Selection Criteria - Definition & Meaning

Published in Human Resources Terms by MBA Skool Team

What is Selection Criteria?

In the selection phase of a typical hiring process of any organization, the selection criteria are established in order to shortlist candidates to the interview stage. These essentially cover the knowledge levels, skill sets, experience and abilities that a candidate must possess in order to qualify. There are basically two types of selection criteria- essential and desirable.

The essential criteria are the mandatory criteria that any candidate should have to be shortlisted into the interview stage. A criterion of a Bachelor’s degree in Economics or a minimum of 60% marks in graduation could be an example of this type.

Desirable criteria are essentially those skills, abilities or knowledge that a candidate needn’t necessarily possess, but the presence of which would escalate the chances of him/her being shortlisted. When too many candidates meet the essential criteria, the selection panel usually performs the shortlisting based on the desirable criteria. For instance, relevant work experience like a 3 year experience as a medical representative would definitely be an advantage in the selection process of a Pharmaceutical company.

This article has been researched & authored by the Business Concepts Team. It has been reviewed & published by the MBA Skool Team. The content on MBA Skool has been created for educational & academic purpose only.

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