After creating a pool of applicants for a job, it is important to decide which applicants are to be considered further and finally hired for the job. This decision of further consideration and picking the best ones is done through selection. Selection is the systematic process to decide which applicants to hire. It is the process of hiring right for the right job at right time. It can also be said as the process of choosing a best-fit person for a current or future job from internal and external recruitment sources.

In other words, the selection is about making the choice of the most competent applicants and predicting the job on offer will be best performed by them. It is a decision process through which applicants with the best knowledge, skills and abilities to do the job effectively and efficiently are chosen. It involves decision-making on which new employees to hire, which employee should be promoted for a higher level of job and which employee should be moved to other jobs with no promotion. The selection process consists of the following key activities:

1. Review of applications and resumes to determine which ones best match the requirements of the job and the organization
2. Identify and implement appropriate methods to access the degree of fit among job requirements, qualification of the applicants and the organizational culture
3. Make the decision of which applicant is most qualified for the job and offering of the job

Key Definitions:

Defined By	Definition
Decenzo and Robbins	“The primary purpose of selection activity is to predict which job applicant will be successful if hired”
Mathis and Jackson	“Selection is the process of choosing individuals who have a relevant qualification to fit the job in an organization”
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”

From the above discussion and definitions:

• Selection is the decision making process regarding choice of best bit employee  for a job from created pool.
• It is all about who to hire and who not to.
• It is ensuring right person for the right job at the right time with right quantity and quality of resources.

Importance of Selection

Selection is the process of choosing a few from many applicants. Since the number of rejected candidates is more than those who are selected. Hence, it can be said as a negative process. But its contribution to any organization is vital too. In this context, the importance of selection can be stated as under:

1. Good Human Resource: A candidate coming from a tough selection process has sufficient confidence, competence and talent required for a job. Such a candidate is behaviourally correct and medically fine. All this makes him/her a good human resource for the organization.
2. Right Person at Right Job: It is important to have the right person for the right job. Selection ensures the right person is chosen for the right job. This can be assured through proper screening, right selection test, clear and specific interview, necessary medical test and checking the reliability of reference. All this is done to make sure the most suitable and deserving person gets the fittest job for him/her.
3. Improves Organizational Efficiency: Selection aims to choose the right person for the right job. If the right person is selected for the right job, the person’s commitment to a job will be high and perform the job happily, No time and effort goes idle in such a situation. The person is sure to work efficiently contributing to the overall efficiency of the organization.
4. Increases Profitability: The selection process makes a choice of the most suitable candidate for a job. This improves the quality of the job done. The efficiency and effectiveness of the job also increase. The working environment becomes better with no resources and time wastage. This finally contributes to the increase in profitability of the organization.
5. Growth in Goodwill: Selection guarantees the right and most suitable person to perform a job. This makes the internal working environment better. Such an excellent working environment urges candidates to work productively and efficiently. This increases the profitability of the organization. All these results in positivity towards the organization. Ultimately, the goodwill of the organization increases. All this is due to a good selection process.
6. Supports HR Development: Selection chooses a competent, qualified and skillful person for a job. An organization can plan for human resource development with such capable more effectively. Fairly selected competent candidates are easy to groom and develop with advanced skills and organizational culture. Hence, selection supports HR development in an organization. 

The Selection Process

Selection is the process of choosing the right candidate for a job from among the recruited pool of applicants. It is a systematic process. The steps involved in the selection process has been explained below:

Step 1:  Preliminary Screening

This is the first step in selection. All the initial screening is done in this step. All the unqualified, ineligible and not desirable applications are screened out. This is mostly done by lower-level executives by checking the forms filled and documents submitted for the job. Preliminary screening helps to save time and effort of the main screening panel or HR team of the organization.

Step 2: Screening of Applications

This is the main screening of applications. The job offering organization provides a paper form or downloadable online form or online application portal to the applicants. The applicant fills in all the details asked in the form including personal details, academic details, experience and training details etc. Such forms are presented to the main screening team which verifies the application details, documents submitted and verification of payment of application fee. After such verification and checking, the right candidates are called for the selection test.

Step 3: The Selection Test

After screening of applications and finding suitable candidates, the selection is conducted. Selection tests help in determining the level of knowledge, skills and abilities of candidates required to perform a job. This is the way of further short listing of candidates. This can be conducted online or offline. There are different kinds of selection tests such as aptitude tests, achievement tests, psychological tests, mechanical tests etc. Those candidates passing such tests are called for the next step of the selection process.

Step 4: Selection Interview

Those candidates proving successful in selection tests are called for a selection interview. An interview panel or an individual interviewer sits and asks a number of questions to the candidate through personal interaction. It is generally face-to-face interaction between the interviewer and the candidate. But recent pandemic of COVID-19 has forced most interviews to be conducted online instead of face-to-face interaction in physical presence. A selection interview is conducted to check the knowledge, interpersonal skills, understanding of the job, confidence level and personal behavior of the candidate. Those candidates who succeed in interviews are recommended for appointment.

Step 5: Reference Check

In this step, the references given by recommended candidates are checked. The person mentioned in reference is contacted either through call or e-mail. These persons are asked about the candidate’s personal and professional skills, knowledge and abilities. Organizations can cross-check the detail provided by the candidate in an application and at the time of interview while interacting with the referred person. This is knowing more about the candidate from someone who knows the candidate priorly at an either personal or professional level.

Step 6: Medical Test

After interviewing and reference checking of candidates, a medical test of the candidate is taken. Since every job requires a certain level of fitness, the candidate must be fit in medical terms. The candidate has to submit a medical report ensuring they are fit for the job. Such a report should be prepared by any registered or company-listed doctors or hospitals. Such test is more demanding in jobs like police, army, fire fighting etc. In case of temporary or minor health issues, companies can ask candidates to join the job after it is fully diagnosed. But this can happen in very few circumstances.

Step 7: Job Offer

After being fully assured about the candidates’ personal qualities, qualifications, referral view and a medical test, the job is finally offered to the candidate. This is done through a job offer letter mentioning the joining date, salary package, brief job description, orientation training etc. The candidate joins the job as per it. Finally, after his joining, a more detailed appointment letter is given.

Selection Tests

An applicant should go through different tests before being finally selected for a job. Such tests could be different for different nature of the job. Following are the key types of selection tests available:

1.Aptitude Test

The potential that an individual has for learning is regarded as aptitude. An aptitude test means measuring an applicant’s capacity and his/her potential for development. Aptitude tests are the most promising indices for predicting a worker’s success. This includes the following tests :

1. Mental or Intelligence Test: Everything about the human mind cannot be detected and measured. But the mental status at the time of responding to the questions and good presence of mind for any given situation can be looked after. Similarly, the intelligence level regarding various knowledge and its outcome in behavior can be observed.
2.  Mechanical Aptitude Test: It is concerned with skills and abilities to use machines and tools. This test thus measures the skill and proficiency level to use different machines and mechanical devices.
3. Psychomotor Test: This test is done to measure the individual’s psychology. It measures dexterity, manipulative ability, motor ability, hand-eye coordination and allied sensory and muscular ability.

2.Achievement Test

This test is also called a proficiency test. The skill already acquired by the candidate either through his/her education or experience can be judged through these tests. Such skills are key in performing the job. An achievement test takes a sample of an individual’s behavior which is designed as a replica of the actual aptitude test. Achievement tests can be of the following types;

1. Test for Measuring Job Knowledge: The test for measuring job knowledge can be both written or oral. It helps to identify the knowledge about the actual job performance.
2. Work Sample Test: In the work sample test, the candidate is given a certain task to complete to see whether he/she can do it or not. The errors made while performing the task are based on the final decision-making.

3.Personality Test

This test measure certain characteristics such as emotional maturity, sentimental balance, sociability, objectivity etc. of a candidate. This is done to decide whether a candidate is having a sick personality or a healthy personality. Following tests are conducted under it:

1. Objective Test: The objective of an employee also can determine his/her personality and thinking. The reason for joining the organization, dominance ability, self sufficiency etc. can be tested to find out the objective of an employee.
2. Projective Test; In this test, an individual himself/herself is included in some situation to make his/her own decision. He/she is asked to narrate a story of what he/she sees in the picture shown before. It is like putting the candidate in the test situation.
3. Situation Test: In this test, a candidate has tested as n a real situation about the jo. What will the candidate do or how will he/she respond to the certain situation or problem is tested in this test.

4.Interest Test

This test identifies a pattern of interest in those areas in which the individual shows special concern, fascination and involvement. This test will suggest what types of jobs may be satisfying to the employees. Interest tests are used for vocational guidance also. They help individuals to take occupations of their choice.

5.OtherTests

Apart from the above-mentioned tests, there could be other tests too. Other tests include from board test, construction puzzle test, diagrammatic paper and pencil test, Minnesota-clerical test, short-employment test, differential aptitude test, multiple-aptitude test etc.