If you have drawn up your selection criteria thoughtfully, your Selection Criteria is the source for determining interview questions.

The interview is for you to assess which applicant best suits your job in your organisation.

Having selection criteria enables you to clearly focus on what information you need for each individual applicant. You would want the applicants to expand on their experience and knowledge, especially for essential criteria.

Having this control avoids the interview going off at a tangent, or being hijacked by a skilful applicant intent on telling you perhaps about less relevant matters. In particular, the Apollo Profile report is likely to have highlighted possible problem areas. You can now ask questions to probe any areas of concern.

Basically, the interview alone is an incomplete and flawed process, with many opportunities to fail to ascertain an applicant’s true suitability. A job interview has to have an investigative component to check that applicant’s have the attributes you want, and to verify the truth and depth of their claims.

For Apollo Select DIY Recruitment System users, a document called Apollo Select© Structured Questions is provided separately to help you explore possible areas of weakness revealed by the Apollo Profile.

Now this is not as easy as it sounds, and is a time consuming operation. In essence, filtering applicants is matching their information against the specifications/selection criteria. This is most easily enabled if you can post a Job Application Form that requires all applicants to fill in the blanks you have set up. This standardises the process. It also results in applicants voluntarily withdrawing from applying if they see that they don’t meet your requirements. This is good because that is one less application to deal with.
It should always be remembered that the recruiting process is one of elimination. Quite like a race to the finish, only one person will win. For one reason or another, all other “competitors” have to be eliminated. At an early stage of the process where you have many applicants, many of who are not really suitable, a negative mindset can be quite useful to identify people that don’t meet requirements.
But you must ensure that you don’t eliminate good candidates because of minor discrepancies. That is why all selection criteria is not equal, and needs to be rated Essential/Highly Desirable/Desirable. So firstly eliminate people that can’t meet Essential criteria.
This is a basic but time consuming job that can be delegated, as long as you provide a system to work within, such as provided by Apollo Select.
The Apollo Select process is simple:
Review each application. Ensure the essential selection criteria are met.

Create 3 piles. We suggest the use of 3 in-trays to sort applications. For further categorisation, these 3 trays should be colour coded and labelled:

A. MEETS CRITERIA B. POSSIBLY SUITED C. UNSUITED

A. MEETS CRITERIA

Start a record for this applicant using the special tools provided through the Apollo Select DIY Recruitment System.

B. POSSIBLY SUITED

If adequate numbers of A list applicants have been received that do meet the selection criteria, perhaps there is little value in spending more time with the people that have not provided enough relevant information?

Alternatively, process the A list before spending time on B list possibilities.
However, if there are information gaps but you have an interest in the applicant, consider “The 10 Minute Interview”. This interview may be conducted by telephone. The purpose is focussed to solely fill in information gaps, not to provide a pre-interview opportunity for the applicant.

As the result of the 10 minute interview you can decide whether the applicant meets the criteria. If so, proceed with Step 3. If not, reject that applicant.

C. UNSUITED

Write letter and thank unsuccessful applicants for their interest.

Like any marketing task, you need to advertise where you have the best chance of being seen by the kind of people you want.

For example, recruiting School Leavers for junior positions requires a different advertising plan than for recruiting an Executive.

Decide your sourcing or advertising approach – wide range of choices (and budgets) from direct approach to identified “people of interest”, “internal advertising only”, through to recruitment agencies and mass media campaigns, including Internet options. Don’t forget to advertise on your own Home page if you have one. Applicants will look at your website before they apply, make it easy for them to apply direct to you! You can also point your advertising to your website to avoid delays and “middle-man” involvement and costs.

Common media used for job advertising are:-
Publications: – Newspapers – Suburban/Regional/National
Display ad or Simple Classified ads
Trade or industry publications
Government gazettes
Internet: – Can you advertise the opportunity on your own website?
Internet Job Boards – Following are direct links to a number of Job Boards
Examples in Australia are:
www.seek.com.au
www.careerone.com.au
www.mycareer.com.au

To keep things low cost and easy, it is suggested that you simply use Internet job boards to source applications and information to enable rating against your Selection Criteria.

Electronic Media – particularly radio. Targeted – AM/ FM

Recruitment Agencies and Consultancies – most are willing to refer applicants, usually for a “success fee” if you appoint one of their candidates. By providing them with a copy of your Selection Criteria, you minimise them sending unsuited people.

Commonly Used Recruitment Terminology
To provide a successful method to identify and assess applicant suitability, definitions of terminology must be addressed to ensure understanding and acknowledgement of the process.
Selection Criteria are the Skills, Qualifications, Knowledge, Experience and Personality attributes needed to perform the job to the standard required.
Skills/competencies are a developed talent or ability: They may be intangible, such as writing skills, or organising skills, or quantifiable such as keyboard skills of 60 words per minute.
Qualifications in this context are a quality, ability, or accomplishment that makes a person suitable for a particular position or task. Formal achievements are awarded by a third party, such as Fork Lift Certificate, or Law Degree etc.
Knowledge is acquired through formal studies, or informally through job or life experiences. Examples are knowledge of the Real Estate Act, or knowledge of Linux Operating Systems, or knowledge of the transport industry.
Experience encompasses knowledge or practical wisdom gained from what a person has observed, encountered, or undergone. For example, experience with grief counselling, or experience dealing with customers, or three years sales experience.
References are a statement about a person’s qualifications, workplace history and performance, character, and dependability. A reference check is to contact a person who is in a position to recommend another, or to vouch for his or her fitness for a job.
Personality Attributes include important work and people related attitudes, motivations, beliefs and values. These are usually difficult to assess. A properly validated psychometric test is statistically superior to predicting workplace suitability than simply interviewing.
Weight – All selection criteria are not of the same importance in determining satisfactory job performance.
• Essential – It is essential that the person possesses this quality, otherwise he or she in unable to do the job. If a person cannot meet this essential requirement, he or she is eliminated as an applicant.
• Highly Desirable – It is highly desirable that a person possess this quality as difficulty and job under-performance is likely to be experienced if lacking. However, training, education and experience over time may enable an applicant to acquire this quality.
• Desirable – Whilst desirable that a person possesses this attribute, it is not necessarily vital for job performance.

Rating for Selection Criteria

Green – The applicant satisfies or exceeds your requirement.

Amber – The applicant somewhat meets your requirements, but not fully to the degree preferred.

Red – The applicant does not demonstrate that they meet your selection criteria.

Apollo Select Simple 8 Step Process

We have developed a simple 8 step process that if followed will result in identifying people most suited to your job. Importantly, it will eliminate people not suited, and save you wasting time interviewing people predictably not suited to your position. The eight steps are:

1. Determine the selection criteria
2. Reaching and attracting applicants
3. Filter applicants
4. Assess
5. Shortlist for interview
6. Determine interview questions
7. Explore gaps/reference check
8. Decide/second interview

With so many tests available for recruiting, are they worth it?
Well, when you consider that to put a new person on the payroll is such an important decision, why wouldn’t you use all the tools at your disposal.
The cost of getting it wrong is very significant. Firstly there is the direct cost of the recruiting activity, frequently stated as around $4000 to $18000 dependent upon seniority, and whether external recruiters are used. Let’s say typically $8000
The second point to consider is that a new appointment is a big decision – let’s say a middle-manager level job paying $50,000 p.a. – over 5 years that is a $250,000 dollar decision. How about making sure that your quarter of a million dollar decision is a good one!
So how can tests help ensure you are getting a person suited to your job? They do so by validating that an applicant is likely to have qualities that meet your selection criteria. So firstly it is ideal to have thought out the personal qualities sought as well as descriptions of the duties and tasks to be performed. Which brings us to using Personality Tests.
Fortunately if you have not thought out your personality selection criteria, all good personality tests have conducted studies of thousands of people and already determined a great number of the qualities needed for successful performance of generic roles such as sales, customer service, management, and call centers.
But of course some personality tests are better than others for use in recruiting. In the USA there exists legislation that requires tests to meet certain standards before they can be used for recruitment and selection. The tests that meet US legislation usually have around 30 “factors” that have been statistically analysed to have a validity, reliability and correlation with specific workplace performance. These factorial tests for example such as NEO, OPQ, 16PF, Apollo Profile tend to be more expensive that simpler typology tests, for example Myer Briggs, DiSC, TMI and numerous other personality tests which are none-the-less great for understanding personality and for self-development.
Most good personality tests cost somewhere between $100 and $500, dependent upon whether you have to purchase the interpretation. Many big organizations subscribe to testing suppliers, and some test providers now have special services for small and medium businesses to access tests on a more casual and low cost basis.
In my opinion that cost is very small compared to the cost of making a mistake. A good test is a professionally constructed tool that will also confirm that you are making a wise choice, and be likely to reveal any development needs in the applicant before you appoint them.
By the way, good personality tests have a greater predictive capability than interviewing – but why not do both, especially as a god test is objective and likely to pick up characteristics that even trained interviewers can miss.

It is rarely recognized that the every-day activity of putting on a new employee is a quarter of a million dollar decision – and it’s often made without realizing what a big financial mistake it is to put on the wrong person.
Most quarter million dollar decisions are only made at very senior levels of management, and require a thorough cost/benefit analysis, and then justification.
The first point to consider is that a new appointment is a big decision – let’s say a middle-manager job paying $50,000 p.a. – over 5 years that is a $250,000 dollar decision. How about making absolutely sure that your quarter of a million dollar decision is a good one!
The cost of getting it wrong is very significant. There is the direct cost of the recruiting activity, frequently stated as around $4000 to $18000 dependent upon seniority, and whether external recruiters are used. Let’s say typically $8000
Then there are ongoing issues of employee training, under-performing and loss of productivity represented by wasted wages, and frequently morale issues as under-performers are carried by others.
So below is my cost/benefit analysis of the costs of a wrong appointment:
Activity Risk – get it wrong
Direct recruiting costs – typically ranging between $3000 to $18000. Say $8000 average. Total waste of money – have to do it all again.
Loss $8000
Induction/Probation – say six months New employee can’t or won’t perform job to satisfactory standards. Consumes much training, supervisor time and effort. May cause dissatisfaction with other employees.
Lost employee productivity of 6 months- $25,000
Cost of training, supervisors effort – $4000
Non-direct employment costs – desk, phone, car, superannuation – $4000
Ongoing for 5 years Employee under-performs and is “carried” by the organization. Likely to create resentment and lowered morale from other employees. Productivity lower, say performs at 70%, means 30% of wages “wasted”. Wages lost over 5 years $75000
Total Monies lost/wasted $116000

I often laugh when I see how much time and effort is put into purchasing a new company motor vehicle, say $30000, whereas putting on a new employee, cost $250000 over 5 years, usually receives nowhere near the attention it warrants.
In particular, high quality personality testing can help ensure that suitable employees are put on, and eliminate the risk and costs associated with an unsuited appointment.

Yes it is vital that you have well thought–out selection criteria – but some criteria are more important than others. A common problem is that sometimes a person that meets most selection criteria still does not work out. This is often caused by not recognizing that some selection criteria is essential. This is especially true regarding the harder to evaluate soft skills qualities such as good customer service, or leadership abilities. So a seemingly good applicant might tick nearly all the boxes, but be missing some essential job requirement.
So it makes sound sense that if a person cannot demonstrate that they have essential role requirements, they will not get the job.
Many professional recruiters recognize this, and a sort of industry-standard classification has developed weighting selection criteria as Essential, or Highly Desirable, or Desirable.
This enables clarity for evaluation job applicants, and for creating a level playing field. It also facilitates screening out of applicants, as the first to be eliminated should be those that do not meet your job essential selection criteria. It is particularly useful that SME’s and occasional recruiters understand this distinction, as it makes the recruitment task easier, with a higher likelihood of selecting an applicant that really will be able to do the job.
There is a very interesting and free Recruiting handbook available from http://www.mysmesite.com/recruiting-book that explains the terminology and use for selection criteria, and a relevant excerpt from it is as follows:
“Weighting of Selection Criteria
Weight – All selection criteria is not of the same importance in determining satisfactory job performance.

• Essential – It is essential that the person possesses this quality, otherwise he or she in unable to do the job. If a person cannot meet this essential requirement, he or she is eliminated as an applicant.

• Highly Desirable – It is highly desirable that a person possess this quality as difficulty and job under-performance is likely to be experienced if lacking. However, training, education and experience over time may enable an applicant to acquire this quality.

• Desirable – Whilst desirable that a person possesses this attribute, it is not necessarily vital for job performance.”

1.2 Weighting of Selection Criteria

All selection criteria are not of the same importance in determining satisfactory job performance. It is recommended to weight each selection criteria based upon the importance of that criteria for effective job performance. As mentioned before under Terminology, you can attribute weighting of Essential, or Highly Desirable, or Desirable to each criterion.

The optional Apollo Select DIY Recruitment System provides a system and forms to record and report and weight your selection criteria if you wish. See details of the Apollo Select DIY recruiting system at http://www.mysmesite.com

An example of weighting selection criteria follows:

POSITION: Store Manager LOCATION: Springwood

The Apollo Recruiting Handbook is about how to recruit great employees whilst saving heaps of money by doing a professional job yourself.
Many small and medium businesses do their own recruiting, not always with the best results. Many have found that using recruitment agencies or consultants is costly, or that their practices and commitment to getting the best staff is not as high as would be liked.

So this DIY Apollo Recruiting Handbook has been developed by recruitment professionals with many years experience to help businesses find and appoint the best employees suited to the job.

The Apollo Recruiting Handbook can be obtained FREE from http://www.mysmesite.com/recruiting-book.

Here’s a sample page to give you an idea of the great content you’ll find when you obtain your own free copy online.

STEP 1. SELECTION CRITERIA

1.1 Determine Selection Criteria

So exactly what skills, qualifications, knowledge, experience, and personality attributes do you want for this position? Failure to clearly define your needs right from the start makes it extremely hard to choose the right person. A Position Description states the duties to be performed, and is useful in determining selection criteria, but may not refer to all the qualities needed, especially those personal attributes required. Your selection criteria become the yardstick you measure applicants with.

Skills/competencies/experience
Examples: Familiar with Microsoft Office
At least 5 years industry experience
Proven success in business to business sales

Qualifications/knowledge/references
Examples: Minimum Diploma of Accounting required
Fork lift drivers certificate essential

Attitudes/Motivations/Values/Beliefs/Career Drivers
Examples: Leadership Skills, Interpersonal Skills, Customer Service Orientation, Sales Aptitudes.

These are best objectively assessed through using a properly validated psychometric instrument. Use of such tests is optional, and historically these tests have been most used by larger organisations trained in interpretation of reports, and can afford them.

However the Apollo Profile personality assessment has been especially developed to be used and understood at face value by users with little formal training, and is priced to be affordable. The Apollo Profile is a superior way to objectively evaluate 34 vital job-related characteristics that are difficult to assess through interviewing.

You can obtain Apollo Profile Recruiting tests and also Staff Development reports from http://www.mysmesite.com

Most small and medium size businesses (SME’s) like to do things themselves, but need to use expertly designed systems to help them do it professionally. This site provides a number of products and solutions to enable small and medium businesses to perform like experts, and save money by doing it themselves rather than pay expensive fees.