Selection

Microsoft is an organisation that I am familiar with. I can therefore identify three different selection methods that Microsoft use, when they are used and why, along with the pros and cons for each.

Three different selection methods that Microsoft use are:

• Interview
• Test
• Assessment Centre

When they are used:

• Interview - Interviews are used at Microsoft after the candidate's written applications have been assessed successfully. This is at the beginning of the selection process.
• Test - Tests are used at Microsoft after the candidates have been interviewed on camera by recruitment consultants. This is during the middle of the selection process.
• Assessment Centre - Assessment centres are used at Microsoft after the candidates have been interviewed on camera by the recruitment consultants successfully. This is at the end of the selection process.

Why they are used:

• Interview - Interviews are used at Microsoft because they give the employers a good idea of who the individual is and what skills they have. For example, interviews are useful in identifying a candidate's verbal fluency which may be important in the role that they are applying for at Microsoft e.g. a marketing position.
• Test - Tests are used at Microsoft because it shows the employers how effectively the candidates apply there knowledge and experience to tasks/activities that may be the same or similar to the one/s that they are applying for. Tests are therefore a good way of identifying candidates that have potential in the role/s that they have applied for.
• Assessment Centre - Assessment centres are used at Microsoft because they are standardised. This means that all the candidates involved have an equal opportunity to showcase why they think they are suitable for the role that they are applying for from a skills and abilities standpoint. This is a good way of directly comparing candidate's from the employers point of view.

Advantages of using these methods as selection tools:


- Interview:

• "Provide opportunities for interviewers t0 ask probing questions about the candidate's experience and to explore the extent to which the candidate's competences match those specified for the job" (Armstrong, 2003, p.442).
• Interview questions can be changed at any time. This can be useful to Interviewers if certain interviews go in a direction that wasn't expected or predicted.
• Interviews can be useful in identifying how skilled candidates are at communicating verbally. This may be useful for interviewers who are looking for good communication skills.

- Test:

• Test's are almost always reliable, particularly on-the-job tests. This is because many of the tasks / activities involved in the on-the-job tests are the same or similar to the actual tasks / activities in the jobs themselves.
• On-the-job tests identify the skills that candidates have in carrying out tasks that relate to the actual job that they are applying for. As a result, it is difficult for candidates to "fake" performing well because they are likely to be doing the same or similar tasks/activities in the job itself.
• Considering the relationship that on-the-job tests have with the job itself, "these tests are typically viewed more favourable by examinees than aptitude or personality tests" [Anon 1.] (2001).

- Assessment Centre:

• "The organisation is forced to develop a pre-defined and articulated set of measurable criteria that is related to job performance" [Anon 2.] [n.d.].
• Assessment centres are fair because a candidate's performance is measured using a set criteria. As a result, bias is avoided.
• Since assessment centres usually consist of practical work, candidates often enjoy themselves. This is a sharp contrast to other forms of selection e.g. interviews.

Disadvantages of using these methods as selection tools:


- Interview:

• Interviews are open to subjectivity (Marquis and Huston, 2009, p.344).
• Interviews can be time consuming if many candidates are selected for interviewing. In business, time is money which means interviews can be expensive.
• Interviewers often create stereotypes of what a good candidate is like e.g. a particular sex, race or age. This can lead to discrimination of certain groups.

- Test:

• On-the-job test's can be expensive to oversee and control. This is because in a lot of cases, candidate's are monitored individually.
• On-the-job test's usually take a short period of time to complete i.e. no longer than a day's worth of work. As a result, on-the-job test's aren't very useful in predicting job performance for tasks that take days, weeks, months or longer to finish.
• It's difficult to measure a candidate's aptitude with on-the-job test's as training may not be given to the candidate.

- Assessment Centre:

• Assessment centre's are very expensive for employers. "Typically, the assessment centre will cost at least $500 to $1000 per candidate" (LaRue, 1989). This may not even include staff costs.
• The assessor's and candidate's don't directly communicate with each other at assessment centre's. As a result, it may be difficult for the assessor's to assess the candidate's verbal and communication skills in general.
• Assessment centre's "can be perceived more as an assessment of your ability to 'act' or 'perform' to an audience than a true reflection of your abilities" [Anon 3.] [n.d.].

An interview that I have taken part in was for a placement at my secondary school's sixth form. Overall, I think the interview went well although it could have been better. For example, I don't think I gave enough eye contact to my interviewer which may have indicated from there point of view that what I was saying wasn't sincere. In addition, it may have given the impression that I wasn't very confident which is obviously an attribute that probably didn't reflect well on myself. Furthermore, I spoke quite calmy during the whole interview which may have made it seem like I wasn't enthusiastic about the interview or the prospect of joining the school's sixth form.

I interviewed my Mother and discussed with her whether she feels personality tests used within a selection procedure are advantageous. She believed that they are in fact advantageous. My Mother believed that they are advantageous because personality tests may help reduce the labour turnover rate as the employees in the work environment may all share the same or similar personalities provided that they are selected in this way. She stated that this would prove to be advantageous because it would mean that their would be more agreements and fewer conflicts in the workplace which may result in a more efficient and productive workforce, particularly in teamworking because their is decision making and interaction involved between different people. If they all share the same or similar personalities, they can avoid wasting time arguing over disagreemeents but instead collectively agree on decisions and work cohesively together, according to her.

In addition, she also felt that personality tests are advantageous because they may help bring to light information regarding the candidate's interests. She felt that this would be advantageous because the candidate's interests may be useful in the job that they are applying for if they relate in any signficiant way. For example, if a candidate's interest is going to the gym and keeping fit and the job that they are applying for is very physical, the candidate may prove to be suitable for the position that they are applying for and vice versa thanks to the personality test/s.

One recommendation that I would make to improve the selection process at Microsoft would be to use more selection processes. Despite the fact that Microsoft use interviews, tests and assessment centres as selection processes, I think they could use one or two more selection processes in order to make sure that they are selecting suitable candidates. For example, currently Microsoft don't use references for recruitment. I think that they should use references because employers may be able to consider employing someone that they know work well (as they may already work in the same company) which gives the employers a greater range of candidates to select from.

In addition, I also recommend that Microsoft should only use selection processes that are appropriate for selecting people for certain jobs. For example, if using an assessment centre for finding and selecting a Marketing executive isn't appropriate, then Microsoft shouldn't use an assessment centre for finding Marketing executives. I think that this is important because certain selection processes may be more useful in selecting for certain jobs than others. As a result, a selection process's usefulness may vary from job to job.

In conclusion, I have enjoyed this topic very much. This is because the topic relates to me once I finish University and apply for a job in the future. Learning about the different selection methods and their advantages/disadvantages I have found particularly interesting. This is also a topic that I'm not familiar with which therefore means that I've learnt quite a lot from this topic on selection.

References:


[Anon 1.] (2001) HR Guide to the Internet: Personnel Selection: Methods: Work Sample Tests[online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.hr-guide.com/data/G316.htm [Accessed 17 February 2010].


[Anon 2.] [n.d.] Assessment Centres [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.graduatecareers.com.au/content/view/full/1081 [Accessed 17 February 2010].


[Anon 3.] [n.d.] Assessment Centre [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://209.85.229.132/search?q=cache:5fR4YbJCbEMJ:www.braintree.gov.uk/NR/rdonlyres/30633AE4-AAE1-433D-9EB6-EF1DF952D8E0/0/AssessmentCentre.doc+disadvantages+of+assessment+centres&cd=2&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=uk [Accessed 19 February 2010].


Armstrong, M. (2003) A handbook of human resource management practise. 9th edition. London: Kogan Page Limited.

Cow image - Available from: http://www.miniaturedextercattle.com.au/images/services_01.jpg [Accessed 05 February 2010].


LaRue, J. (1989) Assessing the Assessment Centre. [online]. [s.n.] Available from: http://www.jlarue.com/assessment_center.html [Accessed 19 February 2010].


Marquis, B. Huston, C. (2009) Leadership Roles and Management Functions in Nursing: Theory and Application. 6th edition. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.