ABSTRACT
One of a manager's major responsibilities is to initiate action but to do this he or she has to receive and interpret information in order to arrive at conclusions that will lead to the right action. In fact, a senior manager's job is normally devoted almost entirely to making decisions that implement action and to designing systems that enable better decisions to be made. The skill of selecting staff is concerned entirely with this same process. In filling a vacancy a manager obtains information, sorts it, compares it, makes conclusions and implements action. To assist in selection there are a variety of tools available to the manager including letters of application, application forms, interviews, group selection procedures, assessment centres and a range of tests sometimes referred to as psychological tests. In attempting to assess or to measure a person's suitability for a job it is important to know what characteristics are to be measured.
