Once you have selected the candidate, what would you do next to maximize the chances of his or her success?
The chances for success of a candidate can be maximized by applying job analysis practices, at least, this is the first step to be taken. The next steps include motivation and stimulation of the employee’s activity. For instance, a job analysis can be fulfilled by means of a personal interview, direct observations, and a questionnaire to be completed by a candidate. Some techniques can be considered rather effective whereas the use of others is not justified in terms of effectiveness and success of employees.
As “…some job analysis techniques and recruitment and selection practices are incongruous with the principles of the boundaryless organization” (Nelson 2001, p.133), it is necessary to implement adequate techniques so that newly recruited employees had sufficient chances of success. Moreover, the candidate should meet the ‘minimum qualifications’ mentioned by Catano (2009, p.291) because an employee that does not fit the position recruited for, it would be impossible or at least ineffective to start special training and introduce other measures usually applied to maximize the effectiveness of employees.
This means that every measure taken in the process of optimizing the work of employees should be adjusted to the duties and terms of the work of a definite employee. In this respect, it is necessary to compare and contrast the methods introduced for job analysis by Hartley (1999), Prien et al. (2009), Franklin (2005), and Elearn (2009).
As every sector has certain rules of operation, when a new employee comes to business, he/she should gain an understanding of the job to perform and certain peculiarities of work. In this respect, it can be useful to apply the approach introduced by Compton and Nankervis (2009), who suggest a few important questions to be answered by a human resource manager and a candidate:
What are the tasks and responsibilities involved? When is the job completed? What outcomes are expected? Where is the job conducted? How does the job-holder actually perform the job? Why is the job necessary? Under what conditions, physically and psychologically, is the job performed? (pp. 27-28).
As employees can experience certain difficulties with understanding their duties and obligations, the scope of work to perform, and expected outcomes, a human resource manager should analyze the work of an employee by means of identification of certain peculiarities of tasks he/she performs, emotional and physical condition of an employee, and other factors that can influence the effectiveness of performance and expected outcomes. Besides, an HR manager should find out the reasons for difficulties, and suggest adequate decisions to solve the problem. So, job analysis is a technique that can optimize the productivity of employees and the effectiveness of their performance.
Each professional can use various methods of job analysis. For instance, each author mentions basic methods of job analysis and introduces some new approaches that can be effective as well as the existing ones. In other words, every question is important, especially on the first stage of work when a person should learn the peculiarities of the duties and requirements to certain tasks, implement a strategy to make the performance more effective, and other aspects that should be screened by a human resource manager.
However, screening can be ineffective if it is not analyzed because the results of the analysis should be implemented in practice. So, job analysis is of primary importance because a manager can find out what the problem is and take certain measures to solve the problem. However, before solving the problem, it has to be identified.
The advantages and disadvantages of the above techniques
The main technique used in the above section is job analysis because it enables professionals to take into account difficulties encountered by employees in different situations and make certain decisions in order not to wait too long until the implementation of measures in the future. Surveys, questionnaires, and observation are used in all studies under discussion whereas some authors try to analyze the effectiveness of some original techniques to be used for job analysis.
For instance, Hartley (1999) mentions different types of interviews including ‘one-on-one interview, behavioural even interview, [and] phone interview’ (p.10). Though it may seem a little too much, an aggressive approach performed in different ways can be more effective than mere observation suggested also in the reports by Prien et al. (2009), Franklin (2005), and Elearn (2009). However, phone interviews should not be used in combination with other types of interviews suggested in the study because excessive control over a person’s life can become a stress factor for him/her.
Another important technique introduced by Hartley (1999) is the Job Analysis at the Speed of Reality which is aimed at a more effective introduction of a new employee to his/her job position, duties, and responsibilities in the shortest possible period of time. Though this method can seem aggressive as well as annoying phone interviews, some people can work better under stress (eustress) because they need some motivation and stimulation to work more effectively. Besides, the time can be used in different cases; for instance, even if a candidate works in the conditions of an evaluation period, some deadlines can be used to motivate him/her to do everything in time.
Though the reports by Prien et al. (2009) and Franklin (2005) contain typical methods of job analysis that are commonly used in all areas of production and services, it is important that the basic methods should be used in combination to ensure effective results. When a human resource manager fulfills a job analysis, he/she should take into account the strategies suggested by Elearn (2009) where the author mentions the Work Profiling System (WPS) developed by Saville and Holdsworth that addresses three categories of work performed by employees including three different sectors: ‘managerial/professional, service/administrative, and manual/technical’ (Elearn 2009, p.35).
In this respect, it is necessary to analyze the job and find appropriate ways to motivate employees (Bruce & Pepitone 1998) and provide them with appropriate training and learning I order to reach expected results in a shorter period of time compared to the results without motivation and training. So, job analysis is an integral part of effective performance.
It is possible to introduce measures and improve the situation in the future because most HR managers try to implement job analysis only with new employees and candidates who encounter difficulties and can underperform in the conditions of constant stress at a new job.
The main thing that should be changed is that every employee regardless of the period of employment should be monitored in terms of the effectiveness of performance and some stress factors that should be identified and eliminated, if possible. In other words, interviews, questionnaires, and direct observation should be of primary importance for a manager who wants to motivate the employees and help solve their problems related to their responsibilities, conditions of work, and stress factors.
References
Bruce, Anne, & Pepitone, James S., 1998. Motivating employees. Madison: McGraw-Hill Professional.
Catano, Victor M., 2009. Recruitment and selection in Canada. 4th ed. Toronto: Cengage Learning.
Compton, R. L., & Nankervis, Alan R., 2009. Effective recruitment & selection practices. 5th ed. London: CCH Australia Limited.
Learn, 2009. Recruitment and selection. Burlington, MA: Elsevier.
Franklin, Maren, 2005. A guide to job analysis. Scottsdale, AZ: American Society for Training and Development.
Hartley, Darin E., 1999. Job analysis at the speed of reality. Amherst, MA: Human Resource Development.
Mathis, Robert L., & Jackson, John H., 2007. Human resource management. 12th ed. Mason, OH: Cengage Learning.
Nelson, Jodi Barnes, 2001. The boundaryless organization: implications for job analysis, recruitment, and selection. In: Maryann H. Albrecht, ed. 2001. International HRM: managing diversity in the workplace. Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, pp. 133-147.
Prien, Erich P., Goodstein, Leonard D., Goodstein, Jeanette, & Gamble, Louis G. Jr., 2009. A practical guide to job analysis. San Francisco: John Wiley and Sons.