Week 13 - Selection

There are many methods that businesses use for selection of employees. Here are a few of them:

· Interviews are the most popular form of selection as they can get to know the candidate better in the sense that they can see what their body language is like and they can notice by their facial expressions what kind of person they are and how they react in different situations. They are usually conducted face-to-face and this can sometimes be a problem because some candidates may feel nervous and uncomfortable which may show in their interview and this may not get them the job even though they may be the perfect candidate for the job.

· Telephone Screening is when an interview is conducted over the phone. These are usually conducted when there are many people for them to go through as they are quick and easy to conduct and they can be the starting point for a second interview to be conducted face-to-face. However a disadvantage of this method is that it may not be completely reliable as some people may react different on the phone than they are in person and therefore some of their answers may not be completely accurate.

· References are also used to get an idea of what a candidate is like in a previous or existing job. These can be useful as they can give an organisation an insight into what the candidate is like before they give them an opportunity for an interview. However, these can be quite risky as it may not be a reliable person writing the reference or you may not get to talk to the right person and they may give you unreliable information.

The interview that I had for my job was very simple and I thought it was quite ineffective. I went into the interview and I had to fill out an application form. Once this was done, I was asked a few questions about myself and what I am currently doing. Then I was asked to read out a script as I work in a call centre and the way in which we talk is the most important aspect of the job. Once this was done, I was told I had got the job and was asked to come in for training. I felt that it was a rather unprofessional interview and that it could have been improved by asking more detailed questions.