PSY 302 Week 1 DQ 2 Employee Selection

Week 1 DQ 2 Employee Selection

Describe the major factors related to employee selection. Be sure to include factors of job analysis, responsibilities, knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs), job contexts and organizational culture.  How many of these factors are contingent upon the individual vs. the organization itself?

The process of employee selection has several important factors. There has to be an analysis of job responsibilities, skills, knowledge, abilities related to the job. Even the culture of the organization and the context are important factors. Youssef and Noon (2012) state that job analysis is understood when a person knows what particular things are performed in the job. Job responsibilities of the employees have to be analysed well so that right person can be selected for the job. Cunningham (1996) defines responsibilities as some related duties that are grouped as one and orchestrate generic behavior from the employees. According to Youssef and Noon (2012, Ch. 2.2), the outcome is the fulfilment of a particular goal. Employees should be chosen in such a way that they can fulfill the responsibilities. Youssef and Noon (2012) defines knowledge as some information of a particular field related to the job. The applicant has to show much knowledge to get selected. This can ensure that the selected person is fit for the job. Youssef and Noon (2012, Ch 2.2) define skills as the least possible competency using which a worker can perform his or her duties. The applicants have to own some particular skills to get selected for any job. There is a difference skills and abilities as we can acquire skills through training but we usually have abilities as individual characteristics. Youssef and Noon (2012) argues that abilities usually come through cognitive or physical competence. When an applicant shows very useful abilities, he or she has more chances of getting selected. As today’s job positions are very much competitive, applicants with adequate skills and abilities will always get preference. According to Youssef and Noon (2012), job context is an important factor that describes how the job is performed. They come up with the example of communication made by the employees with their fellow workers and their managers. The degree of their performance is also included. As it is not so easy to measure these things when an applicant is being interviewed, the employers ask for past work experiences. It is of much importance that the employee should have the ability to get on well with others in the workplace. Then productivity is increased. Organizational culture should also be considered in the hiring process. The New Penguin Business Dictionary (2003) explains this culture this way that while a company has a good trend of focus on sales success, some others may have the trend of profit thought. The applicant may or may not agree with the culture of the organization. This needs to be understood in the hiring process. It is true that to some people this type of culture may not matter much but it is wise to know the organizational culture before joining a business or a company.

All these factors may vary from person to person to some extent. Of course, these will exert much effect on the organization as a whole. When you are appointing an individual, he or he may affect the company in the way it looks or the way it produces. That is why it is necessary to choose someone who can benefit the company. The factors mainly emphasize on how the company may reap benefit using the skills, knowledge and responsibilities of the recruits. Though the employees will have effect in this way for themselves, the company is going to benefit from them at the end. So the company has to find someone who has all the positive factors.

References

Organizational culture. (2003). In The New Penguin Business Dictionary. Retrieved from http://www.credoreference.com/entry/penguinbus/organizational_culture

Youssef, C. and Noon, A.  (2012).  Industrial/Organizational Psychology.  San Diego, CA: Bridgepoint Education, Inc.