The Selection Crystal Ball - Part Two

Last post, I discussed the different types of selection processes available to us. With variety comes decisions. How do we determine which cocktail is the best for our candidate assessment process? Most of us do not have access to organisation psychologists that can help us with the reliability and validity of the process available to us. Still, simple tips can help decide if your selection process needs revising and what to use for your selection, regardless of your role.  


Tip point one- Understand the performance of your current employees. Are they high performers? If yes, your selection process is valid and reliable. This means you have a good understanding of the performance base rate of your staff. If your performance base rate of your current employees is over 70%, then you are doing well and don't need to make many changes. You should reconsider your selection process if it is less than 70%.  


Tip point two- Seek feedback from incumbents shortly after the recruitment process to understand if the selection process fits the expectations of the role. You could also get them to repeat the selection process and assess the difference between their original and new results. The variance in results and a discussion afterwards help you identify gaps in the current process.  


Tip point three- Review your selection ratio. Your selection ratio is defined as the number of job openings divided by the number of applicants. If you have a high selection ratio, consider reviewing your selection process to ensure that people are dealt with fairly.  


For example, suppose you have five open positions and five applicants. In that case, your selection ratio is one, and you may choose a pragmatic approach and use only one selection process to avoid losing candidates. In that case, focusing on transferable skills and a personality test based on the Big Five model would be beneficial. For those who are new to the big five, check out this link Big 5 Personality Traits | Psychology Today 


Look out for candidates who scored high on conscientiousness and emotional stability. Research suggests that conscientiousness and emotional stability are the best predictors of performance. If the role requires a strong entrepreneurial spirit, you are looking for candidates who are high on conscientiousness and low on agreeableness.  


Some of you are surprised as I am that openness to experience is not a strong predictor of performance. Apparently not, but if you have someone high on conscientiousness, emotional stability and openness to experience, you have hit a jackpot candidate. Hogan Assessment Tool is recommended. It has been scientifically proven to be valid and reliable.  


When your selection ratio is high, reviewing your selection process is worthwhile to ensure you choose fairly and can appoint the best from your applicants. A multiple-hurdle approach to selection might be helpful too. For example, if you have 100 applicants for five jobs with a selection ratio of 0.05. I mentioned a few selection processes in my last post: you could either employ an organisational psychologist or experiment with the different selection processes available to you with your incumbent to get feedback on how well the various processes assess on-the-job performance.  


Final Tip- Ensure that your selection process does not discriminate against minority groups. One way to do that is to review the outcome between the majority and minority groups. Regardless of how much your process indicates performance, it could still impact minority groups. If different groups have different outcomes, it is worth revisiting your tests. It is also vital that it is clear to candidates what each selection process is testing. A positive reaction from all candidates is essential. Hence it is important to gather feedback from all your candidate on the process, both successful and unsuccessful.  
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Perhaps you already have the selection crystal ball and you have tips that has proved successful. Please share your tips. 

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