Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisations

Orientation: Using appropriate selection procedures assists organisations in acquiring applicants with the right competencies, a positive attitude and alignment with organisational values, providing a competitive advantage in the market. Research purpose: The study aims to investigate the selection...

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Main Authors: Juliet I. Townes, Tatenda S. Marange, Molefe J. Maleka
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: AOSIS 2025-07-01
Series:SA Journal of Human Resource Management
Subjects:
Online Access:https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/3073
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author Juliet I. Townes
Tatenda S. Marange
Molefe J. Maleka
author_facet Juliet I. Townes
Tatenda S. Marange
Molefe J. Maleka
author_sort Juliet I. Townes
collection DOAJ
description Orientation: Using appropriate selection procedures assists organisations in acquiring applicants with the right competencies, a positive attitude and alignment with organisational values, providing a competitive advantage in the market. Research purpose: The study aims to investigate the selection procedures used by South African organisations, including interviews, psychological assessments, reference checks, physical checks, and employment offers. Motivation for the study: The literature review revealed that there is limited research on employee selection practices in the South African context across various industries and organisations. Research approach/design and method: This qualitative study included a sample of 60 participants, and interpretivism was the paradigm the study followed. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ATLAS.ti. Main findings: The study revealed that the most commonly used selection procedures included online competency-based interviews, psychometric assessments and reference checks. Practical/managerial implications: Not having an objective and well-trained selection panel may be detrimental to the fairness of the employee selection process. Managers should have different and innovative employee selection procedures to appoint employees with the appropriate competencies at the right time. Human resource practitioners need to act as change agents to promote the adoption of technology and innovation in their selection practices. Contribution/value-add: This study was conducted acrosss various organisations and proposes a new selection process that human resource management practitioners can use to select the right candidate. A seven-step selection framework is presented.
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institution Kabale University
issn 1683-7584
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series SA Journal of Human Resource Management
spelling doaj-art-a02e5ac1755f4de9ac890090c8ca03d72025-08-20T03:56:37ZengAOSISSA Journal of Human Resource Management1683-75842071-078X2025-07-01230e1e1310.4102/sajhrm.v23i0.3073916Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisationsJuliet I. Townes0Tatenda S. Marange1Molefe J. Maleka2Department of Applied Management, Administration and Ethical Leadership, University of Fort Hare, East LondonDepartment of Industrial Psychology, University of the Free State, BloemfonteinFaculty of Management Science, Tshwane University of Technology, eMalahleniOrientation: Using appropriate selection procedures assists organisations in acquiring applicants with the right competencies, a positive attitude and alignment with organisational values, providing a competitive advantage in the market. Research purpose: The study aims to investigate the selection procedures used by South African organisations, including interviews, psychological assessments, reference checks, physical checks, and employment offers. Motivation for the study: The literature review revealed that there is limited research on employee selection practices in the South African context across various industries and organisations. Research approach/design and method: This qualitative study included a sample of 60 participants, and interpretivism was the paradigm the study followed. The data were analysed using descriptive statistics and ATLAS.ti. Main findings: The study revealed that the most commonly used selection procedures included online competency-based interviews, psychometric assessments and reference checks. Practical/managerial implications: Not having an objective and well-trained selection panel may be detrimental to the fairness of the employee selection process. Managers should have different and innovative employee selection procedures to appoint employees with the appropriate competencies at the right time. Human resource practitioners need to act as change agents to promote the adoption of technology and innovation in their selection practices. Contribution/value-add: This study was conducted acrosss various organisations and proposes a new selection process that human resource management practitioners can use to select the right candidate. A seven-step selection framework is presented.https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/3073interviewsreferencingpsychometric testsemployee selectionsouth africa
spellingShingle Juliet I. Townes
Tatenda S. Marange
Molefe J. Maleka
Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisations
SA Journal of Human Resource Management
interviews
referencing
psychometric tests
employee selection
south africa
title Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisations
title_full Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisations
title_fullStr Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisations
title_full_unstemmed Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisations
title_short Exploring employee selection procedures in South African organisations
title_sort exploring employee selection procedures in south african organisations
topic interviews
referencing
psychometric tests
employee selection
south africa
url https://sajhrm.co.za/index.php/sajhrm/article/view/3073
work_keys_str_mv AT julietitownes exploringemployeeselectionproceduresinsouthafricanorganisations
AT tatendasmarange exploringemployeeselectionproceduresinsouthafricanorganisations
AT molefejmaleka exploringemployeeselectionproceduresinsouthafricanorganisations