Recruiting and Selecting the Right People

HR Managment

The chapter starts off by discussing supply and demand. Labor supply is the availability of workers who possess the required skills that an employer might need. Labor demand is the number of workers an organization needs. Estimating future labor supply and demand and taking steps to balance the two require planning. Human resource planning (aka HRP) is the process an organization uses to ensure that it has the right amount and right kinds of people to deliver a particular level of output or services at some point in the future. HRP involves using a mixture of qualitative or quantitative methods to forecast labor demand and labor supply and then taking actions based on those estimates. A few of these techniques include (Quantitative Techniques) Regression analysis statistically identifies historical predictors of workplace size. Future demand for human resources is predicted using an equation. Ratio analysis Examines historical ratios involving workforce size (such as number of customers relative to

Number of employees) and uses ratios to predict future demand for human resources. (Judgmental Techniques) Information is collected and subjectively weighed to forecast the demand for human resources. Top-down approach –Prediction made by top management. Bottom-up approach-Lower-level managers each make their own initial estimates, which are then consolidated, and the process continues up through higher levels of management. Top management makes final estimates. This chapter also goes over Methods of Forecasting Supply. The Quantitative Techniques include Markov analysis which estimates the internal supply of labor by turning movement of labor into transition probabilities. Judgmental Techniques include Executive reviews, where the Top management makes judgments about who should be promoted, reassigned, or let go. The process can clarify where there may be surpluses or shortages of managers. Succession planning Identifies workers who are ready or will soon be qualified to replace current managers. Vacancy analysis Judgments are made about likely employee movements. Shortages or surpluses of labor can be anticipated by comparing these judgments to estimates of demand. The hiring process usually consists of three activities: recruitment (The process of generating a pool of qualified candidates for a particular job; the first step in the hiring process), selection (the process of making a “hire” or “no hire” decision regarding each applicant for a job.), and orientation. The hiring process is filled with challenges which often include determining whether someone will be good for a specific job. Because choosing the person for a job can have a tremendous positive (or negative) effect on productivity

and customer satisfaction, it is vital that each step of the hiring process is managed carefully. This is where the chapter begins to go over the Recruiting process. This process should focus on attracting qualified candidates. Recruiting process should be linked to that of the firm’s HRP process. This would ensure that the appropriate person be chosen and hired. The following thing this chapter talks about is The Selection Process. There are so many different selection tools available. Some of these include letters of recommendation, application forms, ability tests, personality tests, psychological tests, interviews, assessment centers, drug tests, honesty tests, reference checks, and handwriting analysis. HR reps use these in order to determine the best “fit” for the job opening. However, the book also goes over some of the things that should not be discussed during an interview:

1. Don’t ask applicants if they have children, plan to have children, or what child-care arrangements they have made. 2. Don’t ask an applicant’s age. 3. Don’t ask whether the candidate has a physical or mental disability that would interfere with doing the job. The law allows employers to explore the subject of disabilities only after making a job offer that is conditioned on satisfactory completion of a required physical, medical, or job skills test. 4. Don’t ask for such identifying characteristics as height or weight on an application. 5. Don’t ask a female candidate for her maiden name. Some employers have asked this to ascertain marital status, another topic that is off limits in interviewing both men and women. 6. Don’t ask applicants about their citizenship. 7. Don’t ask applicants about their arrest records. You are, however, allowed to ask whether the candidate has ever been convicted of a crime. 8. Don’t ask if a candidate smokes. Because there are numerous state and local ordinances

that restrict smoking in certain buildings, a more appropriate question is whether the applicant

is aware of these regulations and is willing to comply with them. 9. Don’t ask a job candidate if he or she has AIDS or is HIV-positive. The next topic discussed is legal issues in staffing

Several federal legal issues govern staffing practices. A few of the acts associated with hiring are: The Civil Rights Act, the Age Discrimination Act, and the Americans with Disabilities Act all prohibit discrimination.

Questions:

1. Recent economic difficulties, restructurings, and plant closing have left many people without jobs and looking for new career paths. A hiring employer can now enjoy being able to select from among far more applicants than typical. Unfortunately, many of these applicants lack qualifications for the jobs. How can a hiring employer avoid or deal with this glut of unqualified applicants? How can the problem be approached in recruitment? In selection, what tools would you recommend when an employer is facing a large number of applicants?

Employee selection is very important for an organization. Selecting the right employee for the exact job is an important task in order to match company goals. In order for your selection to be effective, you need to choose the most excellent candidate for the job, the organization will get excellent employees. Recruiters need to be sure they are accepting the employees who are the most qualified for their specific job. Most recruiters just choose the most qualified person, rather than the person whose personality fits the job qualifications and specifications. The most important thing to do is make sure your candidates go through the tests. There are so many tests available, aptitude tests, ability tests, personality tests, psychological tests, assessment centers, drug tests, honesty tests, and reference checks. Checking references can help assure that the candidates are as “qualified” as their resume’s say they are.

2. Should applicants be selected primarily on the basis of ability or on personality/fit? How can fit be assessed?

Both are necessary. These both elements are deciding the concentration and the strength of the application in the organization. The management requires the better ability and the personality from the applicant, that’s why applicant can fit for accessing the organization. Someone may be extremely skilled at a certain job, but be rude and unable to work with people; this is why both qualities are required for a job.

3. A company has come up with a new selection test and decides to try it out on some of its current workers before giving it to job applicants. A group of its current workers volunteered to take the test: 84 percent were male and 7 percent were over the age of 40. The scores on the test that each of the volunteers earned were correlated with the performance ratings each of the workers received in the company’s annual performance review process. The sizable correlation between the two sets of scores led the company to conclude that the test is valid. What type of validity evidence has the company generated? Are these potential problems with the company’s estimate of the validity of its test? Describe these potential problems. How can the problem be avoided?

The types of test this company made up are most likely cognitive ability tests. There are both advantages and disadvantages to them. Advantages include: 1.) they have been demonstrated to produce valid inferences for a number of organizational outcomes (e.g., performance, success in training).2.) they have been demonstrated to predict job performance particularly for more complex jobs. 3.) can be administered via paper and pencil or computerized methods easily to large numbers. 4.) can be cost effective to administer. 5.) does not typically require skilled administrators. 6.) can reduce business costs by identifying individuals for hiring, promotion or training that possess the needed skills and abilities. 7.)Will not be influenced by test taker attempts to impression manage or fake responses. However the disadvantages are: 1.) this test may lead to individuals responding in a way to create a positive decision outcome rather than how they really are (i.e., they may try to positively manage their impression or even fake their response). 2.) May be disliked by test takers if questions are intrusive or seen as unrelated to the job. 3.) are typically more likely to differ in results by gender and race than other types of tests. 4.) Can be time-consuming to develop if not purchased off-the-shelf. These problems can be avoided by simply interviewing the candidates and performing more than one test. The recruiter needs to make sure that they aren’t basing their decision on JUST one source.

4. You have been asked by your company to hire a new worker for your unit. You have been given responsibility for conducting the recruitment and selection. How would you recruit a new worker for your unit? Explain why you would use those particular methods and sources. How will you select the applicant who will actually get the job? Would you use some sort of tests and an interview? If so, what kind and in what order?

My motto when looking for a candidate is “Hire for Attitude and Train for Skills”. A truly valuable employee is one with the right attitude for your organization. (By attitude we are referring to a person’s thought, manner, and general disposition towards another person, idea, activity, object, or thing.) Their attitude will be reflected in their behavior, which can either be positive or negative, this is what I would base my decision on. Someone with a positive attitude has a tendency to react positively in most situations. The key is to find someone who is more positive than negative. Asking behavior-based questions during the interview will give you a good idea of a candidate’s attitude. I would look for attitude over skills because most skills can be gained through training and practice, while attitude is harder to change. Rather than using an aptitude test, I would use a personality assessment test. I would also use a case study test. These would range from a straightforward brainteaser to the analysis of a hypothetical problem. I would be evaluating on their analysis of the problem, how they identify the key issues, how they would pursue a particular line of thinking.

5. Interviewing unqualified applicants can be a frustrating experience and a waste of time for managers, peers, or whoever is responsible for interviewing. How can the HR department minimize or eliminate this problem?

This is tough; I don’t think there is a way to completely eliminate this problem; however a more gruesome filtering process can minimize the interviewees. However if that fails, there are many selection tools that the HR department can use to assure that candidates are qualified for the position prior to calling them for an interview ( this would be a better filtering process) . Some of those tools are letters of recommendations, application forms, ability tests, personality tests, psychological tests, assessment centers, drug tests, honesty tests, and reference checks.

6. You work for a medium-size, high-tech firm that faces intense competition on a daily basis. Change seems to be the only constant in your workplace, and each worker’s responsibilities shift from project to project. Suppose you have the major responsibility for filling the job openings at your company. How would you go about recruiting and selecting the best people? How would you identify the best people to work in this environment?

The first and most important thing to remember is the need to recruit beyond just posting or advertising. Often, the best candidates are not looking for jobs so networking and meeting new people can help find the perfect candidate. Testing is also important, its also important to assess the candidates’ technical competence and ability to do the job. It is also vital that you assess the candidates’ ability to fit into the organization, which of course includes their flexibility and ability to deal with changes.