Selecting and appointing

The final stage in the recruitment and selection process is the most important — choosing the best person for the job.

Final decision

The decision should be based solely on the candidate’s suitability (based on merit and ability) for the job as assessed at the interview and/or by other selection tests.  

It is important for the panel to complete assessment forms individually and then to discuss the results for each candidate with the other panel members.  This should ensure that an objective decision is reached, and any discrepancies between panel members’ assessments can be reviewed.

The final decision can be reached in a number of ways, for example, by:

  • adding together the individual scores of panel members to reach a final score;

  • agreeing by consensus an individual score for each question and combining them to reach a final score;

  • each panel member scoring each candidate individually and then reaching agreement on a candidate’s final score collectively.

Any method used should be agreed in advance of the interview process and documented, and it must be fairly and equally applied to all candidates.  

It is important that panel members are appropriately trained in recruitment and selection as it can help to avoid wide variations between individual scores.

After selection has been made

When the selection has been made, it is important to:

  • inform all the candidates of the outcome of the interview, including those who were unsuccessful;

  • inform the candidates who are to be placed on a reserve list and, where applicable, their position on the list; the duration of the list; the circumstances that could lead to the list being employed; and what action will be taken in those circumstances;

  • inform the successful candidate whether the offer of employment is subject to the completion of a satisfactory medical and/or references, and arrange for those to be carried out, taking into account whether any reasonable adjustments need to be made for disabled candidates; and

  • ensure that all relevant administration is complete and retain the records for at least 12 months following the date of interview.

For more information on medical examinations and references, see the document in the ‘Related tools and publications’ section.

Last updated: 18 July 2019