A company seeking to fill a vacancy has recruited an appropriate pool of candidates. What characteristics must the selection process possess to ensure that the most suitable candidate is offered the job? Selection is an integral part of the functioning of every organization, as it is the process by which suitable people are chosen, from a pool of candidates, of whom HR officials expect will most successfully perform their jobs, as set out in the job description. work and person specifications [Torrington, et al., 2002: 188]. While the length and method of the selection process is versatile and can vary depending on the type of job and type of organization, there tends to be a common 5-step process through which individuals are chosen. Using current HR models and economic theory on job description and person specification, this essay will examine the main characteristics of the selection process and how these are applied in organizations, such as “Lloyds TSB”, “ScottishPower” and "Enterprise Rent-A". -Car." The importance of a sophisticated selection process can be described in terms of theoretical models such as the "Devanna model", which emphasizes the interrelationship of key human resources (HR) functions with each other [Bratton & Gold, 2012 : 18]. The efforts put into the selection process affect the performance of the worker and subsequently the evaluation, reward management and human resource development functions. In terms of performance, the selection of candidates without the qualifications and skills necessary consequently leads to comparable lower productivity in terms of performance evaluation, subsequently selecting employees with incompatible organizational attitudes requires stronger supervision and more frequent evaluation or...... half of the paper... anization As outlined in the “Devanna Model”, the interrelationship of all major HR functions would lead to costly consequences for the organization due to choosing unsuitable candidates in the selection process. While the selection processes available are versatile, including probation models, random selection, quota systems, empirical considerations, and inherent attributes, there are several common characteristics that are often found when selecting external candidates. These include CV screening, preliminary interviews, application forms, psychometric tests, assessment centres, interviews, medical tests and reference checks. Since each method has different validity and reliability, it is important that HR managers use a combination of different methods to objectively predict and select the workers best suited to the job.