-on-one interview, a panel interview or even a group interview. A traditional interview can be conducted in the form of a phone screening interview, video interview or a face to face interview.

The problem with traditional interview technique is that is has been proven ineffective in certain areas. According to LinkedIn’s report, which surveyed over 9,000 recruiters and hiring managers, the traditional interviewing technique has many weaknesses.

For example, traditional interview technique is especially bad at assessing soft skills and understanding candidate weaknesses. It also leaves room for recruitment bias, takes a lot of time, and relies on asking the right interview questions to get a clear picture of a candidate.

This is why many HR professionals have started experimenting with innovative, out-of-the-box interview techniques.

2. Job simulation

Job simulation (sometimes also called job audition) is the most popular innovative interview technique. Job simulations are becoming increasingly popular among employers because they help companies predict if a candidate if a good fit for a role more accurately.

In a job simulation, a candidate is asked to complete a task they would actually do if they were hired. In other words, when you use this interview technique, you don’t ask candidates to tell you about their about their skills. Instead, you directly observe candidates’ skills and performance.

Besides for employer, job simulations are also beneficial for candidates, too. By taking part in a job simulation, candidates get a real-life job preview, which helps them assess how much they really like to job. Simply put, they can try out a job and see if it fits!

Besides giving your candidates a certain task, job simulations can take on a more elaborated form. For example, you can organize a competition (such as hackathon), or invite your candidate to join your employees in a brainstorming session and help them solve a real-life problem your company is currently facing.

3. Casual interview

Another popular interview technique is a so-called casual interview. With a casual interview technique, a candidate is being interviewed outside the office, usually over a meal. Inviting candidates for breakfast, lunch or dinner offers a unique opportunity to observe candidates in a more casual setting.

This interview technique is especially beneficial if you want to assess your candidates’ communication and social skills. It will also allow you to spend more time with your candidates and get to know them better. As a result, you can gain a deeper insight into your candidate’s personality.

Casual interviews can do wonders for your candidate experience. Since most employers still stick with a quick in and out of the office interview, inviting your candidates over for a meal will make them feel special. They will also appreciate you taking the time to get to know them on a more personal note.

Some employers even go that far to incorporate an additional test into this interview technique. The most famous example is the case of an interview technique devised by Walt Bettinger, chief executive of Charles Schwab Corporation. He gets to the restaurant early and asks the waiter to mess up his candidate’s order – and then he observes how the candidate will react.

4. Virtual interview

In the last few years, we heard a lot about VR (virtual reality) and AR (augmented reality). These technologies have been announced as the next big thing that will completely change the way we live and interview. Using VR and AR, employers can now engage with candidates in a virtual job interview.

Virtual interview technique was first used at college career fairs to attract the attention of a younger generation of innovative, tech-savvy talent.

However, the use of this interview technique has quickly evolved way beyond career fairs. For example, General Mills created a virtual tour of its headquarters and Deutsche Bahn uses virtual reality to show candidates what it’s like to work at their company, especially at hard to fill roles such as train conductor and electrician.

Another good example is the use of virtual reality by Jaguar Land Rover. This company created a virtual reality app that test candidates skills.

Obviously, virtual interview technique offers many different possibilities, form testing your candidates’ skills, letting them experience first hand what’s it like to work at a certain role to giving them an office tour and showing off your company culture. All that in just one interview – amazing, right?

5. “Selling the job” interview

This interview technique was, until recently, reserved for recruiting C-level professionals. However, times have changed. The war for talent is raging, especially for scarce tech talent. This is why more and more employers are adopting a so-called “selling the job” interview technique.

This interviewing technique is used when you have a high level, top class candidate. In other words, when you know you have top talent on your hands, your main goal isn’t testing this candidate’s skills. Instead, you want to woo this type of candidates and sell them a job at your company.

This interview technique encompasses many different tactics, such as highlighting promotional opportunities, underscoring your company’s benefits, providing interesting details about your company’s history, mission and vision and your future plans, emphasizing your amazing company culture, etc.

In other words, when using this interview technique, you should present your employer brand and highlight your employee value proposition. Unfortunately, many employers make a mistake of talking on and on about their company and how great it is.

Instead, you should focus on candidates and their wants and needs and demonstrate how working at your company can make their dreams come true.

Once an employee is selected and placed on an appropriate job, the process of familiarizing him with the job and the organization is known as induction.

Induction is the process of receiving and welcoming an employee when he first joins the company and giving him basic information he needs to settle down quickly and happily and stars work.

Induction is welcoming a new employee to the organization. In other words, it is a well orches­trated event to socialise the new entrant with the people and the work environment in a particular organization.

According to Michael Armstrong “Induction is the process of receiving and welcoming an employee when he first joins a company and giving him basic information he needs to settle down quickly and happily and start work”.

B.P. Billimoria defined induction as “a technique by which a new employee is rehabilitated into the changed surroundings and introduced to the practices, policies and purposes of the organization.” In short, induction is, therefore, the process of welcoming, indoctrination and socialization of new employee to his/her job and organization.

Objectives of induction

• To help the new comer to overcome his shyness and overcome his shyness nervousness in meeting new people in a new environment.
• To give new comer necessary information such as location of a café, rest period etc.
• To build new employee confidence in the organization.
• It helps in reducing labor turnover and absenteeism.
• It reduces confusion and develops healthy relations in the organization.
• To ensure that the new comer do not form false impression and negative attitude towards the organization.
• To develop among the new comer a sense of belonging and loyalty to the organization.

The advantages of formal induction are:

• Induction helps to build up a two-way channel of communication between management and workers.
• Proper induction facilitates informal relation and team work among employee.
• Effective induction helps to integrate the new employee into the organization and to develop a sense of belonging.
• Induction helps to develop good relation.
• A formal induction programme proves that the company is taking interest in getting him off to good start.
• Proper induction reduces employee grievances, absenteeism and labor turnover.
• Induction is helpful in supplying information concerning the organization, the job and employee welfare facilities.

Contents of induction Programme

• Brief history and operations of the company.
• The company’s organization structure.
• Policies and procedure of the company.
• Products and services of the company.
• Location of department and employee facilities.
• Safety measures.
• Grievances procedures.
• Benefits and services of employee.
• Standing orders and disciplinary procedures.
• Opportunities for training, promotions, transfer etc.
• Suggestion schemes.
• Rules and regulations

Types of Induction

Basically there are two types of inductions, Formal induction and Informal induction.

1. Formal induction

Formal induction  is a planned attempt to introduce new employees to the organization, job and the working environment. This induction type may consume more time of the superiors to learn and deliver the new employees needs at the beginning. But this may create new employees less number of errors at the working period and good coordination among all the parties. At this type of program, new employee may get know, who are the most experienced person to have the solution of the particular problem new employee might has. At the very beginning new employees are having lots of questions as same as kids at small ages. That is full normal thing and common thing, because the new employee needs to get know all the things, he may actually needs or not. CEO, GM, Section/Department Heads, Senior Managers, and Line Managers may involve in to the formal induction program. (From top management to bottom line). This will deliver fundamental things that new employees need to know. Advantage of the formal induction program is organization will have the better chance to win the new employees’ loyalty at the very beginning. And also new employee will have the chance to carry his/her works clearly, with less numbers of errors. Also, new employee will fit to the organizational culture and the work group easily, and strongly.

2. Informal induction

Informal induction is not planned and is ad hock. New employees learn through trial and error method. They get familiar with the work and work environment by themselves. This induction type will make the stress on new employee at the very beginning, because of his/her not knowing things at the operations. So in that case, new employee may leave the organization at the beginning and then the organization may need to follow all the process of recruiting and new employee to the organization. Also this method will create a large number of errors making by new employee and then it may creates big losses to the organization. Those are the disadvantages of informal induction program. The advantage of informal induction is, if the new employee survived, then he/she may know the process by his/her experience, and the later on errors may minimize. But at the beginning the vice verse thing of above advantage may creates loses, if the new employee unable to survive at the organization. At the movements which employees couldn’t survive, there could be see they are leaving organization at the beginning they have joined to it. So this will creates high labor turn over too.

Phases of induction programme

A carefully designed induction programme consists of the following three phases:

1. General Induction

This first phase of induction is conducted by the HR department. The focus of the induction is to expose the new entrant to the organization by explaining him the mission, objectives, history and philosophy of the organization. The new employees is also briefed about his service conditions, pay and perks, promotion procedure, personnel policies and grievance handling mechanism practised in the organization. This phase of induction inculcates pride for the employee to work in the organization. The period of induction, depending on the organization, may vary from a few days to few weeks.

2. Specific Induction

This induction is given by the new employee’s supervisor. The focus is on the overall exposition of the new employee to his job. Accordingly, the employee is introduced to the job, shown place of work and around the premises, introduced to his co-workers and briefed about the procedures and methods, custom and routines, rules and regulations regarding his job. This training/ induction help the new employee adjust with his work environment. The induction may last for few weeks or even months.

3. Follow-up induction

The main objective of the follow-up induction is to verify whether the new employee is getting himself adjusted with the work and organization or not. This induction is given by the employee’s supervisor or a qualified specialist on industrial psychology.

While giving induc­tion training, the employee’s suggestions on adequacy or otherwise of the already conducted induc­tion programmes and on any other related aspects, if any, are duly taken into consideration to make the induction more and more effective. Such feedback can also be used to assess the requirements of guidance and counseling for the new entrants. The duration of follow-up induction may vary from some weeks to few months.

Giving induction to the new employees is essential but is not so simple. Only carefully designed and implemented induction programmes are observed effective.

Following are some of the requisites of an effective induction programme:

1. Receiving new employees

The new employees need to be duly received by the organization. This inculcates a feeling in the new entrants that they are required in the organization. Such a feeling serves as a comer stone to be interested to integrate into the organization.

2. Determining the new employees’ need for information

The central element that guides the designing of an induction programme is to decide first “What do the new employees need to know now?” Many a times, the new employees are given information which is not immediately required but the required one is not given. Such information lack tends to make the new comer confused about the job and the organization. Therefore, it is important to decide the vital information a new entrant needs to receive on his joining the organization.

3. Determining how to present the information

Having being decided what information em­ployees want, the next important thing to be decided is how to present the same to the new employees. Obviously, the required information needs to be presented to the new employees in the right form and manner so as to have its maximum intact on the employees.

4. Delivering induction training by the right instructor

Much of the effectiveness of an induction programme depends on who conducts the induction training. This is because induction training cannot be given by anyone, but by the right instructor/trainer only. Possession of the re­quired skill, knowledge and attitude are considered to be the requisites of a right instructor. Therefore, the induction programme needs to be conducted by the right trainer only. If required the trainer be given induction training before he/she conducts the induction training for the new entrants to the organization.

5. Evaluating the induction programme

Like all other training programmes, whether or not an induction programme is effective is determined by evaluating the programme. This is necessary to know to decide whether to continue the programme in future also or not or whether the programme needs any improvement in future. In fact, it is the evaluation of the induction programme that makes the organisation know whether the amount incurred in induction programme remains as an expendi­ture or has turned into an investment’.

10 Ways to Improve your Employee Induction Process

Your employee induction process is often what makes or breaks an employee’s experience at a company. A great induction or on boarding experience helps settle your new employee in, and avoid workplace issues in the future. Here are 10 tips to make it great!

A successful employee induction process sets up an employee for a great experience with your company; however, if this process does not go so well, it is more likely your new employee will have a difficult time at your company, perhaps even resigning down the track.

For this reason, employee onboarding should be taken quite seriously. You need to quickly determine what you can do to maximize the likelihood that an employee will be successful with the company and then focus your induction around these activities.

Here are methods to add to your employee induction checklist to ensure a great on boarding experience for your next hire.

1. Prepare an induction checklist

When we first started, we’d just try and remember what we needed to take a new employee through. Now, we have a 3 page document that outlines pre-start (things like computer set-up, email set-up, etc) on the first day (show emergency exits, explain software, etc) and first week (training sessions, larger overview of organization).

It needn’t even be that long, however I would recommend at least some form of checklist that covers the basics of your employee induction process. For example, you can include items such as;

• Introduction to team leader or direct manager
• Performance standards and expectations of new employee
• Office/work times
• Introduction to team members
• Team roles and responsibilities
• Organisational chart
• Layout of office – I use a hand drawn map where people sit, and put their names and roles on there too.
• Security issues and access to the office
• Safety procedures

2. Make them feel welcome

It’s quite easy to become so fixated on getting your new employee up-to-speed that you forget to encourage them to feel welcome. There are a number of activities you can do, besides the usual ‘walk around and introduce them to everyone’. For example;

• Get the team together and go around in the group and ask each individual to tell everyone something unique about themselves.
• Buy a couple of helium balloons and tie them to the new employee’s desk. Get everyone to sign a ‘welcome to the team’ card.
• Enjoy a team lunch on their first day
• Post a welcome on your company social media accounts.

Have a job description

A job description doesn’t need to be long and academic. I prefer a one single page approach, where we list the most important duties, as well as experience and skills.

For example, we keep ours strictly to one page with the following headings;

• Role title
• Last updated
• Authored by
• Position statement (literally a few paragraphs)
• Key tasks (normally a list of dot points)
• Role requirements

These needn’t be long, however it is very important they are truly reflective of the role; I make a point of reviewing these every year with the people who are actually employed in these roles.

3. Encourage your whole team to be involved

When many people think of employee induction, they have a vision of sitting in a conference room while a single presenter delivers a long-winded PowerPoint presentation for hours on end.

We encourage a different approach. Sure, have a checklist as I’ve mentioned above, however encourage different topic experts to deliver each segment, and spread it over a few days, to avoid overwhelming your new employee all in one day.

4. Discuss your company values and vision

In the first few days, it is vital that you sit down with the new employee, and take them through your company values and vision and what they all mean. Ask your recruit what the values mean to them, and if they have any questions.

You will find this a lot easier if you prepare a good document that helps explain your company values beforehand. We’ve written an article, Creating company values that boost company culture which goes into depth on this topic.

5. Encourage social interaction with your team

If you can, ensure that your new person has a team member or two that they can rely on to ask questions and help them settle in. It’s a good idea to encourage the team to all pitch in and help with the small things, such as good places nearby to eat, etc.

One activity we always try to do is have a Friday drinks at the end of the new employees first week. This gives the team a chance to unwind together, and interact with their new colleague in a relaxed and friendly environment.

6. Outline your expectations clearly

Although your role description will carry some of the detail, it is important to lead each employee through the expectations you for them, along with why they are important to the company success.

For example, if you have a policy around booking leave in advance, ensure you explain the policy (bonus points if you have it documented somewhere!) and give a reason why, for example ‘We ask that people give four weeks notice, so we can prepare your colleagues to cover your workload effectively whilst you are away’.

There are many situations that policies or at least documentation could be created for the benefit of communication. Anything you expect, you cannot just assume that new hires, or even existing employees, will just now by instinct.

7. Look for creative ways to welcome your new hire

For example, at Australian startup, Appbot, they give all new employees a gift of a ‘cubebot’. See this article, How Appbot works on creating a great culture, written by one of the co-founders, for more information on that.

At Bonobos, the hiring manager sends out an e-mail to the entire company introducing a new employee. The e-mail includes a brief biography and a photograph of the employee. It also includes a trivia game that is called “Two truths and a lie.”

These are fun facts about the new employee, but only two of the three are true. In order to figure out the lie, employees are encouraged to meet the new employee. The first person to identify the lie correctly gets a $25 store credit.

8. Follow up regularly

Don’t just complete your first weeks induction and leave it! Schedule a face to face with the new employee after a few weeks, and find out what is going on with them, what challenges they have found integrating with your team, etc.

It is vital in those early days that you are easily accessible by any new employee, so they can learn and understand your expectations and vision for the team.

9. Ask your new employee for feedback

The best way to improve your employee induction process is to ask your recent hires about their experiences.

For example, these three questions normally yield some good answers;

• What is something you wish we had explained better in the first week?
• What’s one piece of advice you would give to the next person who is hired?
• How could we have done a better job of your induction? What could be improved?

This gives you great feedback to consider and include in your future inductions, as your team grows.

10. Summary

New employees need to feel at home, and become as productive as possible in the shortest amount of time. A little effort from management and some planning around your employee induction process can reap the rewards for everyone, quickly.

The nine points we raised, again are;

• Prepare an induction checklist
• Make them feel welcome
• Have a job description
• Encourage your whole team to be involved
• Discuss your company values and vision
• Encourage social interaction with your team
• Outline your expectations clearly
• Look for creative ways to welcome your new hire
• Follow up regularly
• Ask your new employee for feedback

Orientation

Orientation is the process through which new recruits are introduced to their jobs, workplace, co-workers, and responsibilities. Effective employee orientation answers any questions or concerns a new colleague may have, makes them aware of company policies and expectations, and eases them comfortably into their new positions.

Main Objectives of Orientation

• An orientation program is a one-time event lasting up to a week where it focuses on what role a new employee will play in the company.
• It is a conference-style event bringing together new recruits and explaining them the main objectives of the company.
• Information is being delivered through presentations and Q&A sessions.

Purpose of orientation:

• Introduction to the company’s mission, values, and vision. This can be done by the long-tenured employees by giving presentations.
• Employee paperwork completion which is mandatory. Also collecting and answering any questions the new employees have.
• Making new employees understand their job responsibilities and expectations.
• Introducing the benefits that a new employee will get and how to use them. This can be done by the HR representative. And it also gives them a sense of job satisfaction.
• Building strong relationships with fellow colleagues and co-workers. This will help the new recruits work more efficiently.

Advantages of Orientation

• Helping the new employees get acclimatized to their new workplace and giving them a physical tour. This helps them to have this basic idea of where the necessary tools are.
• Introducing company policies and procedures so that new employees follow the rules and maintain decorum within the organization.
• Orientation helps an organization to figure out what really does a new employee need. When an HR representative knows what problems a new recruit is facing, they can quickly work on it and solve the problem.
• When you focus on helping a new employee get settled in their new workplace they feel more valued and they trust the company culture.

Onboarding

Onboarding is a thorough process where new employees are introduced to their respective department. They learn their work by attending meetings and starter projects with co-workers. Managers can schedule regular meetings to check-up on their new employees so that they become comfortable in asking about work-related queries.

Main Objectives of Onboarding

• Onboarding is a continuous process with a series of events that can last up to 3 months or more.
• During the onboarding process, individuals get assigned to their respective departments.
• One important point to keep in mind is that orientation falls under onboarding.

Here are a few points that are accomplished during onboarding:

• Helps the new employee settle in their new workplace.
• Increase the productivity of an employee for better results.
• The employees get more time to understand their work and their objectives.
• It is mainly focused on a particular individual rather than all the new recruits.
• At the end of the onboarding process, new recruits are ready to contribute to the company’s cause.

Advantages of Onboarding

• Supporting new hires in their projects and letting them know about their career options is always a good idea. You can also show them how they can achieve it. It drives the engagement of the new employees.
• It helps in employee retention. With good onboarding programs, miscommunications and misunderstandings tend to reduce. And it also helps them to quickly acclimatize in their new environment.
• With an effective onboarding program, new employees understand their duties and roles at work giving them a clear picture of what they need to do. This ultimately helps in boosting the company’s bottom line.
• Onboarding programs help to reduce the stress of new recruits. This is done by laying out daily tasks and providing them with tools to improve their skills. This way things become more clear for them and helps them to achieve their respective targets.

What really is the difference?

If we look at the definition and take consideration of the major points, there is no major difference between these. Both are almost similar and very essential for a company when they recruit new employees. Orientation falls under onboarding and it is one of the stages of it where new employees learn about the company and their job responsibilities.

Both of these have the same objective but the only difference is their timing and the way it is implemented. Orientation is the process done immediately after an employee joins in to make aware of the company culture and the work they need to do. It can last up to a week or month. Whereas, onboarding is a thorough process done in their respective departments. It can last up to 3 months or a year.

Conclusion

What we can see from the above-mentioned points is that both onboarding and orientation compliment each other and help a new recruit settle in well. They both help the new employees to understand their work and the culture they will be working in.

You need orientation for the new employees to get familiar with the organization. And you need onboarding to get the new employees invested in their day-to-day work schedule.

When used together, orientation and onboarding help establish clearer goals and role objectives, job satisfaction and organizational commitment, which can help lower employee stress and turnover.

A well-organized orientation and onboarding process helps you to foster employee engagement so that you can take the best out of your new recruits.