Introduction
A dream job can be defined as the desired occupation which responds to the requirements regarding the person’s career expectations. Those persons who change their jobs frequently are inclined to focus on finding the dream job where conditions and responsibilities can satisfy the person’s expectations in relation to the ideal or dream job.
There are many aspects which are often discussed as influential to affect the person’s choice of this or that job.
A dream job is often discussed as the perfect variant because a person receives the possibilities to have an appropriate compensation and benefits package, comfortable conditions for working with references to the positive working environment, and to refer to the relevant performance appraisal program which requirements are correlated with the job’s duties and expected outcomes of the work.
The position of a human resource department manager at university can be considered as a dream job if the definite requirements to the compensation and benefits package and performance appraisal program are realized and followed by the administration.
A Human Resource Department Manager at University: Job Description and Specifications
My career interests and goals are closely associated with the spheres of management and education. From this perspective, a dream job should include the elements of both the spheres in order to provide me with the opportunity to develop my skills and abilities.
A position of a human resource manager at university can be discussed as the most appropriate variant to respond to my interests and career expectations at this stage of the professional growth.
A human resource manager in the education sector is responsible not only for performing the traditional duties of recruitment, managing employees, and developing training programs but also for completing the administrative tasks associated with the official education programs and policies because of the specifics of the industry (Baker & Doran, 2002).
Thus, a human resource manager working in the definite department at university is expected to realize the selection process and recruitment of administrative workers and academic staff according to the principles of open or internal recruitment depending on the job position.
The specifics of working with the employees are based on the necessity to provide the pre-service training, to rely on forecasting abilities according to changes in the sphere of education, to balance between tradition and modernization while developing programs for the staff and focusing on cooperation, to respond to the ethical principles and pay attention to the demographic questions while recruiting the staff (Price, 2007).
It is important to state that a human resource manager at university performs with references to the management principles along with meeting the trends of the developed and reformed educational sector in the country.
A Compensation and Benefits Package
Depending on the industry, compensation and benefits packages can differ with references to the components which are included in the package. It is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the educational sector belongs to the social sphere where the range of provided compensations and benefits is larger in comparison with the other spheres.
In spite of the fact that the position of a human resource department manager at university is not connected directly with teaching and academic activities, it is possible to design the compensation and benefits package with references to the most advantageous aspects typical for the packages in the social sphere (Baker & Doran, 2002).
The compensation and benefits package appropriate for a position of a human resource department manager at university should be divided into several sections which are benefits for health and well-being, family benefits, bonuses, retention compensations, educational programs, and additional benefits.
The first category is the most important for employees because it guarantees the employer’s support in relation to the health cases and recreational activities. Thus, human resource managers working at university should be provided with the abilities to receive the complete health insurance, sick leaves, and free gymnasium membership because these approaches are effective to protect the health and well-being of employees.
Furthermore, paid vacations, paid work on holidays, and extra vacation days should be guaranteed according to the package in order to avoid the cases of emotional and physical burnout of the staff (Hansen, 2011). These benefits are the most frequently required points when persons try to find the job of their dream because the realization of these conditions and compensation techniques can guarantee the increase in job performance.
The next category of benefits and compensations to be included in the package is benefits associated with family business. Employees should be provided with possibilities to take care for children and receive extra leaves if it is necessary to care for the family members.
The system of bonuses is the effective motivational tool which is connected with the employees’ good performance and goal-orientation while completing job tasks. Thus, it is appropriate to include bonuses for high performance determined with the help of appraisal programs and attendance bonuses.
The important category which should be discussed independently is the retention compensations which are determined with references to the professional association standards as well as the guaranteed pensions. This factor is important for persons who choose their job concentrating on perspectives and long-term career goals.
That is why, the opportunities for career development and training should be also guaranteed with the compensation and benefits package when educational assistance with scholarships is supported in the organization in order to develop the human capital and contribute to the increase of professionalism of the staff (Price, 2007).
Such additional benefits as free parking, free or discount meals, and free housing are important for creating the conditions for the human resource managers’ effective work because these benefits are directed toward satisfying the people’s basic needs, contributing to the high performance.
The above-mentioned compensations and benefits should be included into the package for the position of a human resource department manager at university because these benefits are designed to satisfy the basic human needs and interests, stimulating the increase in motivation and job performance.
A Performance Appraisal Program to Assess the Job Performance
The professional growth and development of a human resource manager at university is possible if he or she receives all the necessary additional training and participates in sponsored educational and career development programs the results of which are reflected with the performance appraisal activities.
The specifications of the job and the sphere of occupation do not influence the role of performance appraisal programs in the organization, but these factors affect the content of the program directly.
Effective performance appraisal programs are developed to correlate the employees’ levels of competence with the company’s goals and objectives.
That is why, the focus on the results of the performance appraisal programs can be discussed as useful for organizations which try to find the ways and work out techniques in order to stimulate the employees’ performance and address the most controversial problems associated with competence and job performance (Brown & Heywood, 2005).
Thus, performance appraisal programs are traditionally developed to monitor the employees’ activities in relation to performance and changes in competence appropriately. Human resource management is the complex sphere related to the manager’s necessity to perform a lot of various activities and duties depending on the range of responsibilities.
The effective performance appraisal program for the position of a human resource department manager at university should include the objectives of appraisal in order to direct the employees’ preparations for assessments during which they focus on their responsibilities and duties in relation to the theoretical background and practical experience.
The documentation basics for the performance appraisal program are worked out assignments, assessments, and special appraisal forms to be filled in by instructors and coordinators. The assessment can be realized in the oral and written forms during interviews and tests.
The competence and performance of human resource department mangers at university is assessed in relation to such fields as the organization, communication, and leadership skills and abilities. However, not only core skills and abilities should be assessed and fixed with the help of performance appraisal forms but also employees’ priorities and visions of their own successes with references to self-evaluation and self-regulation.
The specifics of the human resource manager’s work should be taken into consideration while developing the tests and assessments because of the orientation to work with the human capital and necessities to have the developed communication skills and leadership abilities (Selden & Sowa, 2011).
The organizational skills associated with time management, work organization, training organization, and recruitment processes should be assessed independently and discussed as core skills.
Thus, the main components and principles according to which the performance appraisal program should be designed are:
- clearly set objectives and goals of the assessment;
- assignments and tests developed to monitor employees’ skills and abilities in organization, management, regulation, communication, problem solving, decision making, and leadership;
- designed appraisal forms with grading criteria to inform a human resource manager about the results of the assessment;
- self-evaluation forms to receive the feedback of employees on their progress within the organization and expectations or desired outcomes of the work;
- the schedule which is effective to control the realization of the assessments according to the performance appraisal form regularly; the appropriate schedule to perform is the annual assessment associated with the training or career development programs (Selden & Sowa, 2011).
The performance appraisal program designed according to the above-mentioned principles and ideas can be discussed as rather effective to control and monitor the performance processes within the organization in order to prevent the decreases in job performance and contribute to the development of a human resource department manager’s motivation.
Conclusion
The position of a human resource department manager at university can be discussed as a dream job to respond to my career expectations and needs. The proposed compensation and benefits package along with the designed performance appraisal program are the necessary components associated with the person’s career because these programs influence the general person’s job performance and positive changes in competence.
Thus, the effective compensation and benefits package stimulates a manger’s motivation, and the appropriate performance appraisal program can contribute to high performance and to positive changes in relation to professional interest.
References
Baker, J. R., & Doran, M. S. (2002). Human resource management: In-basket exercises for school administrators. Lanham, Md.: Scarecrow Press.
Brown, M., & Heywood, J. (2005). Performance appraisal systems: Determinants and change. British Journal of Industrial Relations, 43(4), 659-679.
Hansen, F. (2011). Currents in compensation and benefits. Compensation and Benefits Review, 43(5), 263-272.
Price, A. (2007). Human resource management in a business context. USA: Cengage Learning EMEA.
Selden, S., & Sowa, J. (2011). Performance management and appraisal in human service organizations: Management and staff perspectives. Public Personnel Management, 40(3), 251-264.