The Selection Process - A Survival Guide

http://www.psychometrics.co.uk/

We've all een there! we've all "aced it.

#ou "ind yoursel" sittin$ in reception! so nervous you can hardly think strai$ht. #ou
have proaly taken a day o"" work and told your employer you were $oin$ to the
dentist. #ou may have een up at the crack o" dawn and travelled hundreds o" miles.
This interview is $oin$ to represent a ma%or event "or you and you're "eelin$ as thou$h
you don't have a "riend in the world. All thin$s considered! you could e "or$iven "or
"eelin$ pretty sorry "or yoursel".

Without dout the selection process is one o" the most stress"ul thin$s you will
e&perience! not least ecause a ma%or li"e chan$e is likely to depend on the outcome.
Within the selection process the interview is $iven $reat wei$ht y oth candidates and
employers alike and will o"ten "orm a central part o" the procedure. 'ut where does the
selection interview "it into the wider selection procedure and how can you ma&imise
your chances o" success when "aced with one(
'e"ore you can e$in your interview preparation you must have an understandin$ o"
why employers use interviews. )on$ e"ore you arrive "or interview the employer will
have decided what e&actly they want per"ormance at interview to predict! usually %o
per"ormance. Then they will have carried out a thorou$h analysis o" the %o in *uestion
to identi"y the key tasks involved in it and identi"ied the personal attriutes candidates
will need in order to per"orm them. The "inal sta$e in the process is to assess those
attriutes in the candidates which usually involves interviews ut can also include
psychometric tests! assessment centres and other methods.

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/n $ood selection practice each o" the tools used are validated y lookin$ at how %o
related they are i.e. how well they predict suse*uent %o per"ormance. The %o
relatedness o" the traditional selection interview which typically "ollowed no particular
pattern and involved each party su%ectively tailorin$ their responses to those o" the
other is $enerally re$arded as low.
This was ecause di""erent interviewers o"ten rated the same in"ormation di""erently and
"eatures that were irrelevant to the personal attriutes re*uired "or the %o such as a$e!
race! appearance! se&! e&perience o" interviews and the %o market situation introduced
ias into how interviewers evaluated in"ormation. Some researchers have "ound that
application "orms were used to "orm hypotheses which the interviewer would then use
the interview to con"irm. /t was also commonly known that in some cases interviewers
made up their minds aout an applicant only "our minutes into an interview.

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Given all o" these prolems! plus the "act that there are numerous other methods o"
assessin$ personal characteristics in candidates one mi$ht wonder why use an interview
at all(
5ortunately! in recent years the concept o" the Structured /nterview has een developed.
/n a structured interview *uestions are developed throu$h %o analysis! every candidate
is asked each o" the *uestions 6or a standardised version o" each7! and responses are
rated usin$ an o%ective! ehaviourally ased scorin$ system.
/t is not surprisin$ that y removin$ the su%ectivity "rom the interview! standardisin$
the procedure and introducin$ a direct link etween the interview content and %o
success we "ind that structured interviews have hi$h de$ree o" %o relatedness. Some
structured interviews are so o%ective that they are almost work sample tests ecause
they involve simply askin$ candidates how they would ehave in certain situations
which are conceptually very close to havin$ them actually per"orm the task. The
drawack with structured interviews is that they remove "rom the interview situation
those interpersonal aspects which are o"ten valued y interviewers and interviewees
alike. 8ost or$anisations nowadays use structured interviews and one "inds that the
interview may e used y or$anisations to en$a$e in $ood pulic relations! to answer
candidates9 *uestions! to provide an opportunity to add to or clari"y missin$ in"ormation
aout the candidate or to ne$otiate terms o" employment.

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2ery o"ten the interview will e the "irst contact you will have with the or$anisation
a"ter applyin$ "or a %o. The interview is $enerally used as part o" a attery o" measures
and i" all $oes well and i" oth you and the or$anisation decide to proceed to the ne&t
sta$e there are a numer o" more ri$orously structured and detailed "orms o" assessment
which you may e asked to under$o.
Psychometric tests are ecomin$ more and more widely used: they are standardised
methods o" elicitin$ a sample o" responses "rom a candidate which can e used to assess
various psycholo$ical characteristics y comparin$ them with a sample o" the results
otained y a comparale $roup o" people.
Tests can e classi"ied under "our headin$s: manual aility! mental aility! personality
and interests! and motivation. 8anual aility tests are not commonly used in
mana$ement selection. 8ental aility tests can measure $eneral aility and are
"re*uently composed o" a attery o" su scales measurin$ such speci"ic ailities as
veral reasonin$! numerical aility! astract reasonin$ and mechanical reasonin$. The
use o" personality tests in selection is more contentious! however i" used correctly y
suitaly *uali"ied individuals trained in administration and interpretation they can play a
valuale role in identi"yin$ pre"erred ways or dealin$ with the world. Tests o" interests
re"lect the "act that tasks o"ten have their own intrinsic motivation and a person who
"inds the work interestin$ will e happier and more productive. Tests o" motivation are
used to determine which situations increase and decrease individual motivation and may
measures thin$s like a need "or power! a""iliation or achievement. Generally tests o"
interest and motivation are little used in selection.
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Well desi$ned tests assess those characteristics re*uired o" a candidate to do the %o.
Sometimes a test may actually ask you to demonstrate ehaviour which is di""erent to
the ultimate %o ehaviour! "or instance you may e asked to sit an intelli$ence test
rather than a test o" your skills as a mana$er. 0ne approach identi"ies a representative
sample o" work ehaviour and oserves the applicant carryin$ it out in conditions which
are as near to the work environment as possile. These are known as Work Sample Tests
and you are likely to come across one o" three types.
5irstly! there are those which are concerned with %o related in"ormation where the
amount o" knowled$e you have relevant to a particular %o is assessed! strictly speakin$
this is not a work sample test rather it is a test o" achievement or attainment.
Pro"essional e&aminations are attainment tests.

Secondly there are those concerned with individual situational decision makin$ where
you are asked to take decisions similar to those taken in the %o. These can include in-
tray e&ercises which sample the contents o" an e&istin$ employee's in-tray 6memos!
letters! reports etc.7 which you have to deal with within a set time period. /n-tray
e&ercises are o"ten used to assess plannin$ and or$anisin$ skills! decision makin$!
communication! and "inancial or prolem solvin$ skills.

5inally! there are those concerned with $roup discussions/decision makin$ where your
per"ormance in a $roup settin$ is evaluated! these are used "or positions where team
work is important and are used more "or mana$erial %os than anythin$ else. Popular
"orms include the leaderless $roup discussion! or the leader led $roup discussion where
candidates are appointed in turn to act as leader durin$ prolem solvin$ e&ercises 6this
is commonly used in o""icer selection in the armed "orces7. Almost always selectors will
e lookin$ "or teamwork rather than leadership skills. -ememer that selectors are
impressed y people who can $enerate ideas and encoura$e others to do the same or
persuade the $roup to adopt theirs. Always try to encoura$e everyody to participate
and never try to ho$ the limeli$ht.
/t is o"ten the case that you may not have een trained in the %o in *uestion in which
case a trainaility test may e used to assess your suitaility to under$o a trainin$
course. This will typically incorporate a structured and controlled learnin$ period and
may well e&amine how you per"orm the task as well as the outcome.
The est advice that can e $iven concernin$ psychometric tests is to answer *uestions
honestly - some psychometric tools are desi$ned to detect an inconsistent style o"
answerin$ and i" you are o""ered a %o on the asis o" your per"ormance on a test in
which you have een less than truth"ul then it is unlikely that you and the %o will suit
each other.

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Preparation
'e"ore arrivin$ "or the interview you will already have done a numer o" thin$s
desi$ned to minimise the amount o" work you will have to do durin$ the interview 6you
should really have done them e"ore even applyin$ "or the %o7. 5irstly! you will have
carried out thorou$h research into the or$anisation! this is essential and most
interviewers at some time durin$ the interview will ask <What do you know aout us(9
and o"ten it is one o" the "irst thin$s they ask. .on't "all over yoursel" in an attempt to
demonstrate your knowled$e! use it sparin$ly and only when appropriate to demonstrate
that you know enou$h aout the or$anisation! its structure! its history and where it is
$oin$! to e ale to make a well in"ormed decision aout whether or not you want to
work there. Always make sure that you are aware o" what is happenin$ in the world at
lar$e. /t is a $ood idea to read a *uality newspaper every day in the weeks leadin$ up to
the interview ecause interviewers o"ten wish to know how well in"ormed you are on a
wide ran$e o" issues - you may e applyin$ "or the %o o" mana$ement accountant ut
don't e surprised y *uestions aout the privatisation o" 'ritish -ail or 'S, in cows.
#ou will also have kept a copy o" your application as well as in"ormation aout the %o
itsel" and you will have $one throu$h this in your own mind listin$ the ways that your
e&perience and *uali"ications relate to the characteristics listed in the person
speci"ication.
Arrival
8ake sure you arrive at the interview in plenty o" time 6somethin$ which always needs
a $ood deal o" plannin$7 and even i" the or$anisation is lieral in its dress code always
dress smartly - this will demonstrate that you have made an e""ort and are takin$ the
interview seriously. .espite the "act that the interviewers are likely to use a structured
interview and will re"rain "rom makin$ %ud$ements ased on "irst impressions you
should still present yoursel" to them in a "riendly and rela&ed manner which may well
serve to rela& them as well! rare indeed is the interviewer who is not a""ected y nerves
at some point.

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/t is not uncommon "or candidates to view the interview as the selection procedure ut
rememer that many more applicants are likely to have een re%ected at the application
sta$e. #ou should con$ratulate yoursel" ecause the very "act that you have een invited
to interview means that the or$anisation re$ards you as potentially suitale employee
and will want to look "or evidence to support this.
When the interview starts the interviewers will e aware that their or$anisation is on
show and will e tryin$ to $ive you a $ood impression o" them ut don't let this lull you
into a "alse sense o" security - they will e oservin$ you very care"ully so always e
polite! sit up strai$ht in your chair and maintain $ood eye contact particularly when
listenin$ to or respondin$ to *uestions. #ou should also e aware o" the interviewers9
non veral ehaviour and do not e a"raid to ask i" you "eel that they have
misunderstood a point! interviewers want a true picture o" you and will $enerally
appreciate you clari"yin$ somethin$ when it is unclear.
An employer is primarily concerned with whether you can do the %o or can e trained
to! whether you are motivated enou$h to stay with the %o and the or$anisation! and
whether you will you "it into the e&istin$ work"orce. Their *uestions will e desi$ned to
elicit this in"ormation "rom you. Sometimes they will use the application "orm as a
"ramework "or the interview 6which is why you should e "amiliar with what you have
written7 or sometimes they will use a structure o" their own. Always think care"ully
e"ore answerin$ *uestions - i" you have done your preparation well then you may well
have little di""iculty in makin$ your responses ut you should still show that you are
$ivin$ care"ul thou$ht to what you are ein$ asked.
/nterviewers are likely to e interested in situations where you took the initiative!
worked as part o" a team! used communication skills! had to in"luence others! motivated
yoursel" or others! marshalled your resources e""ectively to achieve results! desi$ned
and e&ecuted some "orm o" plan! adapted to chan$e! made a decision or solved a
prolem. 'e"ore you $o into the interview you should have at least two e&amples o"
where you did each o" these thin$s in your li"e! as always ack up what you say with
evidence - <When / was workin$ on a pro%ect last year with some collea$ues / learned
the importance o" communicatin$ *uickly and e""ectively and really developed my
skills in doin$ so9 is much etter than - </ have $ood communication skills9.
A common techni*ue interviewer9s use is to ask you to e&plain why you took certain
decisions in your li"e. The rationale ehind this is that your li"e decisions are in "act a
post mortem view o" your development. The critical incidents the interviewers will e
concerned with are those which you have told them aout in your application and they
will want to know why you made decisions in the way you did so make sure you do
know and can clearly e&press the reasons why. 4ommon *uestions can include:

Why did you choose this 3niversity(
Why did you choose this de$ree su%ect(
Why do you want this career(
Why do you want to work "or us(
/nterviewers will look "or inconsistencies in your choices - "or instance why you want to
do a %o di""erent to the one "or which you are est *uali"ied! or why you "ailed to
achieve certain thin$s and had to re-ad%ust as a conse*uence e.$. chan$in$ a course
su%ect hal" way throu$h a semester. When you answer these *uestions don't %ust $ive
your reasons ut also the conse*uences o" the decisions you took and what you $ained
as a result. 5or instance <#es! the 3niversity / chose was a lon$ way "rom home ut /
decided that / wanted to e completely independent and over the last "our years / do
elieve that / have matured and developed my li"e skills as a result. / am happy that /
made the ri$ht decision9. /" you have made a poor decision then don't try to hide the
"act ut emphasise what you learned "rom it - this can o"ten do you more credit than
reelin$ o"" a list o" $ood decisions.

'e"ore you enter the selection process you should decide on some clear $oals and render
them e&plicit. /" you set yoursel" o%ectives you will e ale to $au$e your own success
or "ailure and you will e ale to identi"y a "ocal point "or the or$anisation o" your
resources. The "act that you have o%ectives will demonstrate to a potential employer
that you know where you are $oin$! you have a coherent plan to $et there and are
motivated to succeed. .o not e a"raid to admit to havin$ applied to other or$anisations
that may e in competition with the one interviewin$ you - it displays motivation! a
clear plan! commitment to a course o" action and most o" all honesty. 'e prepared to
discuss your o%ectives in short! medium and lon$ ran$e terms. Short term $oals 6=
months or less7 may include: $ettin$ the %o and completin$ the trainin$ or orientation
period: a medium term $oal 6up to two years7 mi$ht e to put your trainin$ into practice!
learn how the or$anisation works! consolidate you knowled$e and continue your
development: a lon$ term $oal 6up to "ive years and o"ten more7 mi$ht include
promotion or specialisation.
When you are asked an open *uestion 6one that does not re*uire a simple yes or no
answer7 rememer that ecause you are the main source o" in"ormation the interviewer
has you should make your answer reasonaly detailed. /" you do not provide the
interviewer with the in"ormation they re*uire then they will continue to *uestion you
until you do. #ou can avoid this prolem y "irst $ivin$ a $eneral response and then
%usti"yin$ or elaoratin$ on it as necessary. .o not e a"raid to volunteer as much
in"ormation as you think necessary to answer the *uestion ecause i" you consistently
provide too little in"ormation then the interviewer may think that you are either unsure
o" the answer or unsure o" yoursel". A $ood practice techni*ue is to role-play an
interview with a "riend 6or etter still not a "riend>7! i" the thou$ht o" doin$ this makes
you "eel uncom"ortale think o" how uncom"ortale you will "eel in an interview when
you are stru$$lin$ to e&plain why you want the %o.
Try to plan "or every eventuality - the interview is not the place to "ind out that you
don't know what you have to o""er the or$anisation or that you don't really know what
you want to do with your li"e.
0ther common *uestions include:
Where do you see yoursel" in "ive years time(
#ou must at all costs avoid not havin$ an answer to this one or havin$ an answer that is
inconsistent with the or$anisation9s own $oals. The answer may well e / haven't a clue
ut you should demonstrate that you have some ideas aout the issues that are involved
and have considered them care"ully. This is to do with your personal o%ectives ut you
should discuss your answer in terms o" the or$anisation9s own $oals e.$. <With the
trainin$ / would receive / would hope to e a success"ul 8ana$ement Accountant
lookin$ "or my "irst mana$erial position9 and a use"ul way in mi$ht e </n order to place
where / see mysel" in "ive years time into conte&t / would "irst rie"ly like to descrie
my short and medium term o%ectives9. This shows that you want to develop personally
and pro"essionally! that you want to tie your $oals and your success to those o" the
or$anisation and that you see the %o as means o" doin$ that. 3nder no circumstances
should you $ive the impression that you view the %o as ein$ %ust a short term "i& until
you "ind somethin$ etter.

What are your stren$ths(
#ou should prepare these e"orehand! $ive no more than three and always ack them up
with evidence and relate them to how they can satis"y the or$anisation9s needs. e.$. </
en%oy workin$ as part o" a team that was why / took up hockey at 3niversity. / did have
to work very hard to rin$ mysel" up to standards o" the other players ut once / did we
worked really well to$ether. The e&perience o" ein$ the most %unior memer o" the
team stood me in $ood stead in my "inal year when / took on some responsiility "or
coachin$ "reshers ecause / could rememer how / "elt when / "irst started.9
What are your weaknesses(
1ever try to underplay your answer to this *uestion. 8any or$anisations are now
stressin$ the role o" the individual in their own development and they want to see that
you can realistically appraise your own development needs. 0"ten what you do aout
your weaknesses is more important than what they actually are. .o not $ive standard
answers such as <Sometimes / work too much at the e&pense o" my social li"e9 which is
an old chestnut that interviewers are tired o" hearin$. /nstead tell the truth! ut stress
why you think it is a weakness! what steps you have taken to overcome it and what you
are learnin$ in the process e.$. <When / am workin$ in a $roup / sometimes try to do
everythin$ mysel" which $ives the impression that / don't trust the other team memers
which isn't true - it is %ust ecause / want to help. When / was workin$ on a %oint pro%ect
last year / worked hard on developin$ my communication skills so that / didn't try to
help unless it was needed and everythin$ ran much more smoothly9. An interviewer may
sometimes remain silent so don't talk yoursel" out o" a %o! and $ive no more than two
or at the most three weaknesses.
At the conclusion o" the interview you will almost certainly e asked i" you have any
*uestions. #ou should have some ut it is a $ood idea to have asked *uestions as the
interview has $one alon$ "irstly ecause the interview is meant to e an interaction ut
also ecause it shows you are interested and are payin$ attention! althou$h you must
avoid makin$ the interviewer "eel that you are interviewin$ them. .o keep a "ew salient
*uestions until the end! make them relevant and link them to your research e.$. don't say
<would / $et a chance to work in ,urope(9 instead say </ read that you are e&pandin$
into 1orthern ,urope! /'ve always een interested in workin$ in ,urope later in my
career! what would e the chances o" me havin$ an opportunity to do so(9. 0ne *uestion
you should always ask is <What will happen ne&t(9
The 4areer .evelopment -eport is our online personality *uestionnaire. /t will enale
you to $ain insi$hts into your own stren$ths and weaknesses and help you in Selection
,vents.