Recruitment Toolkit

Selection Tools

A range of selection tools are available to the Appointment Committee:

• written applications and resumés
• interviews
• search plans
• public seminars and lectures
• assessment centres
• aptitude tests
• psychometric tests.

The minimum tools that should be used in the selection process are an interview and referee reports, however there is a range of other tools that can improve the selection process.

Human Resources staff are available to assist in planning the process and choosing appropriate tests, tools and questions. The tests chosen must be valid that they allow a process that is rigorous and fair. It is important that the same selection process be applied to all candidates.

Written Applications and Resumés

Written applications and resumés are the normal means by which a candidate provides the base information upon which initial assessment of an application is carried out.

They are usually submitted in hard copy, but increasingly these will be received by the University as attachments via email, or as web-based proformas.

As applications are assessed against the selection criteria for the position, the advertisement will invite the candidate to address the selection criteria as part of their application.

Interviews

Interviews are an established part of the selection process for both general and academic staff. In some cases, where the applicant is interstate or overseas, it is not practicable to hold and interview. This should not disadvantage any applicants. Alternatives to interviewing in person include tele-conference and video-conferencing.

Interviewing by tele- and video-conferencing

Interviews can be conducted using the Vision Net Tele-Meeting facilities operated by Audio Visual Services, Information Technology Services.

Further information can be obtained from Audio Visual Services.

Interviews are a two-way process during which:

• information is obtained from the candidate in relation to the selection criteria which cannot easily be gained from other sources
• information is provided to the applicant about the position, conditions of employment and working environment
• the applicant is given the opportunity to ask questions.

Maximising the validity of the interview as a selection tool

Interviews remain a popular choice as a selection tool, despite research evidence that suggest that other tools are better predictors. Employers value the interview as a means of assessing whether the candidate has beliefs in line with the organisational values. The interview also allows the candidate to find out more about the position.

It is important to recognise that the interview as a selection tool does have shortcomings, and that steps can be taken to improve the way in which interviews are conducted. These include:

• ensuring that the selection criteria include all the essentially required elements of the position, including items such as the values of the University, Faculty and School, as well as team skills, etc.
• preparation of open questions around the selection criteria which can elicit information both about past performance and how the candidate might handle particular scenarios in the new role
• awareness of equity issues such as stereotyping and making assumptions of performance based on irrelevant criteria
• validating information gained at interviews against other selection tools, eg. referee checks, seminars, skills tests etc.

It is important that the time allocated to the interview is planned in such a way as to maximise the information that the Committee is able to obtain, while at the same time taking into account equity and diversity issues.

Interview Questions

A series of job related interview questions, based on the agreed Selection Criteria, should be agreed upon before the interviews commence. These core questions should be asked of all applicants but this does not preclude follow up questions or other questions specific to an applicant arising from their application. Follow up questions are important because they help the Committee to explore candidates' experiences in depth – giving the Committee the information they need while giving the candidate the opportunity to demonstrate competence in the selection criteria.

The questions should be designed to elicit information and evidence in relation to the selection criteria for the position.

Behavioural interview questions

These ask the candidate to provide specific information about the selection criteria, drawing on recent and relevant situations where they have had to demonstrate certain skills and attributes.

The tables below show some examples of behavioural questions.

Questions relating to a specific situation or task

• Describe what led up to...?
• Could you give us a specific situation in which you used... approach?
• What was the most memorable time when that happened?
• What caused you to...?
• Why did you...?
• When was that?
• What were the circumstances surrounding...?
• Who was that customer/co-worker/team member?
• What were you reacting to?

Questions relating to a specific action

• Exactly what did you do?
• How were your actions different here from...?
• How did you react?
• Describe specifically how you...?
• What was your part in the project, and how did you handle it?
• Take us through the steps you took to...?
• What did you say?
• What did you do first... second...?

Questions relating to a specific result

• How did... work out?
• How did... affect...?
• How were... outcomes directly related to what you did?
• What problems/successes resulted from...?
• How did you know that what you did was effective?
• What feedback have you had regarding...?

Questions/topics to avoid

Professional and Continuing Education offers courses on Behavioural Interviewing.

Search Plans

Search plans are recruitment strategies designed to:

• broaden the field of qualified candidates
• invite applications from candidates who might not otherwise think of applying to work at the University of Adelaide
• provide a mechanism by which the University can expect to develop over time, a more diverse academic staff profile
• make sure that equity and diversity issues are considered

Requirement to use a Search Plan

An example of when to use a search plan is the customary searches for female applicants. It is suggested that, for instance, where less than 30% of the teaching and research staff in a department is female, a search plan is developed to attract well qualified female candidates.

Additionally, committees are advised to consider the profile of the staff in the relevant department and to make efforts to attract suitably qualified candidates from a range of backgrounds such as:

• Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
• those for whom English is not their first language.

As a matter of course, committees are advised to ask themselves whether the most highly qualified person for the position, who may have a disability, be female or homosexual or of another culture, is likely to be attracted to this School or area at the University of Adelaide.

Possible Academic Search Plan Processes

Search plans describe the activities of the committee in regard to recruitment. A typical search plan may include such things as:

• E-mail contact with cognate departments around Australia and where appropriate, overseas, asking Heads or equivalent to draw the position to the attention of suitably qualified candidates and particularly expressing the desire of the department to have a diverse field of candidates from which to choose
• advertisement at conferences and seminars organised by women in the profession
• invitations to professional associations of women to draw the position to the attention of their members
• contact with Heads of Schools of degree courses of Indigenous Studies asking them to draw the position to the attention of their staff and where appropriate, post-graduate students
• use of specialist job networks including those for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and people with a disability

Possible Professional Staff Search Plan Processes

Administrative positions at every level should similarly develop a search plan on the basis of diversifying the composition of the staff in the area.

In student service areas for example, the profile of staff may be very different from that of the student base. Search plans may include:

• advertising through job networks specialising in placing Indigenous Australian candidates
• advertising casual or short term contract positions through student associations including the Overseas Students Association and at Wilto Yerlo
• advertising in community newsletters, and through relevant associations and specialised journals including those for librarians, human resource and information technology professionals.

Candidates applying as a result of a Search Plan

That someone is encouraged to apply through the search plan does not mean that they will be treated other than on merit in the selection process. The point is to invite the widest possible group of candidates to apply. Once applications are received, it is their skill, knowledge and experience which count, not their gender, race or irrelevant disability.

Committees are however expected to observe the following long standing policy positions of the University:

• allowance shall be made for any gap in a candidate's scholarship and research record due to the discharge of family responsibilities
• no decision shall be based upon any supposed inconvenience to the department concerned due to a candidate's undertaking family responsibilities

Public Seminars and Lectures

It is good practice for short listed candidates for senior academic positions to be asked to give a public lecture or seminar as part of the selection process.

Appointment Committee members should attend any such seminars and lectures, and members of the faculty in which the vacancy exists can also be encouraged to attend. There may be circumstances in which a candidate has concerns about the confidentiality of their application, and the Appointment Committee may choose to have the lecture or seminar delivered to them only, if this is the candidate's wish.

Only members of the Appointment Committee are able to participate in selection decision, and the assessment must be related to the gathering of evidence as to the candidate's merit against the selection criteria.

Assessment Centres

An Assessment Centre is a process designed to evaluate a person's capability to perform in a job. Candidates participate in a number of exercises designed to capture the activities of the position they are being selected for. The exercises are chosen based around the requirements of the position and the critical competencies that someone will need in order to be successful in the position.

Exercises can include the following:

• job specific activities, including word processing a document, "in-basket" exercises, setting up equipment for a routine laboratory practice
• job simulations, role plays, counselling simulations, problem analysis exercises
• group activities and discussions
• situational interviews
• leadership exercises and leaderless group discussions
• report writing and analysis
• oral presentations, such as mock lectures or seminars, mock press conferences, briefing sessions
• psychological assessment.

Any test conducted as part of an assessment centre must be in relation to the requirements of the position and must not disadvantage any candidate unfairly on equity or diversity grounds.

The benefit of an Assessment Centre is that it allows the candidates to demonstrate their skills through a number of job relevant situations, in which they are required to adopt behaviours similar to those that will be required in the position. As the candidates are put through a number of exercises, it is possible to view their performance from more than one angle. Trained assessors are utilised to provide an objective and comparative assessment of the candidates' capacity to effectively perform "on the job". It is recommended that members of the Appointment Committee attend Assessment Centre activities and observe candidate's performance also.

Assessment Centres tend to be time consuming – they typically run from half a day to two days – and they are resource intensive and expensive. They are therefore most effective for senior management positions or large scale recruitment efforts.

Assessment Centres are best used in conjunction with other selection tools such as interviews and reference checking.

Aptitude Tests

Aptitude Tests are tests of special abilities that are required in specific jobs, which help to predict aptitude for a particular job or type of training. Research suggests aptitude tests are valid for virtually all jobs. They must be selected and administered in ways that do not raise equity and diversity issues.

The use of aptitude tests can be of value in situations where a candidate has had little or no experience related to the job requirements.

Aptitude tests can assess:

• general problem solving
• numerical reasoning
• verbal reasoning
• critical thinking
• mechanical, clerical, linguistic, musical or artistic abilities
• manual dexterity
• reaction time
• hand/eye coordination.

Aptitude Tests may be used in conjunction with Psychometric Tests.

Psychometric Tests

Psychological assessment (pyschometric testing) can add value to a human resource decision by:

• developing a picture of an individual's aptitudes and attributes
• predicting how these will affect their performance in the position

There are a large number of psychometric testing tools available and the test required will depend on the type of vacancy. They must be selected and administered in ways that do not raise equity and diversity issues. There are tests for:

• general problem solving
• numerical/verbal reasoning
• interpersonal style
• work/team style
• leadership style
• motivational style.

Psychometric tests should not be the sole instrument used for selecting candidates. They should be used in conjunction with other procedures, as one element of the selection process. Most commonly, they are used to assess the preferred candidate for a position, or to compare two or three short listed candidates.

There are a number of factors that impact on the success of these tests. These include:

• investigating the validity of the test being used the better tests are supported by extensive research and data that allows comparison of results to relevant reference groups
• defining the critical characteristics needed for success in the position – to determine the match between the candidate's profiles and the "ideal" profile for the position

Psychometric Tests may be used in conjunction with Aptitude Tests.