PART II: RECRUITMENT & SELECTION

HRM1030-Recruitment And Selection

Matt Gyimadu
Contents
Marketing Channels.....................................................................................................................................2
Internet Recruiting..................................................................................................................................3
Employment Agencies.............................................................................................................................3
Recruitment Ad...........................................................................................................................................2
Weighted Application Blank........................................................................................................................4
Selection......................................................................................................................................................6
Screening.................................................................................................................................................6
Testing.....................................................................................................................................................6
Interviewing.............................................................................................................................................7
Interview Questions................................................................................................................................8
Decision Making........................................................................................................................................10
Bibliography...............................................................................................................................................12
Marketing Channels
Now that we have analyzed the position and understand the requirements for the role, we can begin the

process of finding a candidate for the role. The first step in this is to create a marketing plan. To find a

candidate for this position, three different channels should be utilized; internet recruiting, networking

and employment agencies

Internet Recruiting
The use of internet job boards has expanded to surpass all other forms of recruitment. Because the pool

of candidates available is vast and exposure on their boards is unrivaled, it makes sense for this to be

the first strategy we employ. Another benefit of this method as that we can both passively and actively

gain candidates for the position, making it a goot fit for the company and the Candidates

In Canada, the two largest online job boards are Indeed and LinkedIN, so those would be the best job

boards to use to maximize the exposure of the posting. However, if there are budgeting constraints that

only allow for one, I would prefer LinkedIN. This is because you will be able to get a “better idea” of who

the candidates through the social aspect that LinkedIN offers.

Currently LinkedIn has a number of tiers available for their recruitment solutions (LinkedIN, 2023), with

additional features as you go up in price. The LinkedIn Recruiter Lite package may best fit our needs as

will allow us to create custom filters, engage with candidates and provides a wider pool. This product is

priced at 180 USD a month (billed annually) (LinkedIN, 2023). Tough we plan to have the position filled

long before a year, the license can be used for any future positions we may need to fill and can also be

helpful for scanning the environment for talent that we may want in the future.

Indeed allows for more variability in their pricing scheme. Currently the company employs a pricing

scheme where employers pay permit application (PPA). Users can set parameters /filters for the

applications that it will receive. We would then pay $15 – 50 per application that we receive (pricing
varies by job, region etc) (Career Cloud, 2023). If we average that out to $32.5 then we could receive an

average of 66 applications for the same budget as the Linked in annual subscription.

According to research, the average hiring time for HR roles in 22 was 25 to 56 days (Maurer, 2023). As

we are looking to have a candidate hired by end of March, we would try to have the posting up by the

start of January at the latest.

Employment Agencies
In the event that we are unable to find a qualified candidate(s) within two months of posting, we should

use our preferred private employment agency. The benefit of using the agency is that they specialise in

matching talent to job openings and tend to have success in finding skilled managerial workers (Catano,

Weisner, & Hackett, 2019, p. 260). Using an agency will help take some of the pressure off the

recruitment effort as they typically have lists of qualified job seekers that they have compiled over time.

Where woe would be recruiting “blind” the agency would have more insight as to the quality of the

candidate that they have records of.

Hiring through the agency would be more expensive that using internet recruiting. Typically, in Ontario,

recruitment agencies charge on average 20% of the successful candidate’s 1 st year salary (Smith, 2023).

As we are looking at a alary range of x -x for this position we can expect that if we fill the position using a

recruitment agency that it will cost us around y – y. Despite the increased cost this option is a good fit

for both sides as it takes the pressure off the job /candidate search and provides more quality

candidates / positions. As previously mentioned however, we will use this option if we haven’t been

successful with our internet recruitment efforts. We should contact a recruitment agency in mi-late

February in that case.

Recruitment Ad
Job Title: HR Manager

Join a company that prides itself in being there for our clients when they need us most, by providing
superb coverage and service to our clients. We know that our employees are the core of our operations
and what allows us to be the best insurance provider in Canada. We are innovative, purpose driven and
customer-oriented company looking for employees that share similar values.

Purpose

Reporting to the Director, HR, you will lead a team responsible for the execution of company's human
capital strategy. You will develop and implement strategies in all HR critical functions, including
employee development and attracting top talent, while staying aligned with our business objectives.
This position offers a unique opportunity to gain exposure to providing internal Human Resources
integration in the area of M&A.

Key Responsibilities

Performance Management
 Organize and coach the Human Resource Consultants to excel in their position requirements.
 Ensure that consultants have resources, competencies and awareness required to carry out their role
 Actively participates in the performance evaluation process by coaching employees, assisting with
performance development plans, and following up on those plans.
HR project and Programs
 Develops and implements key HR initiatives, practices, and policies across Intact’s various departments
 Maintain service levels by organizing, monitoring workflow, and adjusting priorities to ensure high
levels efficiency and productivity.
 Enhance business strategies and initiatives by identifying and implementing systematic solutions to
inefficacies
 Advise and assist other departmental managers on interpretation and administration of personnel
policies and programs
Maintaining Employee Relations
 Provides guidance to ensure that issue resolution processes are effective, and consistent with respect
to employee issues, policies, and practices
 Reviews progressive discipline documentation for accuracy and consistency, and is accountable for
determining appropriate action

Managing Legal and Compliance Practices

 Understands and promotes Intact values and compliance with HR policies
 Identifies/assesses needs to mitigate potential risks by collaborating with the Legal team
 Ensure compliance of all Provincial/Federal laws and Intact policies and procedures

Experience/ Education

 2-year Diploma in HR Management, Business Management or other relevant/related field,

Masters in HR or management preferred
 Strong understanding of insurance HR challenges and requirements as the occur in the
insurance industry
  Ability to adapt HR strategies to meet the changing demands of the insurance market.
 Ability to exercise confidentiality in managing sensitive information
 Minimum of 5 years experience in HR management
 Strong communication and negotiation skills.
 Strong analytical abilities and strategical thinking
 Designation related to mobility an asset (GMS, CGMP etc) is preferred

Nice to Haves

M&A / Change Management experience

 Experience in handling the HR aspects of M&As
 Experience in assessing talent to be retained or potentially laid off in a M&A and ensuring
relevant legislation is adhered to
 Conduct thorough due diligence to identify risks, opportunities, and synergies related to HR
Services

Location: Toronto, Ontario: May be required travel to other locations as needed. Possibility of short-
term assignments that may require temporary relocation.
Weighted Application Blank

For this application, the maximum score a candidate can achieve is 64.

Must Haves

1. Education: Score___

Candidate’s level of education

Up to High School or 1 yr. certificate or equivalent (0) 2 yr. diploma or equivalent (3)
equivalent (0)

Trade certification or 3 yr. diploma/degree or 3 yr. diploma/degree plus professional

equivalent (0) equivalent (3) certification or equivalent (7)
4 yr. degree or 4 yr. degree plus professional Post graduate degree (e.g. Masters) or
equivalent (5) certification or equivalent equivalent (8)
(7)
Candidates are given a greater score for having more education. Candidates with a masters or
professional designation gain significantly more points as they can be an indicator that they are “more
knowledgeable” about their profeion

2. Experience: Score __

Minimum of three (3) years (5)

Minimum of five (5) years (10)
Minimum of eight (8) years (14)

Candidates can score significantly more points for experience than education as practical experience can
be a better indicator of capability than education

3. Training /Coaching: Score__

Experience developing and implementing training/ coaching techniques (4)
Experience performing training/coaching (1)
No experience training/coaching (0)

Coming into a managerial role we expect that the candidate has had experience with coaching or
training, even if the weren’t in a managerial position

4. Experie
Yes, Workday (2) nce
Yes. Other software (1) with
No (0)
HCM
software: Score __

Not too many points were assigned to this category as it’s almost a given that the candidate will have
had some exposure to HCM software. Candidate can be trained if necessary.
5. Developing Strategic Plans: Score__

Knowledge/ Experience with strategic HR planning (3)

Theoretical Strategic Planning Knowledge (1)
None (0)

If candidate can contribute to our strategic planning objectives that would be a great benefit.
However at minimum they mut jest be able to go along with our current systems

6. HR Projects and Programs Experience: Score__

Experience developing leading new HR initiatives/programs (7)

Experience implementing HR initiatives/programs (4)
Noe experience (0)
Candidate that can identify deficiencies and create and execute projects/programs to address
them is highly desired

7. Performance Management: Score__

Strong record of performance management with demonstrated results (6)
Experience implementing HR initiatives/programs (4)
Noe experience
Imperative that the(0)
candidate knows how to effectively increase the performance of their team/
employees

8. Legal / Compliance Skills: Score

Experience reviewing / fixing compliance conformity (4)
Strong command of legalities / compliance of the insurance industry (2)
No / limited compliance knowledge (0)
Our company is “on top” of our legal/ compliance requirements, however the manager must be
aware off them and adhere to them.
Nice to Haves
9. Professional Designations: Score__
CHRP (or CPHR) (2)
CHRL (3)
CGMP or CRP (2)
2 or more designations ( 6)

While the designations are not mandatory, their acquisition helps to show dedication to the
profession and inspires confidence in their skills

10. M&A Experience: Score__

Yes, as a Manager (10)

Yes (4)
No (0)

While not completely necessary for this role, having this experience/ knowledge is very preferable for
the candidate for the opportunities it will present them in terms of career growth withing the company.
Total Score: ___

Selection
Screening
Once we have received a good pool of qualified candidates is time to screen them. For this position, we

will will make use of the applicants weighted application blank, and work experience to screen out

candidates.

We will utilize weighted application blanks because they help bring “fairness, objectivity, and

standardization to the process” (Catano, Weisner, & Hackett, 2019, p. 295). By scoring all candidates

against the same criteria we can filter out candidates in a more effective manner. Combined with the

use of HCM software we can screen out candidates in a more time and cost-effective manner. Using our

current WAB, we will screen out applicants that score below 49.

In conjunction with this method, we will also screen out candidates based on their work experience

through screening interviews. Research has shown that “nature of experience accumulated by

executives across roles, responsibilities, and work activities, combined with measures of their cognitive

ability, proved highly predictive of their competency in strategic thinking” (Catano, Weisner, & Hackett,

2019). Work experience should be looked at from a holistic view, not just the number of years that they

have been in their position. The complexity of their tasks, environment, behavioural traits and industry

are all aspects that should be considered as well.

Testing
Once the desired candidates have been selected from screening the next step is to issue testing. While

looking at WAB and experience helped to screen out the better candidates, testing can help to further

focus in on the best candidates. When deploying testing it is important to keep in mind these key points:

1) application must be informed why they are being tested 2) They should receive feedback on their

results 3) Information gathered must be relevant and kept confidential 4) test should be in a language
the candidate is fluent in, and 5) applicants should be reasonably accommodated for the test (Catano,

Weisner, & Hackett, 2019).

Two types of tests should be deployed for this position; and emotional intelligence (EQ) test and an in-

basket test. The purpose of deploying the emotional intelligence test is to determine if a candidate can

“accurately perceive and appraise emotion in oneself and others, and to appropriately regulate and

express emotion” (Catano, Weisner, & Hackett, 2019, p. 339)As we are treating EQ as an ability, we use

an ability-based tests (such as the MSCEIT) to gauge EQ. Special attention should be given to the

emotions regulation component of testing as having higher emotional regulation has been found to

positively help predict job performance. (Catano, Weisner, & Hackett, 2019, p. 340). While the test is not

fully supported by empirical literature, it can be useful in determining how candidates will be able to

handle stressful and emotionally charged situations.

The in-basket test is useful for determining the candidates organizational and problem-solving skills.

With this test you will give candidates a set of standardized tasks that they would typically deal with on

a day-to-day basis. Panel judges then assign score based on the decisions made by each candidate. A

benefit of this testing method is that it is more transparent and candidates typically feel that they are

fair an appropriate (the test has good face validity). On the other hand, something to keep in mind when

using the test is that there can be more than one method in arriving to the same answer. So, the

candidate may be making appropriate decisions, but score lower if they don’t align with the procedures

set out by the panel. Also, while the test is designed to simulate the day to day of the position, it may

not give the candidate a chance to demonstrate the abilities that the test is supposed to bring out of

them.

Interviewing
When conduction the interviews of shortlisted candidates, a structured interview method should be

used in order to help ensure interview reliability and validity. If possible, a panel interview is preferred
as it will give relevant parties the chance to assess the candidates at the same time (though it will make

scheduling more difficult). Having a panel interview can also help to minimise bias in the interview

process. Present on the panel should be the HR Director, CHRO and a senior Manger. If possible try to

schedule an in-person interview, however if scheduling doesn’t allow it, a virtual interview can be

conducted as well.

In asking the questions, you will be provided with a mixture Situational interview questions and

behavioural interview questions.

Interview Questions

Question 1- Intact has decided it needs to revamp its training program to increase employee
productivity. You have been tasked with helping to develop and implement the program. How begin the
process and what would be critical to the process?
(Score 5):
- Conducts needs analysis
- Collaborates with other departments to develop program
- Ensures business objectives are being met
- Creates feedback loop to ensure program is effective.
(Score 3):
- Gathers opinions feedback from relevant department
- Researches / Observes deficiencies
- Modifies Program as needed
(Score 1):
- Looks for generic training program/ hires consultant
- Modifies existing training plan

The question speaks to the candidate’s ability to manage a project effectively and to understand the
element that goes into creating a successful training program.

Question 2 – You have notices two team members don’t seem to get along. Tensions have increasingly
grown between them and is now at a point where it is affecting team. What would you do to handle the
situation?

(Score 5):

- Have a discreet and private conversation with involved parties

- Facilitate a discussion to see if a resolution/solution can be agreed upon
- Utilizes conflict resolution/management strategies
- Monitors situation to ensure both parties are upholding agreement
(Score 3):

- Addresses the issue, involving the team / coworkers

- Encourages that the situation be resolved to keep a health work environment
- Informs supervisor of the situation to help handle it
- Periodically follows up with affected parties

(Score 1):

- Advises that the parties resolve the issue quickly to upkeep morale
- Chastises employees for disrupting workflow

Denotes candidates’ ability to manage conflict and emotions in a professional manner and promote
harmony between team members

Question 3- You are required to let go an employee due to repeated performance issues. What would
you do up to and including this process to ensure fairness, sensitivity, and compliance with employment
laws?

(Score 5):
- Keep documentation of the employee’s performance issues
- Performs performance review with the employee to rectify performance
- Collaborates with employee to create improvement plan with clear objectives
- If targets not met initiates a termination meeting
- Remains empathetic and provides support to employee
(Score 3):
- Communicate performance issues to employee and requests improvement
- Checks in on employee’s performance
- If targets not met initiates a termination meeting and offers support
(Score 1):
- Passively attempts to deal with issue
- Avoids termination even after opportunities for improvement have been provided

This shows the candidates ability to make difficult decisions professionally and with empathy. Being able
to do so also decreases that chance of liability due to improper dismissal.

Question 4 - Describe a situation where you led and developed a HR team. What policies/procedures did
you implement to create a positive team culture and increase team performance?

Probes:

How did you identify the strengths/weaknesses of your team? What decisions did you make
based on your assessment?

Can you provide specific examples initiatives you implemented to strengthen your team and
what was the outcome?

(Score 5):
 - Conducted assessments of team members
- Informed on / created developmental opportunities for team members
- Demonstrated openness, communication and honesty
- Involved and interested in team’s development
- Formally assesses growth and provides feedback

(Score 3):

- Organized teambuilding events

- Open and supportive of team member’s development
- Passively/informally assesses growth and gives feedback

(Score 1):

- Accepts the status quo

- Only coaches develops when team member aren’t performing

Demonstrates the candidate's experience in managing change, and demonstrates strategic thinking and
leadership skills. These skills are important for an HR manager role, where the ability to lead teams
through periods of change can be critical for success.

Question 5- Describe a situation where you played a key role in managing HR aspects during a period of
organizational/departmental change. How did you handle your employees during this time?

Probes:

What specific strategies did you use to support employees?

How did you communicate the changes to employees, and how did you handle negative reactions?

(Score 5):
- Develops a detailed plan to effectively communicate changes
- Provided formal and informal avenues for employees to express their concerns
- Provided private and confidential avenues to express concerns
- Established support systems for employees
- Responds/ address the concerns of individuals and groups
(Score 3):
- Communicates change to employees through standard methods
- Provided resources to employees about the change
- Address concerns in a broad/non personalized manner
-
(Score 1):
- Communicates change to employees
- Expects employees to adapt to the change, my address concerns if it affects
performance

Decision Making
In making the decisions on which candidate to select a multiple hurdle combination model should be

used. The method is a combination multiple hurdle (where candidates applicants must pass the

minimum cut-off for a predictor before being assessed on the next predictor) and regression (predictors

are weighted and scored based on importance). A multiple hurdle approach is used in the early stages of

the selection process but then a multiple regression approach is used in the later stages of the selection

process. (Catano, Weisner, & Hackett, 2019, p. 479). This approach is ideal as it provides balance

between the two models while allowing for more realistic assumptions concerning the predicators used.
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