Recruitment and Selection Essay

DISCRIMINATION,SELF-FULFILLING PROPHECIES IN THE SELECTION-RECRUITMENT INTERVIEW Employers always want to have an interview when they want to select new personal in their company. Ofcourse, they want to be sure about new personal about that he or she does suit in their position in the company. Accordingly, interviews are important for their company in that finding right person. Therefore, it is possible to say recruitment and selection forms a core part of the central activities underlying human resource management: namely, the aquisition, development and reward of workers. Essential aspect of the interview, the social interaction occuring between interviewer and interviewee. The thesis of this paper discussing the influences which effect state of affairs during the interview according to Robert Merton’s ‘Self-Fulfilling Prophecy’. Merton is describing self-fulfilling prophecy as a ‘false definition of the situation evoking a new behaviour which makes the original false conception come ‘true’. This specious validity of the self-fulfilling prophecy perpetuates a reign of error.’ We can say that, interviewer’s bias or stereotypes might effect their initial impression about employee, according to Merton’s theory. Giving a spesific example will make it clearer; if interviewer has some stereotypes about black people, when they have interview with one of interviewee who is black, they will behave them according to their bias. Regarding this, firstly pre-interview information on the interviewee will effect interviewer’s pre-interview evaluation of the interviewee’s qualifications; secondly, first step will effect interviewer’s perception of the interviewee’s performance in the interview, then second step will effect interviewer’s post-interview evaluation of the interviewee’s qualifications; finally it will effect interviewer’s last decision on the interviewee. Consequently, it is possible to say having some bias or stereotypes cause of discrimination during the  interviews. Several studies have provided indirect support of the proposition, although they do not constitute direct test of the effects of pre-interview decisions. For instance, interviewers appear to decide on whether to hire or reject applicants before the end of the interview. The findings, however, are somewhat mixed as to just how early they make their decisions. (Springbett, 1958) Springbett (1958) found that 88 percent of the post-interview evaluations of the applicants could be predicted succesfully from pre-interview evaluation of the candidates based on their applications. Huguenard, Sager, and Ferguson (1970) manipulated the interviewer’s pre-interview impressions by providing bogus feedback from personality tests that the interviewee was either warm or cold. Regardless of whether the interview was 10,20, or 30 minutes in length, the interviewers describe the interviewees with words that were consistent with pre-interview set. The sum up, the self-fulfilling prophecy can be used for examine the discrimination in pre-interview step and having stereotypes effects all steps druing the interview. The laws prohibiting discrimination on grounds of sex, race, disability, sexual orientation and religion expressly outlaw discrimination in the process of recruitment and selection.(Daniels K., Macdonal L., 2005) Effective recruitment requires an objective, systematic and planned approach if unlawful discrimination is to be avoided. Also it is important to avoid discrimination during the recruitment process. This not only is a legal requirement, but also gives employers the best chance of getting the right person for the job. The review of articles say us, interviewer might behave to interviewee according to his or her ideas from pre-interview step, during the interview. With an example we can make it clearer, differences between amount of men employers and women employers might be result of discrimination on pre-interview step. If interviewer believe that women should take care of children at home, when interviewer has interview with a woman, he will behave to interviewee according to this idea. Interviewer might not recruit a woman for job because of concerns that she might want to start a family and she might want to have children. Also, according to self-fulfilling prophecy, when women experienced that situation more than once they might be convinced to stay at home and work in less-cost  jobs. REFERENCES Daniels, K., & Macdonal, L.Equality, Diversity and Discrimination, chapter 5 CIPD, 2005 Huguenard, J. M., &Sager, E. B., &Ferguson, L. W. Interview time, inerview set, and interview outcome. Perceptual and Motor Skills, 1970. Merton, R., Social Theory and Social Structure. Glencoe, 3: pp. 193-210. The Free Press, 1957 Springbett, B. M. Factors affecting the final decision in the employment interview. Canadian Journal off Psychology, 1958