Personnel selection: 10 keys to choose the best employee
Human capital is undoubtedly the great engine of the company. The processes of personnel selection are key for an organization to succeed or not. Choosing the appropriate candidates to cover the different positions of the company will be decisive for the good performance of the workers and the performance of the company. Choosing badly, besides, supposes a great expense.
Some consequences of a bad personnel selection process They are the following:
- Dissatisfaction of workers and poor performance of these.
- Adaptation and integration problems.
- Increase of rotation
- Higher cost in training and new selection processes.
- Losses for the company and worse results.
- Bad work climate.
Keys to a successful selection process
To avoid these negative consequences, it is possible to follow a series of steps so that the recruitment process is effective . We see them in the following lines.
1. Detect the needs
The first step to achieve success in the recruitment process is define well the job you want to cover . This basic task, which may seem common sense to Human Resources experts, may not be so common for those individuals who have not received training in this field. Oddly enough, there are still people who use the classic interview system, so they do not analyze the needs of the position in detail, nor do they thoroughly prepare the personnel selection process.
The first step, therefore, is to know thoroughly the tasks that are carried out in the workplace and the skills needed by an individual who wants to work in that position. It will be necessary to collect key information, such as the purpose of the workplace, the functions performed in it, the requirements required and those skills and abilities that a worker must possess to be able to offer a good performance when occupying that job.
Knowing the job can be done a few weeks before the interview or, ideally, when preparing a catalog of competences of the organization in which all jobs are well defined and saved for possible future selection processes. The job description is key to be able to evaluate the competences of the candidates in the interview and to know what to ask to extract the maximum of useful information.
- Maybe you're interested: "Useful psychological keys to improve business leadership"
2. Plan it
Another key to success in a recruitment process is good planning. Some companies have implemented a comprehensive human resources plan, which takes into account the processes of selection, training, remuneration, etc., and greatly facilitates the management of personnel at all levels. This makes it easier to detect the needs and be able to plan an improvement, for example, in training of some employees. When this is not the case, it is necessary to plan the selection process to know how it will be carried out. Of course, always after having evaluated the needs.
3. Take into account the needs of the organization
A staff selection process takes into account three key elements. On the one hand, the workplace, which as I said, it is necessary to be well defined. A second key element is the worker, because the skills that he has must fit with the requirements of the position.
But the third element, and no less important, is the organization, because each company is different and It has its values, its working environment and its way of working . Workers must not only fit in the workplace, but also in the organization and its culture. Knowing the company thoroughly is also key to evaluate the candidates who aspire to a job within it.
4. Evaluate the competences
What differentiates classical and modern selection processes is the concept of competence, which arose from the need to assess not only the set of knowledge, skills and abilities that an individual possesses, but also their ability to use their abilities to answer specific situations and solve problems that may arise in the Laboral scene. The competences, in addition, take into account the attitudinal and value component that is present in the actions of the workers.
This concept includes four different dimensions :
- Knowing being: it is the personal element. They are the attitudes and values that guide the behavior of an individual.
- Know: it is the technical element. The studies or knowledge that the person possesses.
- Knowing how to do: is the methodological element or the ability to apply knowledge: they are the ways of acting, the skills, skills ....
- Knowing to be: is the participatory element and the ability of interpersonal communication and teamwork.
The competences help us to evaluate if the person fits in the position and also in the organization.
- Related article: "How to face an interview by competences: 4 keys to get the job"
5. Detect the talent of your own company
Sometimes it is not necessary to go and look for talent outside because what we have in the company is good. Think of an employee who has been in the organization for 10 years and knows better than anyone how the company works. Perhaps he is prepared to perform better in another position, or it is possible to train him to work in another job where he can be even more useful for the company. Detecting talent is key to being able to carry out internal promotion. The company wins and the worker also, because he feels valued.
- Related article: "10 keys to detect and retain talent in your company"
6. Immerse yourself in the digital world and look for passive candidates
The traditional methods of recruitment are based, generally, on what is known as active candidate, because the company expects to reach the curricula of the person interested in the position. The classic method is to put an offer, for example, on a job search website, where the candidates themselves are concerned about getting the CV to the company.
In contrast, with the emergence of the 2.0 world, a new way of recruiting has appeared , and it is the search for passive candidates by the headhunters, something that works very well for certain positions, for example, high positions. The passive candidate, normally, does not have the need to change jobs, but it is a talent that is usually highly valued.
7. Use the necessary tests and questionnaires
The most efficient personnel selection processes they include different tests and questionnaires to select the best candidates for the jobs they offer. The job interview can be a good tool to know the applicant, but relying only on this method may not be entirely reliable.
That is why it is possible to use different tests (for example, role-playing games) or psychometric tests to determine the professional aptitude of the candidates, know their personality and evaluate their motivation.
- You can know the different tests that exist in this article: "Types of tests and personnel selection questionnaires"
8 Prepare the interview
As I said, knowing the needs of the position, planning the selection process, and using the skills method is essential to get the most out of the job interview. Know exactly what competencies we need it will allow us to recognize and measure them in each candidate we interview, and for that we must plan an interview that adapts to each case. In addition, this will allow us to compare the different candidates to the position and draw more reliable conclusions.
9. Pay attention to the incorporation
The selection process does not end with the election of the candidate and the hiring of it, but the incorporation to the job must also be an aspect to take into account to achieve success in this task. Make you thoroughly know the company and integrate correctly with colleagues and the culture of the organization is necessary for that candidate to feel comfortable and perform the functions in the best possible way .
10. Follow up
Monitoring is also key in the selection process, and evaluate the candidate in the short and medium term, through satisfaction surveys or performance appraisals or , it is essential to know if the choice we have made has been correct.
