MANAGING PEOPLE IN Part V

ORGANIZATION Recruiting The Right People

LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Understand how recruitment methods can be used to help
select the ideal candidates
Describe the the roles of job description and person
specification
Describe the interviewing process
 INTRODUCTION
An organisation can only ever be effective if it has a strong and carefully selected
workforce. The role of recruitment is, therefore, an important one.
The roles of the job description and person specification are examined and their
importance within the selection procedure is outlined.
The process of interviewing is discussed at length, with details of actions needed to
ensure effectiveness included.
Organisations must take the necessary steps to avoid any form of discrimination and
ensure that the selection procedure is fair and unbiased in order to conform to
current legislation.
MOST COMMON METHODS
TO RECRUIT NEW
EMPLOYEES
Advertising
Recruitment agencies
Internet recruitment sites
Specialist head hunters
THE MOST APPROPRIATE RECRUITMENT
METHOD WILL DEPEND ON:

The level of the job

The number of likely, suitable, available candidates
The level of difficulty which the organisation has
experienced in the past, when trying to fill a similar
post
The legal constraints surrounding the process
 JOB SPECIFICATIONS
Before you start the recruitment process for any vacancy it is important to prepare a job
specification which describes:
The job title
The purpose of the job
The responsibilities, tasks and duties involved in the job
The skills, experience (and, where appropriate) the qualifications needed in order to do the
job
Any special mental or physical demands made by the job
The working environment and working conditions which will be experienced by the
person doing the job
 EXAMPLES OF JOB
SPECIFICATIONS FOR SALES
MANAGER
The job specification and description should provide a
clear and straightforward analysis of what the job holder
will be expected to do and what the job holder will be
offered in return for his or her services.
 PERSON SPECIFICATIONS
Once the job specification is prepared, the next step is to put together a
person specification.
When preparing a person specification, always list:
The essential skills, experience, qualifications, qualities and attitudes
the successful applicant must have
The desirable skills, experience, qualifications, qualities and attitudes
which the employer would like the successful candidate to have
When you are considering a number of applications, the
table beside will:

 Help you to see which people do have the skills,

experience, qualifications, qualities and attitudes which
are absolutely necessary. (These are the attributes which
you have listed in the Essential column.) These people
can be described as a perfect fit for the job on offer.

 Help you to see which people have some of the skills,

experience, qualities and attitudes which you have listed
in the Essential and some which you have listed in the
Desirable column. Although these people may not be a
perfect fit for the job, they can certainly be considered as
being suitable for interview if none of the people who
appear to be a perfect fit are, in fact, suitable.

Note:
Essential = MUST have skills and qualities,
Desirable = PREFERRED skills and qualities
 ADVANTAGES OF CREATING A JOB
SPECIFICATION AND A PERSON
SPECIFICATION
Both you and the applicants can see precisely what is involved in the job.
When someone is employed to do the job, they can’t complain that they are being asked to do
extra work or take on additional responsibilities, six months after they have joined the company,
if the work and responsibilities are clearly stated in the job description.
It is much easier to prepare an appropriate advertisement if there is a job specification to refer to.
When you are checking through the applications you receive, if you have a person specification,
you will be able to see quite quickly whether or not an applicant has the skills and experience you
need. This can help to save considerable time, as you will not have to spend days interviewing
people who may turn out to be clearly unsuitable.
 THE INTERVIEW PROCESS
1. An interview where the applicant presents him/herself for a meeting with a person or people from the organisation – (the
interviewers).
2. One or more psychometric tests – where the applicant is asked to complete one or more questionnaires.
3. An assessment centre which is organised and facilitated by a team of consultants with specialised knowledge of this process. Such an
assessment centre usually involves a number of applicants being asked to work together, sometimes in competing teams, to carry out a
series of tasks or challenges
For example:
- Solving puzzles and conundrums
- Exercises to test leadership and team skills
- Decision making exercises, perhaps in an ‘in-tray’ style
- Manual dexterity or thinking skills testing
As the applicants work together, solving problems, communicating, reach decisions, managing their time, etc, it is the task of the
consultants to observe the applicants and help the recruiting organisation select the person or people who are best suited to the vacancy.
4. A graphology assessment which involves a qualified graphologist examining the handwriting of each applicant. The graphologist will
use his or her skill to interpret the handwriting and advise the organisation which applicants may be the most suitable for the vacancy.
 RECRUITMENT THROUGH
ADVERTISING
It is usual to put a closing date in job advertisements.
This is a signal to applicants that they need to have their applications in by that
date.
The benefit to you is that, once the closing date has arrived, you will know that you
can start to make your choices from the applications you have received.
Without a closing date the recruitment process could drag on and on – with some
applications arriving weeks, or even months after the advertisement is placed.
Some organisations require candidates to complete an Application Form which has
been designed and printed by the organisation, whilst other organisations prefer
candidates to submit curriculum vitae (usually referred to as a CV).
 APPLYING USING THE
ORGANISATION’S OWN APPLICATION
FORM (FOR THE APPLICANT)
Advantages:
As long as the applicant answers all the questions, they can be sure they have supplied the organisation with all the
information that it wants and needs.
Every candidate is sending in a uniform application – they all look the same, and they all give the same information –
so it is a ‘level playing field’ for everyone.

Disadvantages:
Only being able to supply the organisation with the information which has been requested. If, for example, there are
some special achievements the candidate wishes to draw attention to, there may not be any space for this on the form.
It is often difficult to print out on an application form, so the answers are usually handwritten. If errors are made these
are not so easy to rectify, and applicants may find that they have to send in an untidy or altered application form ...
Which will not make a good impression on a prospective employer !
 APPLYING USING THE
ORGANISATION’S OWN APPLICATION
FORM (FOR THE ORGANIZATION)
Advantages
Each applicant will (hopefully) have answered every question and will have supplied all the
information the organisation needs.
Each application will be the same length, so interviewers are not required to read through pages and
pages of information.

Disadvantages:
Each application will look and sound more or less the same as, on an application form, there is little
opportunity for originality or creativity.
The application form may be out-of-date or, perhaps, not entirely suitable for the advertised vacancy.
 SENDING THEIR OWN CV
(FOR THE APPLICANT)
Advantages:
Being able to prepare a smart-looking document which, hopefully, will impress a prospective
employer.
Being able to supply the kinds of information which will present the candidate in the best
possible light !

Disadvantages:
Unskilled workers, people whose first language is not the employer’s language, and those without
access to word processing facilities may find having to prepare a cv a very stressful experience.
 SENDING THEIR OWN CV
(FOR THE ORGANIZATION)
Advantages:
Being able to see how the candidate has approached the task of preparing a cv.
Being able to look through all of the information contained in the cv, which may
provide an in-depth account of the candidate’s life and career to date.

Disadvantages:
Having to spend a considerable amount of time wading through pages and pages of
information from each applicant, which may be especially difficult if the cv has
been handwritten.
PEOPLE WHO APPLY FOR
JOBS MAY BE CALLED:
Applicants
Candidates
Prospective employees

All of these words are interchangeable, as they all

mean exactly the same thing.
 WHO WILL BE INVOLVED IN
THE INTERVIEWS?
Interviews can be held by:
Someone from the Human Resources department
Someone from the Human Resources department plus a manager
A manager
Two or three managers
Someone from the Human Resources department, two or three managers, two or
three people from the senior management team, a recruitment specialist who is
there in an advisory capacity, a junior member of staff who is there as a
representative of the team with which the new recruit will be working, and a
union representative ... or any other combination of people!
 IT IS NOT USUALLY A GOOD IDEA TO
HAVE JUST ONE PERSON CARRYING
OUT THE INTERVIEWS
Interviewing a large number of people can be tiring and stressful. If
there are two people sharing the task it lightens the load.
Having two or more people carry out the interviews mean that they have
the opportunity to discuss the candidates and, where appropriate, share
ideas or concerns.
One person, interviewing alone, can sometimes find that they experience
an irrational hostility towards a candidate. Where two people are
carrying out the interviews, the second person can take a more objective
and fair approach to the process.
 IT IS OFTEN A GOOD IDEA TO HAVE A
WHOLE GROUP OF DIFFERENT PEOPLE
CARRYING OUT THE INTERVIEWS
Sometimes a successful candidate will have to report to two or three different managers, when they start to
do their new job.
Sometimes it is necessary to call in a subject expert to interview candidates to find out if they know
everything they need to know about a particular area of competence – e.g. A sales manager selling
computer software would perhaps need an in-depth knowledge of html or some other programming
knowledge. The chairman of the company, who would manage the sales manager on a daily basis, might
not have this knowledge ... But a subject expert, able to ask tough technical questions, would be very
useful at the interviews.
Sometimes, when appointing someone to a very senior post – e.g. Finance director, or programme
producer or laboratory director or orthopaedic consultant – it can be even more important than usual to get
the right person for the job. If a range of different people are involved in the interviews then it is likely, but
not always certain, that the final decision about who gets the job will be fair, impartial and carefully
thought through.
 WHERE WILL WE HOLD THE
INTERVIEW?
Choosing the right environment for interviews is vital.
The environment is wrong if it is …
- Too hot or too cold, or otherwise uncomfortable
- Noisy
- Busy
- Filled with distractions – ringing telephones, people coming in and out, machines starting and stopping, etc.
The environment is right if it is …
- Comfortable – e.g. Well lit, well ventilated and at a suitable temperature; with reasonably comfortable chairs
for everyone
- Quiet and free from distractions
- Private – so that candidates cannot be seen or overheard by anyone, other than the people carrying out the
interviews
 IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT
THE INTERVIEW ENVIRONMENT IS
SUITABLE AND APPROPRIATE
Most people find that being interviewed for a job is a stressful experience. Being interviewed in a room
which is too hot, too cold, unventilated, etc can turn a stressful experience into a nightmare. People who are
stressed will not be able to present themselves in a good light – so the interviewers can miss out on a
potentially excellent candidate for the job.
Holding interviews in an uncomfortable, noisy atmosphere sends a clear message to candidates that:
(1) The job itself is not very important
(2) We don’t consider you to be very important
(3) We haven’t bothered to give much time or attention to these interviews
Not only may candidates feel irritated by this approach but, once again, the organisation may lose out on
someone who could be ideal for the post – they may not interview well in an uncomfortable, noisy
atmosphere; they may decide that, because the job seems of so little value to the organisation, they would
prefer not to do it, after all.
 IT IS SO IMPORTANT TO ENSURE THAT
THE INTERVIEW ENVIRONMENT IS
SUITABLE AND APPROPRIATE (1)
Running interviews requires focus, concentration and effort – it is not easy to ask the same questions
of people, day after day; and listen carefully to the answers, whilst remaining courteous and interested and
enthusiastic. If the interviewers are uncomfortable, distracted, or constantly interrupted by people wanting
advice or information, they will be less likely to conduct efficient and effective interviews and, in the long
run, much less likely to choose the best person for the job.
No one likes to feel that, when being interviewed, their responses to questions can be overhead by anyone
other than the interviewers.
 CHOOSING A SUITABLE
PLACE TO HOLD
INTERVIEWS
There is adequate heating, lighting and ventilation.
There is enough space in the room to comfortably accommodate everyone who is
going to be there.
There is sufficient, comfortable seating for everyone.
There is little or no noise.
There are no distractions such as ringing telephones or humming machinery.
No one apart, from the interviewers and the candidates, can hear what is being said
in the room.
 RULES WHEN TO HOLD
INTERVIEWS
1. Don’t hold interviews when you, and the other interviewers, are fast approaching
a major deadline and everyone is feeling rushed and stressed.
2. Don’t arrange too many interviews on one day. One candidate will merge into
another and, after you’ve seen six or seven people, they will all begin to look and
sound the same!
3. Do allow sufficient time to:
- Give each candidate a real opportunity to present themselves in the best possible
light.
- Allow you and your colleagues to ask all the questions you want to ask, and cover
all the areas you want to cover, without having to rush and race against the clock.
3 STAGES OF INTERVIEWING
Before the interview
During the interview
After the interview
 UNDERSTANDING
DISCRIMINATION
In the U.K. and most of Europe there is a great deal of legislation which ensures equal opportunities for
everyone when they apply for a job.
The key items of legislation which relate to discrimination in employment in the UK and Europe, and
which are currently in force are:
 Employment Relations Act 1999
 Equality Pay Act 1970
 Disability Discrimination Act 1995/1996 Code of Practice (UK)/2005
 European Union Social Charter 1989 (not valid in the UK)
 Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (UK)
 Race Relations Act 1976 (UK)/ Race Relations Amendment Act 2000
 WHAT IS DISCRIMINATION
1. Treating people differently because of their age, sex, race,
colour, nationality, ethnic or national origins or marital status.
2. Paying men and women different rates of pay – even though
they are doing similar work – because of fact that they are men or
women.
3. Treating disabled people less favourably than work colleagues
who are not disabled.
 DIRECT & INDIRECT
DISCRIMINATION
Direct discrimination is when an employee – or prospective
employee – is treated less favourably because of their race or sex
Indirect discrimination is usually less obvious than direct
discrimination but is, nevertheless, discrimination.
BEST WAY TO AVOID
DISCRIMINATION IS TO GIVE
THE JOB TO THE PERSON
WHO:
Matches the person specification
Meets the requirements of the job specification
Can do the job
Is the best person for the job
EXTRA RESOURCES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tHku154y1nY
EXTRA RESOURCES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a9JLJ4cm3W8
EXTRA RESOURCES

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qm1eAOzMy8k