Recruitment and Selection

Last week we dealt with Job descriptions. We mentioned that the job description is a very important document in the recruitment and selection process. This week we look at the recruitment and selection process.

The recruitment and selection process is one of the most subjective processes in Human Resources. An applicant may go through an interview and not tell the truth about him or herself without being detected by the unsuspecting employer. The employer, most of the time, only discovers this months after the applicant has been employed. The cost of training, counselling and even disciplinary steps that is to be taken by the employer to try and rectify the situation is expensive and time consuming.

At NJ Consult we believe in an old saying: “Prevention is better than cure”. Although in this day and age the recruitment and selection process is, to some extent, still subjective we try to minimise the risk to the employer as far as possible by introducing the following:

1) A properly drafted job description, the first step in the process. The job description consists of three areas: the identification of key performance areas (KPA’s) academic qualifications, skills and abilities required by the job. It further describes the responsibilities of the incumbent as well as the standards for each individual KPA that is to be achieved by the incumbent.

2) The drafting of an advertisement is the next step in the recruitment process. The wording of the job description will form the basis of the advertisement as it stipulates the required specifications. The advertisement with the correct wording will mostly attract the right people to apply for the job.

3) When drafting the list of questions for the interview the job description also forms the basis for the list of questions. At this stage the Employment Equity Act also plays a big role as no questions that might discriminate is allowed by the afore-mentioned legislation.

4) As part of the interviewing process a written test is a good idea. The reason for this is that you cannot trust the answers as supplied during the interview by the applicant before you put it to the test. The level of difficulty of each test will obviously depend on the level in which the job falls within the organogram of the company.

5) Psychometric testing is an additional tool to the disposal of the company to try and establish if a candidate is to be appointed. NJ Consult is not a registered Psychometric but will supply the employer with one if so required. Although this option might be expensive it comes in handy when senior vacancies are to be filled.

6) The drafting of a contract of employment with a probation period is preferred. The purpose of the probation period is to put the company in a position to ascertain whether or not the incumbent is able to do the job and fits into the company profile.

7) Using the performance appraisal system to monitor the incumbents progress during a period of probation and thereafter is a scientific way to establish if the employee is achieving the minimum standard. The afore-mentioned system also allows for a proper process and documentation to be in place and will assist the employer in a disciplinary process.

Please contact us if you have any questions with regards to the above-mentioned information.

Next week we will be discussing the use of a very easy to use Performance Appraisal System.