Group selection process: benefits and disadvantages

When a company needs to recruit several people at the same time or when the interest of candidates in a vacant position is very high, a group selection method is used. This saves time and allows you to observe the qualities of the candidates in a group setting. However, a candidate may at any time refuse to take part in such a selection because of lack of confidentiality.

Callcredit Information Group, an international data management company operating in Kaunas, is expanding rapidly, is currently opening a new branch and has decided to use the group selection method for recruiting new people. Around 500 candidates responded to the job advertisement, from which 28 potential employees were selected during the initial screening and all of them were invited to a group selection.

The group selection process lasted two days. On one Monday afternoon, everyone was invited to the company’s office in Kaunas Žalgiris Arena, where they had an informal discussion with their future colleagues. The next day, the candidates were given a team exercise to test their communication and teamwork skills. On that day, candidates were interviewed individually and tested on their ability to solve problems and understand business and customer needs. At the end of the week, the company invited 10 candidates to join the new team in the new department.

Convenient for young candidates

Karolis Blaževičius, partner at recruitment company Indigroup and employer branding agency Chorus, says that group recruitment can be effective for candidates who have no work experience and are not yet working.

“The main factor hindering group recruitment is the lack of confidentiality. Working professionals often cannot afford to attend job interviews with a large group of people who are not named before the interview. When a candidate is not in employment and is just out of university, confidentiality is often not an obstacle. It is easy for such candidates to decide to take part in group selection, as this type of selection has been quite common in their environment so far (exams, doing exercises in front of an audience, etc.)”, explains Mr Blaževičius.

The purpose and preparation of the group selection are very important. “It is a mistake to think that group selection saves an employer time in selecting young colleagues. Group selection requires careful preparation, assessment criteria, a system for monitoring candidates and group tasks. It is also essential to have professionals who can adequately represent the workplace. Candidates may have various ‘awkward’ questions. Given that all questions will be asked in public, the employer’s representatives need to be particularly well prepared to represent the employer’s interests”, he points out.

It is therefore important to assess your own experience in HR before the panel selection process. “Group selection doubles or even triples the amount of information available. Managing different professionals interviewing different candidates at the same time requires a methodology that maximises the objectivity of decisions. If this is the first time a company has ever used group recruitment, I suggest starting with a small number of candidates and assessing not only the candidates but also your own preparedness,” he advises.

Full article in Verslo žinios