Selectionand
UNIT 5 SELECTION AND INDUCTION Induction
Structure
5.0 Objectives
5.1 Introduction
5.2 Meaning and Importance of Selection
5.3 Steps in Selection Process
5.4 Induction
5.5 Steps in Induction Process
5.6 Let Us Sum Up
5.7 Key Words
5.8 Answers to Check Your Progress
5.9 Terminal Questions
5.10 Further Readings
5.0 OBJECTIVES
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
● identify the steps in selection process
● discuss different methods of selection
● explain various issues involved in the selection process
● describe the need and importance of induction for a new employee
● discuss the induction procedure
5.1 INTRODUCTION
Selection is the process of choosing appropriate candidate from the obtained
application to match the requirements of the job. It is the process of matching the
qualifications of applicants with the job requirements, weeding out unsuitable
candidates and finally identification of most suitable candidates. In this unit, you will
learn the concept, objectives, importance and steps in the process of selection. You
will further learn about the concept, purposes and steps in induction.
5.2 MEANING AND IMPORTANCE OF SELECTION
The Business Dictionary defines employee selection as the “process of interviewing
and evaluating candidates for a specific job and selecting an individual for
employment based on certain criteria.”
The purpose of selection is to pick up the most suitable candidate who would meet
the requirements of the job in an Organization to the best possible way. To meet this
goal, the Company obtains and assesses information about the applicants in terms of
age, qualifications, skills and experience. The needs of the job are matched with the
profile of candidates. How well an employee is matched to a job is very important
because it affects directly the amount and quality of employee’s work. Any mismatch
in this regard can cost an Organization a great deal of money, time and trouble, 45
Human Resources especially, in terms of training and operating costs. In course of time, the employee
may find the job distasteful and leave in frustration. The size of the labour market, the
image of the Company, the place of posting, the nature of job and compensation
package may influence the aspirants who are likely to respond to the recruiting
efforts of the Company. Through the process of recruitment the Company tries to
locate prospective employees and encourages them to apply for vacancies at various
levels. Recruiting, thus, provides a pool of applicants for selection.
Selecting the wrong employees can lead to all sorts of problems down the line. For
instance, employees may fail to perform their jobs satisfactorily, they may leave soon
after being hired because they are simply not suitable for the Company, or they may
require extensive training and mentoring, which you may not have the time to provide.
Employees who are suitable for your Company, and have the skills and expertise
required to do the job for which they are hired, are much more likely to meet
expectations and stay in the position for a considerable time. On the other hand,
employees who are chosen poorly and lack the previously mentioned qualities will
likely be terminated or leave on their own, often soon after hiring. Your Company will
then be back to square one, trying to fill the empty position, which can be a costly
endeavor. Meanwhile, other good employees often suffer because they must take on
the duties of the empty position until it is filled once again.
5.3 STEPS IN SELECTION PROCESS
The sequence of steps in selection process may also vary from job to job and
Organization to Organization. For example, some Organizations may give more
importance to testing while others give more emphasis to interviews and reference
checks. Similarly, a single brief selection interview might be enough for applicants for
lower level positions, while applicants for managerial jobs might be interviewed by a
number of people. There are eight steps in the selection process followed by many
Companies. The steps are reception, screening interview, application blank, selection
test, selection interview, medical test, reference checks, and finally the hiring decision.
Look at figure 5.1 which shows the steps in selection process.
Fig. 5.1: Steps in Selection Process
Reception: A Company is known by the people it employs. In order to attract people
with talents, skills and experience a Company has to create a favorable impression on
46 the applicants’ right from the stage of reception. Whoever meets the applicant initially
should be tactful and able to extend help in a friendly and courteous way. Selectionand
Induction
Screening interview: A preliminary interview is generally planned by large
organizations to cut the cost of selection by allowing only eligible candidates to go
through the further stages in selection. A junior executive from the Personnel
Department may elicit responses from the applicants on important items determining
the suitability of an applicant for a job such as age, education, experience, pay
expectations, aptitude, location choice etc.
Application blank: Application blank or form is one of the most common methods
used to collect information on the various aspects of the applicants’ academic, social,
demographic, work related background and references. It is a brief history sheet of a
candidate’s background.
Selection testing: Selection test attempts to assess intelligence, abilities, personality
trait and performance through simulation tests including work sampling and the tests
administered at assessment centers. A test is a standardized, objective measure of a
person’s behaviour, performance or attitude. It tries to measure individual differences
in a scientific way giving very little room for individual bias and interpretation. Some
of the commonly used employment tests are:
Intelligence Tests: These are mental ability tests. They measure the incumbent’s
learning ability and the ability to understand instructions and make judgments.
Aptitude Test: Aptitude test measures an individual’s potential to learn certain skills-
clerical, mechanical, mathematical, etc.
Personality Test: It refers to methods of measuring personality factors and the
relationship between personality factors and actual job criteria.
Selection interview: Interview is the oral examination of candidates for
employment. This is the most essential step in the selection process. In this step the
interviewer matches the information obtained about the candidates through various
means to the job requirements and to the information obtained through his own
observations during the interview. Interview gives the recruiter an opportunity to
examine the personality of the candidate.
Interview is an art. It demands a positive frame of mind on part of the interviewers.
Interviewees must be treated properly so as to leave a good impression about the
Company in their minds.
Medical Test: Certain jobs require physical qualities like clear vision, perfect
hearing, unusual stamina, tolerance of hard working conditions, clear tone, etc.
Medical examination reveals whether or not a candidate possesses these qualities.
Reference checks: Once the interview and medical examination of the candidate is
over, the personnel department will engage in checking references. Candidates are
required to give 2 or 3 names for references in their application forms. These
references may be from the individuals who are familiar with the candidate’s
academic achievements or from the applicant’s previous employer, who is well versed
with the applicant’s job performance and sometimes from the co-workers. In case the
reference check is from the previous employer, information in the areas such as job
title, job description, period of employment, pay and allowances, gross emoluments,
benefits provided, rate of absence, candidate’s regularity at work, character, progress,
etc can also be obtained. Reference checks are taken as a matter of routine and
treated casually or omitted entirely in many Organizations. But a good reference
check, when used sincerely, will fetch useful and reliable information to the
Organization. 47
Human Resources Hiring decision: The interviewer has to make the final decision – whether to select
or reject a candidate after soliciting the required information through different
techniques. A careless decision of rejecting a candidate would impair the morale of
the people and they may suspect the selection procedure.
Check Your Progress A
1. What is meant by selection?
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2. What is meant by Application Blank in selection process?
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3. What are the objectives of selection?
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4. Write three importance of selection?
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5. Enumerate the steps involved in selection process.
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5.4 INDUCTION
You have learnt about the concept, objectives, importance and process of selection.
Now let us discuss about another aspect which is equally important for enhancing the
performance of the employees i.e. induction. Induction or orientation is the process
through which a new employee is introduced to the job and the Organization. In the
words of Armstrong, induction is “the process of receiving and welcoming an
employee when he first joins a Company and giving him the basic information he
needs to settle down quickly and start work.
Good induction training ensures new starters are retained, and then settled quickly
and happily into a productive role. New employees also need to understand the
Organisation’s mission, goals, values and philosophy; personnel practices, health and
safety rules, and of course the job they are required to do, with clear methods,
timescales and expectations.
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Induction serves the following purposes: Selectionand
Induction
1. Removes fears: A newcomer steps into an Organization as a stranger. He is
new to the people, workplace and work environment. He is not very sure about
what is he supposed to do. Induction helps a new employee overcome such
fears and perform better on the job.
2. Creates a good impression: Another purpose of induction is to make the
newcomer feel at home and develop a sense of pride in the Organization.
Induction helps him to:
● Adjust and adapt to new demands of the job.
● Get along with people.
● Get off to a good start.
3. Act as a valuable source of information: Induction serves as a valuable
source of information to new recruits. It clarifies many things through employee
manuals/handbook. Informal discussions with colleagues may also clear the fog
surrounding certain issues. The basic purpose of induction is to communicate
specific job requirements to the employees, put them at ease and make them
feel confident about their abilities.
5.5 STEPS IN INDUCTION PROCESS
The HR department may initiate the following steps while organizing the induction
program:
● Welcome to the Organization
● Explain about the Company.
● Show the location, department where the new recruit will work. .
● Give the Company’s manual to the new recruit.
● Provide details about various work groups and the extent of unionism within the
Company.
● Give details about pay, benefits, holidays, leave, etc. Emphasize the importance
of attendance or punctuality.
● Explain about future training opportunities and career prospects.
● Clarify doubts, by encouraging the employee to come out with questions.
● Take the employee on a guided tour of buildings, facilities, etc. Hand him over to
his supervisor.
Check Your Progress B
1. What is meant by induction?
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2. What is the purpose of induction?
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Human Resources
3. Enumerate the steps in induction process.
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4. What is induction feedback format?
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5. Which of the following statements are True or False?
i) Induction is the process through which a new employee is introduced to
the job and the organization.
ii) The basic purpose of induction is to communicate specific job
requirements to the employees, put them at ease and make them feel
confident about their abilities.
iii) Induction does not explain about the objectives of a company.
iv) Induction does not help an employee to adjust and adapt to the new
demands of the job.
v) The main advantage of the induction is that it acts as a valuable source
of information.
5.6 LET US SUM UP
Selection is the process of choosing appropriate candidate from the obtained
application to match the requirements of the job. The purpose of selection is to pick
up the most suitable candidate who would meet the requirements of the job in an
Organization in the best possible way. The main objective of selection is to hire
people having competence and commitment. The steps involved in the selection
process include: reception, screening interview, application blank, selection test,
selection interview, medical test, reference checks, and finally the hiring decision.
Hired candidates are introduced to the job and Organization through induction
process.
Good induction training ensures that the new starters are retained, and then settled
quickly and happily into a productive role. Induction helps to remove fears from new
comer to the Organization, helps in creation of sense of pride to the new
employee. Induction plays a vital role to communicate specific job requirements
to the employees, put them at ease and make them feel confident about their
abilities.
5.7 KEY WORDS
Selection: is the process of choosing appropriate candidate from the obtained
application to match the requirements of the job.
Screening interview: is a preliminary interview to cut the cost of selection by
allowing only eligible candidates to go through the further stages in selection.
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Application blank: is a method used to collect information on applicants’ academic, Selectionand
Induction
social, demographic, work related background and references.
Integrity test: is to measure candidates’ honesty and to predict nature of
interviewees or candidates who are more likely to steal from an employer or
otherwise act in a manner unacceptable to the Organization.
Stress Interview: is the interview in which the interviewers try to ‘discomfort’ the
candidates in various ways and observe how they react to various difficult situations.
Induction: is the process through which a new employee is introduced to the job and
the Organization.
5.8 ANSWERS TO CHECK YOUR PROGRESS
(B) 5) i) True ii) True iii) False iv) False v) True
5.9 TERMINAL QUESTIONS
1. What is meant by selection? Describe in detail the importance of selection.
2. State and discuss the steps involved in the selection process of an incumbent.
3. What is induction? Explain its importance.
4. Define induction. Discuss the steps to be involved in the induction process.
5.10 FURTHER READINGS
1. K Ashwathappa, Human Resource and Personnel Management, Tata McGraw-
Hill Publishing Company Limited, New Delhi, 1997
2. Biswajeet Pattanayak, Human Resource Management, Prentice-Hall of India,
New Delhi, 2006.
3. John M. Ivancevich, Human Resource Management, Tata McGraw- Hill, 2004.
4. 4. Mamoria C.B, Gankar S.V., A Text book of Human Resource Management,
Himalaya Publishing House, Mumbai, 2004.
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