One of the characteristic aspects of the work of any company is the need to equip its staff with suitable employees. This allows you to perform one of the central tasks of this direction, consisting in the selection (selection) of personnel.
The significance of this work is difficult to overestimate. The fact is that the quality of existing specialists directly depends on the effectiveness of the tasks facing the entire company, as well as its use of all the resources necessary for the implementation of the production process. In this regard, the mistakes made in the selection process, are expensive for the organization. At the same time, the selection of good specialists is a good investment of financial resources.
Basic concepts
How to competently and effectively approach the issue of selecting personnel for an organization? Toward the goal you need to go professionally and consistently. We all know the wise expression "Cadres decide everything." Not only the well-being of the company, but also the prospects for its development, as well as the atmosphere that will develop within the team, will directly depend on the personnel.
What do we mean by recruitment? This term means focused work carried out to attract candidates who have the skills and qualities that are necessary for the current as well as long-term needs of the company. In other words, recruitment is the search, testing and hiring of people who are able to work and want this, while possessing the competencies necessary for the employer. At the same time, applicants must share the values of the organization.
The Importance of Hiring
If the selection of employees is carried out efficiently, this will allow:
- increase company profits;
- increase labor productivity;
- get the company on the path of development.
In the event that there was an unprofessional approach to hiring, its result is a decrease in company revenue, failure to meet the deadlines for work, failures in business processes. All this returns the organization to its starting point, and it again resumes the search for employees, spending time and money. Thus, system errors made when applying personnel selection methods lead to a significant increase in company expenses.
Recruitment Sources
How are the personnel needed for the company searched? For this, recruitment specialists use various sources of recruitment, which, in turn, are divided into two types: external and internal.
The first of them allows you to find the right specialists from among those people who already work in the company. The second type of recruitment is carried out using external resources.
Of course, internal sources have limited resources. It is simply impossible to solve the personnel problems that arose at the enterprise with their help. That is why the most common when hiring workers are external sources. Conditionally, based on the proposed investments, they are divided into two types, one of which is budgetary, and the second is expensive.
Without significant costs, you can select the right personnel, using the services of state employment services and establishing contact with colleges and universities. Expensive sources include professional recruiting agencies, as well as media publications.
Today, there are free sources that help company specialists hire staff. Their list contains specialized Internet sites that publish resumes and job openings for the applicant.
There are also a number of types of external sources that allow for the selection of personnel. Among them:
- Recommendations This is one of the oldest methods of personnel selection, which is also very effective. In this case, the recruitment of candidates occurs on the recommendation of acquaintances, friends and relatives working in the company. This method is perfect for organizations with a small number of staff. However, its main drawback is a significant risk of hiring an unskilled specialist.
- Direct work with job seekers. Services engaged in staffing the company can contact those people who are engaged in an independent job search, without contacting special organizations. Such job seekers themselves call, send resumes, and are also interested in the vacancies existing at the enterprise. As a rule, this happens when the company occupies a leading position in the market. And even if the organization does not currently need this specialist, its data should be stored and used if necessary in the future.
- Advertising in the media. This method, which allows you to attract job seekers, is the most common. Announcements on the recruitment of relevant specialists are given on the pages of newspapers, on television and on Internet portals. After that, interested candidates call the company themselves and come for an interview. In this case, specialized websites and publications that focus on individual industries or a wide range of professions are also used. But still, the most popular and effective tool used to attract candidates is print media and online resources. But it should be borne in mind that, in order for the announcement to achieve its goal, it must as accurately as possible set out the requirements that the company makes to the applicant, and give a list of his future job functions.
- Contacts with educational institutions. Many large corporations working for the future attract college and university graduates who do not yet have practical work experience. For this, company representatives hold various events in educational institutions. In this case, it is not possible to assess the professional skills of the candidate. In this regard, recruitment specialists consider the personality characteristics of a young specialist, his ability to plan and analyze.
- Work with labor exchanges. The state always has an interest in eliminating unemployment and in increasing the level of employment of its citizens. In this direction, specially created services that have their own databases and often work with large companies are working. In the list of external methods of selection and selection of personnel, this has one significant drawback. The fact is that not all organizations submit applications to state employment agencies.
- Work with recruitment agencies. In recent years, this area of activity has become one of the most actively developing sectors of the economy. Employment agencies have a constantly updated database. In addition, they independently search for candidates to fulfill the tasks set by customers. For their work, recruitment agencies take an impressive remuneration, sometimes reaching up to 50% of the annual salary of the specialist they found. There are also companies engaged in the mass recruitment of personnel or, conversely, engaged in an "exclusive search" of senior employees.
With the right selection of external sources, the success of the initiated business of hiring competent employees who would be consistent with the spirit of the company and its profile will be ensured. Moreover, each of the above types of personnel selection is characterized by its own financial and time costs, which are necessary not only for the organization, but also for the search.
Recruitment Stages
After a successful search for applicants for vacant positions, the following personnel selection methods are applied: recruitment, staff selection and hiring suitable specialists. Let's consider these concepts in more detail.
Recruitment is understood as the creation of the necessary reserve from suitable candidates who were found using internal or external sources. The specialists of the personnel department carry out similar work literally in all the specialties available at the enterprise - production and office, administrative and technical. The amount of work that needs to be done in this direction will directly depend on the difference between the existing labor resources and the future need for them. In this case, factors such as staff turnover, retirement, dismissal upon the expiration of the contract, and also the expansion of the organization's field of activity are taken into account.
After creating the necessary base of candidates, the organization should consider the possibility of the applicant joining the vacant position in order to make an appropriate decision. This allows you to do the selection process. How is everything going? For this, after using selection methods , personnel are selected . The following may have a significant impact on the course of this process:
- The specifics of the organization. At the same time, its sizes (small, medium, large) are considered, whether it is state or commercial, whether it is engaged in production or provides services.
- Location of the enterprise. If it is large and located in a certain region, then most of the staff will live close to it.
- The culture that is peculiar to the enterprise. Different companies maintain their traditions, norms and values, on the basis of which the main orientation in the selection of personnel takes place. After all, it is important that the candidate not only possesses the skills to carry out the work entrusted to him, but also quickly joins the team without violating the prevailing psychological climate in him.
In order for the company to decide on the admission of the applicant to a vacant position, the necessary candidates are identified.
Personnel selection methods include:
- Preliminary conversation. Its purpose is to assess the appearance and determining personal qualities of a person. Such a conversation is a preliminary screening, allowing you to select from 30 to 40% of candidates for the next stage.
- Filling in the questionnaire. Of all the methods for evaluating and selecting personnel, this is present in the recruitment process of any organization. It is desirable that the questionnaire contain a minimum number of points and request only information that is relevant to the employer (about the mindset, about past work, about major achievements).
- Interview. They are hired conversations, which are sometimes conducted by staff psychologists.
- Testing. This is one of the methods of personnel selection, which allows to obtain data on the professional abilities of the applicant, to learn about his settings and goals.
- Checking the recommendations and track record of the applicant.
- A candidate undergoes a medical examination. This method of personnel selection is used when certain health requirements are imposed on an employee.
- Decision making by the management on hiring a candidate.
Only after a person has successively completed all of the above steps can we say that he successfully overcame all the tests and went to work. Up to this point, the company's management continues to carry out activities using various methods of personnel selection. A lot of documents are studied and the results of each applicant are analyzed.
Consider methods for evaluating and selecting personnel in more detail.
Traditional ways
Such types of personnel selection methods in the organization are preliminary interviews, resumes and interviews, questionnaires and assessment centers, as well as testing. Their application allows you to get the most complete information about the candidate, as well as learn about his main character traits. Such methods of personnel selection in the organization allow the employer to understand whether this person is suitable for the company even before concluding a contract. This allows you to make the right decision. Analysis of personnel selection methods, as a rule, is carried out by a professional psychologist, which large companies must include in their staff. Indeed, only after analysis of the data obtained can all the positive aspects of the applicant and its shortcomings be revealed.
Consider the methods of primary personnel selection, which are traditional.
Preliminary conversation
This is the first step in applying recruitment and selection methods. During the preliminary conversation, the HR specialist finds out the general data about the applicant, which are necessary for the initial determination of their compliance with the proposed vacancy. As a rule, such a dialogue takes place over the phone. It is at this stage of the application of methods of professional selection of personnel that the main screening of applicants occurs. At the same time, the personnel officer must carefully listen to each of the callers of the organization. Regardless of whether the applicant will be invited to a personal interview in the future, he should have a good impression of the company.
The initial contact that occurs during a telephone conversation allows us to form mutual ideas about both the company and the applicant for the vacant position. An indifferent or irritable tone, incorrectly asked questions, sharp objections lead to the fact that the candidate for a personal interview, most likely, will not come. If this happens, then his attitude towards the employer will already initially be negative. In this case, it may well spoil the mood of the personnel officer and negatively tune the rest of the job seekers.
Summary
The next of the methods used for the selection and admission of personnel is the study of self-characterization compiled by the applicant, which can tell a lot about who wrote it. A resume is submitted even before a personal meeting between the employer and the applicant is scheduled. As a rule, it is a short story about yourself. In the resume, the applicant shall indicate that brief information that he considers appropriate to inform the company.
These should be the most concise and reliable facts, located on one or two pages. Only after reading the resume does the manager decide whether to invite the applicant for an interview. Sometimes he immediately denies him a job.
Job interview
If, after talking on the phone and studying the resume, the personnel officer understands that the candidate is suitable for work in the company, then the transition to the next stage of hiring using the basic methods of personnel selection takes place. A person is invited for an interview. At the same time, he should explain in detail how to get to the office, and specify not only the day, but also the hour when he is waiting for an appointment.
An interview as a method of selecting personnel is used in almost every company. Indeed, in this case, the employer for a short period of time can get enough impression about the candidate to make a further decision.
Sometimes interviews take place in several stages, which requires the candidate to visit the office more than once.
An analysis of a person’s abilities and capabilities begins already from the moment when he has just stepped on the threshold. At the same time, his manner of speech and behavior, gestures and clothes, expression of eyes and face, gait and voice are examined. It is important for a human resources specialist to evaluate the applicant’s confidence in himself. For this, such actions of a person are analyzed: he knocked on the door or opened it immediately, declared himself or waited for him to pay attention, the voice during the greeting was pleading and quiet or confident, etc.
The candidate’s appearance may be alerted by a non-business-style style of clothing, mismatch of the colors of wardrobe items, catchy shoes, expensive jewelry, an inappropriate bag, etc. All this is very significant, as it will clearly indicate how the applicant will relate to the candidate work.
Begin the interview by making contact. As a rule, the employer begins to speak first. This part of the time interview should not exceed 15%. Further the applicant speaks. The employer must listen carefully to him, focusing on important points for himself. The interview ends with an explanation of further actions and the course of hiring. It is important that the conversation is completed on positive notes. A negative decision is announced later.
Questioning
Using professional principles and methods of personnel selection, the specialists continue the process of hiring, inviting the applicant to fill out a form with their questions. Most often they are simple. These are questions regarding the surname and name, address and age of the candidate, etc. In most cases, such a survey is intended only to confirm the data that were previously indicated in the summary.
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Unlike other principles and methods of personnel selection, this is used by few companies. This method is a kind of training game. In it, the candidate finds himself in conditions close to the working environment. During the application of this method, the applicant must show his attitude or opinion on what is happening. Sometimes he is invited to analyze the proposed event.
Evaluation centers help in determining a person’s ability to publicly express their opinions and speak to people. This is one of the methods of personnel selection in personnel management, which allows you to quickly identify the candidate's requirements for the profession.
Testing
This area refers to modern methods of personnel selection and has been used by employers relatively recently due to the influence of Western firms. From there, the criteria that apply to the selection of personnel using testing came to us. Using this technique, the employer receives the most reliable data on the professional qualities of the applicant and on his skills to perform certain duties.
If we consider the characteristics of personnel selection methods , then testing can be attributed to an auxiliary tool. In this case, the applicant is invited to answer questions that are subsequently analyzed by psychologists.
For example, it may be a test to complete the work. The applicant is asked to do specific tasks. All of them must certainly be similar to those that he will have to fulfill upon assuming office. With the help of such a test, those skills and abilities that the candidate possesses in this field are identified.
Unconventional methods
Recently, more and more companies are trying not to limit themselves to studying resumes and interviews. In the process of hiring candidates for available vacancies, they resort to non-traditional methods of selecting employees. In most cases, a person does not imagine what awaits him either at the interview, or after him.
For example, a method such as Brainteaser Interview. It is used in cases where the personnel, in order to fulfill their immediate duties, need to be creative and have the ability to display analytical skills. During the conversation, the applicant needs to find the answer in the proposed logic task. Also, the manager may suddenly ask him what does not concern the topic of their conversation. It is important that the person’s response is unusual and original. This will indicate his non-standard thinking and the ability to go beyond the usual vision of a problem in search of its solution.
Another modern method of personnel selection is physiognomy. It is used mainly as an auxiliary. The essence of this method is to study the facial expressions and facial features of the candidate. The data obtained allow us to conclude about the abilities of the personality, its type and creative orientation. But it should be borne in mind that the use of this method is possible only if the researcher has impressive practical experience.