RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION Managing Human Resources 3BComm Week 5 Fiona Sheridan

CURRENT TRENDS Companies downsizing Companies delayering Companies boosting productivity with fewer people People remaining – more tasks, roles and responsibilities

CURRENT TRENDS: Result? Increased focus on : Recruitment sources most likely to yield high quality employees Selection methods that best predict future job performance

ISSUE OF UNCERTAINTY Organisations can be said to deal with : Uncertainty about job demands Uncertainty about candidates’ suitability Job analysis seeks to cope with the first Selection deals with the second

CIPD RECRUITMENT FORUM 1997 Survey identified a number of common failings in the R&S process: No obvious link with HR strategy, resourcing strategy and organisational and business goals Lack of job analysis, leading to inappropriate job descriptions and person specs Important details omitted from recruitment ads Little use of referencing for short-listing Unclear use of structured interview design and application Insufficient use of occupational psychology Increasing use of invalid prediction methods Lack of widespread monitoring and lack of remedial action in those organisations that did monitor recruitment A lack of validation of situation specific selection methods

RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PROCESS Finding new employees Selecting new employees Assessing new employees Engaging new employees Its focus is on matching the capabilities and inclinations of prospective candidates against the demands and rewards inherent in a given job.

IMPORTANCE OF R&S PROCESS Employees need to be committed to the goals of the organisation Profitability and survival of an enterprise usually depends on the calibre of the workforce The workforce represent a critical means of achieving competitiveness R&S are most important managerial decisions since they are the pre-requisite to the development of an effective workforce Ineffective R&S methods result in huge commercial costs skills and knowledge for effective functioning

MATCHING CAPABILITIES AGAINST JOB DEMANDS Two distinct phases in the matching process: Recruitment: attracting a group of potential candidates to apply for a given vacancy followed by, Selection: the process of choosing the most suitable candidate from a pool of candidates identified through recruitment

JOB ANALYSIS First phase of filling a vacancy through recruitment Shneider and Schmitt (1986): A means of identifying the human behaviour necessary for adequate job performance; in other words, it provides an indication of the knowledge, skills and abilities about all kinds of work activity. Based on the identification of such behaviours, theories about the kinds of people that the job requires, in terms of knowledge, skills and abilities can be formulated and procedures for the identification of such people can be developed

JOB ANALYSIS Uses of job analysis: Promotion and career development purposes Job transfers Learning and training programmes Salary review Work restructuring Introduction of new technology - clear indication of the particular requirements of the job - where that job fits into the overall organisational structure. - forms the basis for developing three critical R&S tools; job description, person specification and terms and conditions of employment - job analysis can perform a variety of purposes that extend beyond the role remit of recruitment

JOB DESCRIPTION Elements of a Job Description: Job Title Department Location Reports to Purpose Main tasks Liaison and main contacts Staff responsibilities Special features Rewards and conditions

PERSON SPECIFICATION Second phase of R&S Occurs once the job description has been drawn up It is essentially a description of the ideal person that will fit the job and should include details on the qualifications, knowledge, specific kills and aptitudes, experience and personal attributes that are required to do the job effectively

PERSON SPECIFICATION- FUNCTIONS Facilitate short listing Forms the basis upon which selection criteria are determined Serves to discriminate between essential characteristics and desirable ones that are required for the job Facilitates the assessment of suitability once the selection is made Person spec categories

PERSON SPECIFICATION-SUMMARY Person spec must meet four particular requirements: It must relate to a particular job and closely meet the job description It must be specific and detail exactly what is required to complete the job effectively It must allow the organisation to differentiate between individual applicants and so ideally, the specification should be scaled to facilitate an accurate measurement of individual characteristics It must allow the organisation to assess whether a candidate meets the spec (i.e. all characteristics specified must be capable of being measured and assessed)

TERMS AND CONDITIONS Often included in the job description Include details on: The hours to be worked Methods of payment Job entitlements (holidays, bonuses, allowances) Attention should be given to employment legislation

RECRUITMENT PHASE Job analysis complete, recruitment phase begins Functions of Recruitment: Attract a pool of suitable applicants for the vacancy Deter unsuitable candidates from applying Create a positive image of the company

RECRUITMENT DECISIONS Development of job advertisement Recruit internally or externally ? Internal cost effectiveness (time, money, optimisation of skills and motivation) Vs limitation of introducing ‘new blood’

SELECTION Dale (1995), Most mistakes are made by the fact that managers generally give little thought to the critical nature of the decisions. Employers are surprised and disappointed when an appointment fails, and often the person appointed is blamed rather than recognising the weaknesses in the process and the methodology…even the soundest of techniques an best practice (in selection) contain scope for error. Some of this is due to the methods themselves, but the main source is the frailty of the human decision-makers

SELECTION METHODS Structured interview Cognitive ability tests Work samples and assessment centres Unstructured interview NB ! Psychological contract

INDUCTION Offer accepted, a period of induction is undertaken by the successful candidate Length of induction period varies from company to company Labour turnover high during induction period – organisations take careful look at socialisation of new employees Socialisation methods can include: Coaching Mentoring Facilitation T&D Positive reinforcement and feedback are critical considerations at this point. Interim performance appraisal may hep in establishment of behaviour norms