Discuss About The International Of Advanced Corporate Learning.
A strategically positioned organisation is one which takes its human resource needs seriously. This is even more important when dealing with small and medium enterprises (SME) like Popsicola. Human resource is considered to be one of the most important components in the efficient functioning of an organisation. The selection of personnel needed for a particular enterprise will determine, whether that enterprise will meet its objectives, and in an efficient and effective manner, or not. It is therefore very important, to give the recruitment and selection process due consideration, from the planning stage, all the way to implementation of the process.
Recruitment process entails a number of systematic activities properly planned for the purposes of identifying and hiring the best qualified personnel who are to help the organisation meet their objectives and goals. The process has to be effective both in terms of time and cost.
The recruitment process is normally captured in the overall human resource planning of an organisation. Human resource planning is a strategic process aimed at identifying and meeting human resource needs both current and future, in order for the organisation to meet its goals.
The initial parts of the recruitment process is known as the positive process, which is basically aimed at attracting the most number of candidates as possible, the selection process in comparison is known as the negative process which is aimed at reducing the number of applicants to the bare minimum as stipulated by the human resource need at hand.
The standard recruitment process according to (Foot, Hook and Jenkins, 2016), is made up of various activities; the first activity being identification of need for recruitment. The organisation has to establish why it needs an addition of new personnel, and if the addition of new personnel adds a strategic value to the organization. .
The next step is to define the specifications of the position to be filled. An in-depth and thorough job analysis is conducted to ascertain the various parameters of the position to be filled. The recruitment team will then be required to document the job description. The job description is supposed to clearly define what is required for that particular job. The description is supposed to give the applicants an idea of what is required of them when applying.
An official advertisement is then displayed to show intent to have the vacant position filled. The source where candidates are going to be gotten from is also important to be highlighted for the appropriate “attraction” measure to be taken. The identification of the selection team ensues immediately after. This team will play the key role of carrying out the selection process.
Importance of recruitment and selection process
The process after, is the selection process. It entails putting in place the right systems and methods of identifying, from various sources, candidates who have the right qualifications for a particular vacant spot, and amongst them choosing the most fit for employment (Noe, 2016) After the selection of the right candidate is done, then the actual hiring is done where various work contracts and agreements are signed, and an induction process put in place so as to orient the newly hired personnel.
A proper recruitment and selection process will save the organisation a substantial amount of resources and time needed for the whole process including the cost of training for the new recruits (Zahidul Islam, Hasan and Habibur Rahman, 2015).
According to (Dunn, 2010), one of the reasons of getting it right the first time in so far as selection and recruitment is concerned, is that the organisation will be spared future costs associated with hiring unqualified personnel who may end up being a liability to the organisation.
There is also reduction of legal ramifications emanating from poor compliance of employment law (Davies, 2011). For example, by putting in place a proper recruitment process, all applying candidates will be given an equal opportunity to present their skills and qualifications thereby reducing the likely hood of facing a lawsuit for engaging in discriminatory practices.
One of the major challenges faced by the HR specialist in Popsicola is the consolidation of the recruitment and selection strategy to align with the overall strategy of the organisation. The recruitment and selection process is normally supposed to help the organisation meet its objective and goals (Sutton, 2017). Getting it wrong right from the strategy can have a negative impact in the realisation of a smooth recruitment and selection process. It will also affect the quality of personnel selected to work for the organisation.
One of the major components of a proper strategy is a measurable set of objectives. According to (Aguinis & Lengnick-Hall, 2012), not having a measurable human resource objectives conversant with the overall organisational objectives, can pose challenges in the process of recruitment and selection. This is of the major blunders that most SMEs tend to make. Verifiable and measurable objectives are a core part of the human resource strategy. The laid out human resource objectives, usually directs the human resource manager to select applicants who are going to provide the best fit skills to the human resource needs. Having measurable objectives will direct the HR specialist, to ascertain whether the recruitment drive was a success or failure. For example, having a human resource need to fill a marketing slot will help the human resource specialist, to only look for those candidates with the qualities desired for that specific slot.
It is the recruitment strategy that is supposed to link the cost factor, to the benefit of the recruitment drive. Most of the times, human resource managers and specialists alike end up having their recruitment budget either, grossly underfunded, or rejected in totality because it’s too high. The reason is because of a lack of clearly documented recruitment strategy with specified objectives. Popsicola for example still has challenges when it comes to financial strength and the HR specialist needs to provide a reasonable budget which resonates with the HR strategy of the enterprise. This notion is in agreement with (Chowhan, 2016), who states that the organisational recruitment strategy is supposed to provide clear justification of the resources needed and possible sources of the needed resources
By linking the enterprise with the proper man power necessary to perform the required task, and in an efficient manner, is a task supposed to be catered for through the recruitment and selection process. This can only be done through, properly thought out recruitment strategy and plans.
This is also a challenge which the human resource specialist of Popsicola faces. At times, the recruitment team may advertise a slot only for those applying failing to meet the bare minimum requirements. Some of the activities undertaken by Popsicola are quite technical in nature and due to this, accessing a resource pool of candidates, having the required skill set as prescribed on the job description, can be a challenge.
The issue of the enterprise branding also plays a key role in attracting the right candidates for an advertised post (Gilani & Jamshed, 2016). Many human resource experts have a challenge of attracting the right quality of candidates when the organisation does not have a proper recognisable brand. Nowadays, applicants go through a company’s portfolio before applying for a job. If they see a brand that does not resonate with their career growth, they are likely to shy away from applying. This is a major challenge for Popsicola which has yet to establish a strong brand. One of the best practices to combat this challenge has been to set aside resources for recruitment branding, completely different to organisations branding by the marketing department, in order to sensitize the potential applicant on what the organisation stands for and what they aim to achieve.
Bias is one of the major impediments of getting the perfect candidate. This is an issue that has faced human resource specialists time and time again. Bias is emanates from the selection of a lesser qualified applicant in place of a more qualified one, either consciously or unconsciously. There are various kinds of bias that may emanate from the recruitment and selection process as pointed out by (Williams & Cottle, 2011). One of them is what is called the similarity attraction effect or affinity bias. This is where, the selection panel or a member of the panel is unconsciously disposed to like an applicant based on the similar traits they share. This will make the panellist unconsciously lean towards finding the applicant qualified for that position while in real sense that might not be the case.
Failure to get the perfect candidates
Another type of bias is confirmation bias, where an applicant is superb on paper (or through their written applications) while the true picture of their skills does not necessarily correspond to the described qualities. Halo effect is also considered to be another form of bias where an applicant presents himself as having the best virtues, well dressed and from that, the panellist may be inclined to select such an individual. Ultimately when employed, such applicants may end up not having the required skills sought for. These are just but some of the instances which may form basis of biasness in the recruitment process, and such can prevent the acquisition of the perfect candidate to work for Popsicola.
Another cause for this challenge is when the enterprise wants to have a diverse group of personnel with different skill sets; it can be challenging to ensure the diversity requirements are met when a proper selection procedure is not put in place
Most of the organisations nowadays consider opting for external recruitment agencies other than an internal specialist. External recruitment agencies may have a wider pool of sourcing applicants at their disposal (Al-Kassem, 2017). This is an option that Popsicola needs to look into. There is also adoption of technology as a means of increasing the sourcing net for new applicants. To deal with biasness in the recruitment process, there has been emphasis to consider a more practical approach to interviewing than just oral and prewritten presentations. The process of interviewing nowadays has taken a more proactive approach, with practical testing of skills rather than only interrogating the credentials (Korte & Mercurio, 2017).
Adoption of a corporate talent network is also a trend which an organization can use to attract new talent from different sources. It allows the company access a pool of untapped talented human resource capital not identified by other organisations (Wong and Sixl-Daniell, 2017. By so doing, the corporate talent network in turn will help the recruitment team to solve to some extent the aspect of having a more diverse recruitment pool. These talent networks are developed using various platforms including social media, inter-organisational networks among others. The talent network will be able to provide the organisation with a forum to advertise any vacant position, and career information with specific requirements for a particular task and at the same time promoting the company’s’ brand image.
Resourses are a major factor in the whole process of recruiting and selecting employees (Yu et al., 2012). The human resource specialist of Popsicola as mentioned earlier has the challenge of inadequate resources. Popsicola being a new market entrant still has a weak financial position with limited resources for carrying out some of its activities at its disposal. Some of the human resource activities are costly, and SMEs such as Popsicola are normally barred from having a comprehensive recruitment plan due to lack of resources (Ofori and Aryeetey, 2011). Due to financial resource shortage, the enterprise might not be in a position capable of carrying out some of the recruitment and selection activities necessary for them to meet their human resource needs.
There is also an issue of over quotation of the budget allocated for the recruitment activities. Popsicola does not have a clear budgetary allocation policy for recruitment process; at times the budgetary allocation may be a little overboard and not in resonance with what the objectives of the recruitment is. In organisations with clear structures, the finance team works closely with the human resource team to ensure adequate resources are allocated for the whole recruitment activity, including the induction process.
The approach to recruitment and selection process has changed over time, currently, as explained by (Pramod and Bharathi, 2016), there has been major changes to how recruitment and selection of potential candidates is made. Technology has brought about a cost effective way of carrying out the recruitment processes. Most of the organizations have embraced setting up of applicants’ database for gathering data from previous applicants (Mishra, 2013). From this pool of data they are able to have an easier time in recruiting and selecting candidates since most parts of the process would have been done away with. This helps the organisation save on the resources they would have otherwise used to advertise and source for candidates. Organizations have also started embracing the e-recruitment platform as a more efficient and a cost effective approach to the whole recruitment process.
One of the recommendations identified which can help Popsicola in their recruitment and selection process, is the continual adoption of technology as a strategic tool to be used in the whole process. Various technological options like E-recruitment are available to help in carrying out the recruitment and selection process, and in a cost effective manner. Technology will try to solve two of the challenges the enterprise faces. One is the resource challenge, by offering a cost effective approach, and the other is that the enterprise can access, a wide pool of potential candidates for employment, solving the limitation of access to qualified personnel.
The process of recruiting employees is at times a resource consuming activity, and the due resources have to be catered for, in order for the process to move smoothly. One of the ways that Popsicola can do to ensure that the necessary resources are available is by planning early enough, in anticipation of the recruitment process. Making clear long term human resource plans, which resonate with the overall organisational plans, is important in ensuring the smooth implementation of the recruitment, and selection process. Popsicola should avoid instantaneous recruitment like most of the SMEs do. The recruitment process should be strictly founded on their recruitment strategy depending on their human resource need.
Since selection of qualified personnel was a challenge that the enterprise faced during recruitment and selection, some of the challenges as mentioned earlier were due to biasness and a small pool to source potential candidates. The issue of bias during recruitment process can be combated by embracing organisational diversity as part of the recruitment policy (Gadomska?Lila, 2017). Both internal and external sources should be looked at so as to get the best talent who can accomplish tasks in a very efficient manner. Institutions of higher learning as explained by (Forsyth and Cowap, 2017) can be a great arena for sourcing diverse and skilled talent
Another recommendation for Popsicola which has financial limitations is, in the instance that the resources provided are not sufficient to cater for all identified positions to be filled; prioritization of those positions essential for organisational operation can be done in the meantime until alternative resources are found to fill the remaining slots
Conclusion
This report has outlined the various aspects of a good recruitment and selection process which Popsicola as an enterprise can embrace. The two processes recognized as being very vital and strategic in the overall implementation of organisational human resource strategy. The report has identified that there are several challenges that Popsicola faces when implementing the two processes. The three challenges explored include; alignment of recruitment strategies to organisational strategies, getting the right personnel and allocation of resources. By combating these challenges, the enterprise is meant to benefit immensely from the whole recruitment and selection process which will be essential towards their growth.
References
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