Selection: meaning, procedure and employment tests
Human Resource Management · Unit III · Topic 7 of 14 · 4 min read
On this page
Cases checked to exist. Read the judgment before quoting a holding.
Every case cited here has been checked to exist — the citation resolves and names the right parties. The propositions attributed to each case have not been verified line by line against the judgment. Case names link through to the full judgment: read it before quoting a holding in an examination answer, and never carry a proposition from notes into court on trust.
1. Meaning
Dale Yoder: selection is the process by which candidates for employment are divided into two classes — those who will be offered employment and those who will not. Stone: selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify (and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job.
Selection is a negative process because it eliminates most applicants. It matches the job specification with the candidate’s qualities. A wrong selection is costly: poor performance, training cost wasted, and the difficulty of removing a confirmed employee under labour law.
2. Recruitment and selection distinguished
| Basis | Recruitment | Selection |
|---|---|---|
| Meaning | Searching for candidates and inducing them to apply | Choosing the most suitable from those who applied |
| Nature | Positive | Negative |
| Sequence | Comes first | Follows recruitment |
| Aim | A large pool of applicants | The right person for the job |
| Method | Advertising, contacting sources | Tests, interviews, checks |
| Complexity | Relatively simple | Elaborate, several stages |
| Legal result | None: an advertisement is an invitation to offer | Ends in an offer which, when accepted, is a contract of employment |
3. The selection procedure
The steps are a series of hurdles; a candidate failing one is usually dropped. The order may vary, but the standard sequence is:
- Preliminary screening / reception — applications are scrutinised against minimum requirements (qualification, age, experience); clearly unsuitable applicants are rejected. A brief preliminary interview may be held.
- Application blank — a standard form recording personal details, education, experience, references. It gives comparable information on every candidate and a basis for the interview. A weighted application blank gives scores to items that predict success.
- Selection (employment) tests — section 4.
- Interview — the most widely used step (next note).
- Reference and background checks — former employers, educational certificates, police verification for sensitive posts.
- Selection decision — usually by the line manager under whom the candidate will work, on the advice of HR.
- Physical (medical) examination — fitness for the job, and a record against later compensation claims.
- Job offer — appointment letter stating post, pay, probation, date of joining and terms.
- Placement and induction (third note of this unit).
4. Employment tests
A test is a sample of behaviour taken under standard conditions to predict job performance. Cronbach: a test is a systematic procedure for comparing the behaviour of two or more persons.
Types of tests
| Test | Measures | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence tests | General mental ability: reasoning, memory, verbal and numerical ability | Reasoning and numerical sections of a bank entrance test |
| Aptitude tests | Potential to learn a skill | Mechanical, clerical or programming aptitude |
| Achievement (proficiency, trade) tests | Skill or knowledge already acquired | Typing speed; drafting a plaint for a law officer |
| Personality tests | Temperament, emotional stability, sociability, values | Questionnaires; projective tests such as the Thematic Apperception Test |
| Interest tests | Preferences for kinds of work | Strong and Kuder interest inventories |
| Situational tests | Behaviour in job-like situations | Group discussion, in-basket exercise, role play, leaderless group |
| Work sample / trade tests | Performance on actual tasks of the job | A machinist making a part |
| Medical and physical tests | Physical fitness, eyesight, strength | Pilots, police, drivers |
| Integrity and drug tests | Honesty, substance use | Cash-handling and safety-critical jobs |
Qualities of a good test
- Reliability — consistent results when repeated (test-retest).
- Validity — measures what it claims to measure and predicts job performance (predictive and content validity).
- Objectivity — scoring does not depend on who marks it.
- Standardisation — uniform conditions and norms.
- Job-relatedness — tests only what the job needs; a test that screens out a group without being job-related invites a charge of discrimination.
Limitations of tests
- They predict probabilities, not certainties; a high scorer may still fail on the job.
- Candidates can fake answers in personality and interest tests.
- Tests may be culturally biased against candidates from rural or vernacular backgrounds.
- They do not measure motivation and commitment well.
- Good tests are costly to design and validate.
5. Barriers to effective selection
- Perception — the selector’s own biases.
- Fairness — discrimination on caste, religion, gender, region.
- Validity — tests and interviews that do not predict performance.
- Reliability — inconsistent judgments between selectors.
- Pressure — from politicians, unions, senior officers to hire particular people.
How this is examined
“What do you mean by selection? Explain the process of selection” (January 2026 100-mark paper, Q.4; August 2024); “Explain in detail the different types of tests involved in selection process” (January 2026, 10 marks) and “Explain types of tests” (August 2024). Short notes: employment tests (June 2025), selection tests (January 2025), distinguish recruitment and selection (June 2025). For a ten-mark process answer, draw the hurdles as a vertical flow chart with a “rejected” arrow at each stage, then explain each step in two or three lines.
Now try the real questions: Human Resource Management past question papers.