• Identify the vacancy/new post
• Investigate the situation
• Justify vacancy/new post
• Prepare job description
• Prepare person specification
• Determine suitable sources for candidates
• Determine process for recruitment and selection
• Initial screening of applicants
Means:
• Planning ahead - filling vacancies is a lengthy process
• Organisation - keep records of exactly who has applied and the status of their application
• Procedures - follow them and be consistent
• Professional approach at all times & ensure those involved are well trained and briefed about the requirements.
• Up to date - with all developments in recruitment & selection
• Evaluate - the process & the people to ensure all required outcomes are received.
TIMING IS CRUCIAL FOR SUCCESS AND COST EFFECTIVENESS.
 Place advert too soon and they may be waiting to start without pay
 Place advert too late and gap may be left which will incur costs
 Plan ahead for seasonal, sabbatical, holidays, maternity, etc.
 Plan where, when and how many adverts you may want to run
 Anticipate handling responses
 Allow time to shortlist C.V.’s and to arrange interviews
 Build in 4 week notice period for successful applicant (or more depending on the post/sector)

The role of selection interviewing
Interviews are very widely used in the selection process, as demonstrated by successive CIPD surveys of recruitment practices.
• See our annual Resourcing and talent planning surveys
As well as being simple to set up, interviews give the interviewer and interviewee an opportunity to meet face to face (or virtually via video link) to exchange a range of information and get a sense of whether they would like working together.
For the employer, the interview is an opportunity to:
• gauge candidates’ experience, ability to perform in the role and suitability for the team
• discuss details such as start dates and terms and conditions
• explain the employee value proposition, including training provision and employee benefits
• give the candidate a positive impression of the organisation as a good employer.
For the candidate, the interview is an opportunity to:
• understand the job and its responsibilities in more detail
• ask questions about the organisation
• decide whether they would like to take the job if offered it.
A poor interview experience will leave candidates with an unfavourable impression of the organisation, which they are likely to share with other potential applicants and customers. Employers therefore ensure selection interviews are conducted well. For the same reason, it’s worth giving feedback to candidates following an interview, as this can be valuable information as they navigate the jobs market and demonstrates appreciation of their time.
Despite their popularity as a selection method, evidence highlights the limitations of the traditional interview. In general, it is a poor predictor of a candidate’s performance in the job, as information is gathered in a relatively unsystematic manner. Judgements can be made for a variety of reasons that differ between candidates and even shift during the course of the interview.
Drawing on a range of research, Anderson and Shackleton1 summarise the common weaknesses of interviews:
• The self-fulfilling prophecy effect. Interviewers may ask questions designed to confirm initial impressions of candidates gained either before the interview or in its early stages.
• The stereotyping effect. Interviewers sometimes assume that particular characteristics are typical of members of a particular group. In the case of sex, race, disability, marital status or ex-offenders, decisions made on this basis are often illegal. However, the effect occurs in the case of all kinds of social groups.
• The halo and horns effect. Once interviewers rate candidates as ‘good’ or ‘bad’ in some aspects, they often replicate this judgement across the board, reaching unbalanced decisions.
• The contrast effect. Interviewers can allow the experience of interviewing one candidate to affect the way they interview others who are seen later in the selection process.
• The similar-to-me effect. Interviewers sometimes give preference to candidates they perceive as having a similar background, career history, personality or attitudes to themselves.
• The personal liking effect. Interviewers may make decisions on the basis of whether they personally like or dislike the candidate.
Structuring the interview can help improve its ability to predict performance in the job and a growing number of employers take this approach. A structured interview means that:
• questions are planned carefully before the interview
• all candidates are asked the same questions
• answers are scored using a rating system
• questions focus on the attributes and behaviours needed in the job.
There is a risk, however, of having an overly rigid approach in which there is little opportunity to ask the candidate supplementary questions and the candidate does not feel at their ease. So a balance needs to be made.
Our behavioural science research suggests that to avoid instinctive or hasty judgements interviewers should pre-commit to a set of interview questions that are directly related to performance on the job and focus the interview on collecting information rather than on decision-making.

Psychometric testing
Used correctly, psychometric tests allow employers to systematically assess individual differences (for example in ability, aptitude, attainment, intelligence or personality). Good tests are supported by a body of statistical evidence which demonstrates their validity and reliability. Online testing is increasingly growing in popularity, in particular for assessing high volumes of applicants.
Most tests are designed and developed by occupational psychologists and are accompanied by detailed manuals providing the data to establish the reliability of the test and how test scores might be judged so that employers can compare their test candidates against the scores of similar people. Administering tests and analysing the results is a skilled task. Scoring of tests is often complex and how it’s done will depend on what a test is trying to measure. With personality tests there are no right or wrong answers, as they are designed to present a profile of an individual, and some are not recommended for use in recruitment.
Before using a test, users should:
• consider whether it is appropriate to use a test at all (will it provide additional relevant information?)
• ensure the tests are relevant to the job/person specification
• identify who will choose, recommend and assess the value of tests
• ensure there are sufficient skills and resources to carry out testing effectively
• decide at what stage tests should be incorporated into the decision-making process
• decide how the results will be used and what weight will be given to them
• identify potential equal opportunities issues (that is, whether the tests will disadvantage certain groups)
• decide how test results will be stored and who will have access to the results
• check the copyright of tests and conditions of use
• establish a process for giving feedback.
Test administrators should ensure that individuals:
• receive advance notice that they will be required to take tests
• are told the duration of tests
• have adequate time to allow them to make any practical arrangements to enable them to take the tests
• have access to an appropriate environment free from interference in which to take the tests
• are told about the requirements of each test they will be asked to complete, and the opportunity to raise any queries they have before taking the tests
• are told about arrangements for feedback.
Assessment centres
Assessment centres are designed for candidates to complete a number of different tasks as part of the selection process. Tasks set should relate closely to the person specification and reflect the reality of the job. They must be administered in a systematic way, with candidates being given the same types and numbers of tasks to complete in the same time, so that they have equal opportunity to demonstrate their abilities.
Depending on the nature of the job, the tasks might include individual or group work, written and/or oral input, and tasks prepared in advance as well as those performed solely on the day. Tasks can include delivering a report or presentation, time management or task prioritisation exercises, analytical work, individual problem solving, group discussions, group problem solving, simulations of business activities, personal role-play and functional role-play.
Group exercises should be as realistic as possible, give a detailed brief with clear goals and have a limited time. They typically require candidates to share information and reach decisions or perform an activity. They might encourage co-operation or competition to test for creativity or the ability to build on the ideas of others in a productive manner. However, it should be noted that competitive activities can disadvantage women, minority groups and certain personalities, undermining diversity.
Assessment centres should be overseen by experienced selectors to ensure objectivity and consistency. Selectors must be trained to observe, actively listen, record, classify and rate behaviour, and seek evidence accurately and objectively against the job description and person specification. They will preferably have had training in interview skills and diversity. Assessors might also be used to observe and comment on behaviour although they don't necessarily take part in final selection decisions.
A feedback session with either an occupational psychologist or someone trained to deliver feedback is of benefit to candidates and indicates the organisation is serious about fair selection.
The British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology has created a comprehensive standard focused on the design and delivery of assessment centres2. Its purpose is to raise the standard of assessment centre practice and enable poor practice to be identified and improved. The CIPD contributed to this standard which covers: specifying the purpose, scope and designing the centre, the standards of competence and professional behaviour required of the different roles involved, delivery and data integration and decision making, appropriate reporting and feedback of results, managing the data derived including access, use and storage and finally evaluation of centres.
Using references
The purpose of references is to obtain information about a candidate’s employment history, qualifications, experience and/or an assessment of the candidate’s suitability for the post in question. Prospective employers may seek information on matters including length of employment, job title, brief details of responsibilities, abilities, overall performance, time-keeping and reason for leaving.
As well as taking references, employers must carry out other pre-employment checks – particularly, for example, if the job involves working with children or vulnerable adults

2.2
• describes the benefits of at least 3 different selection methods and when it is appropriate to use them
• Internal Sourcing
• Internal sourcing is the practice of advertising a new or recently vacated position within a business to existing employees. More businesses have come to use internal sourcing as a method to recruit employees upward or laterally within the company because little or no training is needed, and expenses that include advertising for a new employee and running background checks are spared. It also fosters loyalty and parity among team members.
• External Sourcing
• External sourcing is a method of recruitment that conducts an employee candidate search through external recruitment tools, such as job boards, newspaper advertisements and trade publication announcements. This method favors bringing in job candidates that may or may not have direct experience in your small business' line of work; a candidate within a satellite field may offer a fresh, out-of-the-box perspective to the organization. External sourcing is also used when the open position is not able to be filled by a current employee because of the technicality or specialty of the position. Small Business recommends that you know exactly what type of job candidate you are looking for before advertising the position and accepting resumes.
• Related Reading: Definition of the Recruitment & Selection Process
• Third-Party Sourcing
• Third-party sourcing involves using a placement agency or headhunter to find qualified job candidates. These third-party sources use various techniques and tools to find appropriate job applicants, such as extending offers of improved salary compensation and more flexible benefits packages.
• Interviewing/Pre-Selection
• AllBusiness suggests that you should schedule interviews when you know you will have uninterrupted time to review the job candidate's resume and conduct an insightful interview. When conducting the interview, do not focus solely on the applicant's credentials or experience. Instead, present hypothetical scenarios to the candidate and ask how she would evaluate and solve the presented problems. Listen to her answers without interruption and take notes on key points.
• Candidate Selection
• Using the interview notes you have taken, compare each interviewee with his resume and look to see if you have missed anything while reading his resume the first time. Make your candidate selection on the basis of how competently he answered your questions and what questions he asked during the interview. Interviewees who do not ask questions are either shy or uninterested in your business.
07. Selection techniques

It is a sad but indisputable fact that in any group of people who apply for a job, there will be a number who will not give accurate information about themselves. This may be because they do not understand what information it is that you need, or because they badly want the job, despite not being sufficiently qualified or experienced, and don’t consider the problems they may face should they get it. It is also true that businesses do not give accurate information for similar reasons.
This means that your information gathering and giving process needs to be as accurate as possible. In order to obtain accurate information about candidates, you should use more than one method, in the same way that you used more than one method when preparing the original job criteria; multiple methods give greater accuracy in matching the person to the job. The following list gives you a range of different selection methods, ranging from the most popular and least expensive to the least popular and most expensive. This is not to say that cost necessarily needs to be an important factor in choosing a selection method - expensive methods such as biodata or psychometric testing may be cost effective because of their perceived success rate in finding the right person for the job and because of the reduction in work required by the recruiter. However, selection effectiveness can be achieved without worrying about these issues.
Screening
Once you’ve got your pool of candidates the filtering process can begin. If you attracted 80 or 90 applicants, you could filter by having them telephone and answer pertinent questions about their experience or educational qualifications. Of course, you can also screen after shortlisting if you have sufficient good candidates, by asking them to telephone for a brief chat.
Other screening processes could include using the type of information you already have as part of the selection process. If, for instance, you already have a group of good workers doing the same job, you could construct a profile looking at education, experience, etc and exclude anyone who didn’t fit. There are large companies that sell these sorts of profiles based on information from several organisations. This is called biodata and seems to be a good predictor of candidate performance.
Application forms
Inviting applications by CV makes things easier for applicants, but the resulting tidal wave can be horrendous; trying to sort through a pile of CVs, all with different formats and with widely varying levels of presentation, can be extremely time consuming and can make it difficult to spot key information.
Consequently, many organisations have designed their own standard application form. These generally are divided into a number of sections covering areas such as:
• knowledge, skills and attitudes;
• experience;
• physical criteria; and,
• any other requirements.
Interview
Many people dislike the interview process, both as an interviewee and an interviewer. Although the interview is the most popular form of selection, it is also the least useful in predicting the performance of candidates on the job. Much of the reason that interviews are such a bad predictor is because interviewers simply don’t like being in a face-to-face situation where people are asking them for something (in this instance a job!), or because they have a total misperception of the interview process.
Other problems include those people who were appointed to the post on the basis of 'gut feeling' and those who bring their unrecognised and recognised prejudices to the process of selection. Imagine someone who wouldn’t appoint short people (too pushy), bearded people (something to hide), people who wear suede shoes (unreliable), people who are too thin (personality problems), and people who are the 'wrong' star sign!
Interviews are none the less an important method of exchanging information, but only if they are approached in the right way.
Group selection methods
When working with other people is an important part of the selection process, it could be useful to consider a group selection method. This could involve asking a group of candidates to carry out a task and observing the ways in which they interact. The task need not be particularly complicated. It could, for instance, involve the group designing and delivering a presentation on the changing nature of the world of work.
You could observe the group and look out for the people who seem to demonstrate the sort of qualities that the job requires; those who were verbally skilled, those who showed leadership behaviour, those who mediated when squabbles broke out, etc.
It is important to tell people what sort of qualities you are looking for before you start such an exercise, as if you do not give clear goals, some potentially viable candidates may try to second-guess you and demonstrate completely untypical behaviours. Where clear goals exist, candidates may also show untypical behaviours, but this is very difficult to do successfully.
Realistic job previews
Methods like this are time-consuming and there are serious issues of confidentiality, but if you can screen your shortlist down to two or three candidates, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t bring them in and give them a problem to handle.
You do need to make sure that the problem has a clear solution; preferably, it would be a problem that you’ve already dealt with successfully.
A benefit with realistic job previews is that they can involve more staff in the selection procedure. People tend to work well with candidates whom they have seen and had some say about.
Portfolios
Portfolios are little used in the United Kingdom with the exception of specialist professions, such as photography or graphic design. However, the development of portfolios such as Records of Achievement seems to indicate that this may be changing.
References
Written references have some drawbacks; perhaps someone wants rid of an employee - they certainly won’t give a poor reference under those circumstances! Poor references could also turn out to be libellous, although one of the main problems is that people just don’t know what you’re asking for. The most accurate references may come from face-to-face or telephone interviews with someone who has had direct experience of the candidate’s work.
If you’re writing, you could ask for a telephoned reply or say that you will telephone them. Where this isn’t possible, enclose a copy of the information that you have collected about the job and ask the referee if the candidate is suitable for this job. To get the best response, allow a decent length of time for reply and do not send a massive form for the referee to complete.
Assessment centres
An assessment centre will put candidates through a series of tests, exercises and perhaps interviews, lasting, typically, a day. Candidates are observed by a team of assessors, with others acting as facilitators. Tests and exercises are used which are designed to predict how candidates will perform in the workplace. Realistic job previews, lateral thinking exercises, psychometric tests and practical demonstrations are all popular events in an assessment centre.
Care must be given to select tests that will draw out appropriate skills, knowledge and ability, and assessment must be weighted so demonstration of more desirable attributes wins more 'points' than those that are 'nice to have' but not essential.
Other methods
Perhaps the most popular of the other methods available is psychometric testing, which offers actual tests in areas such as intelligence and personality characteristics. These include Raymond Cattell’s 16 PF Test, which broadly demonstrates candidates’ emotional stability. The Myers Briggs Test is reasonably user-friendly (it’s short) and purports to identify people by personality characteristics such as extrovert v. introvert and thinking vs feeling.
Finally, there are selection methods which use samples of candidates’ handwriting (graphology), their star sign (astrology) or which select through palmistry. Little evidence exists to support these as adequate predictors of performance.
What is important is to know what you want and to use processes with which you feel comfortable in order to select your candidate.