Recruitment and selection

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  Cover letter (introduces an applicant to potential employers and explains his (her) suitability for a certain position);
  
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  CV - content, formal level, the applicant's motivation, respectively other information (such as frequent job changes, successes and failures, etc.) are assessed;
  
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  Questionnaire – it is used to find out basic information about applicants, sometimes it replaces CV;
  
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  Certificate about qualification – it is used to demonstrate professional competence and achieved level of education;
  
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  References from the previous places of work – a bias is possible;
  
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  Medical reports;
  
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  Copies of graduation documents (diploma, certificates), certificates;
  
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  A list of publishing activities
  

demands.

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  Tests - their use should be carefully considered. Tests should be carried out by experts.
  

- psychological tests;

- intelligence tests;

- tests of skills;

- knowledge and skill tests - tests to verify a professional qualification for a certain profession (e.g. economic knowledge, knowledge of foreign language, work with PC, etc.);

- mental ability tests - tests to detect specific psychological assumptions

- physical ability tests - tests to detect the physical assumptions;

- special tests - for instance graphological test, testing behaviour in simulated situations, other tests, e.g. lie detector, tests of drug or smoking addiction etc.

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  Group work: the essence of this method is the team work of job candidates on a certain task or common problem solution (e.g. solution of sales problems, in this case a meeting style, originality, creativity, dominance, etc. is evaluated). It is used mostly in the senior managers’ selection.
  
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  Assessment centre: it is a special centre where the program for diagnosis, evaluation and staff training is applied.
  
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  Tender - for example, in selecting for more demanding functions of managers and specialists.
  

Prepare a current position description for the vacant position or verify that the existing position description is current.

The job interview is one of the most commonly used selecting methods. Personnel managers usually attach big importance to it. The main aim of the interview is the personal knowledge of applicants.

Advantages - direct contact, exchange of information, the choice of questions due to a current situation, etc.

Disadvantages - managers can be under the first impression, the inability to listen to

the information, prejudices.
Purpose of the Interview
The interview is the most critical component of the entire selection process. It serves as the primary means to collect additional information on an applicant. It serves as the basis in assessing an applicant's job-related knowledge, skills, and abilities. It is designed to decide if an individual should be interviewed further, hired, or eliminated from consideration.

An agency uses the interview not only to select new employees and determine a fit, but also to sell the agency and themselves to applicants and to create favourable public relations with potential customers. Applicants use the interview to market themselves and determine which offers to accept and reject.

There are basically four styles of interviews: situational, personality profile, stress, behavioural. Any style, by itself, is not perfectly effective. Yet, each has something to offer. A wise approach would be to combine all of them to produce a comprehensive and effective interview.

Allow for breaks between interviews to document the interview, refresh your mind and body, and briefly review the next applicant's application and/or resume.

There are a number of steps to follow in determining what requirements are necessary for successful performance and developing legal interview questions:

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   Analyze the job to identify required performance factors (technical knowledge, skills, etc.) needed for successful job performance. Examine the job's specific characteristics such as working conditions, major duties and responsibilities, expected outcomes, etc.
   
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   For each performance factor requirement, develop questions designed to elicit information on an applicant's past accomplishments, activities, and job performance. Whenever possible, questions should focus on what the applicant has done, rather than what the applicant would or should do. Questions should be designed to help establish applicants' qualifications for the job and capabilities to do the work.
   
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   Develop questions that explore applicants' willingness to complete assigned responsibilities.
   
4. 
   Prepare a list of things to look for in the applicants' responses: desired work behaviours or attributes, types of experience, achievements, or demonstrations of specific skills.
   
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   Design a rating form that all interviewers use to record applicant responses and summarize observations and impressions.
   

Skill, education, and experience are the primary factors used to evaluate an applicant. Equally important is the individual's working behaviour, i.e. working independently versus working in a group, working independently versus working under close supervision, etc. To evaluate working behaviour, ask questions that focus in on likes or dislikes of previous jobs. You may also ask references for information on applicants' working behaviours.

The success of an interview depends heavily on the interviewers' listening and using the right type of questioning at the appropriate time. The interviewer should listen for the majority of the interview, while maintaining control of the interview so the applicant doesn't take it over. A general standard is the 80/20 rule - the interviewer should listen at least 80 percent of the time and talk only 20 percent of the time.

Questions at the beginning should be ones that can be easily answered and help the applicant to relax. Good questions to serve that purpose pertain to an applicant's previous education and work experience. Then move to progressively more thought-provoking questions. To get the applicant to talk so the interviewer can listen, the following two types of questions are recommended:
- Open-ended (or Neutral) Questions:

This type of question is the most effective. Open-ended questions seek a direct response from the applicant-not "yes" or "no". It enables the applicant to do the talking while the interviewer listens for information, observes behavior, and formulates follow-up or probing questions. Open-ended questions generally ask who, what, when, where, why, and how. Some examples: "Tell me about . . .", "How did you . . .", "What . . .".

An effective open-ended question that could start discussion of work experience, for example, is: "Describe your activities during a typical day at your present (or previous) job." This question alone may provide enough information to answer subsequent questions you had planned. More importantly, it triggers further questions: "You said you handle customer complaints. What do you do when a customer is not satisfied with the answer you have given?" "How would you handle several demanding customers at the same time?" If applicants do not have work experience, ask questions about hypothetical situations that are likely to occur on the job.
- Probing Questions:

Probing questions are used to clarify facts and attitudes and delve more deeply for information. Examples are: "Why?", "What caused that?", "What did you mean when you said . . .", "You said . . . Tell me more about that.".

Repeat the last few words of an applicant's statement and let your voice trail off as if to ask a question. This encourages the applicant to respond to the "question", to clarify certain points, which may add valuable information.

This technique works especially well after there has been an exchange of information for a few minutes. Use about three or four statements to summarize what was just said.

When the applicant stops talking and you want him or her to continue, pause and silently count to five before speaking. The silence clearly conveys the message that more information is wanted and compels the applicant to go on.

Close-ended questions are used for cross-checking of facts and attitudes. They usually yield "yes" and "no" responses or offer multiple choice answers. Therefore, this type of questioning should be limited. Too many close-ended questions will give the interview the appearance of an inquisition and will provide little useful information for determining an applicant's suitability for a position.