Human resources selection techniques vary, based on a company’s staff and resources. The methods for selecting employees include preliminary screening, phone interviews, face-to-face meetings, and HR functions to determine whether a candidate is indeed suitable for the job. Small businesses, even if staff resources are limited, should use these steps to choose the right candidate. The result is a wise hiring decision, and possibly lower turnover and higher employee retention, all of which benefit small-business employers.
Preliminary Screening
Once an employer has received what it considers sufficient interest in the position, the recruiter starts screening the applications or resumes to determine which applicants to contact for the preliminary screening interview. Employers determine sufficient interest based on the number of applications or the amount of time the job is posted. Many times, employers take down the job posting when they receive a manageable number of applications, such as 100, to review for a handful of qualified candidates. Small businesses that don’t have a lot of time to devote to screening applicants should screen based on discrete criteria, such as minimum number of years’ experience or verifiable credentials. Preliminary screening is an effective method for narrowing the selection to candidates who meet the basic requirements for the job.
Telephone Interviewing
Used as a first-round interview, telephone interviews give recruiters an opportunity to find out whether an applicant is still interested in the job. It also saves small businesses the money and time of conducting face-to-face interviews immediately after the preliminary screening step. A telephone interview also confirms whether the applicant has the requisite qualifications. Following the telephone interview, the recruiter typically selects the candidates who were able to articulate their skills and qualifications in a manner that meets the company’s staffing needs.
In-Person Interviews
Face-to-face interviews take time, which is one of the reasons the applicant pool should be narrowed by conducting preliminary screening and telephone interviewing. The recruiter is a conduit for providing the hiring manager with the best-suited candidates, a process that streamlines the selection process. For example, out of 10 applicants interviewed by phone, the recruiter should select three to four candidates. The hiring manager further narrows the selection to two finalists. In a small business, although the hiring manager may be doing the work of a recruiter, best practices for HR selection methods dictate that at least one face-to-face interview be conducted before making a decision.
Cultural Fit Selection
In the third-round interview, often the decision round, the hiring manager asks questions that will help him determine which candidate fits the organisational culture. Qualifications aside, an important factor in the hiring decision is cultural fit. Cultural fit means the candidate’s values align with the organisation’s values. It’s a subjective analysis, and one that hiring managers can only attribute to being a gut feeling, not objective criteria.
Vetting Candidates
Once the hiring manager tells the recruiter who has been selected as the most suitable candidate, the recruiter dispatches a conditional job offer. As part of the selection techniques, a conditional offer goes out to the No. 1 candidate, while keeping the runner-up in mind should the first candidate not pass the final stage. The final stage in what’s now become the vetting process consists of pre-employment matters, such as background checks and drug testing. Even small businesses should invest in the time and expense of background checks — doing so can reduce the likelihood of hiring mistakes. Background checks verify information provided by the candidate and are an exercise in due diligence, according to management consultants Kim Kerr and Barry Nixon, in their May 2008 article on HR.BLR.com titled “Benefits and Components of a Background Screening Policy.” Once the candidate passes the background check and the drug test, the company extends a final offer. The company then sends a rejection letter to the No. 2 candidate now that it knows the No. 1 candidate can move forward with the on-boarding process.
