Employee selection seminar

1. Employee Selection
Akriti Shrestha #16523
Richa Pradhan #16518
Suvanwait Gurung #16506
Sabir Bade Shrestha #16526
Suman Ghimire #14510

2. Selection: the act-ions: ACT 1: Initial
Screening
SUMAN JI THE NARRATOR: “JJ Co. Ltd is hiring a new Marketing Head. Act 1: Initial Screening/Shortlisting”
Act 1: Initial Screening
Committee formed with CEO, H head (Richa) and Finance Head (Sabir).
Following the recruitment process, the company received 257 applications for the job.
(Committee meeting): -
CEO Suvan: Good morning guys, so let’s crack on with the filtering task from the received applications. Richa ji, how
should we get on about it?
HR head Richa: I reckon we should stick by the criteria we had set in the Job Advertisement’s Pre requisites list
that we advertisded during the recruitment process and filter our those who don’t meet it.

3. Screening continued..
Sabir the Finance H – I think that’s an excellent idea.
SUVAN – I don’t remember asking your opnion Mr. Finance Head. What do
you know about HR and Marketing anyway ( EVERYONE FREEZES into
Statue mode and SUVAN himself only moves and says (This is a Big DO
NOT- A definite No No)
- Richa ji, please form a sub committee of HR staff to process 250
applicants against the criteria requisites set.
RICHA: Yes sir, right away!
SABIR: (sighs and murmers) Oh she’s such a boss’s little pet, isn’t
she..hmppf.

4. ACT 2: Written Test discussion
SUMAN JI THE NARRATOR: “Richa ji’s team then completes the screening process and comes up with a shortlist of
candidates who meet the job pre-requisites and presents it to the head of the hiring committee the CEO.)
• SUVAN: Excellent work Richa ji. Thanks Sabir ji for not interfering. Now Richa ji, I request you to call the selected 50 candidates for a
written test.
• SABIR: We can test them on Marketing, Finance, Aptitude, Decision Making by giving them a Case to tackle.
• SUVAN: Thanks Sabir ji but no thanks (sarcastic). We will leave out the Finance part. I don’t think we need to test them on that as it is
mainly Marketing role. (EVERYONE FREEZES Part 2. Only suvan moves and says “This is A BIG DO NOT DO)
• SABIR: (Mocks Suvan) “thyanks but no thyyanks!!?”…(then why keep me in this committee) (Everyone Freezes only Sabir says “A DON’T”)
• RICHA: I think we need to set questions so that candidates’ knowledge, aptitude, personality, thought process and decision making will
be reflected clearly.
• SUVAN: I agree Richa ji. And thanks again Sabir ji for not interfering. (Grins sarcastically)
• SABIR: (Grins back sarcastically)

5. ACT 3 – The Job Interview
• SUMAN JI THE NARRATOR: “Richa and her team sets questions accordingly as
discussed previously in the committed and invites the selected candidate for
the written test. Additionally, the team seeks assistance from the internet
for further guidance on question setting applicable to the role. Few weeks
later, the scoring is completed and 10 people achieve more than 75% marks.
They are called for interview.
• In the Interviewer Panel are the CEO, HR Head and Marketing Head. Here is
how the candidate who came 4th in the Written Test performed.”
• SUVAN: Please invite the next candidate Ms Richa. And what’s his or her
name by the way?
• Richa: Her name is Ms Akriti Shrestha

6. ACT 3 continued
• SABIR: What a nice name! I like her already. (Everyone Freezes only Sabir says “A big
DON’T, it is Gender, irrelevant judgement bias”)
• SUVAN: Thanks for your “valuable” comment Mr. Sabir.
• (Akriti enters the board room)
• Akriti: Good morning Sirs, Good morning Ma’am
• All: Good morning Ms Akriti.
• Suvan: How are you? and Tell us about yourself and your work experience.
• Akriti: (says in her own words about herself)
• Richa: What interests you in JJ Co. Ltd’s Marketing Head role?
• Akriti: (her own words)
• Sabir: What do you know about the company? What are our revenue streams? Have you
done any research prior to coming here?

7. Act 3 continued – the interview
• Akriti: Her own words
• Suvan: What family background are you? Are you from a rich family? (Everyone
Freeze and Suvan says “This is A big DON’T”)
• Sabir whispers: (Sir, I don’t think that’s an appropriate question to ask)
• Suvan: Now you are teaching the CEO Mr. Sabir?!
• Richa: Ms Akriti, if given the role, what are the initial things you would do?
• Akriti : (her own answer)
• Sabir: Can you prepare a marketing budget? How would you formulate it?
• Akriti: (seems confused) Sir, honestly speaking I do not know. Finance wasn’t
asked in the written question, so I thought you wouldn’t question me on finance
which is not my forte.

8. Act 3 continued: Interview, Background
Check and End Result.
• Richa and Suvan look at SABIR realising they should have listend to SABIR when
discussing whether to put Finance in the tests.
• SABIR: I told you so. (hands raised)
SUMAN JI THE NARRATOR: “Richa and Suvan realise how important aspects of the
job can slip if not meticulously analysed in terms of importance and applicability.
Nevertheless, Akriti Shrestha is selected as she has received the highest aggregate
marks on written test and interview. The committee then delegates HR team to
verify Akriti’s documents which comes out as geunie. Akriti is hired with
commitment from the Committee to train her in Finance aspect of marketing
immediately, which will cost the company time and money. “

9. Employee Selection
• The process of making a “Hire” or “No Hire” decision regarding
each applicant for a job and to hire those with the greater likelihood
of success.
• Selection is the process of choosing qualified individuals who
are available to fill the positions in an Organization.

10. The Selection Criteria
• Formal Education
• Past Performance and Experience
• Physical Characteristics
• Personality Characteristics

11. Selection Process
• Initial Screening (scrutiny of applicants i.e. elimination of unqualified
applicants)
• Completed Application (application filters the unskilled from the skilled
enough to take on the responsibility)
• Employment Test (tests are taken in order to determine applicants ability
and personality)
• Comprehensive Interview
• Background Examination (to verify the information provided)
• Offer of Job

12. Selection Methods
• Testing
• Gathering Information
• Group Assessment/Discussion
• Interviewing

13. Testing:
- measures knowledge, skill and ability as well as
other characteristics, such as personality traits.
• Cognitive Ability Test (measures the learning, understanding, and ability to
solve problems)
• Personality Test (it measures the patterns of thought, emotion and behavior)
• Physical Ability Test (it assesses muscular, strength and cardiovascular
endurance)
• Integrity Test (it assesses the likelihood that applicants will be dishonest or
engage in illegal activity)
• Work Sample Testing (measures performance on some element of the job)

14. Information Gathering
• Common methods are:-
• Resumes/Curriculum Vitae (states education, work experience and any
training)
• Reference Checking (involves contacting former employers, teachers etc)
• Social Media i.e. Facebook, Linked In
• Application Forms i.e. UN, DFID utilize such forms.

15. Interviews
• The most frequently used selection process.
• Interviewing occurs when applicants respond to questions posed
by the interviewer.
• Typical areas in which questions are posed include education,
experience, knowledge of job procedures, mental ability, social
skills.

16. Types of Interviews
• Structure
(uses a list of
predetermined questions.
All applicants are asked
the same types of
questions)
• Situational Interview is
where intervewer asks
questions about what the
applicant would do in a
hypothetical situation.
• Behavioral Interview is
where the questions focus
on the applicant’s behavior
in past situations
• Unstructured
(uses open-ended
questions such as “tell
me about yourself)
• This allows the
interviewer to probe and
pose different sets of
questions to different
applicants.
• One to One
• Paired
• Panel

17. Creating a Structure
• Step 1 (Determine what to measure)
• Use job analysis to determine needed knowledge, skills and abilities.
• Think about characteristics that separate top performers from the rest.
• Focus on attribute that are critical for success across jobs in the
organization.

18. Creating a Structure
• Step 2
• Meet as a group with other people who will conduct interviews.
• Create behavioral and situational questions that measure attributes from step 1.
• “Please tell me about your most recent experience you had working as a group?”
• Situational questions can be “You work in a coffee shop and there is a very rude customer
how will you deal with them?”
• Be sure that all questions are appropriate and legal.

19. Creating a Structure
• Step 3
• Write typical examples of good, average and poor responses to each
questions.
• Assign numerical point scores to the typical answers
• Make sure that everyone who will interview agrees on the evaluations.

20. Common Interviewing Mistakes
• Judgment without critical analysis.
• Negative emphasis
• Halo and Horn effect
• Biases on Gender, Race, Ethnicity etc.

21. Background check
• Usually carried out after internally shortlisting candidates that did
well in written test and interview
• Contact Referrals directly to verify key data such as skill set, work
experience, academic qualifications and other achievements
presented by candidates
• Obtain notarized copy of submitted certificates.
• Police “no objection” records

22. Selection: The Nepali Way
Selection Method in Public Services of Nepal
• Guided by Constitution of Nepal, 2072, Civil Service Act, Civil Service
Rules, Concerned Public Enterprises Employee Acts and Rules
• Selection method principles: neutrality, non-partisan, meritocracy,
inclusiveness
• Central agency of Bureaucracy :
• Ministry of General Administration
• Public Service Commission
• No. of employee in Government sector
• Public Service: 83,393
• Teacher:100,000
• Army:95,000
• Armed Police:36,000
• Police:56,069
• Public Enterprises

23. Constitutional Arrangement
Article 243:
The Public Service Commission shall conduct examinations for the selection of
suitable candidates to be appointed to the positions in civil services and Army
personnel, Nepal Police or Armed Police Force and other bodies corporate such as
public enterprises.
Article 285:
1. The Government of Nepal constitute Federal Civil Service and other Federal
Government services as may be required.
2. Selection method shall be filled through competitive examinations on the basis of
open and proportional inclusiveness principle.
3. Three layers of government services in federal, Provincial and Local level.
Article 302: Nepal Government shall make necessary provisions for the delivery
services at the State and Local levels.

24. Legal Provisions
• Civil Service Act 2049 & Civil Service Rules 2050 :
• Defined 10 group of public services
• Defined 2 classes of public services: Gazetted (4 layers) and Non Gazetted
(5 layers)
• Selection method of public services post shall be done by Open
Competition, and Promotion.
• 45% posts of open competition to be fulfilled by reservation seats:
1. Women 33%
2. Adiwasi/Janjati 27%
3. Madhesi 22%
4. Dalit 9%
5. Disable (differently able) 5%
6. Backward area 4% ("backward area" means Accham, Kalikot, Jajarkot,
Jumla, Dolpa, Bajhang, Bajura, Mugu and Humla districts. )

25. Institutional/Organizational Arrangement
• Ministry of General Administration: vacant post collection and
approval.
• Line Ministry: vacant post calculation
• Federal Public Service Commission: job of selection of the
candidates for Federal Services
• State Public Service Commission: job of selection of the
candidates for State Services
• Judicial Service Commission: Transferring, promoting and
departmental actions of Gazetted Officers of Judicial service.
• Teachers Service Commission: selection of the teachers in
community schools

26. Issues of Public Service Selection Method
• The selection method by federal and State Public Service
Commission is a new challenge as well as opportunities in
Nepalese civil service.
• The adjustment of the public service employees in the Federal,
State and Local levels is a major challenge of the Government.
• There is a question on reservation mechanism that is benefited
only by the privileged group of minority classes.
• Debate of meritocracy vs. inclusiveness
• Reservation based on HDI rather than cast

27. New Trends of Selection Method in Public
Service
• Use of Information Technology ( e.g. online application)
• Innovation and creativity
• Test of competency and personal ethics and values
• Use of the private forms in the selection process
• Application of democratic values

28. Nepali Way: Selection by Private Sector
• Our research shows that : -
• Selection Model varies between Sectors, Job Roles, Grade/positions
E.g – Nabil Bank and Save the Children selects candidates via 1 hour
written test, group discussion, and if the former passed then 2 rounds of
interviews.
Nabil’s subsidiary NABIL Invest and NIBL Capital selects via two rounds of
interview only for senior staff while for junior staff it outsources the
function to external selection agency who conducts written exam and
interview.

29. Nepali context contd…
• Agencies are also used for shortlisting and initial screening such as
MeroJob.com and jobsnepal.com
• Small and Medium sized companies (SMEs) such as co-operatives,
private firms, small NGOs are seen to select via direct referrals of
people within their network. Nepotism and Favourism is found in
abundance during selection.
• Nepal Rastra Bank (NRB) receives one of the highest applications
upto 5,000 applications for one position and it selects through 2
rounds of exam and 3 rounds of interviews.

30. Selection: Global context
• Most companies use RECRUITMENT AGENCIES for
- advertising, directly approaching potential candidate base,
shortlisting, initial screening and only then refer candidates for
interview to the company.
- Increasingly to cut costs, employers are seen to liaise with Govt
agency such as “The Job Centre” in the UK to select candidates.
E.G – BDO International (5th largest multinational Audit firm in the world)
uses agencies for most roles
- Greenwich Council uses the Govt run “Job Centre”

31. Selection: Issues and Challenges
• Volume of Applications/CVs to be processed growing
• Economic (Opportunity) and Financial Cost relating to selection
• Time constraints/ Urgency
• Job Criteria matching exercise manaul and prone to human errors
• Many companies just following global trend rather than looking at
organisation’s needs and hence not creating value.
• Natural Human tendency to subjectively like candidates based on
appearance and voice rather than talent.
• Very thin line between Intuition and Rationale
• Inconsistency of questions to different candidates causing unfairness
• Interviewers usually not formally trained for interviews!!
• Pressure from staff members/Union to hire/promote from within.

32. Recommendations
• Ensure activities within the parameters of approved budget.
• Follow the globally recognised process – Screening, Shortlisting, Written
Tests, Interview, Background checks
• Align selection process with organisational objective regarding the
particular recruitment.
• Be clear on what are the “Must have”s on the candidates
• Be objective and subjective
• However, also use Intuition to support rationale selection
• Be fair, talk directly, within legality and be analytical
• Respect cultural aspects and norms.
• Conduct thorough Background checks and verifications.