A selection committee is a panel that makes decisions about which applicants will receive financial assistance for mental health services. Its members review applications in a timely manner and interview each applicant to understand their unique situation and needs. They also manage referrals to ensure that funding is spread out across a variety of providers, and that applicants and providers from marginalized backgrounds are prioritized whenever possible.
Select committees are often a result of legislation, but they can be found in a range of industries and organizations. They may be used by small businesses to make hiring decisions, for example, or they can be a part of the decision-making process when choosing a new CEO or board member. It is important to have diversity on a selection committee, and this can be achieved through incorporating members from different departments, gender, age, ethnicity, functional expertise, and so on.
It is also crucial that the selection committee use legally defensible methods to assess their candidates. Using methods that are not objective and fair can potentially discriminate against specific groups or individuals, and this is not acceptable. Having a professional advisor in the form of a psychologist can help the selection committee choose unbiased, fair assessment methodologies.
The College Football Playoff Selection Committee is a panel of 13 individuals who have relevant ties to — and experience within — college football. They meet in private, reportedly up to 10 times per year to decide who will represent the top teams in their respective conferences at the national championship game. While this is an exceptional example of a selection committee, it serves to highlight the importance of having a diverse group of people with different vantage points on your organization’s most important hiring decisions.
If you are a candidate for an open position, preparing to be interviewed by a selection committee can be a daunting prospect. The pressure and intensity of these meetings are usually higher than a standard interview, and there is a greater possibility for unintentional bias to enter the discussion.
The most important thing to keep in mind when preparing for a selection committee interview is to be as transparent and clear as possible about your strengths and weaknesses. This will help the committee members understand why a certain response was made and allow them to evaluate you fairly.
It is also important to have a detailed internal brief that the selection committee can refer to when evaluating candidates. This can help them to agree on a common set of criteria for evaluation, and avoid unintentional biases like “criteria-shifting” that may occur when members discuss a nominee. Finally, it is important for the selection committee to write down feedback before discussing it, as it can be easy to skew initial opinions based on who is first to speak.