Employee Recruitment - Assignment Example

Managing Personnel and Human Resources Name: Class: Professor: Question: Evaluate the argument that an organization can no longer rely on the classic trio of application form, interview and reference to select which individuals would be best suited to work for that organization. Introduction In any organization, the most important asset they own is their human resources. The employees of an organisation are an important contribution to its success or failure. If the people employed by an organisation are not creative or do not add any value to the organisation’s goals, then that organisation has high chances of failure. For an organisation to meet its goals and be successful, it should hire the right people who possess the right skills, qualifications and experience to facilitate its success. Getting the right human resources starts with the recruitment and selection process. Since the employees of an organisation are integral to its success or failure, it is important to get it right from the start so that the organisation may have the right people in the right place at the right time (Lanz, 1998). To achieve this, a company should be serious in the recruitment and selection process. This is because; an ineffective recruitment and selection process can have undesirable consequences, for instance, organizational failure, low productivity and high turnover rates. To guard against this, management should ensure its recruitment and selection decisions will serve the effective functioning of the organisation both in the short term and the long term. To this end, this essay will evaluate traditional method of selection of the classic trio of application form, interview and reference to select human resources and the effectiveness, or lack thereof, of this process to meet the challenges that organizations face today. Recruitment and Selection Definition Newell and Shackleton (2000, p.113) refer to recruitment as “the process of attracting people who might make a contribution to the particular organization”. Similarly, Bratton & Gold (2003) defined recruitment as a “process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organization’’. Additionally, Beardwell, Holden and Claydon (2003, p.192) points out that the process of recruitment has two essential purposes. For one, recruitment should concentrate on attracting and also holding the interest of suitable applicants for a certain job. Secondly, it should form a positive image of the organization in the eyes of its publics. From these definitions, the main aim of recruitment comes out clearly, which is to identify and attract future employees. In the course of this stage, it is the employer who must encourage the best candidates to apply for a position in the company. Selection is the process of selecting the most qualified candidates for a given job in a firm who have the desired mix of education, skills and experience (Mathis, 1991, p.209). Here, the employer decides which applicant is the most appropriate for the position. This is done from an assessment on the applicants’ strengths and weaknesses (Boxall and Purcell, 2003, p.141). The selection process is a diversified one and may either be short or long depending on the organization’s human resource management practices and policies. Breaugh & Stark (2000) state that the important qualities of a perfect recruitment and selection structure in an organisation include a precise and well defined job design, well defined organizational structure, perfect specifications regarding the job profile and person, wide range of selection processes, relations with employees and policies regarding staffing. Evaluating whether the classic trio of application forms, interviews and references meet these criteria is therefore important. The ‘Classic Trio’ Most organizations use the ‘classic trio’ (Cook, 1993) for selecting employees. The classic trio is comprised of the application form or curriculum vitae, the interview and references. This process is a conventional approach that is based on fitting job descriptions to person specifications, specifically, describing the tasks and responsibilities pertaining to a certain job and then coming up with an ideal ‘profile’ of the person best suited to that job (Bratton and Gold, 2003). The classic trio has traditionally been the foundation of the selection process and job advertisements by establishing a set of criteria against which applications will be judged by and selection decisions will be based on (Anderson and Cunningham-Snell,2000; Beardwell et al., 2003). a) Application Forms A study conducted in Britain in 1998 on the information contained on job applications (Fisher, Schoenfeldt and Shaw, 1999, p. 342) revealed that data such as name and surname, date of birth, reasons for leaving previous employments and such, are common details for all forms. Additional information included details on hobbies, education and membership to professional bodies. The selection committee therefore, may create brief reviews of the information contained in the application forms especially if there are many applicants for comparison purposes and to assist in forecasting for successful applicants. b) Recommendations Cook (1996) asserts that two thirds of British organizations always require applicants to submit their recommendations. This is especially common in the public sector. References are usually in the form of a letter that acts as a security check of the candidate’s successful performance with previous employers. c) Interviews These are the most common selection technique. It may be structured or unstructured. Interviews follow specific guidelines which help the interviewer get the necessary information from an applicant in a systematic manner. This information can be used to predict how an applicant may perform in future compared to the other applicants who will undergo the same interview process. The interview supplements the information gathered from application forms and get specifics on a candidate’s competencies, attitudes and personal characteristics that can only be obtained from face-to-face meetings. Interviews also help to assess whether a particular candidate will be a suitable ‘fit’ for an organization or not. However, this assessment is entirely judgmental and biased. Relevance of the Classic Trio in Selection There are certain selection methods that are suitable for certain organizational systems and structures and those that are not. The classic trio is a traditional approach that may only be suitable for organizational systems that are dated especially in today’s age of globalization. Many organizational structures today understand the importance of qualified and competent human resources so that they may maximize on organizational success. This knowledge has encouraged organizations to employ more sophisticated selection techniques to ensure they get individuals who will facilitate their organizational success. These selection techniques include assessment centers, psychometric testing and work samples. These selection techniques are considered to be more valid than the classic trio (Anderson & Cunningham-Snell, 2000) since validity is important for good selection criteria. The classic trio is not an effective method of determining the best possible candidates for a particular job because it lacks validity and reliability. Reliability refers to the extent to which a selection method gives consistency. It is often measured as a correlation between two kinds of criteria. Statistically, reliability is measured against coefficient reliability such that when results are summarized, the higher will be coefficient (closer to 1.0) thus a dependable selection technique (Bratton J., 2003, p.235). Subjective selection criteria such as the interview cannot be considered reliable, and can even not yield useful information in some cases. The interview process being unreliable can be shown a sample case scenario. For instance, it is agreed that interviewers often have a preferred ideal candidate in mind. This ideal helps them agree on selection, although during the interview process, disagreements may arise. For example, interviewers may agree that an ideal employee should be one who has social skills, willing to assist others, dominant, persistent, aggressive and focused (Cook, 1996). The interviewers may collectively agree on this ideal, but still stereotypes of individual interviewers may factor into their decision-making e.g. some interviewers may consider a candidate who changes jobs often as a good sign of one who seeks new challenges whereas others might see the same as a sign of unreliability in a candidate. According to Price (2000, p.148), good selection methods must meet four basic requirements, namely, practicality, sensitivity, reliability and validity. Practicality mans that a technique should consider cost and time factors, sensitivity looks at means of distinguishing candidates from each other and validity which is categorized into two, i.e. face validity which considers whether candidates find questions ‘relevant’ and acceptable and construct validity which establishes the suitability of candidates for a position (Price, 2000, p. 149). According to study by Levy-Leboyer (Cornelius, 1999, p.39), selection methods with debatable validity are not suitable. References, interviews and personality tests were seen to have low validity. Conventional interview methods were also seen to have low validity as a selection technique. To improve on this however, the use of structured interviews rather than unstructured interviews is encouraged so that all applicants are asked exactly the same questions and the same criteria are used for all to determine their suitability. Newell (2001, p. 33) asserts that structured interviews can improve the quality of selection decisions made. As a result of increased knowledge and training in human resource management today, organizational human resource personnel understand that analyzing a candidate’s qualifications and skills is not enough to get the right candidate. An applicant’s motivation for the job is also important in order to facilitate their efforts in making the organization successful. The classic trio techniques do not provide adequate information on this. Interviews may relay information on an applicant’s behaviour but this is not enough to determine what motivates them. Employee motivation is significant to organizational success since if employees are motivated; they will be creative and productive which will translate into positive results for the organization. Therefore, it is important for human resource managers to understand what motivates their employees or potential employees in order to enhance organizational success. The classic trio of selection do not offer any useful information on this and any questions asked may not be honestly answered since a candidate may give well-researched answers and put on a good show for the selection committee. In today’s globalized world, the workforce is increasingly diversified and employers need to understand how their employees are motivated and be in a position to do so. This starts with an effective selection process that can provide such information. It is worth noting that although the classic trio methods of selection are inadequate, many organizations still practice them. Armstrong (2006) attributes this to the fact that both interviewers and candidates still expect them and like them. Also, some organizations may be ignorant of more valid and reliable selection methods. Additionally, if a selection is considered to be too innovative, potential employees may be put off by that organization and they might lose out on quality employees who may not want to undergo a long selection process. Conclusion Selecting the right candidates for a job is essential for the future success of an organization. The potential of an organization’s human resources to significantly impact its productivity in such a manner, calls for new strategies in human resource selection techniques. Traditionally, organizations have relied on the classic trio of application, references and interviews to select potential employees. Despite the lack of reliability and validity of these methods, they remain widely used. However, in the face of globalization today, jobs and the skills needed to perform them effectively are changing rapidly necessitating a change to traditional approaches. Selection procedures for proactive organizations today should consider an applicant holistically who will fit into the organizational culture, and not rely on job-specific criteria. Both interviewers and interviewees have come to expect the interview process as integral to the selection process. As such, changes ought to be made here rather than completely doing away with them. Structured interviews are seen to offer more validity than unstructured interviews. Using different methods of selection can enhance the validity of techniques used, and also improve the chances of an organization getting the right candidate in a fair way. References Anderson,N. & Cunningham-Snell,N. (2000). ‘Personnel selection’ In N. Chmiel (Ed.) Introduction to work and organizational psychology: A European perspective. Oxford: Blackwell. Armstrong, M. (2006) A Handbook of personnel management practice. 4. edition. London: Kogan Page. Beardwell, I., Holden, L. and Claydon, T. (2003), Human resource management: A contemporary approach, London: Pearson Boxall, P. and Purcell, J. (2003) Strategy and human resource management. Palgrave Macmillan. Bratton, J. and Gold, J. (2003) Human Resource Management: Theory and Practice. London: Palgrave, 3rd Ed. Breaugh, J. A. and Starke, M. (2000) Research on employee recruitment: So many studies, so many remaining questions. Journal of Management, 26(3): 405-434. Cook, M. (1993). Personnel selection and productivity (2nd ed.). Chichester:Wiley. Cook, M. (1996) Personnel Selection and Productivity. 2. Edition. New York: John Wiley & Sons. Lantz, A. (1998). Heavy users of email. International Journal of Human–Computer Interaction, 10, 361–379. Fisher, C. D.; Schoenfeldt, L. F.; Shaw, B. J. (1999) Human Resource Management. 4. edition. Boston, New York: Houghton Mifflin Company. Newell, S. & Shackleton, V. (2000). Recruitment and selection. In S.Bach & K. Sisson (Eds.) Personnel management: a comprehensive guide to theory and practice (3rd ed.). (pp.111 136).Oxford: Blackwell Publishers. Price, A. (2000) Principles of Human Resource Management: An Action-Learning Approach, Blackwell, Oxford Bibliography Bernardin, John H. (2003); Human Resource Management: An experiential approach; McGraw Hill Branine, M., (2008), ‘Graduate recruitment and selection in the UK: A study of the recent changes in methods and expectations’ in Career Development International, 13:6, pp.497-513 Cook, M. and Cripps, B. (2005), Psychological Assessment in the Workplace: AManager’s Guide, John Wiley & Sons. Cook, M., (2009), Personnel Selection: Adding Value Through People, (5th edition), Chichester: Wiley-Blackwell Taylor, S., (2010), People Resourcing, (5th edition), London: CIPD Read More