Recruiting, Selecting and Inducting New Staff in the Workplace

Institute of Leadership & Management

• Publisher: Routledge
• Year: 2013
• Print ISBN:
  9781138454194
• eBook ISBN:
  9781136369445
• Topic: Business
• Subtopic: Business General
• Index: Business

Super series are a set of workbooks to accompany the flexible learning programme specifically designed and developed by the Institute of Leadership & Management (ILM) to support their Level 3 Certificate in First Line Management. The learning content is also closely aligned to the Level 3 S/NVQ in Management. The series consists of 35 workbooks. Each book will map on to a course unit (35 books/units).

Session B Making the right choice

‘No matter how systematized selection procedures are, it seems to me that the ability to assess the ultimate potential of individuals after a relatively short exposure to them is a gift.’

Sir John Harvey-Jones, All Together Now

1 Introduction

Selecting the right person for the job is one of the hardest decisions you may have to make. You can’t really get to know how well someone will perform until they’ve worked in your team for some time. Yet the only opportunity you usually have to choose between applicants for a job is an hour or so in an interview room.

Interviewing has its drawbacks, and few would claim that it is a completely reliable way to ensure that the right person gets the job. Nevertheless, when it is carried out competently, it is still one of the best methods of assessing people.

Some organizations use techniques in addition to interviewing, which are often carried out by professionals in the field. These might include psychological testing (designed to determine whether the person has the right ‘mental make-up’ for the job), practical skills tests or the use of assessment centres to determine people’s suitability for jobs. But even when such methods are used, nearly everyone also carries out an interview.

In this session we examine the interview, how to prepare for it and how to assess the candidates afterwards.

2 Why do we interview?

‘… it is important to be clear about what one is trying to do at the interviewing stage. The object of the exercise is to learn as much about the character, values and potential of the person as possible in a very limited period and in artificial circumstances. In a way the whole thing is a bit like a detective story, where you are looking for elusive clues to follow up, which will reveal more of the plot.’

Sir John Harvey-Jones, All Together Now

Activity 13

What is the main purpose of the job interview?

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EXTENSION 1

The books listed in Extension 1 on page 86 discuss the purposes of a job interview.

You might have said:

■ to find out whether the applicant is suitable for the job;

■ to find out if the job is suitable for the applicant;

■ to assess the applicant;

■ to receive information about the applicant, and to give information about the organization.

Here’s one definition of a job interview: it is designed to determine the facts about a candidate in terms of knowledge, experience, past achievements and failures, to ascertain whether they are likely to do a specified job well.

3 Preparing for the interview

The interview will be a crucial time for you and the candidates. It is worth making the time and effort to prepare well for this important event.

3.1 Shortlisting for interviews

The first thing to do is to sort out which applicants are likely to be suitable. This process is known as shortlisting.

Some organizations use standard application forms when inviting people to apply for jobs, which makes it easier to compare applicants. The usual alternative to the application form is a letter, accompanied by a CV which lists the employment history and personal details of the applicant. The CVs received will be in a variety of formats, styles and presentations, making the selection process more difficult.

Activity 14

When assessing someone’s CV, why should you be wary of job titles?

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Job titles can be misleading. If someone describes themselves as a senior operator, what does that signify? Your organization may use the same term, but mean something quite different. Many organizations use rather grand titles. For example, a salesperson may be called a sales manager to make them sound more important.

3.2 Interpreting the applications

Let’s work out some useful tips for shortlisting applicants.

A vacancy for a secretary was advertised with the following three criteria for applicants:

■ a shorthand speed of at least 80 words per minute or above;

■ a typing speed of 30 words per minute or above;

■ a minimum of two years’ office experience.

Look at the following checklist, which was compiled from the job specification, and the application forms received from seven potential candidates.

Activity 15

Which names would you eliminate from the checklist and why?

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You could eliminate Heinz because of the slow shorthand, Wester because of the slow typing, Smith because of insufficient experience, and Sanchez, who seems, on the evidence of his qualifications and experience, to be overqualified for the job.

If your advertisement is vague, you may get both under- and over-qualified applicants. Someone who is over-qualified may be just as much a misfit in a job as someone who is under-qualified.

If all applicants have filled out their application forms fully and correctly, you may find yourself in the lucky position of having all the information you need about your prospective recruits. This is a rare situation! But you are likely to find things which aren’t clear and need expanding. Make a note at this point on each application form of the points you will need to query.

Once you have drawn up a shortlist of applicants, your next task is to arrange the interviews.

3.3 Setting up the interviews

The interview is the central core of the recruitment process but, as we have already seen, a lot of important decision making goes on before you get that far. Similarly, the interview itself requires some effective organization if it is to be successful.

Activity 16

Describe your idea of a perfect interview room.

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You may have said:

■ private;

■ free from interruptions;

■ comfortably warm;

■ with comfortable (upright) seating;

■ quiet;

■ with a table to write on.

Ideally, you shouldn’t put a barrier such as a desk between you and the interviewee. Sitting around a table often seems more natural than having two chairs in the middle of a room, but it is better to sit at right angles to the interviewee than directly opposite. It is also better if all the seating is the same height, so that interviewer and interviewee can speak on equal terms.

4 The functions o...

Table of contents

• Cover
• Title
• Copyright
• Contents
• Series preface
• Unit specification
• Workbook introduction
• A. Filling a vacancy
• B. Making the right choice
• C. Helping the new employee
• Performance checks
• Reflect and review