Aspects of Good Job Advertisement - Essay Example

? HRM Task Job Analysis Job analysis is considered as an organized procedure for gathering and examining facts regarding a job. Job analysis describes the job based actions, for example the tasks and the work processes. It facilitates to deliver information to companies, which assists in defining which employees are suitable for particular jobs (Prien, Goodstein, Goodstein & Gamble, 2009). Job analysis is a key tool for human resource managers of an organization. Through this method managers attempt to collect, combine and implement the information available regarding personnel. The main objective of job analysis is to prepare job descriptions and job specifications which consecutively assist to employ appropriate employees in an organization. Job analysis enables to document the requirements of job and the work that need to be executed (Levine, Ash, Hall & Sistrunk, 1983). There are numerous methods of job analysis that managers can use for collecting information i.e. interviews, questionnaire survey, observation and focus group among others. Often managers use combination of these methods on the basis of situation of the organization (Franklin, 2005). Job Description Job description is a brief account of job responsibilities and necessities. It provides the purpose of a particular job which suits the company’s structure. Job description is divided into four major sections which are job summary, job function, job requirement and other information. Job summary represents a brief outline of the job position and the key roles associated with it. Job function is the thorough description about the duties and the responsibilities of a particular job. Job requirements section provides the educational necessities, documentations and other vital experiences essential for applying for a particular job. Furthermore, job description enables to ensure that an organization is well aware of the employee requirements in order to fulfill a vacant position (Mader-Clark, 2008). Job Description ABC Ltd. Job Position: Marketing and Sales Manager Location: United States of America Major Job Responsibilities: Planning and managing marketing operations and handling employees Job Status: Full-time employment Main Objectives: Accomplishing sales target, administering business improvement and supervising employees Duties and Responsibilities Managing online recruitment services exclusively for sales and marketing position Developing marketing plan in collaboration with the sales, production and finance departments Creating budget for marketing activities through forecasting demands and allocating expenditures Managing advertisement and distribution Managing all promotional programs in a timely way Directing subordinates regarding spending money according to the budget Motivating team members for effective performance Providing training and coaching to the employees Developing marketing strategy and performing in conjunction with other departments Arranging scheduled meetings with other managers Accomplishing appropriate organizational performance through providing required information to the customers, recognizing customers’ trends and resolving any marketing issue Skill and Aptitudes Good communication skill Ability to manage numerous tasks simultaneously through utilizing personal knowledge Ability to maintain good relationship with major stakeholders Ability to ensure that organizational marketing strategies are practiced appropriately Ability to plan, assess and observe performance of subordinates and to ensure that constant improvement is in progress Relationship Internally demonstrate strong collaboration with every worker in the organization Develop trust among staffs and other managers and valuing them respectively Maintain professional relationship with the employees and the customers Maintain strong team association and support other departments Experience Requirement Minimum 4 to 6 years sales and marketing experience in the other company Experience in accounting and computer software solution Experience in strategic marketing activities Knowledge and understanding regarding market aspects and customers’ needs Knowledge of Microsoft Office Educational Qualification Master degree in business with specialization in Marketing Training in any marketing discipline Knowledge of product development and customer relationship management Reflection of Job Analysis and Job Description Job analysis is a vital task for every human resource executive which helps to recognize the job positions that must be fulfilled by appropriate candidates. The job analysis was done through conducting direct interview with Mr. XYZ who is presently a marketing manager in ABC Ltd in the USA. The company has numerous divisions such as finance, operations and human resource that perform the business internationally. The job analysis method undertaken for Mr. XYZ is interview method where specific questions are formulated and asked in order to find out his job role. The interview method is generally conducted for talking with the employees in order to gain in-depth understanding about a job. It is quite a time consuming method as examining the specialized and executive jobs requires longer period of time (Mader-Clark, 2008). The interview with Mr. XYZ helps to gain significant opinions about his job. The information collected through interview was satisfactory which is quite useful for formulating job description. Direct question method was used for interviewing Mr. XYZ which consisted of numerous open ended questions. On the basis of job analysis, job description has been formulated in order to communicate the expectations of the organization from the employees and thus to increase the self-confidence towards the job. Task 2 Job Advertisement Job advertisement plays a significant part for enticing good applicants for a particular job position. The medium of advertisement must be chosen carefully as it can work as an essential coverage for the target audience. Appropriate selection of advertisement medium can help to publicize the statement of job description towards the appropriate candidates. The choice of media is significant because media vary in their capabilities to communicate certain kinds of information efficiently. Aspects of Good Job Advertisement When the job is advertised through various media, there is a need for recognizing the type of advertisement which can help to entice the best applicants for a vacant position. For instance, in case of recruiting IT professionals’ online advertisement is a better option as it can help to draw the attention of right candidates. A good advertisement must have certain aspects such as It should specifically address the target audience The headline must be able to capture the attention of applicants It should provide satisfactory information by not overloading it so that people can make decision about job suitability Advertisement must not use terms which are hard to comprehend The major objective for job advertisement is to draw attention of candidates and communicate to them clearly. From the interview, it has been recognized that the job seekers desire for honest and appropriate information in a good way in the advertisement. The major aspects of effective job advertisement are its graphic design, headline and information. Graphic Design: The job advertisements need to be attractive visually that can positively entice the reaction of potential reader. A smart layout comprising organization’s image can create unique personality and interest for the job in the mind of the applicants. Utilization of appropriate graphics and words is a major aspect for a successful advertisement (SEEK Limited, 2011). Headline: Headline is vital part of a job advertisement which ensures that the requirement of the organization about a vacant job position has reached to appropriate candidates. The headline of a job advertisement must be clear. Without precise a headline, potential candidates can immediately lose interest of the advertisement (SEEK Limited, 2011). Information: The information of job advertisement should include detailed specification of the job i.e. job benefits, salary, requirements of specific skills and experience, job role and the entire interview process. The information provided in a job advertisement facilitates to appeal towards the self-interest of candidates about what will they gain from the doing the job (SEEK Limited, 2011). Advertisement Options Advantages Disadvantages Newspaper Low cost Better information about job description Advantage of selecting right paper Effectiveness of reaching certain type of applicants by allocating advertisement in different segments Habit of reading newspaper helps to reach vast audience The small advertisements are hardly visible There is competition among other job advertisements Limited assurance about viewing the job advertisement by the right candidate Magazine Low cost Highly targeted towards appropriate candidates Assurance of reading by the viewers High level of attention Published in certain time intervals (monthly or weekly) Low setting of small advertisement Internet Access to large amount of people Capable of targeting domestic as well as global candidates Easy and cost effective process The content of job advertisement can be easily copied Risk of spam e-mail Can attract insignificant applicants Source: (Northern Initiatives, 2005) Reflection of Job Advertisement Job advertisement process starts with recognizing an effective attraction strategy. Generally, people desire to have a reputed job with higher career progression opportunities. Apart from that, people also want interesting work and energetic working condition. The other significant strategy for attracting potential candidates is the salary and monetary incentives. Furthermore, people desire for their job to be flexible and fair along with possessing unique individual provisions (The University of Adelaide, 2012). Advertising Content: After selecting the appropriate strategy, there is a need for developing the content of job advertisement. As the major objective of job advertisement is to appeal towards key applicants, it is vital that it should be adequately informative. The advertisement must include the title, place, job description, reporting aspect, company information, experience requirement, knowledge and skill requirement and other features associated with the job. The advertisement also should provide clear guidelines about the process of applying for the job as well as the closing date for submission (Nankervis, Compton & Morrissey, 2009). Advertising Medium: The third step of advertisement is to ensure that the appropriate candidates are able to view the advertisement. There are numerous advertisement mediums an organization can use for spreading the message of a job towards the target audience. Selection of an appropriate medium is vital for job advertisement as certain media do better job in order to cover specific viewers (Hor, Keats & Holmes, 2008). Job advertisement was quite a simple task where appropriate message and medium can help to attract good applicants. Although there are numerous mediums of placing job advertisement but newspaper was quite suitable as it is being read by people regularly. Apart from that, newspaper is also a very inexpensive and a convenient method of advertising. Therefore, the advertisement has been placed on newspapers as it can attract sufficient quality candidates for the job. As this job position does not require pool of unsatisfactory candidates, newspaper is expected to reach the target audience. The other reason for using this media is that newspaper provides ample opportunity to express detailed description about the job (Secord, 2003). Job Advertisement Sample Marketing Manager / ABC Ltd. Base Salary and Incentives Job Role You will be responsible for managing diverse marketing activities such as planning budgets, controlling sales and services activities, preparing marking plan, handling team and maintaining good relationship with stakeholders. You will closely perform with other departments and assist in uncovering new business prospects. You will report to the general manager. You will be accountable for: Managing the online recruitment services Managing marketing activities (advertisements and promotional programs) Ensuring effective performance of team members Developing marketing strategies Providing training to the employees Preparing and maintaining marketing budgets Experience Requirements Minimum experience in the field of sales and marketing for 4 to 6 years Good experience in accounting, MS Office and other Windows based applications Excellent communication and writing skill Must have Master degree in Business Management with Marketing as specialization Company Information Our company performs international business operations and we are recognized as one of the best consumer electronics manufacturing companies in the USA. Our culture is to provide excellent products and services to the customers. We provide employees with great working environment and strive to become one of the best employers in the USA. Task 3 Performance Appraisal Performance appraisal provides opinion regarding the job performances of the employees. This feedback is beneficial for the employees as well as the entire organization because it can determine the major decisions such as job promotion, salary increase, reallocation and termination of employees. An operative performance appraisal system ensures that the organizational productivity and employee performance are enhanced. The three most widely used performance appraisal methods in an organization are rating scale, critical incident and performance based criteria (Gardenswartz & Rowe, 1998). Rating Scale Rating scale is the oldest and the most widely used method for performance appraisal. The major advantages of rating scale method are that it is quite an easy method to develop. The other advantage of rating scale for performance appraisal is that the outcomes are standardized. Through this method, it is easier for an organization to compare and to contrast the performance of different employees in order to take punitive measures for any kind of deficiency (Parrill, 1999). However, the possible disadvantage of rating scale is that it is developed on the basis of individual perception which can give rise to biasness in performance appraisal. Furthermore, the rating scale is also at times unreliable because different evaluators can take different rating techniques for assessing the performance of employees which possibly can generate diverse results (The Trustees of Indiana University, 2011). Critical Incidence Method (CIM) The critical incident method consists of gathering information regarding events taking place in an organization over a period of time. This performance appraisal method determines the particular performance of employees which can result in positive or negative consequences. The major advantage of this technique is that it is reasonable and gives rich facts about employee performance. This method is particularly suitable for identification of uncommon occasions which might take place within regular activities of an employee. On the other hand, this method also bears a few disadvantages. One of the most significant disadvantages of CIM is that there is a risk of unreliability of information as facts can be overlooked or can be misleading. Occasionally, this method only concentrates on rare occasions and routine events can be neglected (Hettlage & Steinlin, 2006). Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) Behaviorally Anchored rating Scale (BARS) measures the activities of employees on the basis of certain criteria. These activities help to present a complete picture about the capabilities and skills of employees in an organization. The advantage of using performance based criteria for appraising an employee is that it can be applied from numerous viewpoints. Executing performance based criteria can also help to motivate employees. It is usually an effective method for assessing skill improvements that are taking place and that are required in an employee. One of the most noteworthy disadvantages of this method is that it is quite time consuming and expensive method. In this method, the criteria for assessment should be selected cautiously and it requires strong preparation of evaluators (Hettlage & Steinlin, 2006). Rating Scale In this paper, the rating scale has been used for forming the performance appraisal. The reason is that rating scale is quite easy to implement and can provide a clear picture about the performance of the marketing manager. It is a standard method for performance appraisal and assessment can be developed on numerous job aspects. Furthermore, it provides a fair measurement where impartiality can be reduced in a more effective way. Performance Appraisal Form ABC Ltd. Performance Appraisal Form Division: Marketing Job Position: Marketing Manager Evaluation Time: 01/01/2012 to 30/06/2012 Name: Mr. XYZ Employment Status: Fulltime Employment Rating Scale: Unsatisfactory (U) Fair (F) Satisfactory (S) Good (G) Outstanding (O) Rating Factors Self-Appraisal Supervisor Appraisal Remarks Duties and Responsibilities Formulation of marketing strategy Creation of budget Maintaining workforce and team Planning marketing activities Responding to market demand Relationship Relationship with employees Relationship with customers Relationship with superiors Relationship with other departments Attitudes Punctuality Appearance Communication skill Bargaining skill Problem Solving Skill Discipline Obligation towards work Acknowledgement of Performance Appraisal Evaluator: Signature of Evaluator: Employee: Signature of Employee: Date: Source: (Scribd Inc., 2012). Reflection of Performance Appraisal Form There are numerous methods of measuring the performance of employees, thus, it is necessary for organizations to identify the most suitable method for performance appraisal which can provide a satisfactory result. The performance form will help to measure the job related aspects for marketing manager position and can help to recognize any deficiency in performance. As a result, it will be easier for managers to identify own strengths and weaknesses. Through this performance appraisal, I have found that my communication skill was not satisfactory and needs to be developed. However, with respect to other marketing activities, I have performed well and have been acknowledged by others. Furthermore, I also found that in order to achieve higher productivity I need to encourage my team and subordinates. References Franklin, M. (2005). A guide to job analysis. USA: American Society for Training and Development. Gardenswartz, L., & Rowe, A. (1998). Managing diversity: A complete desk reference and planning guide. USA: McGraw-Hill Professional. Hettlage, R. & Steinlin, M., (2006). The critical incident technique in knowledge management-related contexts. Retrieved from http://www.click4it.org/images/6/68/Critical_IncidentTechnique_in_KM.pdf Hor, J., Keats, L., & Holmes, B. (2008). Finders keepers: How to attract and retain great employees. Australia: CCH Australia Limited. Levine, E. L., Ash, R. A., Hall, H., & Sistrunk, F. (1983). Evaluation of job analysis methods by experienced job analysts. The Academy of Management Journal 26(2), pp. 339-348. Mader-Clark, M. (2008). The job description handbook. California: Nolo. Nankervis, A., Compton, R., & Morrissey, B. (2009). Effective recruitment and selection practices, 5th edition. Australia: CCH Australia Limited. Northern Initiatives. (2005). Media advantages and disadvantages. Retrieved from http://bizinfonetwork.org/content.php?id=213 Parrill, S. (1999). Revisiting rating format research: computer-based rating formats and components of accuracy. Retrieved from http://scholar.lib.vt.edu/theses/available/etd-060999-100459/unrestricted/Thesis2.pdf Prien, E. P., Goodstein, L. N., Goodstein, J., & Gamble, L. G. (2009). A Practical Guide to Job Analysis. John Wiley & Sons. SEEK Limited. (2011). How to write great ads on seek. Retrieved from https://advertiser.seek.com.au/Advertisers/resources/e0812_seek_writing_jobads.pdf Secord, H. (2003). Implementing best practices in human resources management. Canada: CCH Canadian Limited. Scribd Inc. (2012). Performance evaluation form. Retrieved from http://www.scribd.com/doc/6672028/Performance-Appraisal-for-Brand-Manager The University of Adelaide. (2012). Writing an effective job advertisement. Retrieved from http://www.adelaide.edu.au/hr/recruitment/docs/Effective_Ads.pdf The Trustees of Indiana University. (2011). Disadvantage of rating scales. Retrieved from http://www.iupui.edu/~flip/personalitypp/sld016.htm UNC. (n.d.). Sample interview questions. Retrieved from http://www.lib.unc.edu/personnel/interview_questions.pdf Appendix 1 Job Analysis Interview 1. For what reasons you applied for this job position? This position was appropriate according to the requirement of the company and my qualification was suitable for this job. 2. What is the location of your office? My office is located in New York City in the USA. 3. What is the objective of your job? My primary objective is to maintain all marketing activities such as advertisement and promotion. Besides, I also look after of the team members concerning their performance. 4. Who do you inform about work related issues? I need to report about my job to my senior i.e. the General Manager of this region. At times, I also report to the Vice President of the company. 5. Who provides report to you? My immediate subordinates and employees provide me daily and weekly reports about the job activities. 6. What level of qualification is required in order to apply for your job position? This job position necessitates towards possessing a Master degree in Business Administration with Marketing as specialization. Furthermore, there is also a need to have an experience as a sales manager for minimum of 4 years in another company. 7. What special knowledge or personal characteristics are essential for your role? The most important characteristics required for this job position is good interpersonal skill as I have to deal with employees as well as other stakeholders. In addition, good technical skill is also mandatory for this position in order to resolve any problem. 8. What are duties and responsibilities you need to adhere to? I need to manage the records of employees, customers and develop business strategies in order to gain higher profit. 9. What kind of technical knowledge is helpful for you in this position? You need have experience in accounting and other Windows based applications. As a marketing manager, I need to develop budget and maintain the costs, thus these technical knowledge help me to maintain marketing expenses within the desired budget. 10. What kind of relationship do you have with your supervisors? I maintain a professional and productive relationship with the supervisors and communicate to them regularly regarding any aspect of business. 11. Are there any special abilities that must be present in the job? Yes, you need to be very flexible as at times I have to work beyond the usual working hours if the work pressure is high. Furthermore, you also must be capable of performing in high stress situations. 12. What are the regular tasks you have to do? My regular tasks comprise communicating with the team members, resolving their issues, managing customer service and evaluating the performance. 13. What is your view about trade union in the workplace? I do not support trade union in the workplace, as they can hamper the usual performance of employees. 14. How do you keep track of the performance of your subordinates? I use different rating scales and other performance measurement tools i.e. sales target or customer feedback in order to measure the performance of my subordinates. 15. In your absence who looks after your tasks? In my absence I have an assistant marketing manager who looks after my responsibilities. 16. On what cases you feel the need to take advice from the superiors? On major matters such as implementing new marketing strategies or developing advertisements I need to take the advice from my superiors. 17. Is there any special certification required for your job position? Yes, you must have completed your post graduation in Business Management and have a certificate with regard to obtaining training in marketing activities and accounting. Source: (UNC, n.d.). 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