Recruitment of Employees - Case Study Example

Case Study In a bid to expand its operations, Post Bank seeks to recruit bankers to join its Head Office. Apparently, I am part of the team responsible for recruitment and selection of these new bankers, hence in my case study, this process is going to be outlined in detail showing all the major steps which are pertinent to this whole exercise which we would undertake to recruit and select the members to the new posts of bankers. The external method of recruiting will be used in this particular case to widen the net to capture the attention of skilled and experienced bankers to fill the created posts at the head office given that these positions require experienced personnel in the banking field. The framework of the study would be primarily focused on academic research particularly on different processes involved in the recruitment and selection process of potential employees. After an analysis of the research, a summary and conclusion would be given as well as recommendations to the organisation. Academic research In order to gain a clear understanding of the concept of recruitment, it is imperative to begin by defining it. “Recruitment is described as those activities in human resource management (HRM) which are undertaken in order to attract sufficient job candidates who have necessary potential, competencies and traits to fill the job needs and to assist the organisation in achieving its objective,” (Swanepoel et al 2003:259). Effective recruitment often attracts individuals to the organisation and also increases the chances of retaining the individuals once they have been hired. Recruitment efforts seek to satisfy the needs of job applicants as well as the needs of managers. It can be noted that the employees are the backbone of every organisation hence effective recruitment, improving their performance as well as putting measures that reduce staff turnover are major factors that determine success of business during the contemporary period. In recruitment of employees, there are various factors that are considered as important and some of them include the following: qualifications, skills or experience as well as ability (Kleynhans et al 2006). The most appropriate selection tools that can be used include the use of computer aided technology such as the internet in advertising the posts as well as using it as a tool to receive curriculum vitaes from different inspiring candidates. The use of computer powered technology is advantageous in that the databases are so big and can store lots of information. It is easier to attract applicants from all corners of the globe since the internet can make communication instantaneous while at the same time reaching a wide range of people. It will also be easier to select the potential candidates from large databases by virtue of using search engines to search the appropriate candidates relatively easier. A preliminary list will then be used as the basis of short listing the likely candidates with appropriate qualifications. Professional as well as educational qualifications are often regarded as the basic selection criteria in recruitment of the employees. In any job, it is always vital for every person to have some level of education depending on the post and position of the job within an organisation. Level of education often ranges from high school qualifications up to degree level. Professional qualifications are also taken into consideration. Some jobs require specific level of education coupled with experience and these qualifications are used as the yardsticks to screen potential employees for specified jobs such as the case with recruitment of bankers for the Post Bank. Another factor which is important for recruiters is to determine if the chosen candidate would be able to do the job. Some candidates may be highly qualified but with little ability to meet the requirements hence it is very important in our case to consider if the potential candidate has any track record which shows that he or she is able to perform to the expected standards. In this regard, the potential candidate ought to show that he has some general knowledge pertaining to the position he will be applying for as a way of minimising the number of desperate people who may lack knowledge about a job. However, qualifications alone may not be enough to select the best candidate for certain positions particularly in the banking sector. In most cases, skills gained from previous experience are taken into consideration as a measure of trying to identify the most suitable candidate who will not have so many difficulties in performing the task. High academic as well as professional qualifications coupled with high levels of experience often go hand in hand in securing high positions in any given organisation and this is another very important consideration on our part as recruiters in selecting the best candidates. In order to maximise the chances of getting the best candidates, we would also employ the strategy of outsourcing for highly skilled workers who have great influence in making strategic decisions in the operations of the banking sector. Indeed the process of recruitment is costly but we are compelled to use the external methods at our disposal so that we would have a wide selection range. Basically, outsourcing refers to the process whereby the organisation hires someone outside the organisation to perform the task of recruiting that can be done by the organisation itself (Kleynhans et al 2006). The recruiting agencies take a leading role in selecting employees particularly using head hunting tactics to identify and attract the best candidates with high skills and experience. In this case, recruiting agencies come in handy with the best alternative since they specialise in headhunting for talented workers on behalf of different clients. The chosen candidates would be brought to the final list for selection which would be done using interviews with the individual persons. The complexities of operating in a huge organisation particularly in the banking sector do not need to be underestimated (Jackson and Schuler 2000). Many companies often underestimate these complexities and some evidence suggests that the failure of most companies can be attributed to poor management of human resources. The strategy to be employed in recruitment and selection of potential employees ought to be accommodative to a diverse range of cultures since this is one very important aspect that determines the success of an organisation. Analysis of the case Interviewing technique will be used in this case as the final selection process of individuals to be hired after having satisfied the interviewers that they can perform the expected duties. The aim would be to try to identify those candidates with talent and capability to be nurtured into useful assets to the company. This process is particularly concerned with collecting valuable information such as culture, qualifications, skills, experience as well as notable achievements in the candidates’ previous jobs. To a greater extent, the firm will be able to get sufficient details about their candidates since this would be the opportunity where the interviewers would get in touch directly with the prospective candidates on a face to face basis where the candidates would spell out their qualities personally. In some cases, resumes may be regarded as effective sources of gathering information about the potential candidates but the interviewing process would provide an in-depth assessment of an individual on a personal level. It is at this stage that the individual would be given an opportunity to defend his bid and is often seen as a reliable way of screening candidates (Campion et al 1997). Basically, the best way to conduct an employment interview ought to be structured in a way that would ensure or promote a job analysis so as to try and ascertain if the applicant has basic knowledge about the job he would be applying for. Basing the questions on a job analysis would provide a solid foundation upon which validity may be enhanced where the interview does not include irrelevant material or otherwise exclude relevant material (Campion et al 1997). Structured interviews are advantageous in that they minimize bias by avoiding irrelevant stuff while at the same time trying to remain focused on issues related to the job. This would also encourage the interviewee to remain focused on pertinent issues related to the job. Since I would be part of the interviewing team, I would first start by asking the applicant to briefly describe him/herself. This would further probe the applicant to say out what he knows professionally and ultimately about what he knows about the job he has applied for which is related to banking. One very important question which I would ask pertains to the aspect of capability of the applicant in how best he thinks he can improve the operations of the organisation. This question would allow the applicant to spell out if he is endowed with other exceptional skills or a wealth of knowledge that can be adopted to improve the operations of the organisation. Another question I would ask the applicant would be related to his or her problem solving skills. In any kind of job, there are likely chances that unprecedented problems would arise at any given point hence the need for any individual to at least possess some of the skills required in solving problems. Last but not least, I would inquire if the applicant is flexible to work in a culturally diverse environment. Baron and Kreps (1999) posit to the effect that there are various factors that are considered when determining the right choice of a candidate. The local team is more suitable for different reasons. Locally groomed applicants are likely to perform better compared to those hired since they would have first hand information about the organisation and the requirements of the job. However, given the complexity of the banking sector, in my opinion I think it is a noble idea to cast the net wider so as to attract a wide range of skilled and experienced bankers. It is only important to ascertain if the candidate can work with others from a diverse cultural background. Indeed, knowing the candidate’s culture is important since it would allow the interviewers to evaluate if the candidate is capable of mixing with other people from different cultural backgrounds. Organisations are driven by human resources hence the need to identify some of the characters that would make interaction easier and ultimately minimizes the chances of conflict among the workers. Recommendations Training and development In most cases, the job may require some time to learn and often specific training is required. According to Kleyhans (2007), it is a bit difficult for the employer to know the productive capabilities of a person when he has been hired into the organisation and there is need to ensure that his performance conforms to the expected standards of the organisation. It is against this background that training would be needed to ensure that the employees have all the necessary information. Training and development would be an ongoing process which would enable the employees to gain first hand information about the organisation carrying out their duties. This would also allow them to familiarize with the environment of the organisation which would be a perfect advantage in solving problems that may arise in the future since they would be equipped with the relevant knowledge about the operations of the organisation. Given such a scenario, achieving the organisational goals would be possible since all the workers would have been empowered with various skills that would enable them to perform their duties in peace. Motivation Skilled workers also ought to be given the autonomy to make decisions that may affect their operations in the organisation. If these people are given the chance to make decisions, they will develop a sense of belonging to the organisation and they will also realise that they are important hence they will be loyal to the company in the long run and are likely to stay for a longer period within the same company. Conclusion In conclusion, it can be noted that recruitment is a basic tenet of the operations of all organisations which require careful selection of candidates with exceptional qualities that can lead to an improvement in the operations of the firm. Whilst there are other strategies used by potential employers to select employees, headhunting technique is the most viable in our case given the complexity of the banking sector which requires skilled and experienced candidates. Whilst there may be other strategies used by potential employers to select employees, interviewing technique is the most popular one and often seen as a reliable source of obtaining information about an individual candidate. Bibliography “Avoiding truth in reference checks.” HR Focus, Vol 77. N0 5 May 2000, p5. Bates B. et al (2005). Business Management, fresh perspective. CT. Pearson Ltd. Baron J., Kreps D., “Consistent Human Resources Practices,” California Management Review ((Spring 199) vol. 41. Vol 3.) 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