1Good morning.
2So, we've looked at various aspects of staff selection this term and...
3I think by now you should be beginning to see
4how much more there is to it than just putting applicants through a short interview
5or asking the 'right' questions.
6So I think you should be ready for today's tutorial on 'matching the person to the job'.
7We're going to talk today about the importance of choosing that all round 'right' person.
8Right. So we have to put ourselves into the role of the manager or supervisor?
9Yes.
10And then we're going to imagine how different applicants would fit into the team or group they have to work with...
11we'll look at some examples later.
12It's just theoretical at the moment...
13Yes.
14The point is, you can select someone - even a friend -
15who has all the right qualifications, degrees, certificates, whatever.
16You can also check that they have a lot of experience...
17that they've done the sort of tasks that you want them to do in your office already,
18in a similar environment.
19But if they start work
20and you realise that they just don't get along with everybody else, that...
21say, they've got sharply contrasting views on how something will work...
22well, with the best will in the world, you may be backing a loser.
23Wouldn't it be just a question of company training, though?
24Not always.
25Particularly in a team situation,
26and I think it's important to think in terms of that type of working environment.
27People have to have faith in each other's ability to carry out the task their boss has set them.
28They have to trust that everyone will do their part of the job,
29and you can't necessarily train people for this.
30But it's like trying to find out what someone's personality is like in a job interview...
31I mean... you just can't do that.
32Even if you try, you won't find out what they're really like until they actually start work.
33Well, in most interviews you usually ask candidates questions about their hobbies and...
34what they like doing in their spare time...
35that sort of thing...
36so, employers are already involved in the practice of...
37well, doing part of the task.
38But it doesn't tell you anything.
39It doesn't tell you if they're easy-going or hate smokers or whatever.
40Well, arguably it does give you a bit of information about an applicant's character,
41but also more and more employers around the world are making use of what are called 'personality questionnaires'
42to help them select new staff and...
43What's it called?
44A Personality Questionnaire.
45They have to be filled out by the candidates some time during the selection procedure,
46often just before an interview.
47The idea is actually quite old.
48Apparently they were used by the ancient Chinese for picking out clerks and civil servants,
49and then later they were used by the military to put people in appropriate areas of work.
50They've gained a lot of ground since then
51and there are about 80,000 different tests available now
52and almost two thirds of the large employers use them.
53Which makes you think that there must be something in them.
54That's right.
55They ask the sort of questions that you might expect,
56like do you like working under pressure or...
57are you good at keeping deadlines.
58And what if people can see through them and just write what they think the employer wants to see?
59Well that's always a possibility.
60I mean, it's human nature to lie, isn't it?
61Well, that's the point.
62Apparently it isn't.
63These tests are compiled by experts
64and they believe that the answers can provide a few simple indicators
65as to roughly the type of person that you are...
66that people will generally be truthful in that situation.
67And then you can go some way towards finding out whether someone's, say, forward-looking...
68a go-ahead type of person... or resistant to change.
69And there are all kinds of...