Recruitment and Selection Processes in Organizations - Research Paper Example

Introduction Selection and recruitment are vital tools of ensuring that an organization employs a workforce that is competent enough to ensure productivity and profitability. Discrimination during employment has been rampant in the past usually based on race and gender roles which have been traditionally instituted by different societies. However, diversity has become vital in the recent past especially with the rising globalization and competition. Diversity in the recruitment and selection process refers to employment of different individuals with different qualities than those of the majority of the workers in an organization. Positive action approach has been adopted by most of the organizations to ensure diversity and gender and racial balance is attained (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 22). Positive action is a termed used to refer to the measures which are employed by companies and organizations to counteract the negative impacts of discrimination in employment and also to help reduce stereotyping and this discrimination. However, positive action is not meant to bring about favorable treatment for some people who are marginalized. While employing people using the positive action, employers are not to employ unqualified individuals. Positive action is an initiative which is used to help employers encourage some certain groups of people who inequitably represented in the employment sector to apply for promotions and jobs. Due to the previous discrimination in work places, some people feel unworthy or unfit to apply for jobs in certain areas either because of their lifestyle, race or background and at times because of past experiences which such people could have encountered in other organizations which made them believe that they may not be welcome in other companies as their employees. Positive action initiatives have been made legal by some particular sections of the law although different it raises different questions regarding cases of positive discrimination which can arise while employing the positive action during recruitment and selection processes (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 28-33). Recruitment and selection techniques While carrying out the recruitment and selection process, the human resource department uses different approaches to ensure that the best candidates are selected and appointed for particular posts. While implementing the positive action policy, the human resource department should ensure that the form of technique being employed would enhance this practice rather than hindering it. While deciding on the right technique to employ while carrying out the recruitment and selection process, it is vital to ensure that the selection technique would meet the needs of an organization. Also, the technique being employed should meet the requirements of the company. The kind of posts being filled also determines the kind of recruitment and selection process or technique (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 55). One of the major techniques which is employed while carrying out the selection and recruitment process is use of interviews. This process begins with advertising whereby a vacant post is advertised to the public and/ or employees and they are invited to apply for the post. This attracts a pool of applicants from whom a few are selected based on merits and other qualifications which the company or an organization deems necessary. In cases where positive action is being employed, the advert put forward should clearly state so to ensure that the advert attracts the attention of the under represented individuals in an organization. So as to attract the desired individuals while advertising for jobs using positive action policy, an organization may advertise job vacancies in minority ethnic media or other media means which are bound to reach the target group more efficiently especially. This is more so when an organization wishes to attract diverse cultures or races. During the interviewing process, the best candidates are chosen regardless of whether they are the target group or not. As mentioned earlier, positive action during the employment and recruitment practices should not among to positive discrimination whereby the minorities or the targeted race is chosen over other candidates regardless of their qualifications or merit. Recruitment and selection should be based on merits and not on racial or gender grounds as this would amount to discrimination which is illegal (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 76). Interviews takes different forms which the first one being structured interviews whereby the candidates are given structured questions in a form to fill out their details. The interviewers then assess the capability of the candidate based on the information given in the forms. Structured interview may also be carried out by a panel of interviewers who ask structured questions to a potential employee. This form of interview assesses the interviewees' capabilities and also his or her ability to communicate effectively. Another form of interview which is commonly used is the unstructured interview. Under this kind of an interview, the interviewee is asked questions by the interview panel which are unstructured that is questions that the panel feels are suitable to assess the ability of the interviewee. This kind of an interview also helps in assessing the personality of an individual which may be vital for certain job posts (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 97). Interviews are more appropriate where there is a pool of candidates for a particular post and elimination of some candidates is vital. During interviews, the panelists compare the information given on application form of an individual and try to correlate it with the person. Interviews are more appropriate in job areas which require communication skills like in jobs relating to sales or job posts where a person is more involved with dealing with customers. In areas where tasks are more technical than interactive, interviews are not frequently used as a means of selection and recruitment. The second technique of selection and recruitment commonly used when employing the positive action is the use of assessment centers. An assessment centre is a standardized evaluation which is used to measure the behavior of an individual based on various evaluations which includes interviews, job related simulations and at times psychological tests. Job simulations are used while conducting the recruitment and selection processes and they are used to assess behavior which an employer terms as critical for a particular job. Under this approach to recruitment and selection, trained observers are used to make judgments regarding the suitability of a candidate based on the behavior they exhibit during this exercise. Assessment centers are more valid and they are being employed today in most organizations during the recruitment and selection activities (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 157). The use of assessment centers is appropriate in cases where the required skills for a certain job are complex and thus cannot be assessed easily using the interviewing method alone and other simpler tests. This technique is also applicable in cases where the skills required for a particular job contains more interpersonal elements for example the post related to management. Assessment centers are also used in cases where there are several candidates who are equally qualified for the job in question. In such cases, the candidates are allowed to interact with each other. Their behaviors are then analyzed which are later used for selection and recruitment purposes. In the recent past, due to an increase in coaching activities for applications, most companies have turned to the use of biodata for recruitment purposes. Coaching activities have led to the formulation of application letters, curriculum vitae and resumes which are almost similar making it difficult for companies to differentiate between candidate's abilities. Use of biodata uses historical information of an individual and includes such aspects as an individual's hobbies. Biodata is also used as a psychological test by most companies where candidates are subjected to different tests meant to reveal their psychological state which could be vital for the said job. Usually, biodata is employed for pre-selection purposes after which the candidates are subjected to other recruitment and selection techniques (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 166). The recruitment and selection process as well as other employment acts are regulated by different legislations known as labor laws. This laws ensures that the recruitment and selection process is transparent and non discriminatory. Violation of the labor laws may result in high penalties being imposed on employers and as such it is vital to ensure that one acts within the legal framework. After a successful completion of the recruitment and selection process, an employer is supposed to follow the legal labor laws in handling the new employees as failure may result to heavy penalties being imposed. One of the major requirements by the labor laws is the employment contract. An employment contact is a document which details the responsibilities and duties which an employee is supposed to carry out. This document is prepared by the employer and given to the employee to ensure that the employee understands his roles well and also what is expected of him or her. An employment contract is supposed to be issued within the first two months after the employee commences his or her job in an organization. An employee contract contains name of the organization or the employer, the start date of the employment and a short statement saying that any previous employment has been terminated and that the new employee takes up the rights of such a post. Employee's job title as well as the description of the job is also specified within the contract and the location of where the employee is to work from is also indicated. In case the worker is put on probation, the period is stated as well as the number of hours such an employee is expected to work. Employment contract also contains the remuneration that the worker would be receiving and all deductions which are expected to be made. Other items included in the employment contract include benefits that the employee would enjoy during his or her tenure, grievance handling process, disciplinary measures and other restrictive covenants if there be any in an organization (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 175). Employment contracts are legal requirements and failure to furnish an employee with this contract may attract high penalties to the employer. The employment contract also guides or outlines the relationship between the worker and his employer and can be used when misunderstandings arise in an organization. Another law which governs employment is the equal opportunities legislation. This is applied during and after the recruitment and selection period. Under this law, an employer is not supposed to discriminate against any worker regardless of their race, gender or background. This law also applies during the recruitment and selection process. An employee should not discriminate any person based on gender or race. While using the positive action policy, an employer should ensure that the final selection is based on merit. Though positive action is meant to encourage some group of individuals to apply for the job post or for promotions, an advert on a job is bound to attract even individuals who do not fit in the class of people a company may be looking forward to recruiting. In cases whereby the person "not belonging" to the intended group of has more qualifications than the other people, such a person should be taken for the job (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 179). Positive action does not allow employers to positively discriminate individuals who are more qualified than the targeted individuals. Positive action is supposed to encourage such individuals as well as training them. Encouragement under the positive action means trying to make it easier for individuals who are under represented to have an advantage of the opportunities. This could take different forms which may range from explicit encouragement whereby an employer makes recruitment adverts which are likely to reach such people easily, mentoring and even through support networks. Encouragement however does not include giving opportunities to perform the actual work. Training on the other hand means making such individuals fit to perform a task which can be done through trainee programs or coaching on assessment skills and interviews. However, though trainees are better placed to get a job, the selection process must be competitive and the best candidate selected thereof. Organizations are not compelled by the law to use positive action although they are allowed to do so under section 37 (1) of the amended race relations act of year 2000 (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 183). The health and safety laws also governs employment contract between the employer and the employee. This act provides that the employer must ensure that the health of the workers and their safety are guaranteed. This is more so in the industrial sector where employees are exposed to risks during their task performance. The employer is supposed to ensure that the worker is protected by providing protective clothing and other such measures. Employers are also supposed to ensure that their workers are insured for the time they are working for the company. The working conditions of the workers should be up to standard as this may lead to heavy penalties to the employers. Employers are supposed to ensure that the workers are provided with adequate resources to help them carry out their duties effectively. To mitigate the costs which may accrue in cases of illegal job practices, an employer should seek legal advice especially before engaging in positive action. Positive action may at times if not well handled amount to positive discrimination thus leading to legal suits against an organization. Before carrying out the selection and recruitment activities within an organization, it is vital for the human resource department to come up with the roles of the new post, to come up with a job description as well as the specifications of the person an organization looks forward to employing. This is vital as it helps in attracting only those candidates who are well qualified thus avoiding erroneous or wrongful recruitment which may be costly to an organization in the long run. The first step during the recruitment and selection process is job roles identification. This exercise is carried out by the human resource department using a number of means and it is carried out before an advert of a vacancy is put forward. During this exercise, the human resource managers comes up or formulates the roles which the person is to be recruited is expected to carry out. A list of job roles to be performed by newly recruited employees can be obtained from those who had previously performed such tasks and who are competent enough to ensure that the roles are accurate and specific (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 205). After a list of job roles has been compiled, the human resource managers should come up a job description which should be up to date. A job description is should reflect the vacant posts elements. Under the job description, the reporting structure should be well described and analyzed and all the responsibilities a person is expected to carry out. Person specification is also vital while advertising for a job post. Under the person specification, the desired skills and knowledge should be well analyzed and written down. Also, previous experience of the job and the aptitudes of a person should be indicated if need be. The specifications of a person should correlate to the job specifications and job roles. However, while coming up with the job specifications of an individual, the human resource department should ensure that maximum care is taken to make sure that no cases of discrimination arise. Person specification should not in any way directly or indirectly discriminatory as this may lead to legal redress which can be very costly for an organization. Maximum care should be taken especially when using the positive action approach as the possibility of indirectly discriminating may arise even without the direct intention of an organization (Roberts & Institute of Personnel and Development, pp 213). After a careful analysis of a particular vacant post, an organization should then put up adverts which should contain the job roles, job specifications and the required person specification. Usually, advertisement is carried out based on the needs of an organization. Where an organization wants to fill a vacant position from within the organization, such and advert is carried out internally but where recruitment and selection is to be from outside the organization, a public adverts is put forward inviting all qualified individuals without regard of their gender, race or ethnicity. A vigorous recruitment and selection process is later carried out using any of the identified modes recruitment and selection which a company deems right for its hiring needs. Conclusion Recruitment and selection processes are very vital in any organization as they enable it to be productive and profitable. These activities are usually carried out by the human resource department and they involve several steps as discussed above. However, while undertaking these activities, a lot of care should be taken to ensure that legal complications do not arise. An organization should seek legal advice especially while undertaking positive action approach for recruitment and selection as this may raise issues of positive discrimination. As companies start embracing diversity, it is vital to ensure that all individuals especially the under represented are recruited to an organization. This can be made possible through the use of positive action which is allowed by the law. Legality should however be upheld during and even after the recruitment and selection activities to help avoid penalties which may arise as a result of illegal labor practices such as discrimination. Work cited: Roberts, Gareth & Institute of Personnel and Development: Recruitment and Selection: A Competency Approach. 1997. CIPD Publishing, ISBN 085292707X Read More