Personnel selection: 10 keys to success

Human capital is, without a doubt, the great engine of the company. Personnel selection processes are key for an organization to be successful or not. Choosing the appropriate candidates to fill the different positions of the company will be decisive for the good performance of the workers and the performance of the company. Choosing the wrong way is also a great expense.

Some consequences of a poor recruitment process are as follows:

• Dissatisfaction of workers and poor performance of these.
• Adaptation and integration problems.
• Increased turnover.
• Higher cost in training and new selection processes.
• Losses for the company and worse results.
• Bad work climate.

Keys to a successful selection process

To avoid these negative consequences, it is possible to follow a series of steps for the personnel selection process to be effective. We see them in the following lines.

1. Detect the needs

The first step to success in the recruitment process is define well the job to be filled. This basic task, which may seem like common sense to HR experts, may not be so common to those individuals who have not received training in this field. Oddly enough, there are still people who use the classic interview system, so there is no analyze in detail the needs of the position, nor do they thoroughly prepare the selection process personal.

The first step, therefore, is to know in depth the tasks that are carried out in the job and the skills that an individual who wants to work in that position needs. It will be necessary to collect key information, such as the purpose of the workplace, the functions performed there, the required requirements and those competencies and skills that a worker must possess to be able to offer a good return when occupying that job.

Knowing the job position can be done a few weeks before the interview or, ideally, when developing a catalog of the organization's competencies in which all jobs are well defined and saved for possible future selection processes. The job description is key to being able to assess the competencies of the candidates in the interview and to know what to ask them to extract as much useful information as possible.

• You may be interested: "Useful psychological keys to improve business leadership"

2. Plan it

Another key to being successful in a recruitment process is good planning. Some companies have a comprehensive human resources plan in place, which takes into account the processes of selection, training, remuneration, etc., and that greatly facilitates the management of personnel to all levels. This makes it easier to detect needs and be able to plan an improvement, for example, in training of some employees. When this is not the case, it is necessary to plan the selection process to know how it is going to be carried out. Of course, always after having assessed the needs.

3. Take into account the needs of the organization

A recruitment process takes into account three key elements. On the one hand, the job position, which, as I have said, needs to be well defined. A second key element is the worker, since the skills that he or she possesses must match the requirements of the position.

But the third element, and no less important, is the organization, since each company is different and has its values, its work environment and its way of working. Workers must not only fit the job, but also the organization and its culture. Knowing the company in depth is also key to being able to evaluate the candidates who aspire to a job within it.

4. Evaluate competencies

What differentiates the classical selection processes from the modern ones is the concept of competence, which arose from the need to assess not only the set of the knowledge, abilities and skills that an individual possesses, but also their ability to use their abilities to respond to specific situations and solve problems that may arise in the Laboral scene. The competencies also take into account the attitudinal and evaluative component that is present in the actions of the workers.

This concept includes four different dimensions:

• Knowing how to be: it is the personal element. They are the attitudes and values ​​that guide the behavior of an individual.
• Know: it is the technical element. The studies or knowledge that the person possesses.
• Knowing how to do: it is the methodological element or the ability to apply knowledge: it is the ways of acting, the abilities, skills ...
• Knowing how to be: it is the participatory element and the capacity for interpersonal communication and teamwork.

The competences help us to evaluate if the person fits in the position and also in the organization.

• Related article: "How to face an interview based on skills: 4 keys to getting the job”

5. Detect the talent of your own company

Sometimes it is not necessary to look for talent outside because what we have in the company is good. Think of an employee who has been in the organization for 10 years and knows better than anyone how the company works. Perhaps you are prepared to perform better in another position, or it is possible to train you to work in another job where you can be even more useful to the company. Detecting talent is key to being able to carry out internal promotion. The company wins and so does the worker, because they feel valued.

• Related article: "10 keys to detect and retain talent in your company"

6. Dive into the digital world and look for passive candidates

Traditional recruitment methods are generally based on what is known as active candidate, as the company expects the CVs of the person interested in the post. The classic method is to put an offer, for example, in a job search website, where the same candidates are concerned with sending the CV to the company.

Instead, with the emergence of the 2.0 world, a new way of recruiting has appeared, and is the search for passive candidates by the headhunters, something that works very well for certain positions, for example, high positions. The passive candidate, normally, does not have the need to change jobs, but it is a talent that is usually highly valued.

7. Use the necessary tests and questionnaires

The most efficient recruitment processes include different tests and questionnaires to select the ideal candidates for the job positions they offer. The job interview can be a good tool to get to know the applicant, but relying solely on this method may not be entirely reliable.

That is why it is possible to use different tests (for example, role-playing games) or psychotechnical tests to determine the professional aptitude of the candidates, to know their personality and to evaluate their motivation.

• You can know the different tests that exist in this article: "Types of personnel selection tests and questionnaires”

8 Prepare the interview

As I have said, know the needs of the position, plan the selection process, and use the competencies method is essential to be able to get the most out of the interview of job. Know exactly what skills we need It will allow us to recognize and measure them in each candidate we interview, and for this we must plan an interview that is adapted to each case. In addition, this will allow us to compare the different applicants for the position and draw more reliable conclusions.

9. Pay attention to onboarding

The selection process does not end with the selection of the candidate and the hiring of the Incorporation to the job should also be an aspect to take into account to achieve success in this homework. Getting him to know the company in depth and to be properly integrated with colleagues and the culture of the organization is necessary for that candidate to feel comfortable and perform duties to the best of your ability.

10. Follow up

Monitoring is also key in the selection process, and evaluating the candidate in the short and medium term, through satisfaction surveys or performance appraisals, it is essential to know if the choice we have made has been correct.