Criteria

Abstract

Once a job description has been prepared, there is a very strong impetus to proceed directly to personnel specifications, placement of adverts and selection of candidates. However, the stage which should follow the analysis of a job is the development of criteria. To understand the reason it is necessary to look forward to the time when the selection system is in operation. Sooner or later someone will ask whether the selection system works and whether it is valid. To answer these questions it will be necessary to compare the predictions of the selection system against a standard, or perhaps several standards. These criteria can be produced at this later stage but there are two good reasons why they should be defined soon after the job analysis has been completed.