An application of Delphi method for eliciting criteria in personnel selection problem

Abstract

An important phase of human resource management is personnel selection, which is concerned with identifying an individual from a pool of candidates suitable for a vacant position. As with many decision problems, personnel selection problem is very complex in real life. Some of the techniques in decision making are multi criteria decision making (MCDM) which can be applied for personnel selection process. Although, many studies have investigated this problem, there are three missing links in existing studies: first, there is no systematic and valid method for specifying that the jobs requirements criteria have been presented. Second, group decision making (GDM) is a very important factor for solving the problem comprehensively. However, it has not been considered in the majority of the reviewed studies. The main objective of this paper is to develop a model for personnel selection problem in order to identify criteria for personnel selection by using the modified Delphi method and eliciting criteria hierarchy for personnel selection. In this model, after reviewing pertinent literature, the Delphi technique was used to seek best ideas from managers and experts for criteria selection. The models were validated using a case study of personnel selection criteria in a project based company for a project manager position. The results show that the proposed models perform very well in selection criteria and can improve efficiency in decision making process. Key words: Personnel selection, criteria selection, Delphi, project management, decision making.