The world is becoming increasingly competitive and the labor market very flexible. Work dynamics in an organization due to growth, expansion or employees mobility will result into situation where there will be unoccupied positions or jobs in the organization commonly referred to as vacancies. The vacancy or vacancies have to be filled for normal operations of the organization to run smoothly and profitably. The task of placing the right candidates to a specific job requirement at the right place at the right time will help the organization to achieve its goals and objectives. The task is undertaken by the human resource department of the organization through a rigorous and thorough process (Jobs and Careers, Para. 3).
The process will involve job identification, description of the job and the person specification, advertising the job, receiving and managing applications and responses, short listing the applicants, contacting quoted referees, arranging and conducting interviews, decision making , communicating back to the applicants both successful and otherwise, appointing the person or persons and bringing him or them on board through orientation so that they may feel appreciated and thus be retained for long. How the process is carried out will very much determine the quality and performance of the person and the success of the organization.
After a vacancy occurs and it has been identified and the decision has been made to fill it, the terms of reference for the job will be spelt out. This is commonly referred to as job description. The terms of reference will detail the job itself, job duties, and the list of responsibilities or expected results associated with the general tasks. Job description may also include the management and protocol order and also the salary range and benefits for the post. The skills, aptitudes, knowledge and experience, qualifications necessary for the available job among other specifications and the attributes the candidate needs to do the job effectively are also outlined.
Once the vacancy requirements, the necessary experience, education and skills for the job and the potential personalities with the necessary skills and knowledge have been identified the organization will need to communicate with the persons or groups and let them know of the opportunities available. This will be achieved through advertising. Advertising has to be done in a way that potential employees will see it either through job posting classified advertising or through online advertising. The advertisement should include key words that job seekers will use to match and weigh. The advertisement will have to be appealing and creative. The essence of advertising is to create interest from the candidates either internally or externally. After writing an exciting and appealing advertisement it will now have to be posted to any of the job boards selected. Responses will need to be addressed immediately received and should be acted upon without delay. All applications should be acknowledged.
After receiving the applications from interested persons a panel will go through the applications immediately after the closing date of the application and based on the agreed selection criteria on the job description and specifications come up with a list of persons who meets the requirements. This is done in confidence and achieved through consensus. The decision must be objective and fair, based on factual facts. Those candidates who are short listed should be invited for the interviews and the unsuccessful ones notified and their interest in the organization acknowledged. This will give a positive image of the organization. Interview is the core of recruitment process.
During the interview the panelists should find out about the persons qualifications, abilities and limitations in order to come up with the best person for the job and also try and create a good picture of the organization and its operations. The interview session and the results will determine the quality of the candidate selected which eventually will impact on the performance of the organization. The interviewee should provide all the necessary information with regard to past employment history and competencies in performance to related roles. The interview gives the interviewer and the interviewee an opportunity to meet face to face and exchange information. During the interview the candidate will learn more about the organization and decide whether he could work for the organization if given the chance (Konczak, 2010). On the other hand the organization will describe the job and the responsibilities of the job in details to the candidate, assess whether the candidate is able to perform the role, discuss availability of the candidate, communicate expected opportunities and benefits and also impress positively as a good employer to the candidate (Schuler, 1987).
It is worth noting that a well conducted interview will market the company while a poor conducted interview may impact negatively on the company as the candidates also forms part of the customers. It is important for the organization to prepare for the interview by specifying in the invitation letter what is required of the candidate. The interview questions should be relevant to the position applied for and they should not be biased, prejudiced, offending or discriminatory.
Decision making is another aspect of the recruitment process in an organization. After the selection process of short listing and interviews have been concluded the panelists will now come up with the right candidate for the job. This is normally based on reports from personal resumes or curriculum vitae, written application letters, interview score card and reports from candidates’ referees. This has to be done in a very professional and objective way as possible. The successful candidate will formally be notified of the decision.
A formal letter of employment will be issued. The letter will detail the terms and conditions of employment. Those not selected should also be acknowledged through writing. The organization should keep a pool of all qualified candidates for future placements if need arises as recruitment should not only be done for existing posts but also candidates could act as future customers. The right candidate selected and communicated to will either accept or reject the offer. Once he accepts the job offer, he joins the organization. New employees have to be inducted into the job. This will assist new staff in fitting in the organization, adapting to the job fast and eventually becoming more productive.
Organizations should never resist change. Organizations that resist change are deemed to fail. The world and the needs keep on changing. Staff migration in search for better terms and services, lay offs, natural exits through deaths and age and expansions will always result to situations being in need. These situations have to be filled by the right persons. Hence the process of recruiting should be continuous, fair and progressive.
Reference List
Jobs and Careers Available at:
http://www.walsall.gov.uk/index/jobshop/recruitment_process.htm
Schuler, Randall S. 1987: Personnel and Human Resource Management; West
Publication Company.
Konczak, Lee, J. 2010. The Leadership Code: Five Rules to Lead by
Personnel Psychology. Durham. Vol. 63, Iss. 2; p. 495
