Secrets of Successful Recruiting - Coursework Example

RECRUITING, STRATEGIC HUMAN RESOURCES PLANNING Introduction Recruitment is among the significant practices that link people with organizations. It forms the basis of strategic human resources management. Recruitment and selection processes need to be conducted in a cautious manner to ensure that the new recruits possess the core capabilities needed for accomplishment of organizational competitiveness. Human resource managers are important in helping the organization to determine whether the candidate satisfies the core competences needed. Through recruitment and selection, organizations search talents from candidates, which may be useful for organizational success. This paper highlights the importance of knowing the industry and where to successfully recruit qualified employees. It also identifies keys to success in the labor market, including competitors recruiting efforts. The paper also highlights the importance of cultivating relationships with sources of prospective employees as well as promoting the “company brand” so that the employer is known as a good place to work. Understanding the Industry and where to Recruit Employees It is important to understand the industry as a whole and the organization in particular. The human resource managers have to ensure that they recruit the most competent employees in the organization to enhance the realization of organizational goals. This is accomplished through job analysis. This is the process that allows the identification and determination of the details of a particular job and the significance of the associated duties to the organization’s success. It helps the management to make judgments regarding a particular job and the qualifications required to fill the position (Luthans & Stajkovic, 2009). Understanding the industry helps the management to develop appropriate job advertisements of the vacant positions and also to set suitable salaries for the candidates. It helps to avoid understaffing or over staffing. Moreover, the positions to be filled must be understood and the need analyzed so that the employees to be recruited join the organization to increase productivity or to help the industry to solve a particular problem. Even though some organizations outsource the services of employee recruitment agencies, the agents need to possess a broad picture of what the organization entails (Shields, 2007). Keys to Success in the Labor Market Effective recruitment and selection helps in the engagement of qualified employees who are enthusiastic about the tasks they will be assigned in the organization. Without engaging competent employees in the organization through this process, the wrong applicants may be selected, which may lead to low morale in the workplace especially amongst the experienced workers. The unqualified employees usually leave the organization before accomplishing the assigned tasks, mainly due to stress associated with failures due to incompetence. The management may also be compelled to get rid of such employees later on after realizing that they are incapable of accomplishing tasks effectively (Edwards et al. 2007). Aptitude tests are important in recruitment and selection to acquire information regarding the applicant’s intelligence and astuteness. The candidates also need to be taken through on-the-job tests to determine their competence in handling the tasks. Interviews that evaluate the applicant’s knowledge with regard to the desired competences identified for the position to be filled are necessary for effective recruitment (Hoevemeyer, 2005). Only the candidates who present the desired competences are selected, which saves the organization unnecessary costs associated with replacing incompetent employees. Competing organizations ensure that they employ the best human resources that can possibly give them a competitive advantage. It is therefore necessary to ensure that the best recruitment practices are applied in filling the vacant positions. An organization should avoid imitating its competitors. According to Derek et al. (2008), doing exactly the same thing as the competitor in the recruitment efforts puts an organization in a situation where it is rarely noticed. It is therefore necessary to establish unique recruitment strategies that give an organization distinctive identity. Cultivating Relationships with sources of Prospective Employees An organization can cultivate relationships with sources of prospective employees through corporate social responsibility programs in institutions that train professionals that it requires such as higher institutions of learning. It can offer internship programs to young graduates and offer mentorship to promote professionalism. Competitors are significant sources of skilled employees, and therefore an organization needs to develop good inter-organizational relations (Schrader & Lawless, 2004). Corporate social responsibility is important in promoting strong relations with communities that may offer prospective employees. Organizations operate to accomplish business strategies aimed at boosting profitability while on the other hand maintaining ethical principles for the sake of the public. In essence every business venture is usually intended to make profit, and as William (2010) argues, the business strategies are developed to help an organization to counter the factors that might hinder its profitability. The reaction of the public to the externalities emanating from the business operations is one factor that may hamper the realization of organizational objectives. Engaging in corporate social responsibility is one of the tools applied by companies to ensure that its own externalities are viewed positively by the public. Promoting the “Company Brand” so that the Employer is known as a Good Place to Work It is necessary to create a positive image of the organization with regards to its human resource strategies. Branding makes an organization distinct and memorable among candidates thereby motivating them to establish their livelihood. An organization needs to differentiate itself from competitors through creative advertisements and recruitment strategies. Emphasis should be focused on making the organization known through distinct messages to the audience. New strategies to reach the candidates such as through the internet and mobile phones may help to promote the company brand (Viswesvaran & Ones, 2000). Promoting diversity in the recruitment process demonstrates respect for equity. It gives candidates confidence to work in the organization without discrimination. On the other hand, there is need to guarantee job security to candidates so that they can join the organization whole heartedly. Lack of security leads to low morale and may lead workers to engage in search of other opportunities outside the organization. They can not plan to dedicate their time fully to the organizational activities and therefore they may continue to cling to their old jobs even when they are selected. Job security is significant in maintaining confidence among employees so that they are not easily lured out of the organization by competitors who are likely to promise a brighter future. In other words, prospective employees need to be convinced that they can not loose their job overnight (Whitfield, & Poole, 1997). Promoting company brand also involves promising career progression for the employees. Competence among employees is maintained through ensuring that they have hopes to advance in their careers. The morale of employees decreases when they work in the same position over a long period of time. Employees work harder to move up the ladder through promotions, hence the human resource managers need to promise that promotions are guaranteed for good performance (Edwards et al. 2007). Multinational companies use this strategy especially when identifying the employees who are competent to be given the privilege of heading departments in foreign subsidiaries. The approach is useful during recruitment to determine the workers who are self driven and who can represent the organization with minimum supervision (Johnson, 2001). Conclusion Recruitment and selection are significant processes that may determine the success or failure of organizations to acquire competent personnel. It is important to understand the industry as well as where to recruit employees so as to get the most suitable people for the available positions. Competition in the labor market requires strategies that allow an organization to be successful in the labor market. It is imperative for an organization to cultivate relationships with sources of prospective employees so as to readily attract competent candidates when need arises. Promotion of company brand is important to create a positive image of the organization as the best place to work. References Derek, T., Laura, H. & Stephen, T. (2008), Human Resource Management, 7th Ed. Harlow, FT Edwards, T., Colling, T. and Ferner, A. (2007), “Conceptual approaches to the transfer of employment practices in multinational companies: an integrated approach”, Human Resource Management Journal, Vol. 17(3), pp. 201-17. Hoevemeyer V. A. (2005). High-Impact Interview Questions: 701 Behavior-Based Questions to Find the Right Person for Every Job, Amacom. Johnson, J. W. (2001), “The Relative Importance of Task and Contextual Performance Dimensions to Supervisor Judgments of Overall Performance”, Journal of Applied Psychology, Vol. 86(5), pp.984-96. Luthans, F., Stajkovic, A. D. (2009), Reinforce for Performance: The Need to go beyond Pay and even rewards. Academy of Management Executive, Vol. 13(2), pp. 49-57. Schrader, P. G., & Lawless, K. A. (2004), “The Knowledge, Attitudes and Behaviors Approach: How to Evaluate Performance and Learning in Complex Environments”, Performance Improvement, Vol. 43(9), 8-15. Shields, J. (2007), Managing Employee Performance and Reward: Concepts, Practices, Strategies, Cambridge University Press. Viswesvaran, C., & Ones, D. S. (2000), “Perspectives on models of Job Performance”, International Journal of Selection and Assessment, Vol. 8(4), pp. 216-226. Whitfield, K. & Poole, M. (1997). Organizing Employment for high performance: Theories, evidence and policy”. Organization Studies, Vol. 18(5), pp. 745-764. William, S. (2010). How to Govern Corporations so they Serve the Public Good: a Theory of Corporate Governance Emergence, New York: Edwin Mellen Read More