Selection Flashcards

All 16 cards in this deck

What is a CV (curriculum vitae)?

A document written by an applicant summarising their personal details, qualifications, work experience and skills.

Why might a business use application forms instead of relying on CVs alone?

The business chooses the questions, so every applicant gives the same relevant information and applications are quicker to compare.

What is a reference in recruitment?

A report on a candidate from someone who has known them, such as a former employer or teacher, which helps the business check that they are reliable and suitable for the job.

Give one drawback of using an interview to select a candidate.

Any one of: nervous candidates may underperform, so a good one is missed; a confident talker can impress without having the skills the job needs; the interviewer's personal bias can affect the choice.

What is the difference between a skills test and an aptitude test?

A skills test checks whether a candidate can already do the tasks the job needs; an aptitude test checks whether they have the potential to learn them.

Which documents might a job applicant send to a business?

An application form (produced by the business, completed by the applicant), a CV and a letter of application (both written by the applicant).

Give two methods a business can use to select the best candidate for a job.

Any two of: an interview; a test, e.g. a skills or aptitude test; a group activity; taking up references.

Give one advantage of using an interview to select a candidate.

Any one of: the employer can judge the candidate's communication skills and personality; candidates' answers to the same questions can be compared.

What does a group activity show an employer during selection?

How candidates work with others, e.g. their teamwork, leadership and communication skills.

What is the difference between recruitment and selection?

Recruitment is attracting people to apply for a vacancy; selection is choosing the best person from those who apply.

What is shortlisting?

Using applicants' written information, such as application forms, CVs and letters of application, to choose a small number to invite to the final stage of selection.

What is a letter of application?

A letter written by an applicant explaining why they think they are suitable for the job.

What can a letter of application show an employer about an applicant?

Their written communication skills, such as grammar and punctuation, and how they describe their own experience and qualities.

Give one advantage to a business of asking applicants for a CV.

Any one of: it shows how well the applicant can organise information; the key details about the applicant can be seen at a glance.

Give one drawback of using references to select a candidate.

They may be inaccurate, e.g. a referee may exaggerate, or an employer may write a good reference because it wants the employee to leave.

Why do businesses often use more than one selection method?

Applicants may give false or misleading information in one source, so combining several builds a truer picture of what the person can do.