Supplementary Reading
Recruitment and Selection[4]
The Job Interview:A One-half-act Play
THE TIME:The not-too-distant future
THE SCENE:A college placement office
You have shined your shoes，combed your hair，and donned a freshly pressed suit.You now sit nervously in the placement office，waiting for your name to be called，eyes scanning for the hundredth time a resume you're convinced is too thin.I really want this job，you think.What will they ask me?Are my grades high enough?Why did they pick me for this interview，anyway?Do I have any skills I can offer this organization?
Relax.A little anxiety in the face of a job interview is to be expected.You wouldn't be sitting there if there weren't some evidence to suggest that you were qualified for the job.In any event，consider how the world must look from the perspective of the person on the other side of the interview table:How can we get the best person to fill this position?What sorts of questions should I ask to make sure I really get to know this candidate?Will I be able to avoid making judgments on superficial characteristics that have nothing to do with the job?If I focus too much on grade-point averages and standardized test scores，will I be screening people out who might well be perfect for our organization?
Recruiting and selecting candidates for employment is not easy for the candidates or the employer.Although both parties have a common interest in making a good match，the information needed to do that is often difficult to obtain.The merit principle states that personnel decisions should be guided solely by reference to a person's qualifications.Specifically，it tells us to ask whether the knowledge，skills，and abilities required for a job are matched by the knowledge，skills，and abilities embodied in a candidate.If we have done a sound job analysis，we know what knowledge，skills，and abilities a job requires.Our problem now is to address the other half of the equation:How do we assess a candidate's qualifications?
Types of Selection Devices
Employers use a wide variety of techniques to assess the qualifications of prospective employees and to help them make hiring decisions.Which device or set of devices any particular agency adopts will depend on the size and sophistication of the organization，any general personnel rules that govern the jurisdiction，and the nature of the job being filled.
For most organizations，the first cut through a pool of candidates is made by a review of job applications.Typically，job applications ask candidates for general identity information，education and employment histories，and references.Although some agencies use very general application forms to cover a wide range of positions，the most useful forms are those designed especially for particular job categories.When seeking to fill the position of accountant，for instance，an organization would be well advised to ask a series of questions specific to accounting skills and qualifications.These questions can(and should)be derived from a thorough job analysis.(https://www.daowen.com)
Some organizations request resumes instead of or in addition to job applications.R e sum e s usually provide the same general information as an application form but are written by candidates rather than employers.Because they are not standardized，it is more difficult to make systematic comparisons among candidates with re sumes than it is with job applications.The use of resumes rather than applications may be appropriate，however，when attempting to fill high-level(e.g.，city manager，county budget director)or unique(e.g.，limnologist，utilities economist)positions.
Regardless of whether applications or resumes or both are used，however，it is important that the individuals reviewing them take care to apply appropriate standards when making judgments about the suitability of candidates.A concerted effort must be made to ensure that the criteria applied are job-related and the same for all candidates.One way to do this is to develop a written scoring system，again derived from a job analysis，that can be applied to the applications or resumes.It might be determined，for instance，that each year of experience is worth 5 points or that demonstrated mastery of a particular skill is worth 10 points.Such a system helps guard against bias in the initial stages of the selection process.
Once preliminary selection decisions have been made and the pool of eligible candidates has been narrowed，many organizations choose to interview a small number of finalists.Oral interviews，either in person or over the telephone，have the advantage of flexibility and allow employers to ask more subtle and detailed questions than applications usually permit.Interviews also provide the opportunity to assess candidates'personal characteristics and social skills.But these advantages must be treated cautiously.Interviews can easily be abused to the detriment of candidate and employer alike.Unless interviews focus only on issues directly related to the job，they may discriminate，intentionally or unintentionally，against worthy job seekers.The most useful interviews are usually those based on carefully prepared questions that can be scored as described earlier.
Many organizations use some form of paper-and-pencil test as part of their selection process.This technique can be used as an initial screening device(all applicants take the test)or can be restricted to a later stage of the process.Depending on the nature of the job，tests may be aimed at assessing either achievement(how much do you already know about this field?)or aptitude(how likely are you to be able to learn?).Because of the time and expense involved in validating tests of this sort，they are usually adopted only by large organizations that plan to use them to fill multiple positions.
In addition to standardized tests，other forms of examination are available.Work sampling and assessment centers are two of the most popular.Work sampling requires that the applicant actually perform some of the tasks used on the job—typing is a common example.Assessment centers are simulated work experiences.Depending on the job in question，candidates are required to make decisions about complex，hypothetical problems，demonstrate an ability to budget their time，and interact effectively with other people.
【注释】
[1]Source:Rosenbloom，David H.et al.eds.，Public Administration:Understanding Management，Politics，and Law in the Public Sector(5th Edition)，New York:The McGraw-Hill Companies，Inc.，pp.283-293，301-304，315-332.
[2]Fiscal Year—a government's yearly accounting period.The U.S.federal fiscal year begins October 1 and ends on the following September 30.States and municipalities may have fiscal years that begin on other dates(such as January 1 or July 1).The fiscal year is generally designated by the calendar year in which it ends，e.g.，fiscal year 2001 begins on October 1，2000，and ends on September 30，2001.(From 1844 to 1976，the U.S.federal fiscal year began on July 1 and ended on the following June 30.)
[3]Adapted from Mark W.Huddleston and Dennis L.Dresang，The Public Administration Workbook，New York:Pearson Education，Inc.，2007，pp.203-204，235-238.
[4]Source:Huddleston，Mark W.and Dresang，Dennis L.，The Public Administration Workbook，New York:Pearson Education，Inc.，2007，pp.145-146.