At the same time, however, many of the traditional methods of recruitment and selection are being challenged by the need for organisations to address the increased complexity greater ambiguity and rapid pace of change in the contemporary environment.
One model of recruitment and selection which the companies are aware of is the ‘Kochan and Baroccis’s model of recruitment, selection and staffing functions at different organizational stages’:
Source: Adapted from Storey and Sisson (1993)
This model illustrates that organizations operate at different stages in a ‘lifecycle’. Just like a product where it begins, runs its course, and then ends as a top seller. The chart emphasizes that recruitment and selection is dependant at a specific state of a business. For example, a business that is just starting will accordingly recruit the best professionals, whereas during the ‘maturity’ phase it will concentrate less on recruitment but more on gaining revenue, and with ‘decline’ it will adjust to survival meaning cuts in pay and staff, (Beardwell, J 2007).
This model is helpful to the business objectives by following it as a guide to perceive and predict where the business is at present, and if it is closer to the decline phase, it will have time to manage away from failure.
The way in which the company distinguishes a fit between a person specification and the applicant is by the use of a selection procedure. The model that can be used as a demonstration is ‘The predictive accuracy of selection methods’:
Source: Adapted from Anderson and Shackleton (1993)
The diagram shows how different methods of selection are placed according to accuracy, with 1.0 determining the ‘perfect prediction’, (Beardwell, J 2007). As this is a prediction of methods, it is a perfect example of assessing which type of criteria a business should follow, for a small company it could use the unstructured interviews as a means of finding the right candidate, on the other hand larger companies would be better suited to using structured interviews with tests and assessment centres
The link to the organizations objectives here is that each model shows a way to improve the company’s performance. The first model is used to predict and determine the current status of business, whereas the second model is used to choose the appropriate recruitment and selection methods. The result is that ‘Ikea & Curry’ will not only know the perfect time to recruit, but, will also know how to choose the right people for the job.
In regards to placement students employed by ‘Ikea & Curry’s’, they will be put through a sought process which will help the company select appropriate students that meet the person specification.
IKEA & Curry’s
Recruitment and selection process
IKEA & Curry operates a basic structure which aids in the recruitment of the right candidates. Below is a grid showing how we do this:
Interviewing
Interviewing is universally popular as a selection tool. Interviews describe as ‘a diversity of practice’, but this broad definition encompasses a wide diversity of practice. Differences can include both the number of interviewers and the number of interview stages. The format can be biographical, i.e. following the contents of the application form or it can be based on the key competencies required for the job. Over the years interviews have received a relatively bad press as being overly subjective, prone to interviewer bias, and therefore unreliable predictors of future performance. Such criticism are levelled particularly at unstructured interview or supplementing the interview with less subjective selection tools such as psychometric test and work sampling.
There are different types of structured interview, but they have a number of common features:
- The interaction is standardised as much as possible.
- All candidates are asked the same series of questions.
- Replies are rated by the interviewers on preformatted rating scales.
- Dimensions for rating are derived from critical aspects of on-the-job behaviour.
The two most popular structured interview techniques are behavioural and situational interviews. Both use critical incident job analysis to determine aspects of job behaviour that distinguish between effective and ineffective performance. The different between them is that in behavioural interviews the questions focus on past behaviour (for example,’ Can you give an example of when you have had to deal with a different cult person? What did you do?’), whereas situational interviews use hypothetical questions (‘what would you do if you had to deal with a team member who was uncooperative?’).
Decisions about the number of interviewers, the type of interview and the number of interviews stages are likely to take account of the seniority and nature of the post and the organisation’s attitude towards opportunities.
Conclusion
The focus approaches to recruitment and selection, and to consider the influence of external and internal factors on the process. We conclude that the systematic approach to recruitment and selection still provides a useful framework for analysing activity. The key stages – defining the vacancy, attracting applicants, assessing candidates, and making the final decision – are applicable most of the time, but the way in which each stage is tackled can very considerably. Key developments within the process itself include the increasing use of technology. The internet has emerged as a new recruitment medium, and its use is likely to continue to grow. At the same time, the availability of software to aid the selection process is increasing. Developments in selection techniques appear to reflect growing awareness of the limitations of interviews, and so there is evidence of a growth in the use of more structured formats as-well as greater use of supplementary tools such as test and job simulations. For some organisation, however, it is business as usual and little has changed.
The current state of recruitment and selection is complex because a variety of internal and external factors continue to influence the process. The underlying philosophy regarding the management of human resources and the degree of adoption of technological advance affects the way work is organised and the resultant skills needed by employees. Externally, labour market conditions, legislation and government policy in training and education dictate who is available to fill contemporary jobs. Further complexity is added by the growth of multinational enterprises. These factors are constantly changing, and the environment in which the recruitment and selection process operates is dynamic and increasing ambiguous. There is no universal solution to this complexity – no’ one size that fits all’ –and this is how one can account for the coexistence of both new traditional approaches to the recruitment and selection of employees. Organisations tend to adopt a pragmatic approach to the attraction and selection of employees based on their assessment of current and future conditions and their response to the critical questions. However, one will find differences in approaches not only between organisation requirements.
The recruitment and selection is a two-way process. Not all the developments can be endorsed wholeheartedly. On the positive side, the use of more sophisticated techniques can be seen as an attempt to improve the quality of the selection decision, through increasing objectivity and reducing the scope for bias and prejudice. On the negative side, the emphasis on personality and behavioural characteristics can be used to create and manipulate a workforce that is more amenable to management initiatives. Ethical considerations continue to be important, and care must be taken in the use of these techniques, particularly in handling the increasingly amount of information that can be gained about prospective workers.
The most appropriate recruitment and selection techniques will continue to be those that balance the requirements of organisations with those of current and prospective employees, and the approach adopted is likely to be determined, at least in part, by external circumstances. Prodigally the demise ‘job for life’ and the growth of ‘portfolio careers’ if are true, then the experience of recruitment and selection may become an increasing feature in all our lives, regardless of the techniques involved.
Content
- IKEA Profile
- Curry’s Profile
- HRM
- Theory of recruitment and selection
- ‘Kochan and Baroccis’s model’
- ‘The predictive accuracy of selection methods’
- Link to company goals
- Recruitment & Selection process
References:
