What is Selection?

Selection is the process of

picking or choosing the right
candidate, who is most suitable
for a vacant job position in an
organization. In others words,
selection can also be explained
as the process of interviewing
the candidates and evaluating
their qualities, which are
required for a specific job and
then choosing the suitable
candidate for the position.
The selection of a right
applicant for a vacant position
will be an asset to the
organization, which will be
helping the organization in
reaching its objectives.
Different authors define
Selection in different ways.
Here is a list of some of the
definitions −
 Employee selection is a
process of putting a right
applicant on a right job.
 Selection of an employee is a
process of choosing the
applicants, who have the
qualifications to fill the
vacant job in an
organization.
Selection is a process of
identifying and hiring the
applicants for filling the
vacancies in an organization.
Employee selection is a
process of matching
organization’s requirements
with the skills and the
qualifications of individuals.
A good selection process will
ensure that the organization
gets the right set of employees
with the right attitude.
Difference between
Recruitment and Selection
The major differences between
Recruitment and Selection are
as follows −
Recruitment Selection
Recruitment is
defined as the Selection is defined
process of as the process of
identifying and choosing the right
making the potential candidates for the
candidates to apply vacant positions.
for the jobs.
Recruitment is called Selection is called
as a positive process as a negative
with its approach of process with its
attracting as many elimination or
candidates as rejection of as
 many candidates
as possible for
possible for the
identifying the
vacant jobs
right candidate for
the position.
Both recruitment and selection
work hand in hand and both
play a vital role in the overall
growth of an organization.
Importance of Selection
Selection is an important
process because hiring good
resources can help increase the
overall performance of the
organization. In contrast, if
there is bad hire with a bad
selection process, then the
work will be affected and the
cost incurred for replacing that
bad resource will be high.
The purpose of selection is to
choose the most suitable
candidate, who can meet the
requirements of the jobs in an
organization, who will be a
successful applicant. For
meeting the goals of the
organization, it is important to
evaluate various attributes of
each candidate such as their
qualifications, skills,
experiences, overall attitude,
etc. In this process, the most
suitable candidate is picked
after the elimination of the
candidates, who are not
suitable for the vacant job.
The organization has to follow a
proper selection process or
procedure, as a huge amount of
money is spent for hiring a
right candidate for a position. If
a selection is wrong, then the
cost incurred in induction and
training the wrong candidate
will be a huge loss to the
employer in terms of money,
effort, and also time. Hence,
selection is very important and
the process should be perfect
for the betterment of the
organization.
Advantages of Selection
A good selection process offers
the following advantages−
 It is cost-effective and
reduces a lot of time and
effort.
  It helps avoid any bias while
recruiting the right
candidate.
 It helps eliminate the
candidates who are lacking
in knowledge, ability, and
proficiency.
 It provides a guideline to
evaluate the candidates
further through strict
verification and reference-
checking.
 It helps in comparing the
different candidates in terms
of their capabilities,
knowledge, skills,
experience, work attitude,
etc.
A good selection process helps
in selecting the best candidate
for the requirement of a vacant
position in an organization.
Selection Process and Steps
As we have discussed Selection
is very important for any
organization to minimize the
losses and maximize the
profits. Hence the selection
procedure should be perfect. A
good selection process should
comprise the following steps −

 Employment Interview −
Employment interview is a
process in which one-on-one
session in conducted with
 the applicant to know a
candidate better. It helps the
interviewer to discover the
inner qualities of the
applicant and helps in taking
a right decision.
 Checking References −
Reference checking is a
process of verifying the
applicant’s qualifications and
experiences with the
references provided by him.
These reference checks help
the interviewer understand
the conduct, the attitude,
and the behavior of the
candidate as an individual
and also as a professional.
 Medical Examination −
Medical examination is a
process, in which the
 physical and the mental
fitness of the applicants are
checked to ensure that the
candidates are capable of
performing a job or not. This
examination helps the
organization in choosing the
right candidates who are
physically and mentally fit.
 Final Selection − The final
selection is the final process
which proves that the
applicant has qualified in all
the rounds of the selection
process and will be issued an
appointment letter.
A selection process with the
above steps will help any
organization in choosing and
selecting the right candidates
for the right job.
 Salary Negotiations
Salary negotiation is done
ahead of issuing an offer letter.
This is the heart of recruitment
and selection process, wherein
the actual worth of a right
candidate will be evaluated.
The remuneration offered
should be balanced, acceptable
and agreed by both the parties
– the employer and the
employee.
Some organizations
have salary grades, which are
already assigned for each and
every position, hence the new
employee also receives the
salary as per the grade for
which the candidate is qualified
and selected for.
A Win-Win Situation
The negotiations should be a
win-win situation, where both
the candidate and the
employer should benefit.
If the candidate expects and
demands for a higher salary
than the offered salary, then
the employer can raise the
package (if the budget permits)
in the following cases −
 The candidate is highly
talented with a potential to
deliver great results.
 The candidate has
exceptional skills which are
rare in the market.
Sometimes there is high
demand for a skill and the
market does not have sufficient
supply of qualified candidates
to fill the gap. In such cases,
the HR team offers lucrative
packages in order to attract
talented professionals.
Hiring managers, most of the
time, have a budget for each
position and they are under
pressure to hire the right
candidates without
overshooting their assigned
budget.
Tips for Good Salary
Negotiation
Hiring managers should keep
the following points in mind
while negotiating salary with a
potential candidate −
 Research about the job
posting well in advance and
have a clear understanding
of the demand and supply of
skilled professionals in the
job market.
 Make the candidates
understand the break-up of
the total package that is
offered.
 Do not let the candidate
know the maximum salary
that can be offered.
  Do not reject a candidate if
his expectations are beyond
the budget, rather try to
make them understand the
fringe benefits that is being
offered in the package.
Salary negotiation is extremely
important, as it can either
make or break a selection.
Sometimes, hiring managers
tend to go overboard and offer
an extraordinary package to
attract a right candidate. At
other times, a potential
candidate rejects the offer
because it was not up to his
expectation. Hence, it is very
important to maintain balance
between hiring the right
candidates and working within
the boundaries of the assigned
budget.
Making a Job Offer
Making a job offer is the final
stage of recruitment and
selection. Once a candidate is
selected, he/she will be issued
an offer letter, which describes
the designation, job location,
role, responsibilities,
remuneration, benefits, and a
few terms related to the
company policies.
Most HR professionals tend to
believe that making an offer is
a simple process, but in many
cases, it is not so. Making an
offer is a crucial part of
recruitment and selection,
because it’s a stressful and
demanding process until the
candidate joins the company,
after issuing an offer. At this
stage, a lot of responsibility lies
on the shoulders of the HR with
regards to the process after
making an offer.
How to Make a Job Offer?
Making a job offer is a delicate
process and it should be
handled carefully. The outcome
of this process can be one of
the following −
 the candidate may accept
and start working with the
organization, or.
 the candidate may accept a
better job offer from another
organization, if he gets one.
Hence, the HR team should
take quick action at his stage.
The following points should be
kept in mind while making a job
offer −
 Do Not Delay − Issue an
offer letter as soon as a
candidate is selected,
especially if the resources
are limited.
 Put the job offer on the
table − While issuing an
offer letter, do not wait for
the right time. Contact the
selected candidate over
phone and give him a verbal
confirmation that he/she is
selected to fill the position
vacant.
 Set a deadline to accept
the offer − Once the offer is
issued to the candidate, set
a reasonable deadline to
 accept the offer. Take a
confirmation from the
candidate that he/she should
join as per the date of joining
mentioned in the offer letter.
 Stay connected − Even
after the offer is accepted by
the candidate, it is the
responsibility of the hiring
manager to be in touch with
the selected candidate, till
he/she joins the organization.
After finding the right resource
for the vacant job in the
organization, the offer is
prepared and released to the
candidate. It is crucial at this
stage to follow a correct
process in order to close the
deal and ensure that the
selected candidate joins the
organization as per the terms
issued in the offer letter.
Preparing a Job Offer Letter
Once the salary negotiations
are completed, the next step is
preparing and issuing a job
offer letter. During the
confirmation of the job offer
through phone call or mail, it is
best to make the initial offer
and discuss about the terms of
the employment.
A formal job offer should
include the following −
 Name of the employee
 Title or designation of the job
 The remuneration or salary
offered
 Employment commencement
date
 Roles and responsibilities of
the job
  Terms and conditions
(contract/temporary/perman
ent) of the job
 Compensations and benefit
 Conditions during the
probationary period
 Additional condition, which
includes legal, background
verification etc.
Once the offer letter is
prepared and issued to the
selected candidate, ask the
candidate to send a signed
copy of the offer letter, as a
token of acceptance of the job
offer.
The process of recruitment and
selection starts right from
understanding the
requirements, sourcing,
scheduling, shortlisting,
interviewing, selecting and
finally issuing the offer letter.
The process is not over till the
candidate joins.
What Next after Issuing a
Job Offer?
Employees usually have to
serve a notice period before
switching jobs. So, there is a
time-gap of one month or so
after a candidate accepts the
Offer Letter till the time he joins
the organization. During this
time-gap, the role of a recruiter
is important because the
candidate may or may not join,
even after accepting the offer
letter! Hence, the recruiter
should be in touch with the
candidate through
mails/messages/calls till he/she
joins the company.
This communication and the
relationship between the
recruiter and the candidate will
help the process to complete
and reduce the risks of the
candidate not joining the
company. Hence,
communication plays a vital
role in the process of
recruitment and selection.
The following steps are
important after a candidate
accepts the Job Offer −
 Documentation process −
This process includes
collecting documents such as
educational certificates, id
proof, address proof,
previous company offer
 letter, relieving letters, etc. If
a candidate responds
positively, then it is an
indicator that he/she is
actually interested in joining
the organization.
 Employment verification
process − Collecting an
employment verification
document, which consists of
the details of the previous
employers and their
references. It provides
information regarding the
behavior and attitude of the
candidate.
 Contacting the
candidates − Be in contact
with the candidate through
calls or mails or messages,
which helps in building a
 relationship between the
recruiter and a potential
employee. It also helps in
knowing the status of the
candidate joining the
organization.
 Resignation from current
employment − As soon as
an offer letter is issued to
the candidate, make sure
that the candidate resigns
his current job and shares a
copy of the resignation
document/mail. Later on, do
follow up with regards to the
resignation acceptance
document/mail from the
current employer.
 Following up for the
joining date − Finally, keep
following up with the
 candidate about the joining
date, because it will help in
knowing the status of the
candidate joining the
organization as per the
joining date mentioned in the
offer letter.
All the above points help the
employer in identifying the
interest and the seriousness of
a candidate in joining the
organization.
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