Recruitment and Selection
Recruitment and Selection
This domain tests the difference between attracting candidates and choosing the right one, and the quality of the selection tools used.
Core rules
- Recruitment is a positive process: identify vacancies, job analysis, job description, person specification, sources and attraction. Selection is a negative screening process that rejects unsuitable candidates.
- Sources are internal (promotion, transfer) and external (advertisements, agencies, campus, referrals, online). Internal sources motivate but may reduce fresh ideas.
- Selection steps may include screening, tests, interviews, work samples, reference checks, medical checks and offer.
- A good test or interview must be reliable (consistent) and valid (job-related). Structured interviews and work samples usually predict better than unstructured chats.
Worked example
A bank needs 40 customer-service officers. The job analysis shows accuracy, empathy and complaint handling as key competencies. A structured interview with the same scored questions plus a work-sample exercise is more defensible than one manager's informal interview. Reference checks verify employment, not personality. The offer should be conditional on documents and medical fitness. This links each tool to a competency.
Traps
Do not use recruitment and selection interchangeably. Do not assume internal candidates are always better. Do not rely on a single interview. Unvalidated tests and irrelevant personal questions create bias and legal risk.