Discuss the role of classification, measurement and inscription in techniques of recruitment and selection

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Recruitment and selection in organizations have not always played a significant role. Indeed, some firms had no Human resources department twenty years ago. This fad for human resources management depends on many factors, either external ones or internal ones. Mr Beaumont in 1993 tried to identify three reasons that could account for this dramatically increasing importance of recruitment and selection. The first one is the shift in the labour market demographic trend. Baumont emphasizes that the workforce is much more varied than before, that is why fairness and equity in methods of recruitment are now considered as incontrovertible values. The second factor is a "desire for a multiple-skilled flexible workforce", thus recruiters are becoming more demanding. They do not only want to recruit an employee that strictly match the job requirement but they are also willing that this employee is able to work in a team and on different projects. This leads us to the third factor which is the strategic selection. In fact the corporate strategy is now bound to people management. As a result hiring methods are becoming always more selective and demanding in order to recruit the "right employee".

Extraits

[...] The use of classification, measurement and inscription in techniques of recruitment and selection has many positive aspects, and is considered by some as the best means of recruitment. But first of all, it would be pertinent to explain the difference between recruitment and selection; secondly to explain what personality measurement really is, then to analyse the reasons why this kind of recruitment is so important and eventually to discuss the importance given to numbers. Recruitment and selection are often used together, as if one word could not be employed without the other one. [...]

[...] One can also wonder of too much objectivity is really good for a firm, in other words, some subjectivity can be relevant. Besides, interviews can be effective and most of employers still use them. One of the solutions could be the use of both data and interviews in recruitment and selection methods, as the Lens model for instance. Bibliography - Employee selection Christopher Lewis - HRM, issues and strategies. Textbook. Rosemary Harrison - Trust in Numbers. The pursuit of objectivity in science and public life. T. M. Porter - Personnel selection and productivity. M. [...]

[...] But in order to have a meaning and to enable the employee to foresee someone's future behaviour, these figures need to be ranked in a scale or a frame. Thus there are some “explicit rules” to rate the applicants and to read into this rating. Later we will focus on the significant importance of numbers in recruitment and selection and the consequences of this importance. R. Hogan et al pinpoint two characteristics of a good measurement: first, scores have to be temporally stable and second, scores should foresee real world performances. Besides, R. Hogan has a relevant theory about the constant change in people's behaviours. [...]

[...] In a word, we have seen that some classification, measurement and inscription techniques of selection have limits, but now through the example of the interview, we will see that other methods of assessment are available and efficient. Interviews have always been controversial. Indeed, many “recruitment specialists” assert that they are useless, and altogether subjective, which is a crime in Western societies where fairness and equity are set out as one of the most important values. It is true that these values are really important, but one cannot deny that sometimes subjectivity cannot be avoided or must not be avoided. [...]

[...] To conclude about the reasons why firms tend to adopt these methods of recruitment, Christopher Lewis[6] lists the positive effects of measurement and classification in recruitment and selection. Testing is one of the cheapest and quickest ways to select, furthermore results can be proved and selection decision can be explained by numbers. In a word, testing encourages a higher objectivity in selection procedures and at last it allows the quantification of personal characteristics. Thus, one of the advantages of testing is its objectivity, this strong desire to avoid subjectivity leads us to the significant role of numbers nowadays. [...]