RECRUITMENT & Human Resource

SELECTION Management
Section - B

Better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational

outcomes. The more effectively organizations recruit and select candidates, the
more likely they are to hire and retain satisfied employees.
Submitted To:
Mr. Ghulam Muhammad

Compiled & Written By:

Murtaza Asgher Ali
Naeem Ahmed
Shazia Siddiq
Syeda Farah Naz
Syeda Sarah Fatima

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 Acknowledgement

Our term report would have not been possible without the
assistance of the human resource department at TransWing
Logistics, TradeKey, Logistic Services Pakistan and MCB, who
with their contacts made all our visits possible. We thank all
the owners and employees of these organizations who
welcomed us and cooperated with us, resolving all our
questions and queries. All the problems that we faced in
different sections of our report were resolved in the most
effective manner.
We would also like to thank our course instructor Mr. Ghulam
Muhammad, who took time off his busy schedule to guide us
through a few sections of our report.

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Table of Contents
Introduction.................................................................................................................................................6
Recruitment and Selection Practices Survey Report................................................................................6
Purpose................................................................................................................................................6
Definition.............................................................................................................................................6
General Profile.....................................................................................................................................7
Purpose of the guide...............................................................................................................................7
Contents..................................................................................................................................................8
Improving the guide................................................................................................................................8
Training....................................................................................................................................................8
Documentation........................................................................................................................................8
Equal Opportunities.....................................................................................................................................8
Addressing conflicts of interest...................................................................................................................9
Recruitment Procedure...............................................................................................................................9
Step 1: Analyse the job..........................................................................................................................10
Job analysis........................................................................................................................................10
Job design..........................................................................................................................................10
Job titles............................................................................................................................................10
Job descriptions.................................................................................................................................11
Person specification...........................................................................................................................11
Step 2: Obtain authorization to recruit..................................................................................................12
Step 3: Advertising the post...................................................................................................................13
Do we need to advertise?..................................................................................................................13
Composing the advertisement...........................................................................................................13
Advertisement process......................................................................................................................14
Where to advertise............................................................................................................................14
Cost of advertising.............................................................................................................................15
Information required of applicants....................................................................................................15
Step 4: Composition of the selection panel...........................................................................................15
Step 5: Select candidates for interview & identify any tests or presentations required........................16
Shortlisting the applicants.................................................................................................................16

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 Shortlisting paperwork......................................................................................................................17
Selection tests and presentations......................................................................................................17
Invitation to interview letters............................................................................................................18
Travel and accommodation expenses................................................................................................18
References.........................................................................................................................................18
Step 6: The selection interview..............................................................................................................19
Preparation........................................................................................................................................19
The venue..........................................................................................................................................19
Welcoming the candidate..................................................................................................................20
The interview questions....................................................................................................................20
Question types...................................................................................................................................21
Taking notes......................................................................................................................................23
Candidates that require permission (work permit) to work in the UK...............................................23
Avoiding discrimination.....................................................................................................................24
Step 7: Appoint the successful candidate..............................................................................................24
Making a selection decision...............................................................................................................24
Probation periods..............................................................................................................................25
Completing the interview record and offer details forms..................................................................25
Step 8: Notify unsuccessful candidates.................................................................................................26
Unsuccessful candidates....................................................................................................................26
Feedback...........................................................................................................................................26
Step 9: Returning recruitment documentation.....................................................................................26
Step 10: Inducting the new employee...................................................................................................27
Research Analysis......................................................................................................................................27
Recruitment...........................................................................................................................................27
Strategies...........................................................................................................................................27
Organizational Offerings....................................................................................................................29
Best Recruiting Strategies..................................................................................................................30
Selection................................................................................................................................................31
Current Selection Practices................................................................................................................31
Best Selection Systems......................................................................................................................34
Future Selection Practices.................................................................................................................35

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 Making an offer.................................................................................................................................37
Impact of Offerings on Employee......................................................................................................38
Outsourcing Recruitment and Selection Activities....................................................................................39
Barriers to Effective Recruitment and Selection....................................................................................41
Survey of Different Organizations..............................................................................................................42
Comparison of Recruitment Practices...................................................................................................42
Recommendations:....................................................................................................................................44
The Big Picture...........................................................................................................................................45
References.................................................................................................................................................46
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................46

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Introduction

Recruitment and Selection Practices Survey Report

Better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational outcomes.
The more effectively organizations recruit and select candidates, the more likely they are to
hire and retain satisfied employees.

Purpose
The objectives of this study were to:

 Identify general practices that organizations use to recruit and select employees.
 Determine which recruitment and selection practices are most effective.
 Determine how the recruitment and selection practices affect organizational
outcomes.

This report is based on results of recruitment and selection survey provided to members of
different organizations mainly in Pakistan and In some other countries of the World. The
member organizations that responded, 60 in all, provided information about the following
topics:

 General recruitment and selection profiles.

 Recruitment strategies.
 Organizational offerings to prospective employees.
 Impact of offerings on employee outcomes.
 Current and future selection practices.
 Outsourcing recruitment and selection activities.
 Barriers to effective recruitment and selection.

Definition
This report focuses on recruiting and selecting individuals for employment in an
organization.

Recruitment is the process of identifying and attracting potential candidates from within
and outside an organization to begin evaluating them for future employment. Once
candidates are identified, an organization can begin the selection process. This includes
collecting, measuring, and evaluating information about candidates’ qualifications for
specified positions. Organizations use these processes to increase the likelihood of hiring
individuals who possess the right skills and abilities to be successful at their jobs.

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General Profile
Organizations fill positions with external candidates more often than internal candidates.

 Although internal candidates typically stay in positions and are more successful
than external candidates, organizations fill positions with external candidates, on
average, 13 percent more often than internal candidates.
 44 percent of positions are filled with internal candidates, with an approximate
success rate (people who stay in the positions and are successful) of 86 percent.
 57 percent of positions are filled with external candidates, with an approximate
success rate of 78 percent.

Organizations plan to increase the money they spend on recruiting and selecting
candidates.

 On average an organization’s human resources department specifically allocates 17

percent of its budget to recruitment and 10 percent to selection.
 Over the next two years, 75 percent of the organizations surveyed plan to increase
their spending on recruiting; 68 percent plan to increase spending on selection.

Nearly half of the organizations plan to change their approach to recruitment and selection.

 Overall, organizations perceive their approaches to recruitment (mean = 6.57) and

selection (mean = 6.53) to be only moderately effective. Ratings were made using a
10-point scale (1 = not at all effective; 10 = extremely effective).
 Almost half of the organizations plan to significantly change their current approach
to both recruitment (47 percent) and selection (41 percent) within the next two
years.

Purpose of the guide

This report supplements and provides further information and practical advice for those involved
in all aspects of recruitment and selection. Recruitment and selection is a very important process
and it is important to select the best candidates. This guide sets out best practice guidelines to
assist you in making this process as effective as possible. In addition, our Human Resources Team is
very willing to support you and give further advice should you require it.

Contents
The guide sets out to:

 encourage good practice and adopt an equal opportunities approach throughout

 explain the policy, procedures and link with the legal obligations laid out in the relevant
legislation in a pragmatic way
 specify what information is required from schools and departments at each stage
 indicate what the Human Resources Team will do in response at each stage

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  provides working examples of the documentation using a sample post
 assists schools and departments in recruiting the best people for each job in a fair and
efficient way.

Improving the guide

This guide has been recently updated to comply with amendments to employment law, and to
improve the guidance and best practice examples given. We would greatly appreciate any
comments on this guide and the recruitment process generally, and the information and advice
provided. Please contact either myself, or one of my colleagues in the Human Resources Team with
any suggestions. Amendments will be made periodically and the most up-to-date copies will be
available on the Web at www.bbk.ac.uk/hr.

Training
All those involved on a regular basis, or who may be required to assist with, the recruitment and
selection of staff should attend the appropriate workshop (see
http://www.bbk.ac.uk/sd/ourcourses/coursedirectory.html for more information). These
workshops provide detailed guidance on the legal framework and equal opportunities issues
throughout the process, as well as the more practical skills involved in interviewing. From 1
October 2004, attendance at the Recruitment and Selection workshop is mandatory for those
involved in recruitment, in accordance with the Human Resources Strategy.

Documentation
All the standard forms and documents that are used in the recruitment process are available on the
Human Resources intranet site, http://www.bbk.ac.uk/hr/forms/, or from the Human Resources
Team.

Equal Opportunities
Birkbeck is committed to equality of opportunity and fair treatment of both current and potential
employees. Equal opportunities and anti-discrimination measures are promoted throughout the
whole recruitment and selection process. Guidance on how to ensure you are complying with this
commitment is set out in this document. However, please refer to, and ensure you are familiar with
the Equal Opportunities Policy. The "Code of Practice on Disability in Employment" is also included
in the appendix for your information.

In addition to the ethical and effective business case reasons that support an equal opportunities
approach, we are also open to legal challenge. It is therefore vital that our selection and
interviewing processes are fair and objective. If an applicant makes a claim against the
organization to an Employment Tribunal, on the grounds of alleged unlawful discrimination, the
organization will be required to demonstrate that:

 the person(s) appointed most closely matched the selection criteria and had greater
relevant experience and/or skills than other candidates;
 the complainant was not unlawfully discriminated against.

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There is a considerable volume of employment legislation that is relevant in the recruitment and
selection process; please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further details. Please do not hesitate
to contact the Human Resources Team if you require further advice or assistance in this area.

Addressing conflicts of interest

Please refer to the organization’s Addressing Conflicts of Interest – Code of Conduct on
Relationships at Work and the Recruitment Policy, which aim to ensure that no real or perceived
unequal treatment, or conflict of interest occurs throughout the recruitment process or within
working relationships.

Recruitment Procedure
Please refer to appendix for a flow chart of the whole recruitment and selection process.

Step 1: Analyse the job

Step 2: Obtain authorisation to recruit

Step 3: Advertising the post

Step 4: Composition of the selection panel

Step 5: Select candidates for interview & identify any tests or presentations required

Step 6: The selection interview

Step 7: Appoint the successful candidate

Step 8: Notify unsuccessful candidates

Step 9: Returning recruitment documentation

Step 10: Inducting the new employee

Step 1: Analyse the job

Job analysis
If an employee leaves the organization, it is likely that you will want to replace them. However,
before getting approval to appoint and advertising the same post, you should take time to consider
the role and decide if there are any changes required. Job analysis is the term given to this
assessment of a role. Job analysis is a systematic procedure for obtaining detailed and objective
information about the post, before it is advertised and filled; giving the opportunity to tailor it to
what is currently required.

Questions to ask about the role:

 What tasks did the previous postholder carry out

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  What level were these tasks
 Did they have supervisory responsibility or budgetary control
 Are the reporting lines still appropriate
 Are there any other tasks that would need to be added to this role (or taken away if the role
is considered too large)
 Is the level at which the role holder is expected to undertake tasks still appropriate (note, if
changes are made here, the role may need to be regraded; please contact your Human
Resources Adviser for advice).
 Is the grade of the post accurate for a new person to come in and fill (this is especially
important if the previous postholder was promoted during their time in the role (you
should consult with Human Resources to determine the correct grade)
 Are the hours of work still suitable (i.e. does it need to be made full-time or vice versa)
 Is there still a requirement for this role at all

Job design
If you wish to create a new post, which is not replacing a leaver, or filling an established post, you
will need to design the job. This involves considering the duties that the new post will cover, and
the level these tasks will be (e.g. maintain, develop, manage, or assist etc.). You will need to decide
how the post will fit in with the current organizational structure for your org, what the reporting
lines will be, and if the post will be responsible for supervising or managing people in other posts.

Job titles
The job title should be an accurate reflection of the scope and nature of the role undertaken,
including giving an indication of the seniority of the post. In view of this, and of the fact that job
titles relate to other processes in the organization, please give due consideration to the correct job
title for the role. If you feel a current job title needs to be changed before being filled, and/or if you
would like advice on selecting the most appropriate title, please contact your Human Resources
Adviser.

Job descriptions
Once you have either analysed an existing role, or designed a new post, you will need to produce a
job description. The job description should provide basic information about the role, including the
title, whom the post reports to (job title of the postholder only, not their actual name), any other
posts for which the job has responsibility, and the date it was created or updated.

Please see appendix for a sample Job Description and Further Particulars, using a standard
Birkbeck template, which should be used for all jobs.

The main purpose of the role should come next, followed by a breakdown of the specific duties.
Whilst the description should be comprehensive, it must be concise; there is no need for every
minor task to be quoted. The working relationships that the postholder must maintain should be
outlined to illustrate the communications aspects of the role (e.g. relationships with students,
members of the public, trade unions etc.). Finally, the dimensions of the job may be noted where
applicable (e.g. size of budget managed, number of students supervised, number direct line reports
etc.).

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A good job description will enable candidates to apply effectively; it is a statement, which sets out:

 the roles and functions of the faculty, school or department

 the general purpose of the job
 an outline of the duties involved
 a full description of the main responsibilities of the post

The more accurate and informative a job description is, the more likely it will be that the
Organization will attract applicants who meet a school or department's needs. This often makes
shortlisting and interviewing easier and less time-consuming for everyone involved. A well-written
and laid out job description also helps to give potential applicants a positive first impression of the
school or department and the Organization. Job descriptions should not contain any personalized
information, such as the names of postholders as this can mean they become out of date very
quickly.

Job descriptions are working documents that will be used for other purposes following the
selection process, such as for staff development discussions and job evaluation/promotions
reviews.

Person specification
The person specification is one of the most important documents within the recruitment and
selection process and so is an essential requirement for every post. The purpose of the Person
Specification is to set out a list of the knowledge, skills, experience and level of qualifications that
are required to carry out the role effectively, and should be developed from the job description.
Consider the range and depth of duties to be undertaken, and assess what the post holder will need,
under the headings above, to enable them to do the job.

This specification then forms the objective criteria against which all candidates will be assessed
throughout the selection process. These criteria must consist of the minimum standards considered
essential for the effective performance of the job. Desirable criteria may be included, but these
must be referred to only if candidates have met the essential criteria.

Mention of selection tests, which form part of the recruitment process, should be made on the
person specification form.

The following key points will help you to develop your person specification:

 identify the key duties from the job description

 translate the duties into the skills and knowledge required to do the job
 separate the essential skills from the desirable ones; specify as far as possible in precise job-
related terms
 identify any specific knowledge requirements for the job or the requirement of some
evidence of the ability to learn
 indicate qualifications and level of education required for the job, if relevant (remembering
to state "or equivalent" to cover all types of qualifications)

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  identify what experience is required to carry out the job. This should be realistic and
appropriate to the role

Reference to age, marital status or to dependents should not be included since these are unlawfully
discriminatory. The main aim of the person specification is to set out the skills and abilities that a
candidate would need in order to be able to carry out the role to a satisfactory standard. It is not a
'wish list'; setting the criteria too 'high' may result in a lack of suitable applicants. However,
pitching them too low may mean you have a high volume of applicants who all meet your criteria.
Please refer to appendix for a sample person specification for the post of Lecturer in Psychology,
which uses the standard template form.

The job described and the level of skills/experience required must relate to an appropriate grade.
Where necessary, the Human Resources Team will undertake job evaluation; any subsequent
amendments to the job will have to be agreed before the post is advertised, to ensure the correct
grade and salary.

Step 2: Obtain authorization to recruit

Before beginning the recruitment and selection process, you must obtain the appropriate
authorization for your post. Please refer to the Recruitment Policy for further information, or
alternatively seek advice from your Human Resources Adviser.

You must inform Human Resources of any requests to recruit in order for us to advise on the
correct grade for the post.

Step 3: Advertising the post

Do we need to advertise?
All Organization-funded posts that are for 6 months or more, must be advertised in external media.
This is in accordance with the Organization's Equal Opportunities Policy. Certain rare exceptions
may apply, such as:

 temporary/fixed term posts of 6 months’ duration or less

 externally funded research posts, where a named researcher has been identified
 when employees whose fixed-term contracts of employment are ending are offered a
permanent post to avoid a redundancy situation (where the original appointment was made
in accordance with the Organization’s Recruitment and Selection Guidelines);
 where there is a risk of a redundancy situation within the Organization
 where an individual employee is being considered for re-deployment under another
Organization policy

Maternity cover posts are normally advertised if the vacancy is for 6 months duration or more. The
advertisement will need to state that the post is available up to a certain date in the first instance, to
allow for the possibility of the permanent postholder extending her maternity leave. If the
permanent postholder decides not to return to her post then the permanent vacancy will be
advertised.

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Please note that all advertisements must be placed via Human Resources; no post should be
advertised without prior consultation with the Human Resources Team. Birkbeck has an account
with a professional advertising agency, which has developed an agreed template and corporate
style for our advertisements. This encourages consistency and ensures that the text is appropriate
and free from bias or discrimination.

Composing the advertisement

There is a standard template for Birkbeck advertisements, and certain paragraphs need to be
included. Please refer to appendix for a sample advertisement for our post of Lecturer in
Psychology, which includes these standard paragraphs in bold italics. These standard paragraphs
contain important information and keep the look of Birkbeck’s adverts consistent; they should not
be changed without reference to your Human Resources Adviser.

When composing the non-standard parts of your advert (normally no more than one or two
paragraphs), you need to think about how you can attract the people that will meet the criteria for
the role. It is therefore advisable to develop an informative paragraph about what the role involves,
and include at least two of the main criteria that are essential to carry out the role (e.g. …"applicants
must have experience of managing a team and have a working knowledge of database design…")

You may wish to include the contact details of an individual to whom informal inquiries can be
made.. However, it is better to include it with the information that goes out to those who actually
respond to the advert. This allows them to read the details sent about the role, before deciding
whether they still require further information from the contact.

If you are including contact details for someone, please ensure that they are aware that they may be
receiving some calls, and that they will be available for the period when the advert appears in the
media (e.g. not on annual leave!).

Advertisement process
You should send your draft advertisement to your Human Resources Adviser, along with the Job
Description, Person Specification, Further Particulars and Information on the post, and any other
details that you would like to go to applicants. Please state in which publications you would like
your advert to appear and when.

This information should be sent via e-mail as an attachment, or if not possible, on a disk in Word for
Windows format (no hardcopies please). Please note that deadlines are set by the advertising
agency for receiving advertising copy, in order to place it in time in the appropriate media. These
deadlines are at least a calendar week before the publication date, and in addition, your Human
Resources Adviser will need time to process the advert and get it to the agency. For details of actual
deadlines, please contact your Human Resources Adviser.

Along with your draft advert, it is important to include a copy of the appropriate authorization for
the post and ensure that the source of funding is highlighted.

Each post is given a reference number by the Human Resources Team. The number relates to the
Human Resources database post number and is quoted in the advertisement, the job description

13
and other documents related to recruitment and to the post thereafter. This reference number
should be used for this post for any further correspondence or actions.

Where to advertise
The Human Resources Team places all adverts on the UK’s leading higher education recruitment
website, ‘Jobs.ac.uk’, which is accessible via the Organization website.

In addition to these sources, please indicate in which, if any other publications you would like your
advert to appear. The choice of publication will obviously depend on the nature of the role.

Care must be taken to ensure that the advert will reach as diverse a range of the population as
possible, to ensure indirect discrimination does not take place. For example, placing an advert,
solely in "Ms London" magazine, which is aimed at women would be indirect discrimination as
there is less chance of men seeing and therefore being able to apply for the post. Certain exceptions
may be made in cases of targeted recruitment to reach under-represented groups. However, this
would need to be justified and may still need to be placed in other publications. Human Resources
may advise you where necessary.

Cost of advertising
The Organization’s central recruitment advertising budget normally covers the cost for all agreed
Organization funded posts to be placed in one publication. Your School or Department or the
relevant Faculty will be required to meet the cost of advertisements placed in any additional
requested publications.

Recruitment costs for non-Organization funded posts are normally met by the funding body.
Therefore it is advisable, when applying for a grant to an outside funding body (other than a
Research Council) to include recruitment expenses in the calculation of the overhead spending
money required, together with provision for the Organization’s maternity and sickness absence
leave (copies of these policies are available on the Web at www.bkk.ac.uk/hr or from the Human
Resources Team).

Information required of applicants

Appointees to all posts (Organization funded or not) must complete a Organization Application
Form. This ensures that the Organization obtains all essential information regarding the
employment status. Candidates are asked to provide Equal Opportunities data on a separate
document. This information is retained permanently by the Human Resources Team on a database
and it is used anonymously for statistical purposes in accordance with the HEFCE, HESA and the
Race Relations Amendment Act 2000 requirements.

Applicants for academic posts may attach a C.V. and a list of publications to the application form.
For some posts, Heads of Schools may wish to request that candidates send in a sample of work
with their initial applications, e.g. a copy of a recent publication. Human Resources send any
original documents received to the Head of School. After the interviews have been held, the
publications should be returned to the candidate either by the School or by the Human Resources
Team.

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Step 4: Composition of the selection panel
At this stage (or earlier) the appointing manager (the panel Chair) should decide on the
composition of your selection panel. To comply with best practice in equal opportunities and the
Organization’s Equal Opportunities Policy, panels should reflect an appropriate mix of gender and
ethnicity. Please note that panels will be monitored in accordance with the Organization’s Race
Equality Policy.

The membership of the panel must be agreed upon by the closing date of the post. “Panel
Membership” of the Recruitment Policy for further information of the minimum requirements.

The names of the panel members will be provided to shortlisted applicants in their invitation to
interview letter.

Step 5: Select candidates for interview & identify any tests or presentations
required
All applications received are held in the Human Resources Team until the closing date. On the first
working day after the closing date, one set of all the application forms, together with a Shortlist
memo and Shortlist form is sent to the Chair of the interview panel (or nominee) along with a list of
the names of all applicants. Human Resources retain the other

Shortlisting the applicants

In order to ensure the best candidates are chosen for the role, and to promote an objective and non-
discriminatory process, shortlisting should ideally be carried out by the interview panel, or at least
by one member of the panel and another appropriate person. This ensures that a number of people
assess a candidate and that individual opinions or prejudices do not dominate. Those involved in
the shortlisting should meet to discuss their views on applications. If it is possible to gather the
panel together, this makes an ideal opportunity to also plan for the interview itself.

Each applicant should be assessed against the person specification to determine the extent to which
they meet the criteria. Applicants should not be shortlisted if they do not meet the essential criteria
as set out in the specification.

If you have specified a particular qualification, or standard of education, you should note that many
overseas qualifications are comparable and, in some cases superior to those awarded in the UK, and
therefore may warrant the applicant being shortlisted. If you are uncertain of the status of such
qualifications, please contact the Registry for further advice.

Stereotyping should be avoided and assumptions must not be made whether or not someone will
‘fit in’ because of their age, gender or disability, for example. Assumptions can be incorrect and the
Organization could be wrongfully deprived of a potential asset. Such assumptions are also likely to
be subjective and discriminatory, and therefore, may contravene the Organization's Equal
Opportunities Policy.

In terms of the optimum number of applicants to shortlist, it is difficult to put a limit as each post is
different and may attract a very different number of appropriate candidates. However, it is

15
advisable to restrict the number of interviews that you carry out to five or six in any one day. If you
wish to shortlist more than this, it is recommended that interviews be carried out over 2 days, and
you may consider a two-stage selection process to reduce the number of candidates who reach a
panel interview.

For academic posts, the Master has requested shortlists are limited to up to five applicants for any
one post. If you wish to shortlist more than five applicants, you must make a case to the Master to
do so, before the invitation to interview letters are sent out.

It is possible to identify (usually up to two) applicants as reserves in case any of your first choice
candidates do not attend. However you will need to be able to differentiate as to why they were not
first choice candidates by the extent to which they met the criteria.

Shortlisting paperwork
The Shortlist form is designed to give space for (brief) notes and reasons on why l candidates were
or were not shortlisted. This is necessary in case of any potential dispute, or if applicants request
feedback on why they did not get an interview. The reasons given must relate to the criteria set out
in the person specification for the post. These notes will also be referred to if a work permit
application is required for the successful candidate at a later stage.

Once the Shortlist form has been completed, you should fill in the Shortlist memo form, ensuring
that all the necessary information required to set up the interviews is included and send it to your
Human Resources Adviser. Please ensure that you allow sufficient time between getting the forms
to Human Resources and the interview date. This is to allow the appropriate paperwork to be
completed and to give the candidates time to arrange leave from work and prepare for the
interview, (ideally a minimum of 10 working days).

Selection tests and presentations

If your selection procedure requires candidates to deliver a presentation or undergo a test, they
will be informed of this in their invitation letter. Please ensure that you include the relevant
presentation topic or test instructions on the Shortlist memo.

Selection tests can be very useful tools in the selection process to help with assessing the suitability
of candidates for the role. Any test you use must be fair, unbiased and directly relevant to the
central requirements of the job. Ideally, they should take place in an environment similar to the job
situation. For example, for some administrative jobs, a word-processing or written test may be
useful. This could include drafting correspondence or setting up a simple spreadsheet, whereas
candidates for a Lecturer role are likely to be asked to prepare a presentation to test their delivery
skills and knowledge of a subject.

Whilst the Human Resources Team is happy to provide advice about devising tests, the school or
department should provide the material/content. This ensures that the test is relevant to the job in
question. The tests should be held in the school or department concerned and there should be a
member of that school or department available to monitor the candidates and to offer appropriate
assistance if required. The appointing School/Department should arrange any equipment or rooms
required for any presentations or tests.

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Invitation to interview letters
Once Human Resources receive the Shortlist Memo and Shortlist Form, they will invite the
candidates to interview. The Human Resources Team will then (except for externally funded posts)
send an interview pack to the Chair of the panel, which will include:

 A set of the application forms/CVs of those shortlisted

 A set of any references received (where applicable)
 A copy of the advertisement
 Job description & person specification
 Interview Record & Offer Details form and salary scales

In the invitation to interview letters, candidates are requested to report to the Reception Desk of
the appropriate building, for directions to the interview room. The Human Resources Team will
inform the attendant on duty at the Reception Desk of the interview arrangements so that they are
prepared to welcome the candidates. If you wish to vary these reporting arrangements for any
reason, please ensure that you inform Human Resources at the short listing stage.

You should make arrangements for the interview papers to be copied to the members of your
interview panel. If you wish to send the invitation to interview paperwork out yourself directly
from your school/department, this is fine. However, you must use the template letters and
documentation, which are available from your Human Resources Adviser.

Travel and accommodation expenses

The details of expenses available are set out in the Recruitment Policy. However, please note that
any interview travel expenses over and above the £150 limit will be met by the recruiting School or
Department and must therefore be agreed with the candidate beforehand. This is something to look
out for if a candidate will need to travel from a distance/abroad.

References
The Human Resources Team will request references at the time they invite candidates to interview.
In each case, two references are sought, including one from the current/most recent employer who
should not be a relation of the candidate. If a referee happens to be a panel member (for either
shortlisting or interviewing) then the candidate will be asked to provide an alternative referee.

Although the Human Resources Team does chase up outstanding references, sometimes these are
not received before the interview panel meeting. Whilst it is advisable to see references before a
candidate starts employment, if they have not been received, you should make the following
statement (which will be added to their offer letter) when making the verbal offer to them, 'this
offer is subject to the receipt of two references which the Organization finds satisfactory’.

Step 6: The selection interview

Preparation
Preparation is a vital part of the recruitment and interviewing process. It is not sufficient for panel
members to meet up 20 minutes before the start of the first interview. Time should be set aside at
least a day or two in advance of the interview date for the panel to convene and decide on:

17
  the format of the interview and order of questions
 the questions to be asked of all candidates
 the specific questions to be asked of individual candidates
 who is going to ask which questions
 the optimum start date for the post
 any other details candidates may need about the role that were not sent at application

As noted previously, the ideal time to do this is at the short-listing stage, as all members of the
panel should ideally be convened already for this part of the exercise. You will be looking through
applications forms against the criteria in the person specification, and so the generic and specific
questions could be developed at this stage.

The venue
Where you hold the interviews is important. This should ideally be in a light and airy room, with
sufficient space to hold the panel and interviewees, without being so large as to be intimidating.
Obviously, if a presentation is required, the correct equipment must be booked.

All potential distractions should be minimized, such as:

 Put a sign on the door to indicate interviews are taking place, and if necessary, redirections
to visitors
 Forward any telephones to another office (ensure the occupants know this has been done!)
or turn the volume right down
 Provide refreshments (particularly water) for the panel and the interviewee, and replenish
regularly
 Where possible, ensure that the temperature in the room is comfortable
 Place the interviewee's chair facing away from any windows where appropriate to minimize
any distractions to them

Arrange the room and furniture in a format suitable to the particular interview you are doing.
There are a number of possible options, dependent on the type of interview and number of panel
members present. Some people think that having a desk between the panel and the interviewee is
intimidating and presents a barrier; others prefer to have the use of a desk or table for the
interview paperwork. An ideal layout is to have a round or square table around which the panel and
the candidate can sit.

Welcoming the candidate

When organizing the interviews, it is best to allocate a person (not on the panel) who can meet the
candidates as they arrive, complete some of the 'welcoming' tasks, such as taking their coats, giving
them a drink etc, and the show them to the interview room. This means that the individual is settled
when they get to the interview.

At the start of the interview, the Chair of the panel should introduce themselves and the other
members, including names and job titles/roles. Next, outline the format of the interview so that the
candidate is aware of what is going to happen. A typical format might be:

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  Introductions to the Chair and panel members
 A brief introduction to the role/how it fits into the structure
 Inform candidate that you may be taking some written notes
 The candidate gives a presentation
 Panel questions to the candidate on their presentation
 Panel questions testing the criteria from the person specification
 Time for the candidate to ask questions
 Informing the candidate of the next step (i.e. they will be contacted either by phone or in
writing of the outcome)
 Thank them for coming and ensure someone shows them out

Before starting the interview, it is useful to ask a few welcoming, friendly questions to put them at
ease, such as asking them about their journey and so on. The interview should not be about putting
the candidate under excessive pressure and making them feel uncomfortable; putting them at their
ease and building a rapport will ensure you get the right information from them.

It may be appropriate to include a visit to the relevant department or office as part of the interview
so that candidates can see and get a feel for the work environment.

The interview questions

As the interview is the main, and often the only method of selection used after sifting applications, it
is important to get it right, and get the most out of it, so that you build up a true picture of the
candidates' ability to do the job. Careful consideration of the questions will help ensure that the
right information is gathered in order to make an informed decision. You should use the criteria
that you set out in your person specification at the start of the recruitment process as the basis for
question development.

Start with the essential criteria, and design a question (or series of questions) to test for evidence of
their abilities in each area. A few questions that would test some of the desirable criteria are useful
as a tool to differentiate between suitable candidates. These questions should be asked of all
candidates to ensure consistency, enable you to assess the level to which candidates match your
criteria, and make an informed and fair recruitment decision. However, each interviewee will
answer the questions in a slightly different way. Therefore, you will need to probe and ask specific
questions of the individual candidates to explore their responses.

You may like to ask some questions of certain candidates that are specific to their application, or
individual circumstances. However, care must be taken to ensure that such questions do not breach
our Equal Opportunities Policy, or any employment legislation (see Section 2. of the Recruitment
Policy). For example, if you were interviewing four male candidates and one female, and you asked
the female if she had any childcare commitments, but did not ask this of the male candidates,
assuming that they would not have any responsibility, this would be discriminatory. Further advice
in this area can be obtained from your Human Resources Adviser.

To help you with your interview planning, a bank of sample interview questions is set out in the
appendix.

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Question types
There are a number of different question types, some of which should be used frequently, others
that should be used sparingly/carefully, and some of which should be avoided altogether:

Open - questions that start with, "what, when, how, who, why, please…" and illicit a fuller response
than just ‘yes or no’, for example:

 What experience do you have of managing a team?

 Why did you decide to move from working in finance to Human Resources?
 How do you keep up to date with the latest thinking/developments in your field?
 Whom did you report to in your previous role?

Behavioural - putting a question into a context and asking for examples of the interviewee's
behaviour in the past. These questions are particularly effective as they provide 'evidence' of a
candidate's experience/competence of a particular area or skill, for example;

 Please tell me about a time when you successfully handled a complaint from a student
 Please give an example of a complex problem that you solved with minimum assistance
from others
 Tell us about a time when you have had to use effective verbal communication skills

Probing - to ensure that you get the most information out of candidates, and to follow up an answer
you may have got from another question, you need to probe. This is also useful if you want to be
sure that a candidate really understands what they have said to you and that they have not just
used a 'stock' answer. Probing is an important but difficult skill that becomes easier the more you
practice for example;

 Why do you think that project was so successful?

 How do you think you might have approached it differently if you could do it again?
 So, whom did you speak to about it?
 What other people were involved in that group?

Closed - these are questions that only require a 'yes' or 'no' answer, or a very brief/specific
response. These questions should be used sparingly as they do not encourage the candidate to open
up and you will get very limited information, for example:

 Have you completed your TiLL course?

 Do you work well in a team?
 However, closed questions can be useful for checking facts, or focusing a very talkative
candidate, for example;
 How many years experience have you had in finance?
 So, have you actually created a database before?

Multiple - a common mistake that interviewers make is to ask two or more questions in one. This
can be very confusing for the candidate, and often results in the interviewer being asked to repeat
the question, for example:

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  Have you ever done a presentation to a large group of people before, and what was the
presentation about?
 Tell me about a time when you led a research project, how did you go about it, and what
were the main outcomes?

These questions are fine, if they are broken down and asked separately.

Hypothetical - the candidate is given a scenario (either fictitious of real) and asked how they would
react/deal with the situation. These questions can be useful to test someone's reaction under
'pressure' or assess their initiative. However, they should be used sparingly as it is usually better to
seek evidence of what someone has actually done or how they have behaved in the past
('behavioural' questions), e.g.,

 You are in the office alone. You are dealing with a student who has a query about their
coursework, which has gone missing. You have some papers that need copying for a
meeting, which starts in half an hour, and then the phone rings. How do you manage these
tasks?
 A member of your team has been an hour late for work for the last three days without
explanation. There is an important meeting in the morning that you need them to attend.
How would you deal with this issue?

Checking/Reflective - used to clarify a point made by the candidate, and to check that you have
understood what they meant, for example:

 You say that you felt frustrated at the time, why was this?
 So, you actually spoke to the student?
 It seems that you felt you coped very well with the situation, is that right?

Leading/Loaded - these questions should be avoided as you are giving the candidate a limited
possible response; they are likely to answer based on what they think you want to hear rather than
what they actually think. Trying to ascertain 'political' answers is not helpful in seeing whether they
have the ability to do the job, and in some cases could be seen as discriminatory, for example:

 This is a very stressful environment; I presume you cope well under pressure?
 Do you think it is better to own up if you have made a mistake, or attempt to cover it up and
risk the consequences?

Taking notes
Most people like to take notes during an interview to assist with making recruitment decisions. It is
good practice to let the candidate know that this will happen so they do not get alarmed when
someone starts scribbling after their first answer! It is quite difficult to make notes and listen
actively to responses at the same time. Therefore, a good tip is to take it in turns to make notes so
that when one person is asking questions another panel member makes some notes.

It is important to remember that any notes made must be appropriate and non-discriminatory.
Under the Data Protection Act 1998, individuals have the right to see any documentation held about

21
them, this includes any formal and casual notes kept after the interviews. Therefore, if you wouldn't
want the candidate to read it, do not to write it!

Candidates that require permission (work permit) to work in the UK

Before an employee can start work at the Organization, it is necessary to ascertain their eligibility
to work in the UK. All candidates are asked to make a declaration of their status on their
application form. The successful candidate will be asked to provide documentary evidence of their
status to Human Resources on appointment (see Section 11. in the Recruitment Policy).

The law and rules around employment of Non-EU Nationals is complex and so this section is not
designed to represent a definitive guide to this issue. It is best to consult with your Human
Resources Adviser to ensure compliance, or if you have any queries about a candidate’s eligibility,
prior to making an offer.

The basic principle under The Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 is that it is illegal to employ an
individual who is not a British Citizen or an EU National, without prior permission, either through
obtaining a work permit, or if their individual circumstances allow it.

Circumstances that may not require a work permit:

 The spouse of an EU National

 The spouse or family member of a Non-EU National who holds a valid work permit
 A Student who holds a valid entry Visa, authorizing them to take up work. They must not be
employed for more than 20 hours per week during term-time.
 An individual with a Working Holiday Visa (restrictions will apply).

If you select a candidate who requires a work permit, the work permit application requires
evidence of why the other EU National candidates could not perform the role. Therefore, if for
example there are two candidates who are suitable for the role and one requires a work permit and
the other does not, you are obliged by the legislation to select the individual who does not require a
permit. It is important not to make assumptions about a person’s right to work based on their
nationality, as this may be direct discrimination under the Race Discrimination Act. You should get
advice from Human Resources before making any offer in this situation.

Please note that the roles and professions for which the Home Office will issue work permits are
limited and are usually those that are considered to be 'shortage occupations', or very highly
specialized. Work permits are highly unlikely to be approved for any posts other than academic or
research roles, and will not be approved for any clerical, administrative, or manual posts. Again, it is
strongly recommended that you seek advice from Human Resources if you are in any doubt as to a
posts' eligibility.

Avoiding discrimination
It is important to distinguish between complying with the legislation in this area, and being
discriminatory. Assumptions should not be made about a persons eligibility to work based on their
appearance, accents or names, for example. All candidates are required to declare their eligibility to
work on the application form, sign to say the information they give is correct and then bring

22
evidence to the interview. Therefore it would not be appropriate to ask certain candidates to
confirm their eligibility at interview because they are an ethnic minority, or have a 'non-western'
sounding name as this could constitute discrimination and is based on prejudice and assumptions.

Step 7: Appoint the successful candidate

Making a selection decision
Once you have seen all of the candidates, you will need to assess the extent to which each one met
your selection criteria, based on evidence they gave from the questioning and any tests or exercises.
It is very tempting to start comparing the candidates against one another; however, it is best
practice (and minimizes the risk of discrimination) to try to stick to looking at how they each meet
the person specification and selecting the individual who best fits this profile.

Some panels like to construct a scoring system. This could be something fairly simple such as
looking at each area of criteria and assigning, 'Fully met', Partially met' or Not met' to each one. You
will need to decide on what constitutes evidence for each category before you start the process. It is
not essential to follow this sort of system. However, it can be useful in justifying decisions and
making them as objective as possible.

The most important thing to remember is that you will need to be able to justify your decision, and
you must complete the Interview Record & Offer Details Forms for each candidate, stating brief
reasons why they were successful or unsuccessful (see Annex J for examples). Many interview
panels have a second choice candidate who is a suitable appointee, if the first candidate declines the
offer. This should be marked clearly on the Interview Record and Offer Details Form.

Probation periods
New appointees to academic posts are subject to a probationary period of up to three years,
dependant on their experience and qualifications. Please indicate on the Interview Record and Offer
Details Form if the probation is to be less than three years. New appointees to all other
professional, research and support posts are subject to a six months probation period. Please refer
to the Probationary Policy, which is available on the web, or from the Human Resources Team
before making the offer to the successful candidate. The probationary period should be discussed at
the interview.

Please note that existing Birkbeck employees whom have already completed their probationary
period will not be required to complete another period of probation if they are successful in
obtaining an internal appointment. They should, however, have some form of induction into their
new role, where they receive the appropriate support and training.

Completing the interview record and offer details forms

The Chair of the panel must complete an Interview Record and Offer Details form for each
candidate, even if they did not attend, and return them to the Human Resources Team immediately
so that a contract can be sent to the successful candidate, and the unsuccessful candidates can be
notified of the decision.

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If the successful candidate wishes to consider the offer of employment for a few days it is
recommended that a deadline (of not more than 5 working days) be agreed by which time the
candidate will communicate his/her decision to the Chair. In such circumstances the Interview
Record and Offer Details forms should still be returned to the Human Resources Team immediately
after the offer has been made with a covering note stating the situation. If there is another
appointable candidate this should be clearly noted and he/she will be sent a holding letter. Once the
Chair has been notified of the candidate’s decision he/she should inform the Human Resources
Team in writing.

A copy of the appointment letter is sent to the Head of School and to the Dean of
Faculty/Administrative Section Head. Candidates are welcome to contact the Human Resources
Team if there are any questions. Please note that due to their legal status, written offers of
employment should only be sent by Human Resources, and not directly by Schools/Departments.

Step 8: Notify unsuccessful candidates

Unsuccessful candidates
Unsuccessful candidates are normally informed in writing of the outcome of their interview as soon
as the successful candidate has accepted an offer of employment. However, if the panel had decided
that a candidate is not appointable to a post (regardless of whether the first or second choice
accepts) then they will be written to as soon as possible.

Once an acceptance is received from the first choice candidate, a final rejection letter is sent to any
second choice candidates as required. If the first choice candidate does not accept then the Chair of
the panel is informed and a decision is made about offering the job to another candidate or re-
advertising.

As with other stages of the process, Schools/Departments are welcome to send out the letters to
unsuccessful candidates directly, however, the standard template letters, which are available from
Human Resources must be used.

Feedback
Some unsuccessful candidates may ask for reasons why they were not shortlisted or selected for a
post. If the applicant has specific grounds for concern, the Human Resources Team will liaise with
the school or department concerned to give feedback.

Well thought out and constructive feedback can be very useful for candidates and gives a good
impression of the Organization. However, it is recognized that managers may feel wary of giving
feedback for a number of reasons, and in such cases, you are encouraged to discuss this with your
Human Resources Adviser before responding to the candidate.

Step 9: Returning recruitment documentation

After the interviews have taken place all copies of application forms and supporting documents,
and notes from all the panel members should be returned to Human Resources, as soon as possible
by the school or department concerned, as they contain personal and confidential information,
which should not be held in duplicate outside of Human Resources.

24
The successful employee’s original application form, CV, and associated paperwork will be retained
in their staff file and their details entered on the Human Resources IT System. However, the
appointing manager may also keep a copy of the application form and documents of the appointed
candidate for the purposes of managing that employee. Such records must be kept securely and in
accordance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

The Human Resources Team will keep a set of all the other application forms and recruitment
information (including panel notes) for a period of one year in case a candidate makes an
application to an Employment Tribunal claiming discrimination.

Step 10: Inducting the new employee

All newly appointed staff:

 Will have an induction mentor nominated by their line manager

 Must attend the Organization’s ‘Introduction to Birkbeck for New Staff’ Day
 Must complete the Induction Checklist (supplied with the offer letter and on the website)
 Must report to the Human Resources Office with the relevant documentation on their first
day of employment (they will be advised of what to bring in their offer letter)

For further information and advice on planning an induction programme, please contact the Staff
Development Team or your Human Resources Adviser.

Research Analysis
Recruitment
Strategies
Organizations tailor their recruitment strategies to the specific positions they are seeking
to fill. These strategies might differ depending on the level of the position. Survey
respondents were asked what strategies they use to recruit for two types of positions:
managerial/professional and non-management. Table below provides the percentage of
organizations using each strategy.

Table: Percentage of Organizations using these tools for recruiting

Managerial Non-
Advertisements
(%) Managerial (%)
internet (e.g bulletin or job boards) 76 51
Local newspaper 71 90
National newspaper 63 18
Trade publications & magazine 56 17
Direct mail 11 9
TV or radio 6 16
Movie screens 1 4

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Agencies or Services
Employment Agencies 76 39
Government employment services 19 51
Temporary help agencies 16 77
School/College/Community
College recruiting 68 47
Job fairs 58 60
Targeted minority recruiting 46 36
School-to-work 37 53
partnerships/internships
Military recruiting 16 11
Partnerships with community 15 43
organizations
Retiree job banks 5 12
Professional Associations
Professional organizations 62 20
Professional conferences 38 16
Internal Resources
Internal job postings 81 86
Employee referrals 78 83
Company web site 71 60
Walk-ins, unsolicited resumes 59 73
Toll-free number 21 21

26
The Internet is the most popular advertising medium to recruit for managerial/
professional positions.

The Internet allows organizations to reach a large number of candidates easily and
efficiently. Although the World Wide Web is becoming the hot new recruiting tool,
traditional methods, such as newspaper advertising, are not yet obsolete. Local newspapers
are the preferred advertising medium for non-management positions (90 percent), and
national newspapers are widely used to recruit managerial/professional candidates (63
percent).

Organizations utilize internal resources when recruiting both internal and external
candidates.

Overwhelmingly, organizations use internal job postings and employee referrals to recruit
candidates for both managerial and non-managerial positions. Many companies also place
job postings on their company web site to attract candidates. These are relatively easy,
inexpensive ways to identify candidates both inside and outside the company. Internal job-
posting programs are also an excellent method of providing promotion opportunities for
employees and minimizing employee complaints of unfair treatment and discrimination.

Different kinds of agencies are used to recruit for positions at different levels.

Organizations regularly use both temporary and government agencies to recruit non-
management candidates. These kinds of agencies typically provide listings of individuals
who have general, applicable skills and backgrounds for nonmanagerial work. When
organizations are looking for candidates with specialized skills, abilities, or knowledge to
fill managerial/professional jobs, they use employment agencies (76 percent), colleges (68
percent), and professional organizations (62 percent).

Organizational Offerings
Potential job candidates consider many factors when choosing an employer. The quality of
an organization’s offerings (e.g., salary, benefits package, reputation) affects its ability to
attract job candidates. Respondent organizations were asked how a candidate might view
the quality of several of their offerings.

Organizations believe they offer candidates a strong company reputation and high-quality
benefits and learning opportunities.

Most organizations rate their offerings to be of moderate quality. Many organizations,

however, believe they offer candidates high-quality:

 Company reputation (69 percent).

 Benefits package (65 percent).

27
  Learning opportunities (55 percent).

The benefits package is an important factor when employees are evaluating the
attractiveness of an organization. Benefits include health care options, retirement plans,
vacation, stock options, etc. Organizations must offer a variety of options to attract
potential employees and to retain their current talent.

Many organizations do not offer candidates stock options or child care options.

Many of the surveyed organizations do not offer:

 Stock options (37 percent).

 Child care options (36 percent).
 Sign-on bonuses (34 percent).

When a potential employee is considering an employment offer, these offerings not only
affect that person’s decision, but they also have an impact on his or her choice to remain
with the company once hired. A recent national survey of employees found that the
availability of both stock options and benefits related to child care (e.g., day care for sick
children) are significantly related to employee commitment. Thus, organizations might
consider the quality of these kinds of benefits when evaluating their recruitment and
retention strategies.

Best Recruiting Strategies

The quality of options an organization offers can influence how effective it perceives its
recruiting strategies to be. Respondents were asked to rate the effectiveness of their
organization’s current approach to recruiting using a 10-point scale (1 = not at all effective;
10 = extremely effective). Few organizations rated their recruiting strategy to be
ineffective; hence, the differences were examined in the quality of offerings between
organizations that rated their recruiting strategy to be moderately effective (4 through 7)
and highly effective (8 and higher).

Effective recruiting strategies incorporate benefits, salary, and corporate culture.

These six offerings that distinguish organizations with highly effective recruiting strategies
from those with moderately effective ones. Highly effective recruiting strategies were more
likely to offer candidates high-quality options such as:

 Potential for advancement.

 Company reputation.
 Stocks.
 Benefits package.
 Corporate culture.

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  Salary scale.

Organizations with highly effective recruiting strategies reported that these offerings were
of high quality 15 to 19 percent more often than those companies with moderately effective
strategies. Salary is not the only important factor for companies to focus on when trying to
attract potential job candidates. Less than half the organizations with highly effective
recruiting strategies (78 percent) believed their salary scale was of high quality. Other
factors, however, were considered to be of high quality. For instance, 81 percent of
organizations with highly effective strategies considered their reputation a selling point,
and 77 percent believed that their benefits package was of high quality. Although many
companies choose not to even offer stock options, 15 percent more organizations with
highly effective strategies offered stock options than those with moderately effective
strategies. HR professionals acknowledge that candidates look for many qualities in an
organization when pursuing employment. To successfully attract candidates, organizations
must provide not only a competitive salary, but also an environment and culture in which
candidates will feel comfortable and can flourish.

This finding reflects the importance of person-organization fit, which is the congruence of
the values of the employee and the organization. A person is more likely to find a job
attractive if his or her values and goals are perceived to be a good fit with how the
organization conducts business. Alignment of individual and organizational goals also
enhances employee satisfaction and commitment to the organization, and thus, employee
retention

Selection
Current Selection Practices
Organizations use a variety of practices to select potential employees. The survey asked
respondents to estimate how often they use several practices to evaluate candidates in
their selection process. Table below indicates the percentage of those organizations
currently using each practice.

Selection Practices Use Use

Do not use
extensively sometimes
(%)
(%) (%)
General
Applications 89 8 3
Resume screening—manual 80 16 4
Reference checks 75 24 1
Drug tests 56 9 35
Biographical data— 18 15 67
Training and experience evaluations 15 42 43

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 Resume screening—computerized 9 14 76
Testing and Assessment
Motivational fit inventories 18 30 52
Ability tests 17 63 20
Knowledge tests 8 61 20
Personality inventories 7 28 65
Performance/Work sample tests 6 60 34
Assessments—role plays and
4 45 51
simulations
Integrity tests 1 7 92
Interviews
Behavior-based interviews 59 38 3
Situational interviews 28 55 17
Computer-assisted interviews 1 10 89

Nearly all organizations use resumes and applications as part of their selection process.

Organizations typically require job candidates to complete some sort of standard

application that requests personal information such as their education and work history.
Most organizations also screen candidates’ resumes manually (80 percent use extensively)
rather than using computerized screening methods (9 percent use extensively). However,
this trend might change with the advent of new technology and software packages that will
make screening resumes through a computer easier, more efficient, and cost effective.

Behavior-based interviews are widely used in selection systems.

Of the surveyed organizations 97 percent use behavior-based interviews when selecting

employees.

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Almost all the organizations surveyed use behavior based interviews to some extent as part
of their selection process. In these structured interviews candidates are asked to describe
specific behavioral examples of their skills. A variety of research studies have compared the
validity of different interviewing techniques. Behavior- or experience based interviews are
found to predict subsequent job performance better than other interviewing techniques,
such as situational interviews. As a result, more organizations are opting to perform
behavior-based interviews as part of their selection process to increase the likelihood that
they will hire candidates who will be successful in the positions.

Applicant testing and assessment are not widely used in typical selection systems.

Less than 20 percent of organizations use testing or assessment methods extensively in

their selection process.

Respondent organizations indicated that various types of testing are rarely used in their
selection process.

 Ability, knowledge, and performance/work sample tests are sometimes used to

select employees.
 Role plays or simulations are used by less than half (49 percent) of the
organizations.
 Integrity tests and personality inventories are used infrequently or not at all.

The selection practices an organization uses are dependent upon the open positions under
consideration. Selecting candidates for various positions typically requires different
practices or methods. Using tests to measure mechanical, clerical, or other types of abilities
is more appropriate for certain jobs (e.g., plumber, administrative assistant) than for others
(e.g., manager). Assessments are typically used for evaluating critical competencies
required for upperlevel positions and might not be appropriate for lower-level jobs.

Thus, organizations that use testing as part of their selection process must be sure that the
tests are appropriate for the positions under consideration as well as valid measures of the
knowledge, skills, and abilities for which they are intended.

Best Selection Systems

Respondent organizations were asked to rate the effectiveness of their selection strategy
using a 10-point scale (1 = not at all effective; 10 = extremely effective). Most organizations
believe their selection strategy is somewhat effective. Therefore, the survey looked at
which practices are used most often in organizations with moderately effective (4 through
7) and highly effective (8 or higher) selection systems.

Selection Finding 4: Five characteristics distinguish highly effective from moderately

effective selection systems.

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These five characteristics that organizations with highly effective selection systems use
more extensively than organizations with moderately effective systems. Highly effective
selection systems are more likely to use:

 Behavior-based interviews.
 Training and experience evaluations.
 Ability tests.
 Biographical data.
 Motivational fit inventories.

Organizations with highly effective selection systems report making extensive use of these
practices between 15 and 22 percent more than organizations with moderately effective
systems.

Practice 1: Behavior-based interviews

Nearly 80 percent of organizations with highly effective selection systems reported using
behavior based interviews extensively, compared to only 55 percent of those with
moderately effective systems. These interviews contribute to the effectiveness of a
selection process by:

 Focusing on job-related behaviors.

 Obtaining accurate behavioral data.
 Using candidates’ past behaviors to predict future behavior.

Practice 2: Training and experience Evaluations

Training and experience (T&E) evaluations attempt to assess job-relevant abilities, skills,
and motivations. They work on the premise that individuals who have successfully
performed job relevant tasks requiring certain skills and abilities in the past will be
successful in performing similar tasks in the future. T&E evaluations can be used as a
screening device for positions where experience and specific training are necessary for job
performance. Organizations can use a welldeveloped T&E evaluation to set minimum
qualifications for essential job tasks and skills that are necessary for quality job
performance.

Practice 3: Ability tests

Ability tests (e.g., mechanical, mental, clerical) are useful in predicting job performance
across a wide variety of jobs. Well-developed ability tests can be a reliable, valid, and
efficient means of measuring applicants’ capabilities. When used appropriately, ability tests
are robust tools that can add to the prediction accuracy of a selection system.

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Practice 4: Biographical data
Biographical data is a powerful predictor of future job success,6 but our data shows that it
is not widely used by organizations. When compiling data, an organization gathers
information about an applicant’s past behaviors, attitudes, and values as they relate to the
job under consideration. The information can provide a nearly complete picture of a
candidate’s life experience and can directly relate to the person’s future job performance.
However, many organizations do not use this tool because they lack the knowledge or
resources to develop bio data forms or because they are concerned about EEOC compliance
or the validity of such measures.

Practice 5: Motivational fit inventories

During the selection process many organizations focus on assessing only the skills
necessary to perform the job. However, skill is only one factor related to job performance. A
candidate could possess all the skills necessary for a job, yet be unmotivated by the factors
associated with it or by the company’s values or operations. Job motivation and
organizational fit must also be taken into consideration.7 Assessing these motivations can
help identify candidates who not only have the “can do” aspect of the job, but also have the
“will do.”

Future Selection Practices

Respondent organizations were asked if they expect to use the various selection practices
less, about the same, or more over the next three years. Table below indicates the top
practices that organizations expect to use more extensively in the near future.

Selection Practices Organizations

that will use
practices more
(%)
Behavior-based interviews—asking candidates to
49
describe specific examples of their skills
Resume screening—computerized 48
Knowledge tests—tests that measure job-specific
40
knowledge
Performance/Work sample tests—for example,
writing a computer program under structured 40
testing conditions
Motivational fit inventories—candidate preferences
for the job, the organization, and location qualities 36

Ability tests—mental, clerical, mechanical, physical,

36
or technical

33
 Personality inventories—MMPI®, Hogan, Myers-
36
Briggs
Assessments—role plays and simulations 33
Training and experience evaluations—providing a
31
checklist of specific skills and/or experiences

Selection Finding 5: Use of behavior-based interviews will increase substantially.

Nearly 50 percent of the surveyed organizations plan to use behavior-based interviews

more frequently in the future.

Although most of the surveyed organizations currently use behavior-based interviews to

some extent, nearly half plan to use them more frequently in the next three years. This type
of structured interview can be applied to most positions and used to validly predict future
behavior in dimensions (or competencies) critical to success on the job. In addition,
behavior-based interviews can have a positive effect on candidates’ attitudes toward an
organization; candidates are more attracted to a company when they are asked more job-
related interview questions.8 Thus, this interviewing technique not only predicts future
performance, but also is well received by applicants.

Computerized resume screening will become more popular.

Nearly half of the organizations predict that they will increase their use of computerized
resume screening. New technology allows organizations to screen literally thousands of
resumes in a fraction of the time it takes to screen them manually. Organizations can now
receive, store, and review candidates’ resumes via the computer. Human resources
departments are able to maintain large resume databases and identify qualified candidates
for specified positions with minimal time and effort.

Applicant testing and assessment will increase in the future.

Many organizations expect to increase their use of various testing and assessment tools in
their selection systems. These structured approaches can assess many skills, abilities,
knowledge, and traits and be used to screen or select applicants for positions.

 Using standardized measures of skills, abilities, or knowledge can significantly

reduce the candidate pool by eliminating those who fail to meet the minimum
qualifications for the job.
 Work sample tests and assessments are designed to provide candidates with
activities that are representative of job tasks. Candidates generally accept the
validity of these tools and perceive them as appropriate for the selection process.

34
 Work sample tests and assessments provide candidates with a realistic preview of
the job and can help them determine if the position is right for them.
 The use of personality data in selection can add to the prediction of job
performance.9 When using personality traits in selection, however, it is critical that
the traits be linked to job performance with a thorough job analysis.

Organizations with effective selection systems appear better able to identify and hire
employees with the right skills and motivations to succeed in available positions as well as
in the organization. When employees are successful in their jobs, the organization benefits
through increased employee productivity and higher-quality products and services. In
addition, when the “right” employees are hired initially, they are more likely to be satisfied
and remain with the company. Thus, by using a good selection system to hire qualified
employees, organizations can reduce turnover, increase employee retention, and ultimately
increase critical business outcomes.

Making an offer
Once the panel has made their decision, the Chair of the panel should verbally offer the position to
the successful candidate. If the Chair is unable to make the offer, the Human Resources Adviser for
your area may do so on your behalf. Please keep your Human Resources Adviser informed of when
an offer has been made so that they can ensure that the candidate is contacted promptly and that
the correct documentation is sent out as soon as possible.

 When a verbal offer of employment is made, all the relevant information from the Interview
Record & Offer Details form should be covered; the key points are:
 The salary scale and the increment that the candidate is to be appointed to, including
London Allowance
 The start date and hours/pattern of work
 The offer is subject to receipt of two satisfactory references
 For some senior and all manual and catering posts, posts which involve dealing with
animals, and any appointment where there is concern about the ability of the appointee to
fulfill the requirements of the job (and adjustments may need to be made), a satisfactory
medical report from the Organization Health Centre (CIHS) will be required
 Verification of certain qualifications where appropriate
 Verification of the individual’s right to work in the UK, and where required, receipt of a valid
work permit issued to the Organization by the Home Office
 There is a probationary period of six months for support staff, or up to three years for
academic staff.

Impact of Offerings on Employee

Outcomes Respondent organizations also provided data that shows how recruitment
offerings relate to employee outcomes, namely employee satisfaction and retention. Initial
analysis revealed that organizational offerings fell into four specific clusters:

35
  Organizational culture (reputation, potential for advancement, corporate culture,
geographic location, innovation, workforce diversity).
 Benefits (benefits package, vacation time, work schedule, work-family balance, child
care options).
 Learning emphasis (learning opportunities, technological sophistication).
 Financials (global presence, salary scale, stock options, sign-on bonus). Subsequent
analyses explored the relationships between these clusters of offerings and
employee outcomes.

Recruitment Finding: Organizations offering a positive culture and learning environment

have more satisfied employees and are more successful at retaining them.

Money and benefits might help attract candidates to an organization; however, these
offerings appear not to be the main drivers for employee retention. Rather, the clusters of
organizational culture and learning emphasis were significantly related (p < .05 level) to
employee satisfaction and retention. Organizations that offer their workforce a diverse,
innovative environment that promotes growth and advancement are more likely to have
satisfied long-term employees.

This finding reflects the importance of person-organization fit, which is the congruence of
the values of the employee and the organization. A person is more likely to find a job
attractive if his or her values and goals are perceived to be a good fit with how the
organization conducts business. Alignment of individual and organizational goals also
enhances employee satisfaction and commitment to the organization, and thus, employee
retention

Outsourcing Recruitment and Selection Activities

Some organizations choose to use outsourcing (i.e., hiring outside consultants/vendors) for
some of their recruitment and selection activities. This Table presents the percentage of
companies currently using outsourcing for various recruiting and selection activities
(either they do not conduct this activity or do to a small, moderate, or large degree) and the
amount that they expect to use outsourcing in the next three years.

Current Outsourcing Future Outsourcing

No Smal Moderat Larg No Less Same More

Use l Use e Use e Use Use Use Amoun Amoun
t t
Recruitment
11 27% 24% 38% Recruiting executives 8% 9% 78% 6%
%

36
17 32% 36% 15% Recruiting technical 9% 13 60% 18%
% talent %
10 37% 44% 9% Recruiting managerial 8% 12 68% 12%
% talent %
34 48% 14% 4% Other recruiting (non- 19 11 60% 10%
% managerial) % %
Selection
37 9% 12% 42% Drug screening 22 7% 60% 12%
% %
24 20% 20% 36% Background/Referenc 12 9% 58% 21%
% e checks %
44 23% 10% 23% Face-to-face 23 11 58% 9%
% interviews % %
46 31% 13% 11% Pre-employment 22 9% 49% 20%
% testing %
54 30% 8% 8% Initial screening 28 11 46% 15%
% % %
63 25% 9% 3% Behavioral 29 9% 42% 20%
% assessment %
52 32% 16% 1% Telephone assessment 29 8% 45% 19%
% %

Outsourcing Finding 1: Many organizations rely on outside vendors to recruit executive

talent.

Currently, nearly two-thirds (62 percent) of the organizations surveyed use outsourcing to
recruit executives to a moderate or large degree. There are many outsourcing agencies and
head-hunting firms that specialize in recruiting upper-level management prospects. These
companies generally have large networks and many resources to identify qualified
candidates. Many organizations rely on the expertise of these specialized firms to locate
viable talent for their high-level positions.

Outsourcing Finding 2: Organizations often use outsourcing for the final stages of the
selection process.

Many organizations that employ background/ reference checks and drug screening as part
of their selection process use outsourcing for these activities. Typically, organizations do
not have the resources or capability to conduct drug screening, so they must

partner with a medical lab to perform this activity. Another outsourcing example is
conducting background and reference checks, which can be very expensive and time
consuming. By contracting with companies specializing in these activities, organizations
can expedite the process.

37
Outsourcing Finding 3: Organizations expect to use outsourcing resources more for testing
and assessment activities in the near future.

Approximately 20 percent of the respondent organizations indicated that they expect to

use outsourcing for the following activities more in the next three years:

 Pre-employment testing
 Telephone assessment (e.g., interviews and simulations)
 Behavioral assessment (e.g., assessment centers)

Some organizations might not have the resources or expertise in-house to develop and
maintain assessment activities. For such organizations, outsourcing could be beneficial.
Many consulting firms specialize in testing and behavioral assessments. These companies
have the technology and expertise to develop and perform assessments that comply with
legal guidelines.

Barriers to Effective Recruitment and Selection

Respondents were asked to choose three factors that present the largest barriers to
effectively recruiting and selecting candidates for employment

Barriers Finding: Finding and competing for qualified applicants are the main barriers to
effective recruitment and selection practices.

It appears that there are fewer qualified candidates available for organizations to choose
from when trying to fill vacant positions. The record low unemployment rate in the U.S. has
obviously affected the pool of potential applicants. First, fewer applicants are in the job
market, and those who are possibly lack the skills that organizations are looking for in
prospective employees. Thus, organizations are increasingly finding it difficult to identify
and eventually hire potential qualified candidates.

Barriers Response (%)

Fewer qualified applicants available. 62
Other organizations competing for the same
62
applicants.
Difficulty in finding and identifying applicants. 48
Selection process is slow or cumbersome. 25
Job roles are increasing in scope. 21

38
Survey of Different Organizations
Comparison of Recruitment Practices

Question No. 1 - How much time does an organization spend on a recruitment

process?

4
3
1 month
2
6 months
1 9 months
0 Others
Trade Key Trans Wing Logsitics Services MCB
Logistics Pakistan

Question No. 2 - How much cost does the organization require for recruitment
process?

3
2.5
2 10,000
1.5 1 lac to 2
1 lac
3 lac to 5
0.5 lac
0 Others
Trade Key Trans Wing Logsitics Services MCB
Logistics Pakistan

Question No. 3 - Does the organization outsource the recruitment process?

39
 6
5
4
3
Yes
2
1 No
0
Trade Key Trans Wing Logsitics Services MCB
Logistics Pakistan

Question No. 4 - What sources are used for hiring employees?

8
6
4 Internal
2 Externa
l
0
Trade Key Trans Wing Logsitics Services MCB
Logistics Pakistan

Question No. 5 - Does the organization consult any psychologist for analyzing the
result of recruitment process?

5
4
3
2 Yes
1 No
0
Trade Key Trans Wing Logistics Logsitics Services MCB
Pakistan

Question No. 6 - Does the other departments support the process of recruitment?

40
 8
6
4
Yes
2 No
0
Trade Key Trans Wing Logistics Logsitics Services MCB
Pakistan

Question No. 7 - What is the criteria for outsourcing?

We found that most of the organizations do not have time for recruitment and thus they
mostly outsource. Most of the organizations do not have resources to recruit people.
Organization normally pays amount to out sourcing companies in order to have better
employees and the organization can work on other factors.

Question No. 8 - What outcomes could be expected, if organization does not invest
their sources in recruitment process?

In analyzing we found that if organization does not invest their resources in recruitment
process they will remain mediocre and they would also not get right employees for right
job.

Question No. 9 - What is the importance of recruitment process in the organization?

Recruitment is very important since we found that if recruitment process would not there
than the organization would not able to find right person for the right job and it encourage
more and more candidates to apply in the organization.

Question No. 10 - What methods are used for improving the effectiveness of
recruitment process?

Mostly the methods used for recruitment process are advertisements, job portals,
screening, interviews, offers, reduction.

Recommendations:

 Time taken on recruitment process differs from person to person and organization to
organization. We see from the bar diagram that most companies take a month to for the
recruitment process.

41
  The cost for the recruitment process at times goes on a very high scale. It is said the
recruitment is the backbone of a company therefore a huge amount of money is being spend
on recruitment.

 On our survey, we have got such statistics where companies have agreed on either of them.
It depends upon the nature of the company and upon how the company recruits their
employees.

 In hiring of employees both internal and external sources are required as both of the
sources go hand in hand.

 There are certain companies that consult certain psychologists for the result of recruitment
process. Larger companies consult psychologists who are able to bear high costs because
consulting experience psychologists requires a very high cost.

 On our survey we found out that many companies have agreed that other departments do
support the recruitment process.

 In analyzing we found that if organization does not invest their resources in recruitment
process they will remain mediocre and they would also not get right employees for right
job.

 Recruitment is very important since we found that if recruitment process would not there
than the organization would not able to find right person for the right job and it encourage
more and more candidates to apply in the organization.

The Big Picture

Today’s tight labor market is making it more difficult for organizations to find, recruit, and
select talented people. The competition for talent is intensifying, as there are fewer
qualified applicants available. This shortage of applicants makes it all the more important
for organizations to be able to effectively attract, select, and retain quality candidates.

As results from this survey indicate, organizations need to offer more than an attractive
wage to entice qualified candidates. With the number of job opportunities currently
available, candidates can afford to be choosy when searching for their ideal job. They are
looking for more than just an attractive salary; candidates are seeking organizations that
can offer them various kinds of benefits, the potential to advance, and an environment in
which they can learn and thrive. If an organization cannot offer these, job seekers will find
one that does. Thus, it is important for organizations to know exactly what they have to
offer potential employees, then highlight their best features when recruiting candidates.

Once organizations have successfully recruited candidates, they must select the best ones
for the positions under consideration. Organizations use various tools to help them select
individuals. Results from this study indicate that selection tools designed to obtain
behavioral and motivational information about candidates contribute to effective selection

42
systems. For example, behavioral interviewing is a popular selection activity among
organizations with highly effective selection systems. In the future even more
organizations plan to use this and similar tools more extensively to select employees.
Organizations realize that having an effective, legally sound system in place is crucial to
helping them select the right people for the right jobs; to do so, many organizations are
planning to increase their use of various tools and devote more money to the process.

Finally, better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational

outcomes. The more effectively organizations recruit and select candidates, the more likely
they are to hire and retain satisfied employees. In addition, the effectiveness of an
organization’s selection system can influence bottom-line business outcomes, such as
productivity and financial performance. Hence, investing in the development of a
comprehensive and valid selection system is money well spent.

References

1. TransWing Logistics
2. TradeKey
3. Logistic Services Pakistan
4. MCB

Bibliography

http://www.bbk.ac.uk/hr/policies_services/policies_az/recruitment_guide
http://www.thetimes100.co.uk/theory/theory--recruitment-selection--349.php
http://www.acas.org.uk/index.aspx?articleid=746
http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/hrm/chap8/ch8-links.html
http://www.ddiworld.com/pdf/recruitmentandselectionpractices_fullreport_ddi.pdf
http://openlearn.open.ac.uk/course/view.php?id=1486
http://recruitment.naukrihub.com/recruitment-vs-selection.html

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