Designing Your Selection Process: The Basics and Beyond


March 15, 2024

Learn about job analysis, choosing appropriate measurement methods, and ensuring fairness in candidate assessment.

The importance of a well-designed selection process

Hiring is expensive. Hiring twice when instead you could have got right the first time is very expensive.

When it comes to hiring, properly designing a selection process is crucial. It allows you to identify and hire the right candidates who will contribute to the success of your organisation. A well-designed selection process ensures that you have a systematic approach in place to evaluate candidates based on their skills, qualifications, and what they can add to your company!

By designing a selection process, you can avoid making hasty decisions and reduce the chances of making poor hiring choices. It provides a framework for consistent evaluation, enabling you to compare candidates objectively and make informed decisions.

Conducting a thorough job analysis

Before you can design an effective selection process, it is crucial to conduct a thorough job analysis. Job analysis involves gathering information about the tasks, responsibilities, and qualifications required for a specific job.

During a job analysis, you can use various techniques such as interviews, observations, and surveys to collect data. It is important to involve subject matter experts who are familiar with the job to ensure accuracy and completeness of the information gathered. Conducting a thorough job analysis is an essential step in designing a selection process. It provides valuable insights into the job requirements and helps you create assessments that accurately measure the candidates' suitability for the role.

Choosing the right measurement methods

Your next step in designing a selection process is choosing the right measurement methods to effectively assess candidates' skills, abilities, and qualifications.

There are various measurement methods available, including psychometric tests, structured interviews, and job-relevant work samples. Each method has its advantages and limitations, and it is important to select the ones that align with the job requirements and provide valid and reliable results.

Psychometric tests, such as cognitive ability tests and personality assessments, can provide valuable insights into candidates' aptitude and characteristics. Structured interviews allow you to ask standardised questions and evaluate candidates' responses consistently. Job-relevant work samples, such as case studies or simulations, provide a glimpse into candidates' likely performance on important parts of the role.

When choosing the right measurement methods, it is essential to consider factors such as the job level, the number of candidates, and the resources available. By selecting the most appropriate methods, you can ensure accurate and fair assessment of candidates.

Creating a valid assessment strategy

To ensure the validity and fairness of your selection process, it is important to create a valid assessment strategy.

Assessor training is also crucial in creating a valid assessment strategy. Assessors should be trained on how to conduct assessments, score candidates objectively, and avoid personal biases. Training ensures consistency and fairness in the evaluation process.

Regular calibration sessions can also be conducted to ensure that assessors are aligned in their evaluation standards. These sessions allow assessors to discuss and clarify any ambiguities in the scoring criteria, further enhancing fairness.

In summary, ensuring fairness through assessor training and objective scoring is crucial for an effective selection process that is also a positive experience for your candidates. 

If you'd like to learn more about how to get started with your selection process, please reach out:

hello@sten10.com

Katie Thomas