Recruitment and Selection of Employees - Assignment Example

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION OF EMPLOYEES Executive Summary It is clear from the study that recruitment and selection of employees by human resource in an organization is done primarily done to chose the best qualified person, attain individuals who are committed and will add value to the organization. Other factors include persons who will ensure effective, quality and timely service and product delivery while the objectives of the firm they intend to work for achieve its mission and objectives. The use of good selection and recruitment strategies leads to retaining employees, satisfying employees, avoid use of discriminative practices that may cost the company through law suits, reduce costs produced by turnovers, obtaining qualified and productive personnel and improved productivity thus increased profitability. Introduction Recruitment and selection of employees by human resource in an organization is done primarily done to chose the best qualified person, attain individuals who are committed and will add value to the organization, persons who will ensure effective, quality and timely service and product delivery while the objectives of the firm they intend to work for achieve its mission and objectives (Brannick, & Levine, 2002). To achieve this, recruiting personnel have embarked on usage of selection criteria and recruiting strategies which assists to attract, develop and retain employees in an organization (Marelli, 2010). The use of good selection and recruitment strategies leads to retaining employees, satisfying employees, avoid use of discriminative practices that may cost the company through law suits, reduce costs produced by turnovers, obtaining qualified and productive personnel and improved productivity thus increased profitability (Philips, 2003). This study shall highlight the benefits and limitations associated with different recruiting and selection practices and methods, use of effective job analysis techniques and how the human resource can reduce high turnovers of employees to reduce high costs of recruitment and selection processes. Identification and Justification of Appropriate Recruitment Methods Effective recruitment strategies and methods can only be effective if human resource management understands why there is an employee turnover in the first place. More often than not, strategies should focus on the needs of the jobseeker and at the same time ensures that the goals of the organization are taken into account (Philips, 2003). Among reasons that employees may quit or leave a job is because of a) dissatisfaction of the work they do, b) poor relationship with the person in charge or the supervisor, c) lack of teamwork or good relationships with co-workers, d) availability of better paying jobs elsewhere, e) employees feeling the present job is not challenging, rewarding enough or it does not make them feel as if they are making a difference be it in their personal or professional lives, f) the feeling of mistrust, lack of respect in the working environment and g) inability to balance personal life and work itself (Philips, 2003). Moreover, effective recruitment strategies should consider skills and knowledge needed, type of employees, who potential employees are, and the best way to reach them. Among recruitment methods that are popularly used by human resource management are either through internal sourcing, external sourcing and e-recruiting. During internal sourcing, human resource management posts the vacancies in internal memos, office bulletin boards or through word of mouth (Rothwell, 2009). This method is relatively cheap, can be used to ask high performing employees to refer people they know who would produce results and can be used to motivate employees due to promotion from within. Other internal sources can be through friends, families and from friendly companies that surplus of employees. External sourcing entails posting vacancies on the press, the media, using employment/recruitment agencies, college recruitment and by job fairs. It is more expensive than using internal sourcing and recruiting and selection processes consumes more time. Before posting a vacancy during external sourcing it is important to evaluate whether the vacancy status, salary and title will remain the same, what job attributes should be added or subtracted, current recruitment policies in the firm, and if the firm will benefit by making new recruitment. E-recruiting entails use of internet to recruit new employees. The method allows quick job posting thus eliminating issues of booking for space and airtime in press and electronic media, quick response by job seekers, and ease the process of sending resume to different hiring employers by applicants. For the purpose of this study, the appropriate recruiting method is combination of external sourcing and e-recruitment. This is because it promotes equal chances for all applicants, the process of e-recruitment is faster, promote bran name and image as equal opportunity employers, promote recruitment culture important to job seekers and avoid issues that arise from internal sourcing like nepotism, organization becoming stagnant due to inbreeding, maintenance of status quo, and reduced innovations due to decreased perspectives, prompting promotion of people who are not yet ready thus causing unproductivity and lack of growth. Identification and Justification of Appropriate Selection Methods Effective selection and selection strategies should be fair, objective, based on merit, chooses the best qualified candidate irrespective of gender, sexual orientation, religious, political and cultural affiliation, social status, health, ethnicity, disability, race and color of their skin among other discriminative factors (Rothwell, 2009). Hence the process should be ethical, legal and done professionally to avoid instances where applicant may think you are giving promises that they will get the job. Additionally, it should ensure the objectives of the organization are taken into considerations. This can be done by establishing job analysis techniques that will define what the roles are, skills required, equivalent pay packages and drivers of employee turnover which includes characteristics of work, the environment of job, leadership, characteristics of the employee and relationships. It is imperative to be able to choose applicants that will easily connect well with the existing team, and comply with the standards set in the organization, understand the objectives of the organization and the need to accomplish them (Smart & Alexander, 2008). Effective selecting methods are only possible by establishing a job design which indicates the roles, responsibilities and duties expected for applicants of the vacancy, formulating the knowledge, abilities and skills needed to fulfill the job position (Kandola, 2000). Moreover, identify candidates who have the requirements needed through interview, personality and cognitive questioning, doing background checks, verifying competence by contacting referees, medical tests and conducting aptitude and assessment tests. Validity of selection method used can be done by validity generalization strategy that entails using a method that has already been used by other recruiting agencies and found successful, content oriented strategy which shows proper procedures were followed in creation and usage of selection method and criterion related strategy that shows validity of selection method by availing statistical evidence depicting levels of job performance relative to selection scores of candidates Effective selection methods are useful in cutting training costs, reinforces organization’s cultural values, reducing turnovers, employ candidate who are knowledgeable and skillful in the job applied for thus increasing productivity and efficient service and product delivery. Additionally, effective selection can be done by having trained interviewers, implementation of structured questionnaires and interviews and verifying and getting credible information from referees on applicant’s resume (Philips, 2003). One of the selection methods that will best suit the job vacancy in this study is a biographical data technique which focuses on tenure in previous work, academic qualification, work experience and added advantages like having other professional training like customer care, driving, medical certificate and certificate of good conduct (Mathis & Jackson, 2008). According to studies done and have undergone rigorous peer review suggests that, effective selection and selection methods of potential candidate should entail conducting interviews where the interviewer is fully prepared, this can be done by using recruitment agencies to conduct the interviews on behalf of the human resource or an organization training its own interviewers (Rothwell, 2009). Asking the right questions is fundamental in choosing the right person and narrowing down the short listed candidates. This can be done by using standardized structured questionnaires. In cases where short listed candidates match in work experience and academic qualifications, the recruiting personnel can therefore, use questions that will determine the strength of candidates to think critically, make up effective decisions and solve problems amicably. Another aspect that will help show which candidate best suits the vacancy is allowing the applicant to explain what makes them different from the rest, what their visions personally and professionally are and what new things or advantages will they add by joining the organization (Philips, 2003). Importance of Effective Recruiting and Selection Strategies to Employers Effective recruiting, selection, recruiting methods and selecting methods are fundamental aspects to any profit and non-profit organizations. This is because the form the core components to the reason why an employee may decide to remain or leave their job. If recruitment and selection is done poorly, employees may later feel as if they were short changed sine job postings during recruitment were not clear on the job specifics, remuneration, skills and knowledge required (Tesone & Pizam, 2009). Moreover, choosing the wrong candidate will result in poor performance by the employee hence poor service delivery, poor production and low quality product and service which consequently lead to either stagnation or lack of growth of the firm or incurring losses or decreased profits. Ineffective recruitment and selection costs the firm more when employees quit seeking better challenging or paying jobs, feel they are not motivated hence poor performance and lack of cohesiveness and teamwork thus causing breakdown of communication and production (Philips, 2003). This results in further costs arising from new recruitment, training and staffing (Catano, 2009). Proper recruitment and selection is integral to the organization performance and achieving its set goals and objectives and living up to its mission and vision statement. Therefore employers can retain their employees by offering them rewards in terms of monetary benefits, holidays or promotion, which motivates them, improves their commitment to the firm and persuades them not to quit (Philips, 2003). Initiating good leadership styles, understanding the needs of the employee, initiating teamwork, allow employees to grow and exploit their knowledge and skills to the fullest potential, giving clear job descriptions, having a job design, engage employees in decision making processes and providing benchmarks for the organization which indicate their views on important issues such as bonuses, leave and off duties, promotion, overtime offers, salaries and benefits and establishing comprehensive and realistic retention plans (Rothwell, 2009). Conclusion Recruitment and selecting potential employees is a fundamental aspect of any organization since it aids in achieving set goals and objectives (Philips, 2003). Effective recruitment and selection methods allows employers to tap and get the best qualified candidates that will help increase production, improve quality of production , improve quality of products and services, improve effective product and service delivery which consequently results in increased productivity and cutting costs incurred due to employee turnovers. Ineffective recruitment and selection leads to lack of motivation, poor relationships among teams, reduced productivity by the organizations, reduced profitability and increased employee turn over when they go out to seek better rewarding and fulfilling jobs. References Brannick, M. & Levine, E. 2002. Job analysis: methods, research, and applications for human resource management in the new millennium. Sydney: Sage Publications. Catano, V. 2009. Recruitment and Selection in Canada. London: Cengage Learning. Kandola, P. 2000. Job Analysis: A Manager's Guide. Sydney: Printed Books. Marelli, A. 2010. Managing for Engagement -- Communication, Connection, and Courage. New York: DIANE Publishing, 2010 Mathis, R. & Jackson, J. 2008. Human resource management. London: Cengage Learning. Philips, J.J. 2003. Managing employee retention: a strategic accountability approach. Berlin: Butterworth-Heinemann. Rothwell, W.J. 2009. The Manager's Guide to Maximizing Employee Potential: Quick and Easy Strategies to Develop Talent Every Day. New York: AMACOM Div American Mgmt Assn. Smart, B. & Alexander, G. 2008. Topgrading for Sales: World-Class Methods to Interview, Hire, and Coach Top Sales Representatives. Chicago: Prentice Hall Publishers. Tesone, D. & Pizam, A. 2009. Principles of Management for the Hospitality Industry. London: Butterworth-Heinemann Appendix Job Advertisement Sample Found In the Internet Type: Full-time Experience: Associate Functions: Sales, Consulting  Industries: Leisure, Travel & Tourism, Airlines/Aviation  Posted: September 25, 2010 Compensation: Negotiable Referral Bonus: Job Description Colwick Travel is seeking an experienced international travel consultant (native Sabre) for our North Dallas office. The consultant is a self-starter who enjoys creating complex international travel itineraries for multiple accounts. The ideal candidate is able to confirm the most convenient routing while maximizing savings for our clients. This includes working with a variety of options, including consolidator tickets, corporate fares and net fares. Group, rail and FIT experience preferred. Staying up to date on the industry and providing travel advice (entry requirements, passport, visa information, etc) to every customer is expected. Good communication skills, attention to detail and accuracy are a must. We offer a competitive salary. Benefits include group health insurance, company-provided disability/life insurance, healthcare expense reimbursement, 401(k) plan, travel privileges and FAM allowance. Skills required Native Sabre experience with minimum 5 years. 15 years travel industry experience as an agent, with the majority in international. Company Description Colwick Travel - Dedicated to Personalized Service and Solutions Founded in 1977 as a full-service corporate travel management company and consistently recognized as among the largest and top-performing travel agencies in Dallas/Fort Worth by The Dallas Business Journal, Colwick Travel Corporation is dedicated to providing you with a staff of highly trained professionals who use the latest industry technologies to deliver outstanding service and the most value for your travel dollars. Our commitment is to becoming a trusted partner by gaining a thorough understanding of your company and its specific travel requirements. We go beyond the basic services to create added savings and efficiencies in order to help develop effective, long-term programs and solutions. Privately owned and operated with one central location in Dallas, we have the flexibility and responsiveness to deliver the best travel management available. Additional information -Local candidates only. -No relocation (Dallas/Fort worth Area). Read More