Evaluation of Own Contribution to the Selection Process - Assignment Example

Task 2: Business Report Evaluation of own contribution to the selection process The group has taken part in some mock interviews to test their documentation and interviewing skills for recruitment. It operated as an interview panel and each individual in the group was interviewed as a candidate for a job position. Appropriate interview questions were asked and notes were made regarding performance of each candidate interviewed to determine their suitability for the applied position. This essay will outline own contribution made to the selection process as an interviewer and as an interviewee. Interviewers should oversee and guide the selection process to ensure the best candidate for the position is selected in a cost effective and timely manner. Interviewers should also ensure that the hiring process is accurate, standardized, legal, thorough, comfortable, objective as well as ethical. This means that each candidate that has applied for a job position should be awarded an equal and fair opportunity in the interview. As an interviewer, I made various contributions to the selection process since I had clear knowledge of what the team needed. Contributions ensured development of an effective interview process through active participation in the interview process by asking legal and open-ended questions related to the position a candidate had applied for. This ensured the interviewees provided more information about themselves that was relevant to the job opportunity. Other contributions made as an interviewer towards the selection process include confirmation of information provided by a candidate on the curriculum vitae and other relevant academic and professional documents. This enabled to identify whether the candidate had the necessary skills and qualifications required for the position. As interviewers, it assisted in determination of whether the skills would help the candidate to work effectively towards achievement of the goals of the organization. Interviewers have to project a positive image of the company by being well prepared for the interview as well as participate and be active throughout the entire interview process (Sunaga, 2010 p 15). This contribution will encourage candidates to also participate fully as they will feel relaxed and will be able to answer interview questions with ease. As an interviewer, it was also important to respect all individuals and treat them in the same respectful manner regardless of whether or not they were qualified for the position they had applied for. The main contribution as an interviewer towards the selection process was deciding whether the candidate was qualified for the position by assessing their skills, knowledge as well as capabilities against criteria of the related position. Assessment was done using similar criteria for each candidate and this ensured the process was fair. The mock interview acted as a two-way channel of information exchange between interviewers and interviewees. It was an opportunity through which both parties got to know each other and explored a possible working relationship. The main purpose of the mock interview was therefore to determine whether a candidate was right for the position and whether the position is also right for the specific candidate. Interviewer and the interviewee therefore made great contributions in the selection process as each party was awarded an opportunity to ask questions that ensured they gained a better understanding of each other. As an interviewee, I was prepared to effectively present my skills and abilities, academic accomplishments, career objectives as well as work experiences to the interviewing panel. I approached the interview with an enthusiastic and positive attitude which communicated to the panel that I was ready to work in the organization. This gave the interviewing panel a clear impression of my personality, contributions that I would make towards the organization’s needs as well as reasons as to why I am the right candidate for the position I had applied for. Other contributions I made as an interviewee towards the selection process include demonstrating how my skills, knowledge and capabilities matched the skills and qualities required for the position I had applied for and whether they were relevant to the qualities and skills the organization was seeking. I also convinced the panel of interviewers of my enthusiasm for working in the organization and that I would make great contributions to the position as well as the needs and goals of the organization. An interview provides an opportunity for the interviewee to showcase all his achievements and skills that are relevant to the position being applied for. Interviewers will be greatly impressed if the interviewee provides specific examples regarding how his skills and qualifications are appropriate for the position at hand. As an interviewee, it was important to obtain relevant information regarding the position as well as the organization. It is important for both interviewer and interviewee to understand their roles in a selection process as this will ensure both teams make positive contributions in an interview. This will enable them to understand the procedure as well as their expectations and they will become successful in achieving their objectives. Interviewers should clearly communicate their expectations and this will enable them to obtain effective candidates for positions within their organizations. Interviewees should be confident when being interviewed as this will show they will work well in the organization in teams and as individuals. Task 3: Presentation Introductory presentation is important because of the problems in the middle management of the organization. There has been an increase in disciplinary matters and this has resulted in decline in productivity within the organization. This presentation will contribute towards solving management problems experienced in the organization by providing suitable solutions. Skills and Attributes needed for Leadership Leaders should entail professional skills and positive personal attributes as they operate in complex and ever changing environments. Leaders therefore have to be creative and flexible to ensure they survive in these ever changing environments. Personal attributes are important as they help to anchor individuals in their own selves. Leaders need to be confident, believe in their own selves and have a strong set of values. Leaders who have a strong inner purpose and strongly believe in their abilities can effectively inspire and motivate their staff. Their staff will in turn gain confidence and will also develop their skills. This will enable them to achieve their stated goals. Leadership ability greatly depends on how individuals utilize their skills and attributes in guiding others. Personal attributes are therefore important for both leading and managing (Achua and Luisser, 2009 p 256). Difference between Leadership and Management Leadership and management are two concepts often used interchangeably. These concepts however explain two different words. Leadership is regarded as one of the many concepts a successful manager has to possess. Leadership means to influence individuals and create visions for change. Management, on the other hand, means to accomplish goals and objectives and to master routines of carrying out activities. This distinction between leadership and management is made very clear in a statement developed by Bennis and Nanus that states “Managers are individuals who do things right whereas leaders are individuals who do the right thing” (Bertocci, 2009 p 9). Leadership is regarded as a multi- directional relationship that has great influence on individuals and management is seen as a unidirectional relationship that is authoritative. The manager is always in charge of making decisions that he believes will contribute to the success of the organization. A leader will encourage his employees to contribute to the decision making process since he believes their ideas can contribute towards organization’s success. Leadership is concerned with developing mutual purposes while management is focused in coordination of activities to ensure a job is done in a certain way. Leadership Differences in Context The context of leadership is a great challenge in the organization and mechanisms have to be developed to address the radical differences. Leadership may have different meanings across varying contexts. This may cause leadership to operate in different ways in the radically different contexts. Effective measures for handling contextual differences include developing contingency theories that will take account of the different contexts and developing mid-range theories that can be applied to all the existing contexts (Khurana and Nohria, 2010 p 111). It has been widely acknowledged that context matters since it has great effects on leadership practices. Leadership may therefore take different forms in the various contexts of their administrative works. Different models identify attributes that may have impacts on the behaviors and styles of leaders in different outcomes. This provides research based guidance about the behaviors of leaders in different contexts. For instance, in some contexts, a participative style of leadership may be appropriate while in other contexts, a more directive style of leadership may be effective. Motivating Staff to Achieve Objectives The success of every organization is based on the way leaders and managers act. It is important for leaders as well as mangers to influence staff members to achieve the goals and objectives of the organization through change. Performance of the staff members is based on their behavior and attitude towards the organization, and to achieve high performance, staff members have to be motivated. High performance levels will be achieved when leaders create motivational environments that inspire staff members to achieve organizational objectives. Managerial behavior has great influences on the outcomes of the organization. Style of leadership also has great influences on the relationship between a leader and his staff. This will greatly affect the motivation of the staff to achieve the objectives of the organization. Leaders should ensure they meet the low-level needs of their staff members for them not to dominate the staff motivational process. Leaders should try to understand and get to know the needs of staff members and make efforts to meet them as a way of increasing performance in the organization (Naughton, 2001 p 14). It is also important to build self-esteem for the ways through which leaders attempt to meet the needs of their staff members. Leaders can motivate employees by assigning them non-routine and challenging tasks with attainable, clear objectives. They should provide them with frequent feedback regarding their performance. Leaders should continue to assign their staff increased responsibilities for accomplishing new tasks. Motivating staff can also be achieved by trying to include staff members in the decision making process especially in instances where the decisions made will have direct impact on them. References Achua, C. F. and Lussier, N. R. (2009). Leadership: Theory, Application, & Skills. Development. Cengage Learning: Mason. Bertocci, D. L. (2009). Leadership in Organizations: There is a Difference between Leaders and Managers. University Press of America: Maryland. Khurana, R. and Nohria, N. (2010). Handbook of Leadership Theory and Practice. Harvard Business Press: Boston. Sunaga, M. (2010). A Study of Interviews: The Roles of Interviewer and Interviewee. Retrieved from http://www.paaljapan.org/resources/proceedings/PAAL8/pdf/pdf038.pdf Naughton, J. P. (2001). A Guide to Human Resource and Operations Management: An OPEN MINDS Special Report. Open Minds: Pennsylvania. Read More