- Actual job title
- Location of the job
- Duration and hours required
- Main tasks required
- Pay and other benefits
- Person to contact and place to apply.
Nowadays employees are expected to be more flexible and able to perform a wider range of tasks. This is shown in my job description for Boots because there are a range of different types of work which are required.
Person specification
A person specification sets out the qualities, characteristics and tributes of the ideal candidate. Whereas a job description only defines the duties and the responsibilities of the job. From research I have found information about the person specification for Boots. Boots has a very large person specification but they would want most of the criteria met, if not all. The person specification is very large and many aspects which are required can only be done by experiencing the work, building up knowledge and remembering what to do. A person specification usually consists of seven point plan which are-
Physique - health and appearance –this is where the employer looks at the general appearance and dress sense they also look at general health matters and their voice to see if they are able to speak clearly and politely.
Attainments – this is where employers look at the qualifications which the candidates may have such as GCSE’s ,A levels and degrees they will also take great consideration in previous job experience.
General Intelligence – this is estimated by IQ tests and by assessment of general reasoning ability.
Special aptitudes - the employers want to know what kinds of skills candidates may have. These will include skills with words, numbers, musical instruments, mechanical equipment and almost any other skills,
Interests - the employers want to know what candidates may be interested in whether it’s reading or sports they want to know if candidates are intellectual , practical, social or a mixture.
Disposition - this is where the employer wants to see if candidates are able to fit in with other people and be accepted by them. They want to see if candidates have leadership qualities and if the person is emotionally stable and self reliance.
Circumstances - the factors such as age, martial status and mobility are also considered.
Advertising
Advertising is the main method used to attract people to apply for a job. An advert for a job may be put up in a shop window but the most frequent and popular option is to put the advert into the newspaper. If an advert is set in a shop window the main information set would be the actual position and the number of hours. Usually for a shop application applicants are requested to hand in a CV. But with an advert placed in the newspaper the information required is much greater.
Usually a job description will be set in the newspaper with the person and address to apply to. When drafting an advertisement there are a few points which are considered such as- the job description, type of person, pay and conditions, place of work, how to apply and where the advert should be placed. Many companies also place adverts at places such as job centres. People applying through job centres may also show that the person is determined to find a job and is a willing person and wants to work. Boots usually have adverts in the window of their store but unfortunately I was unable to receive the advert because of the minimum numbers they had but I was able to get some information of a job description for Boots from the job centre. Organisations now are using new technologies to help them to short list job applicants such as using internet job boards where CV’s are able to be sent online. An example of an online job board would be . Boots have jobs for general entrance who are normal people looking for a job as a sales advisors, supervisors and managers but they also have careers schemes which are focused on school leavers and graduates. This scheme is not available at other companies and is special to Boots. This scheme is set up to bring special qualities to the company such as additional academic ability. This ability is used in the Boots pharmaceutical because a pharmacist has the extra knowledge in medicine. They also want to bring people who are highly educated with very good interpersonal abilities and the ability to very well within a team. Most companies want people to work well within a team because most businesses are teams and by working together they are able to achieve their goals.
Selection process
The selection process is where all the letters of application, CV’s and application forms are assessed. The applications are assessed on presentation and weather applicants have taken the time and the care to fill in their application forms and write their letter of application.
The selection process is based on three main documents of application which are-
- The application form
- Curriculum vitae (CV)
- The letter of application
All organisations ask applicants to send at least one of these documents. After placing all the job adverts, this would have attracted a huge number of candidates. Many applicants would have sent in their CV’s with all their details with a letter of application. The next stage would be to reduce the applicants to a number which is small enough to invite to an interview. This process is called short listing.
A letter of application is just simply a written or word-processed letter asking for the job and explaining why the applicant is suitable for the job. Employers also look greatly at the amount of work experience the candidate has had in the past. An application for is the main method used to apply for a job. The forms are made so that more information may be extracted from the applicant. I have included an application form from Boots to show what the form actually looks like. The form asks for the main information which would already be on a persons CV but there are the other question such as what qualities an applicant is able to bring to boots. This is where the employer makes you think a little and wants to know more about yourself and the qualities the applicant has.
The application does ask for information which will not be used for the recruitment procedure but in my personal opinion I fell that the questions which are asked about gender, martial status and ethnic origin are irrelevant. Some companies do use this information in their selection process because if an applicant is married then they may be asked if they have children. If the applicant has children then the employer may presume that the applicant may need to leave anytime in an emergency but if a person is single then the applicant may have nothing better to do then just work.
Interview
The final stage of the recruitment process is the actual interview. An interview is the most common way of finding out more about the applicant. There are the individual interviews and there are the group interviews where a task will be set. The tasks can vary from a short test to role play and trying to sell a product to the interviewer. At Boots the interview is usually done by group interviews. I know this because I have actually experienced an interview at Boots and I have asked the manager about the interviews. The interview is the place where the employer and candidates meet. This is there the employer can find out anything they want about the candidate, like the persons history, past experience and find out their general personality. The employer is able to look at their appearance, their voice and any qualities they may have. But inconsideration there is a certain amount of pressure on the candidate because they want the job very much and this may result in the candidate changing their personality and feeling very nervous. This shows that Boots is a very demanding company and are looking for special individuals with special skills.
