Person Specification
The person specification highlights all the necessary skills/qualifications a person will need to have to fulfil the job role to the best of their ability. For example, the candidate will need to be a good team worker, and previous experience with working with the general public.
This is vital for an employer if he/she wants to find the most appropriate candidate for the job as it sets out clear requirements that the candidate so that the employer will know what type of person he/she is looking for, for example GCSE qualifications in English and Mathematics.
Application form/CV/Covering letter
The application form is created by the employer which is given solely to candidates applying for the job, for example, an applicant applying for the job cannot fill in another organisations’ application form then give it to the employer. The application form makes it easy for the employer to compare the candidates as a whole, as everyone is required to fill out the same standard set of questions for a particular job. The application form is important in the selection process as the employer can easily compare applicants and also, the application form asks questions based solely on the job, which unlike the CV or covering letter where applicants are able to write anything they please, this would hopefully save time for the employer because the employer will not have to read information about the applicant which is not related to the job he/she is applying for.
The CV is written by candidates which highlights their skills, abilities, experiences and lists their references, the CV focuses on the positive side of the applicant which may not include everything the employer may want to know.
The CV is quite important in the selection process as it is some-what like a story of the applicant’s life, as the employer is able to see what the applicant has achieved in his/her life all at once. Although, the disadvantage of looking at the CV is that it may have been used for several other jobs, so it may not focus on the job role the applicant is applying for. Therefore, an employer cannot base his/her decision just by reading the CV.
The covering letter outlines why the applicant is most suitable for the job, eliminating the other competition (other applicants), the covering letter is written by the employee addressing the employer, this piece of document is important, as applicants are able to write anything they please to make the employer give the applicant the job.
The covering letter is important in the selection process as it shows the employer how literate an applicant is from looking for spelling mistakes etc. This piece of document also allows the applicant to write about why they are most suitable for the job, which may include skills, abilities/qualifications needed to fulfil the job successfully.
Letter asking to/not to attend the interview
These documents is created by the HR department, in the letter asking to attend the interview, it includes contact details, time and place which the interview will be held and in the letter asking not to attend the interview will reject the applicant softly.
These documents are important in the selection process, as without it there would not be any applicants to choose from to get the job, so without these documents there would be no employees. The letter asking to attend the interview is quite important, as it shows the employer if the applicant really wants the job, this is shown by the applicant attending the interview on-time/early for the interview, if the applicant shows up late or reschedules the interview without a valid reason; it may send a mixed message to the employer.
Prepared questions for interview
Preparing questions for the interview is quite important, as it shows the applicant the employer is organised etc. This not only boosts the reputation of the company but it also saves time. Although, not all questions can be planned, as some questions will need to be improvised to get the most out of the interview, as the employer will find out answers to questions he/she did not plan on asking.
Assessment of candidate form (completed after each interview)
The candidate form was a useful document for the employer, as he/she is able to assess each candidates performance in the interview. The document includes dress codes/appearance etc. This is important for the employer as it allows the employer to analyse the candidate as a whole package, appearance, language skills etc. Then it requires the employer to give a detailed explanation of whether he/she will give the candidate the job, if not, the reasons why the candidate did not get the job.
Letter of rejection or job offer
This is the most important step of the selection process, as the decisions have been made by the employer, therefore he/she will need to send out an appropriate letter to inform the candidates who attended the interview whether or not they had got the job. Without the letter, the candidates would not know whether or not they had got the job therefore may keep calling personnel/HR department which is time consuming and costly.
In conclusion, each document used in the selection process had its usefulness in contributing to the process, and without any one of the documents the employer would not be able to find the most suitable applicant for the job.
