Business revolves around people. It’s the people in the business that run it so therefore it’s always important to have the best employee to do it. That is why selection is such an important aspect of any organisation, small time or bigger. It is fundamental to the performance of any business or establishment that the personnel that it employs are competent to fill the role, and enhance the companies overall performance. Because of the importance of selection, many different methods have been produced and tested throughout the years, ranging from the low key methods such as applications through to the most commonly used method today, the interview. The three most common methods, often referred to as the “classic trio” are the interview, reference and application forms. As mentioned, the interview is the most commonly used method currently but through the years, as business has modernised through the centuries, alternative methods of selection are becoming more prevalent. Methods such as psychometric testing and Biodata are increasingly being used in the workplace. The former involving personality and aptitude tests to general IQ and mental ability tests whereas Biodata is often collated by law enforcement agencies to assess suspect behaviour. The latter being used within companies is on the increase as they feel it gives more insight to the potential employee as a person compared to an interview situation. Some people are good at interviews and others aren’t so the interview environment isn’t always a true reflection of what the person is actually like. Other alternatives include peer assessment and work sample tests, which simply involves the potential employee to be put in a working environment to see how they would cope. These alternatives are new and many are still sceptical about their advantages as some as are not completely fallible so in order for them to work, they need to
References: http://www.hrmguide.co.uk/hrm/chap8/ch8-links2.htm#ch8-cv *1 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Job_interview *2