Recruitment agencies work in a similar way to consultants. Often recruitment agencies will provide staff on a temporary or permanent basis. This can help companies when they may only need staff on a temporary basis to deal with busy periods or changes within the company. Companies can also employ people on a temporary basis to see how well they work before offering them a permanent contract. Recruitment agencies select the right candidates for the needs of the business who is their client.
Using recruitment agencies and consultants can take a lot of pressure off a company and they are able to focus on running their business and not on recruiting, the agency will also screen out the candidates who are unsuitable, they are more discreet and competitors will not be aware you are recruiting certain roles whereas job adverts will advertise this to competitors and they can offer advice. This can however be a more expensive option as the company will need to pay the agency or consultant fees, and as they do not work within the organisation they may not find the right person for the job if they do not fully understand what is required from the role. Culture Café sometimes use recruitment agencies when they are looking for temporary staff, as a small business this however is expensive and they try to limit the use of agencies.
Recruiting can be expensive and timely as there would be advertising costs; time spent looking at applications and CV’s, contacting candidates, conducting interviews and deciding who to employ. Candidates may already be employed and have to give notice to leave their current job which could be as long as 6 months. This can cause problems for an organisation. Internal recruitment means that a company can move much quicker to fill roles.
Internal recruitment advertising is very simple and may involve advertising on a staff notice board, via email, on a company webpage, company magazine or in a staff meeting. Organisations sometimes ask employees to provide a ‘declaration of interest’ for a vacancy. This may involve writing a letter or email, or talking to your employer or manager. The employer can see how many potential people would apply for the vacancy and decide if this is the best way to recruit.
External recruitment can be advertising in newspapers, radio, posters, websites, industry magazines, or in the jobcentre. Tesco often advertise vacancies in-store and on their website. This saves them money as they are not paying to advertise through other channels such as newspapers and through agencies but this can limit the number of applicants. Many companies keep records of CV’s of previous applicants and may contact them in the future when new vacancies arise.
Online advertising is very popular, some companies may have a section on their website about vacancies or they may use job searching websites. They charge companies to advertise and can generate a lot of response. People can also post their CV online for potential employers to search for them. People can set criteria’s for the jobs they are searching for based on location, industry, salary etc.
Companies can also use recruitment agencies to advertise their vacancies. The agencies will match people to the roles and only send suitable applicants to apply for the job, this can make it a lot easier for businesses as applicants have already been screened for them. Businesses pay fee’s to the agency for this service.
Radio advertisement is often used when a company wants to recruit a number of people at the same time, for example when a new store is opening and they want to recruit many people. It would not be cost effective to advertise for just one vacancy.
Advertisements for vacancies must clearly outline how they want people to apply, for example some organisations may want a CV posted in or emailed to them or an application form filled out. Tesco’s ask applicants to pick up an application form from the store and after they have completed it to bring it into the store.
Written CV’s are the traditional method used, and a cover letter is usually included to give an introduction, a message and specific information to that employer. CV’s and cover letters can also be emailed to perspective employers.
Application forms can also be completed online usually on a companies website. These are quicker and cheaper than traditional application forms. Tesco ask applicants to fill out application forms that they can pick up from in-store although some of their vacancies at a higher level (for example admin roles, purchasing roles) candidates are asked to send in a CV and covering letter via email. These jobs and information can be found on their website under the careers section. Online forms can be filled out immediately and are easier to access as they do not need to be collected or posted. They can also be stored instantly within an online database. This method is cost effective and quick. They can also screen applicants by only putting applicants through that meet certain requirements.
Telephone applications can be useful for companies and can help screen applicants. Many companies will ask applicants to call for an information pack or application form, they may use this opportunity to ask questions and if they like the answers they will invite applicants to back to enter the next stage of the process. Marks and Spenser’s ask people to phone to apply for vacancies and they are put through to an automated service that asks them a series of questions and they will be invited to an interview depending on the applicant’s answers. Culture Café often to speak to candidates over the phone for an informal chat about the job and to find more out about the applicant before an interview is offered.
Posted and faxed applications are good because they allow the applicant to demonstrate their suitability for the job and can provide a lot of information, but they can take time and applicants are likely to show their strengths and not their weaknesses. Faxing CV’s can be read by any member of staff at the organisation so it can be hard to keep the information confidential; it is also common for post to get lost. Online applications can be quicker and cheaper and access is available 24 hours a day 7 days a week. The response can be quite high especially because of how easy it is to apply. However there may be technical problems, applicants may not have access to the internet and there may be a lot of applicants which can be timely for employers to look through them all. Telephone applicants can be good for screening and allows applicants to speak to someone and ask questions to the organisation, it can be timely and there may be technical faults or busy lines. Automated phone lines can also put many people off.
Task 2 Explain the impact of the legal and regulatory framework on recruitment and selection activities. Use work based examples where appropriate.
The UK is governed by 2 key areas of legislation; this includes laws that are passed within the UK and laws that are passed within the European Union. There are many laws that are there to protect either employers or employees and that relate to recruitment.
The Sex Discrimination Act 1975/97 ensures that people are not discriminated against because of their gender, marital status, or because of gender reassignment. If an employer discriminated against due to these factors they would be breaking the law. It means that people must be treated equally. There are some jobs that do not need to comply with this act if there is a good enough reason, for example a support worker at a woman’s refuge would have to be female because of the nature of the role. Job advertisements must not state that they are looking for a specific gender unless they are exempt.
The Race Relations Act 1992 makes it unlawful for anyone to be discriminated against on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, ethnic origin and national origin. Employees must be protected from discrimination, victimisation and harassment, and can use an industrial tribunal to force employers to change the way they operate or to seek compensation.
The Equal Pay Act 1970 forces employers to pay men and women equally, this can still be an issue and many people do not feel that there is equal pay among the sexes. The pay includes all aspects of pay and benefits including sickness benefits, car allowances and pension schemes. Many women are paid less because of the time they have taken off due to maternity leave and there have been many debates to discuss whether this is right or not. There are factors within the Equal Pay Act that protect you during maternity leave. Salary and wages must be determined on experience and skill not on any other factor such as gender.
The Disability Discrimination Acts 1995 and 2005 make it unlawful for a disabled person to be treated less favourably because they are disabled, unless there are very good reasons, for example Tesco would be able to not employ a person to do stack shelves if the persons disability prevented them from doing the role safely and properly. There may be times when a company has to make reasonable adjustments to make it easier for someone who is disabled to work for them, for example Tesco may employ someone who finds it difficult to stand for a long period of time but Tesco may have to put them on the checkouts with a chair for them to sit in. If an employee becomes disabled whilst working for you would have to make adaptions if they are reasonable and it may involve changing their role slightly to help assist them.
The European Working Time Directive introduced the maximum working week of 48 hours, people can work more than this as long as over a 17 week period the average is no higher than 48. Employees can also sign a document to opt out of this if they choose to work more hours.
The Employment Acts 2002 and 2008, and the Work and Families Act 2006 covers a number of areas within employment law that relate to maternity leave, paternity leave, flexible working and monitoring equal opportunities. This helps to ensure that families are able to find employment and take leave when their child is born or other times for example when their children are not well. Many employers would prefer not to employ someone who has children because parents of young children are more likely to not be able to be flexible because of childcare, or need to take time off to look after their children, companies are not allowed to use the fact that a person has children as a reason not to employ them.
Companies need to ensure that all members of staff are paid the national minimum wage; the rate varies depending on the age of the person. There are also some roles that are exempt from minimum wage such as an apprenticeship where training is provided and paid for by the company.
The Data Protection Act 1998 protects an individual’s right to privacy in relation to their personal data. Information has to be accurate and up to date, stored safely, and actions need to be taken to prevent it from getting lost or stolen. This is an important aspect in recruitment, a lot of information will be given to a company from application forms and CV’s and it is important that companies comply with the regulations of the Data Protection Act.
There are also ethical issues that relate to the process of recruitment, for example interviews should be consistent and all candidates should be asked the same questions so that it is fair and easier to compare applicants. Interviewers should be related to or friends with the applicants so that there is not a personal link with a biased view of the candidate. Many application forms ask if you have personal links with people that work for the company.
Task 3 Prepare the documents used in selection and recruitment activities. When you prepare the documents, you will need to be doing them for a specific vacancy and therefore link them together
KC Contractors
Job Description Office Junior
Office Junior To assist people who work in the office and deal with customers coming in. working within the office and not working in any other areas of the organisation. May involve working with other people in the organisation and helping to deal with their queries.
To report to, and work under the office manager.
Responsibilities & Duties
Answering the phones
Working on the reception, dealing with visitors
Filing
Photocopying
Matching up invoices
Booking deliveries
Assisting members of staff within the office
Requirements
Must have at least a C grade GCSE in maths and English
Complied 21/03/2011
Job Advert
Person Specification
The applicant does not require previous experience but if they do have experience in a customer based role or office administrator role it would be an advantage, but as an office junior we are looking for someone young and inexperienced as someone with a lot of office experience would be over qualified for the role. GCSE’s in Maths and English are the only qualification requirements; a qualification in IT would also be good. We are looking for someone organised and hardworking who can work in a team. The ideal candidate would be someone who has recently left school and looking for more training and experience.
CV
SARAH CV
Cover Letter
19 Falcon Mews
Leighton Buzzard
Beds
LU7 4QX
To Whom It May Concern;
I am writing to apply for the vacancy for an office junior I saw advertised in the local newspaper. I left school a few months ago and have been working in a diner preparing food and serving customers. I enjoy working with customers and have gained experience dealing with problems and helping to assist them.
I am hoping to get experience working in an office and feel that I have the skills required for this role and would be a valuable part of the team.
I learn quickly and can work on my own or in a team. I am hoping to develop my skills and would like to complete a part time course in IT skills in September. This is an evening course and therefore would not interrupt with doing this role.
I have enclosed a copy of My CV and I thank you for taking the time to read my CV and I hope to hear from you soon.
Thank You.
Sarah
Task 4 You will need to prepare for your role in the selection interview.
For panel members, this will involve:
• agreeing interview roles
• agreeing the format of the interview
• agreeing the procedures to be followed
• agreeing and preparing the required documents to be used
• agreeing and preparing the questions to candidates
• agreeing the method of scoring candidates.
For the interviewee, this will involve:
• Familiarisation with the job description and person specification
• Background knowledge of the company
• preparing for anticipated questions
• preparing questions to ask the panel.
For this task I have decided to take the role of the interviewer and the interview will relate to the vacancy that I used in task 3.
When a role has been advertised and applicants have sent in their CV’s and cover letters, the employer will read them and decide who they will want to invite back for an interview based on people they feel will be suitable for the role.
For this role there has been a high response of suitable candidates and we feel because of this we will conduct 2 stages of interviews, we will first invite every suitable person for an interview and shortlist a few to come back for a 2nd interview with 2 members of staff before making our choice on who we would like to employ. The first interview will be conducted by me as the Office Manager.
We will look at the information provided on the CV such as experience, qualifications, skills, references and the quality of the CV and cover letter. We will use this information to short-list the applicants who will come for an interview. They will be phoned to arrange a mutually suitable time to attend for an interview.
The interview will involve telling the candidate about the company and then the job role itself and asking the candidate a set of questions. After this I will ask if there is anything they would like to ask and take a few moments to answer their questions. I will have their CV with me to look at if there are any questions I would like to ask them relating to their CV then I will make notes and after the interview I will assess them based on their interview and their skills and mark them out of 20 based on the way they acted in the interview, their answers, their qualifications and their skills.
Interview Format and Questions
- Explain about the company and about the job
- Questions (ignore questions that may not be relevant, for example work experience if they have no experience) –
- Can you tell me more about your previous/current job you have and what duties are included.
- How do you think those skills will help you in this role?
- This job will involve dealing with customers and some of them at times may be very unhappy about certain things, if there was an angry customer how would you deal with it?
- What are your strengths?
- What are your weaknesses?
- Do you have any outside interests or hobbies?
- What are your aims and ambitions?
- I would then ask the candidate if they have anything they would like to add.
- I would then ask the candidate if they have any questions they would like to ask
Although this is not a large number of questions I think they are relevant and will help get a good understanding of the candidates during the first interview stages. It includes mainly open ended questions and gives the candidate opportunity to give a lot of information to the interviewer. It is important that the interviewer listens well in order to be able to ask for more information about certain things the candidate may talk about and may want to be explored further.
I would make notes about their answers and about the way they composed themselves in the interview, the notes would be made on blank paper and a small list of certain attributes will be made so that I can tick the attributes that each candidate has. This is because it is a small company and personal feelings about how the interview went are an important aspect for making decisions on who to employ.
Candidates are expected to turn up on time, presented smartly and behave politely during the process. Things that is good for candidates to do include shaking hands, not talking badly of their previous employer, thanking the interviewer at the end.
It is important that the right questions are asked that will help the company to decide the best person to apply, and asking the same or similar questions to each candidate will make it easier to compare everyone. A company cannot ask questions about race, colour, sex, religion, nationality, sexual orientation, birthplace, age, disability, marital status and children as this is breaking the law and as these questions are unfair.
Tick List for Desired Attributes of Candidates
Qualified to GCSE level grade C or above in Maths and English
Has some work experience
Has some customer service experience
Well written CV and cover letter
Presented themselves well in the interview
Answered the questions well
Good level of skills
Was friendly and polite
References
For number 1 of the interviewing format I would explain to the candidate about what the company does, which is building contracts I would explain more about what type of projects we would be involved in.
I would also explain in more detail about the job role and what it entails. I would give examples of the types of queries customers and other staff may have and how they would be handled, I would explain simply about the invoicing and filing systems and how important it is to get right. The job description that has been created would help me to explain the role in better details. I would also discuss pay, benefits and working hours within this.
Information obtained through the recruitment process is confidential and can only be seen by people in the organisation who it may relate to, for this interview that will include the office manager who is in charge of the recruitment process and the owner of the business.
Some companies may provide application packs and information packs for candidates, it helps them to understand the process and may include information about the company, the job and other things they may need to participate in such as tests, group tasks etc. some companies may use different interviewing methods, such as group, individual, team multi-stage and telephone interviews. They may also ask candidates to take part in occupational preference tests, attainment tests, aptitude tests, psychometric tests, numeracy and literacy tests, IQ tests and group activities such as role play and acting out certain situations.
After the first stage of interviews the CV’s, cover letters, and notes from the interview will all be looked at to see how well each person has scored. References that have been provides by the applicants will also be called and the information provided from this will help the company to make a decisions. A small number of candidates who scored highly will be phoned and invited back for an informal chat with the office manager and owner of the company. After these second interviews they will talk to each other to make a decision on who they would like to offer the job to. All candidates that will not be offered the job will have a letter sent to them to inform them that they have not been successful.
The successful candidate will be phoned with a job offer before anyone else has been informed that have not been successful in case they do not accept the job offer and another candidate is then offered the job.
When a job offer has been accepted they will be invited back to the company to sign contracts and be given a letter of a job offer which will include the start date, salary, hours, sickness, holidays and other benefits.
KC Contractors
Application Form
Personal Details
Name:
Address:
Phone Number:
National Insurance Number:
Education & Qualifications:
Previous Work Experience:
Employer:
Job Title & Duties:
Length of time with employer:
Reason for leaving:
Employer:
Job Title & Duties:
Length of time with employer:
Reason for leaving:
Employer:
Job Title & Duties:
Length of time with employer:
Reason for leaving:
Skills
Please tell us more about the skills and experience you have:
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