In this work we are going to study the personnel selection process and to be able to introduce ourselves in this function of Human Resources, we need to obtain a general understanding of the Area or Department of Human Resources within an organization, both of its role within it. as of its functions. For this reason, we will carry out a brief review of the organizational structure and its relationship with the different (public) markets.
The functional structure of the company is configured according to the markets with which it is related. The basic structure of the organization chart of a company is made up of five basic functions, dependent on the general management and embodied in their respective departments, which are:
Functional Structure
Each of these departments has specific functions and is related to the different markets. So:
- The Commercial Department is related to the market of buyer clients. The Financial Department is related to the financial market. The Production and Technical Department is related to the technological market. The Purchasing Department is related to the supplier market. The Department of Human Resources is related to the labor market.
These departments carry out a series of jobs or functions, which may be more or less numerous, depending on the size of the company and the degree of detail that is to be established.
This entire organizational process is aimed at meeting the company's objectives, which are ultimately directed towards optimizing the result, and towards a more flexible and simple organizational structure.
Of all these departments, we will focus on the Human Resources department, which we will now analyze.
The department of human resources
The human resources department has undergone a significant evolution. It is one of the departments with the hardest work, which is based above all on negotiation and a permanent relationship with the workforce. This has made them the best-paid and highest-rotation positions, due in large part to the great pressure these professionals are under.
The main generic functions of the professionals in this department are:
- Be familiar with the new techniques of labor regulations, both from the theoretical point of view and their practical application in the company. Be flexible, but at the same time hard in relationships, which must keep balance, both in relationships with the employer, manager and shareholders, as with the workers, the works council and the unions. Select and promote the personnel, with the corresponding adaptation of the people to the most suitable positions. They must worry that there are good training programs, at all levels and for all positions, and with a sufficient sense of smell to know that whoever works in the company must have the adequate motivation, from which a good work performance will be derived.
Organization chart of the Human Resources Department
The staff of these departments is generally made up of a Department Director, a Human Resources Analyst, specialized in the functions of the department to which he is assigned, and one or more administrative staff.
Regarding the location of the HR department in the organization chart, it is usually located under the general director or manager, forming part of the company's common departments, or being a staff dependent on the General Directorate, operating at advisory mode.
Organization chart of the Department of Human Resources
The administration of human resources has as one of its tasks to provide the human capacities required by an organization and to develop abilities and aptitudes of the individual to be the most satisfactory to himself and to the community in which he operates. It should not be forgotten that organizations depend, for their operation and evolution, primarily on the human element they have. It can be said, without exaggeration, that an organization is the portrait of its members.
What is personnel selection?
Traditionally the selection of personnel is defined as a procedure to find the man who covers the suitable position.
But what does adequate mean? To answer this question, it would be necessary to consider individual differences, that is, to take into account the needs of the organization and its human potential, as well as the satisfaction that the worker finds in performing the job. This leads us to determine the frame of reference; that is to say, the organization in which the selection of personnel is carried out, which is, therefore, the choice of the right person for a suitable position and an adequate cost that allows the worker to perform in the performance of his position and the development of your abilities and potentials in order to make yourself and the community in which you operate more satisfactory in order to contribute to organizational purposes.
As a previous step to the technical selection of personnel, it is mandatory to know the philosophy and purposes of the organization, as well as its general departmental, sectional, etc. objectives. This implies, among other things, the valuation of the existing resources and the planning of those that will be necessary to achieve these objectives, and which includes determining the present and future needs in terms of quantity and quality.
The comparison between these needs and the inventory of human resources, makes it possible to specify that personnel are being selected for an organization and not for a specific task or position, and also that this process takes place at a time of the development of the personality of the individual and of the dynamics of an organization. This is a point that is not always taken into account. It is often found in practice that the selection is made with a specific position in mind and losing sight of the entire organization. Regardless of the validity of the immediate previous statement, the answer to the questions that are asked below is required, which will allow defining the selection criteria for a particular organization:
- At what level will you select? (Executives, employees, workers) What requirements does each position require for its efficient performance? What possibilities for development and promotion can be offered to candidates? What are the contractual policies and limitations? What are the possibilities of land and benefits? of the organization in relation to the labor market (area, power, similar industrial branch) Are there enough candidates or are you going to limit yourself to placing them in the best possible way? Are you selecting the most suitable or discarding the least useful? Looking for the best individual or the homogenization of the work group?, etc.
Based on the foregoing considerations, it can be stated that more emphasis is often placed on technique than on the professional capacity required by personnel selection, which is only feasible with adequate training and supervision to ensure that present needs are being met. and future of the most valuable thing that the organization has: its human resources.
Having clarified that the technical personnel selection system will be qualified by the situation and particular characteristics of the organization in question, as well as the available resources, a general exposition of said process is made:
- Job analysis (Job Description and Specification) Profile definition Vacancy information CV classification Exams Final selection
Principles of recruitment
It is of paramount importance, before describing the process, to emphasize three fundamental principles:
Placement
As previously stated, this is very common considering only one particular job; But part of the selector's task is to try to increase the organization's human resources by discovering both skills and attitudes that candidates can take advantage of for their own benefit and that of the organization. Thus, if a candidate does not have the necessary skills for a certain position, but is potentially considered a good prospect for other personal characteristics, then it is necessary to discover other skills that may be required in another part of the organization or in another occupation within the same.
Orientation
Traditionally, the organization has been considered as a system isolated from its environment. Therefore, if a candidate was not accepted, he was simply rejected; But it should not be forgotten that the organization is located within an economic, social, cultural, political system, etc., and that it will therefore fulfill its social objectives if it helps to solve the country's problems. It is necessary to consider the coach's work no longer as limited by the organization's borders, but in a broader sense and taking the problems of occupation and unemployment in the country as a frame of reference. So, in case it is not possible to accept a candidate, it is important to guide him; that is, direct it towards other possible sources of employment.
In short, if the candidates have given their time and effort to the organization in deciding whether they can be members of the organization, the least the latter can do to reciprocate is to provide guidance.
However, in practice the opposite often happens. It is very common and that if the candidate is not considered suitable, they will simply be lied to and told that their application will be studied and that the result will be notified later. The truth is that he was rejected and simply left while solving the problem: that the candidate find another job. The overriding reason for this position seems to be that if candidates are told they have not been accepted, they often want to know the reasons for that decision; that is, they want to judge the work of the selectors themselves, which can be annoying to them. Of course, it depends on the ability of the coach to make an adequate orientation, without undermining the necessary ethical principles.
Professional ethics
It is essential to insist that the selection process involves a series of decisions, which represents a great responsibility. However, these decisions may affect the candidate's future life. If he is not accepted, if he is placed in a position for which he has no skills; for which he has more capacity than necessary, etc., are circumstances that can become a source of frustration for the candidate and, therefore, can undermine his mental health and that of his family and negatively affect the organization.
It is essential, therefore, that the coach is fully aware that his activities can affect, sometimes definitively, the lives of other people.
Elements of technical selection
In order to fulfill this great responsibility, it is necessary, therefore, that the decisions be based on logically structured techniques, following a scientific procedure. The hunches, the intuitions and the good will cannot replace the scientific instruments so that the coach fulfills his professional and human responsibility.
Vacant
The process begins when a vacancy is presented, the literal definition of which is: since it has no owner. The availability of a task to be performed or a position to be performed is understood as such, which may be newly created due to the temporary or permanent impossibility of the person performing it.
Before proceeding to fill said vacancy, the possibility of redistribution of work should be studied, in order that these tasks be carried out among the existing staff and, only if this is not possible, it should be requested that it be filled.
Analysis and valuation of positions
Once the requisition of personnel has been received, the analysis and evaluation of positions will be used in order to determine the requirements that the person must satisfy to occupy the position efficiently, as well as the salary to be paid. In the absence of such analysis and evaluation, it must be prepared to be able to specify what is needed and how much will be paid.
It could be said that a vacancy is a missing part of a machine. If you have no idea of the shape of the part or its functions, it is impossible to fill the gap. Following the metaphor, the analysis of positions and their evaluation tells us the shape of the missing piece and its value.
The job analysis consists of two parts: the Description and the Specification. Below we review the concepts of each one.
- Job Description: It is the process by which the tasks or functions that comprise it are listed and, therefore, they differ from other positions. It lists the functions (what it does), the periodicity (when it does it), the instruments (what it does it with) and the objectives (why it does it). In addition, it sets duties and responsibilities. A PD will indicate what should be done, when, how and why. It is the sum of conclusions that must be reached to contribute to the achievement of the organization's objectives. Job Specification:It refers to the skills of the staff and the definition of human characteristics added to the experience that a person must have to perform correctly in the position. It is a detail of the intellectual, physical, responsibilities and experience requirements that each person has to carry out different positions. When all these questions are stated, we are in a position to define the profile.
Human Resources Inventory
The next step consists of locating, in the human resources inventory, the people who, currently providing their services in the organization, meet the established requirements. This will allow to provide the elements that the organization knows and of which the performance that they have had in the time they have to provide their services is known.
This will decrease the training period and, most importantly, will contribute to maintaining the morale of the personnel who already work in the organization, by allowing each vacancy to mean the opportunity of one or more horizontal and vertical personnel movements (promotions).
Recruitment sources
If the desired candidate does not exist within the inventory of personnel, the sources of recruitment will be used, understanding as such the means that an organization uses to attract suitable candidates for its needs.
The closest source of supply is the organization itself and refers to the friends, relatives or relatives of the staff. The advantages of this source of recruitment, internal call, is manifested in the integration of staff; However, some experts consider that their disadvantages are greater due to the friction and conflicts that arise with the staff when the candidate is not accepted or when, in the performance of their duties, the objectivity of the family members decreases in cases where sanctions their relatives, they are denied a promotion, etc.
There are also so-called external sources of recruitment, as is the case of employment agencies, advertising media, universities, job boards, etc. In a country like Argentina, with great problems of underemployment and with great shortages of highly qualified personnel, it is of paramount importance to pay attention to the sources of recruitment.
The anticipation with which the needs have been planned will be decisive in the effectiveness of the recruitment. This allows choosing the best personnel available in the job market, planning and starting training programs in a timely manner, and filling vacancies as requested. It should not be ignored that recruitment involves a cost that is not always justified by the size of the organization and the turnover of its staff.
Job application
When the candidates have already been located, the environment in which they are received, as well as the way they are treated, contributes greatly to improving the impression that the organization is fostered. The space allocated to the recruitment and selection office should provide adequate facilities to make it functional and minimize the inconvenience that arises in the presence of numerous candidates.
It is advisable to have a comfortable, well-lit and sufficiently ventilated waiting room, as well as private cubicles that allow the necessary environmental conditions to carry out the different stages of the selection process.
When locating the recruitment and selection area, it is important that it is accessible to applicants and prevents them from transiting the work areas.
Once the area where the candidates will be received has been determined, the job application is completed, which basically covers personal data such as: name, age, sex, marital status, CUIL, etc.; Family data; occupational experience; position and salary desired; availability to start work; short and long term plans, etc. Job applications should be designed according to the level at which they are being applied. It is desirable to have three different forms: for executive level, employee level, and worker level.
If this is not possible, it is advisable to prepare a simple application form, accessible to workers and employees, which can be complemented with a Curriculum Vitae.
It is determined if the candidate meets the minimum requirements for schooling, age, etc., in an affirmative case, an interview is carried out.
Suitability Table
This table must contain data that allows us to:
- Identification of the event: name of the person, date, position, circumstance, summary of the interview. It must also contain 2 aspects that may cease to be:
- Declaration of the criteria of the position: of the Analysis and Description of the Position, where is the key for the interview to be good. Preparation of the interview taking into account the time it will take me (between 20 and 30 minutes)
Another important detail is the determination of the times, that is, the allocation of a perfectly established time between:
- Separation from one interview to another, to avoid candidates crossing paths and being able to anticipate the interviewer. Time allocation for the interview, which should be 70% for the pure interview, 15% for the beginning and the remaining 15% for the end. Allocation of a time for the exploitation of the interview, immediately after the accomplishment of the same.
Initial or preliminary interview
This interview aims to detect, in a gross manner and in the shortest possible time, the most obvious aspects of the candidate and their relationship with the requirements of the position; for example: physical appearance, ease of verbal expression, ability to relate, etc., in order to rule out those candidates who manifestly do not meet the requirements of the position to be filled; The nature of the work, the schedule, the remuneration offered, the benefits must also be informed, so that he decides if it is in his interest to continue with the process.
If there is interest on both sides, the next stage is passed. Before treating it, we are going to pause a little in relation to the interview.
Selection interview
If the interview is a conversation and has an objective, it must be considered that this implies an interrelation of 2 individuals, interviewee and interviewer, who are going to carry out a reciprocal action.
Although it is one of the oldest means of reaching the applicant's information, to date it continues to represent a key instrument in the selection process, which implies knowledge of various techniques to be used in it, depending on the characteristics of the interviewee. and the level at which they are being selected.
At the same time, the interviewer requires, as a professional, training and supervision, which includes self-knowledge, which will contribute to objectivity when evaluating the information received, reducing prejudices and contamination due to limitations, which are own to the interviewer.
It is the interviewer's task to prepare the environment in which the interview will take place, in which they can consider certain factors, depending on the reactions of the interviewee they want to know. This environment includes the attitude of the interviewer from the moment the applicant is received. An informal, practical, relaxed attitude facilitates the positive attitude of the applicant; while an aggressive, formal, reserved attitude may be desirable in other circumstances; the important thing is to specify what kind of reactions the interviewer wants to provoke and identify which ones are actually generating.
Phases the interview
Rapport
This term means concordance, sympathy; it is an interview stage that aims to break the ice. Strictly speaking, the rapport must reign throughout the interview. It helps establish a cordial treatment, questions that do not make the candidate nervous, interest in listening to him. On the contrary, it is made difficult by sarcasm, irony, interruptions, etc. In the job interview, the fact that the interviewer explains the characteristics of the organization, its benefits, the schedule, the purpose, etc., can help.
Frequently this initial approach is not carried out in the verbal field, but rather through attitudes: being cordial and friendly, since the candidate is usually a person who is not known. Perhaps the desk is a barrier; It is better to use comfortable and lounge chairs.
Top
This stage refers to the realization of the interview itself and through it the areas that began to be reviewed in a general way and that also serve to prepare the application will be explored.
Closing
5 or 10 minutes before the end of the interview, the end of the interview is announced, giving the applicant the opportunity to ask the questions he deems appropriate and express his impressions of the interview itself and, finally, to be informed of which is the next step to take. If the candidate is not acceptable, they should be oriented, which implies an knowledge, by the interviewer, of the job market. This is to ensure that her interlocutor obtains a personal benefit and that she perceives that "the interview is always worth it", and of course, that she understands that the fact of not being accepted does not imply defeat but, on the contrary, a.
Interview report
The result and conclusions of the interview, in relation to the objective of the interview, must be written immediately after the end, in order not to omit any information that would distort the achieved result. The report must be clear, concrete and understandable for those who subsequently need to consult it. In some organizations, the points that the information must contain in a form designed for this purpose are already indicated.
The interviewer's task does not end with writing the report. It is advisable for him to make a criticism of the interview, answering questions such as the following:
- Did I get necessary information before the interview? Was I able to establish the rapport? Did I achieve the objective? Did the interview go according to plan? Did I manage to give the interviewee security? Did I get the required approach? Did I appear calm and without pressures? Did I press the interviewee when necessary? Does the interviewee consider the interview worthwhile?
Psychological tests
At this stage of the technical selection process, an assessment will be made of the individual's ability and potential, as well as his ability to relate to job requirements of future development possibilities.
Many tools have made a tremendous contribution to recruiting. Unfortunately, there is a parallel lack of knowledge, basically because some forms have been called psychological tests or tests when in fact they do not have these characteristics, by virtue of not meeting the requirements of the psychological research method or because having that category, there are, among other situations, the following:
- Ignorance of what can be valued and what is intended to be valued, instruments without prior adaptation to our idiosyncrasy; Lack of professional preparation of those who apply them, and Presence of people with little ethics exist in all the activities that give the tests powers that are far from possessing.
Proof of work
The admission medical examination is of basic importance in organizations, to the extent of influencing elements such as the quality and quantity of production, absenteeism and punctuality rates and, being a little more extensive, affects the development aspects of said organization, with repercussions for the development and progress of a country.
All these arguments have served as a legal, economic and social bridge to establish a series of regulations and policies that tend to protect the applicant when he enters a job, the working group that is in office and, ultimately, to avoid human waste by Placing the candidate in jobs that, due to their physical nature, will not perform effectively by not meeting the requirements of certain activities.
Medical admission exam
Contrary to popular belief, it is not intended to discover hidden diseases, but to determine what type of work is more in accordance with the capabilities of the applicant, this will meet a series of particular goals:
- Hiring individuals trained to carry out a certain job. Preventing an applicant with a contagious disease from transmitting the disease. Encouraging development by coupling the physical capacity of the worker to the type of position held. Protecting the applicant from future professional illnesses when evaluating their health condition.
Socio-economic study
Socioeconomic research aims to cover three areas:
- Provide information on family social activity, in order to know the possible conflict situations that would directly influence work performance. Know in more detail the possible attitude, responsibility and effectiveness at work due to the activities carried out in previous work. Corroborate the honesty and veracity of the information provided.
In general, the areas explored are:
- Personal history: marital status, nationality, diseases, accidents, studies, criminal history, hobbies, interests, etc. Family history: name, study and occupation of parents, siblings, wife, children; and family integration (does it come from an inadvertent or well-integrated home?), etc. Employment history: positions held, wages received, cause of leave, evaluation of their performance, behavior, etc. Economic situation: family budget, rent, properties, income, etc.
Final decision
With information obtained in each of the various phases of the selection process, we proceed to comparatively evaluate the requirements of the position with the characteristics of the candidates. Once this is done, it is presented to the immediate head and, if necessary, to the department head or area manager, for their consideration and final decision.
It is recommended that the final decision corresponds to the immediate boss or bosses of the future employee, as he is directly responsible for the future subordinate; The personnel selection department has an advisory role in said final decision. In special cases, it is pertinent to gather the candidates among which the final decision will be made. In this type of situation tests, the ability to interrelate, the reaction to pressure, the management of emotional problems, etc. are assessed, facilitating decision-making and helping candidates who do not accept themselves, to directly perceive the reasons for the adverse decision for the particular vacancy.
If the situational test with the "finalists" is not necessary, the result of the decision will be communicated, and subsequently the selected one will be hired, the registration of the candidates who must be considered for future vacancies and who for any circumstance will not have no future chance.
In both cases, as in previous phases in which the selection process is interrupted by any circumstance, it is a social function and professional obligation to guide unsuccessful candidates for the best use of their resources, for which it is necessary to have a knowledge updated on the labor market of the area, the competition or similar industrial branches.
Most common causes of failure in the selection process
- Poor design of the profile sought Insufficient number of alternatives (too targeted) Make mistakes in the selection interview Neglect of reference findings Do not contain or lose sight of the final objective of the interview
Bibliography
- MARISTANY, JAIME. "Human Resources Administration" WERTHER, W. and DAVIS, K. "Personnel and Human Resources Administration" CHIAVENATO, IDALBERTO "Human Resources Administration" DESSLER, GARY "Personnel Administration" ROBBINS, S. and COULTER, M. " Administration ”SHERMAN, A. and BOHLANDER, G.“ Administration of Human Resources ”BAYÓN MARINÉ, F. and GARCÍA ISA, I.“ Management of Human Resources ”
