Companies should focus on developing effective recruitment programs that will attract people who correctly matches their organizational policies and business objectives (Lavigna & Hays, 2004). Even though this is the focus of every organization which needs to thrive in today’s business world, finding the right people to fill positions in the workforce has proved to be a difficulty task for many businesses.
However, the main reason behind this failure is that the right considerations are not applied when recruiting employees. In this regard, the Limousine Company should rely on a well-structured recruiting and selection program that will enable it recruit the most suitable people in the workforce. Following is a summary of all the factors which the company needs to consider when carrying out the exercise.
Organizational Goals
Before recruiting employees, the company should consider its overall organizational goals and the targeted expectations and use these as a basis for the exercise. This will enable the company to understand what needs to be done in ensuring that corporate goals are fully achieved. It is also important for the company to align its workforce with the organizational goals, for this will be crucial in the execution of the business objectives.
More importantly, being a new business, the company will have to focus on how it can grow within the shortest time possible. This, however, may prove to be a big challenge, considering the fact that there are other established businesses in the industry. In this respect, the Limousine Company should target qualified and experienced persons who will be able to move the business forward.
Forecasted Demographic Changes
Demographic changes are common in the workplace due to changing organizational policies and other factors (Reskin, McBrier & Kmec, 1999). For instance, people are expected to get older with time and eventually retire from work, paving way for others to join the workforce. There is also the big possibility of maternity-related issues where female employees are forced to abandon work for sometime to attend to family matters.
These are just some of the things which the company should consider when structuring a recruitment and selection program. About the age factor, the company should consider hiring young people to ensure that maximum employee service is achieved.
Even though it will be good for the company to observe the issue of gender equality in its recruitment exercise, the number of male workers should be higher than that of the female workers.
This will make it easy for the organization to accommodate the situation when female workers go for maternity leave. All these are factors that can lead to demographic changes which should be considered when recruiting employees into the company.
Projected Workforce Needs
There are various workforce needs that will be expected in the next 5 years based on organizational goals and demographic changes. For example, the business will be seeking to expand its horizons to reach new markets. This means there would be an increase in the number of employees who will be needed to serve in various parts of the company.
There is also a possibility of new market needs and increase in competition as businesses try to outperform one another in the industry. This is likely to influence the Limousine Company to consider applying certain interventions that are aimed at developing its workforce.
This way, employee training will come in as an effective way of improving the company’s competitive edge in the market. Another projected reason which could lead to the above situation is when the company decides to diversify its organizational goals as it advances.
Workforce Diversity Objectives
Workplace diversity has over the years become a key necessity of business success. Some of the common benefits associated with workplace diversity include increased workers’ exposure, business reputation, conflict resolution, and mutual respect among employees (Bucher & Bucher, 2004).
All these are objectives of workforce diversity that are crucial for business success and which the company should embrace when recruiting employees. Drawing workers from different cultural backgrounds will not only enrich the workforce, but will also ensure that the business benefits from workplace diversity objectives.
Organizational Branding
Brand is arguably the most important feature that can be used to differentiate a company from other organizations in the market. In this regard, the manner in which brands are presented to the public means a lot to the success of businesses. In most cases, employees are viewed as brand ambassadors of their companies, since they tend to play a significant role in the promotion of organizational goals.
This objective is achieved through workers’ attitudes, behaviors, and interests on products and services offered by their organizations. These aspects can give a significant impression on brands depending on the manner in which they are presented. In this regard, it is important for the Limousine Company to attract good employees who will promote healthy messages about its services.
Methods Of Recruiting Candidates
There are various approaches that can be used to find suitable candidates for employment in the company. These would include both internal and external tools. Internal tools include the use of organizational communication platforms and employee referral programs, among other internal sources.
External tools, on the other hand, comprise of things such as newspaper advertisement, radio, TV, vocational events, institution hiring fairs, mobile outreach, and the internet.
Being a new venture in the market, the company should focus on methods that would tend to have a strong impact on people and ones which are likely to attract the best candidates for the job. In this regard, newspaper advertisement, institution fairs, and the internet will be the most appropriate methods to apply here.
Methods Of Screening Candidates
Candidate screening entails the use of various techniques to determine the suitability of potential employees based on aspects of qualification, skill, and competence. This crucial exercise begins after the application has been received and it is the only way through which recruiters can get to know the candidates better.
The most common techniques of initial candidate screening will include resumes, telephone interviews, face to face interviews, and background checks. Another effective method of screening potential employees is the use of multimedia interviewing. This is whereby candidates present themselves to the recruiter through voice response, written answers, multiple choice, and video response, among other ways.
Multimedia interviewing is regarded as a powerful tool of conducting pre-employment screening, since it offers people the ability to select the interview method which is appropriate for every question featured in the interview (Chapman & Webster, 2003). Based on these observations, multimedia interviewing is the most appropriate screening method to use here.
Interviewing Methods
Pre-employment interviews are conducted with the aim of getting to know the candidates better before absorbing them into the workforce. There are various interviewing methods to use recruiting candidates and these would include the following.
Behavioral Based Interviews
This mainly focuses on the past achievements of an individual. In this regard, the questions asked revolve around an individual’s past experiences that illustrates their competence in the job they are seeking. Behavioral based interviews are important to both the recruiter and the candidate in a number of ways.
To the candidate, this serves as an avenue through which they can present their concrete achievements and contributions to their potential employer. To the recruiter, this is the most suitable approach that can be used to identify the right people.
Informational Interviews
These types of interviews are aimed at giving candidates an idea of what is involved in the job they are interested in. Here, the candidates are able to compare their qualifications and skills with what is needed for the job.
In most cases, the candidates are likely to get a chance to speak with people who are currently employed in the organization, and this places them in a better position to understand the nature of the posts they are targeting.
Case Interviews
In these types of interviews, candidates are presented with work-related scenarios that would enable interviewers to understand them better (Cable & Graham, 2000). It is through these types of interviews where recruiters get to determine how competent the candidates are on the job being offered.
Testing Procedures
It is important for organizations to test their candidates before employing them so as to identify the most qualified applications. This critical process ensures that potential workers are fit for the work.
This is the process of auditioning candidates so as to have a thorough check on their abilities and skills in the targeted job. Examples of common pre-employments tests include aptitude tests, job knowledge tests, skills tests, cognitive tests, behavioral tests, and typing tests.
There are numerous ways which the company can use to test candidates before hiring them. One effective way is through reference checks.
This is whereby references attached to a candidate are contacted and questioned about the candidate’s background, qualifications, working experience, and behavior, among other key aspects. Another way of conducting pre-employment testing is by assigning work-related responsibilities to candidates for a certain period of time in order to observe their abilities and skills before hiring them.
Legal Requirement on Pre-Employment Testing
Candidate screening is recognized under Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, where the law permits recruiters and organizations to conduct pre-screening job tests on candidates (Nielsen, Nelson & Lancaster, 2010).
Interviewing Process Considerations
There are several things that should be considered when conducting the interviewing process and some of the key issues here are as follows.
Legal considerations
It is always important to consider all the necessary legal requirements on employment when conducting the interview.
Invitations
Candidates who have been selected for the interviews should be presented with invitations informing them of the venue for the interview, time, and arrival procedures, among other key requirements.
Interview day
All arrangements pertaining to the exercise should be ready on the interview day. This may include things such the venue, sitting arrangement, and interview materials.
Receptionist Instructions
The receptionist should be well instructed on how to receive and welcome the participants as they arrive for the exercise. If necessary, written guidelines on how people are expected to behave during the exercise can be left with the receptionist to be given to the participants.
Ensure Preparation and Presence of Panelists
The company should ensure that panelists are well instructed and prepared with all the necessary information prior to the exercise. It is also important to confirm the presence of all panelists before the exercise begins.
Methods Of Selecting Candidates
The main goal of any business organization is to attract and retain the best employees for its workforce. This, however, is determined by the methods used to select the employees as discussed below.
Using the Interview Notes
This is whereby the assessment notes taken in the course of the interview are compared to determine the most suitable candidates. Here, qualities such as competence, behavior, and experience as presented in the interview would be essential factors to consider.
Outcome of Pre-Employment Screening
Candidates are selected on the basis of competence, ability, and skill as it has been observed during screening.
Resumes
The company can also use Resumes or CVs to select the best people to fill positions in the workforce. This will give the recruiters an opportunity to match candidates’ qualifications with the requirements of the job being offered, thus helping them to make the right choices about them.
Interview Panel Opinion
In situations where several candidates appear to be fit for the job, recruiters can seek the opinion of the interview panel to come up with perfect decisions (O’Leary et al., 2002). Here, the panelists are given the chance to present the most suitable candidates to the company based on the observations made.
Laws On Recruitment And Selection
While conducting the recruitment exercise, the Limousine Company should consider the following laws on recruitment and selection.
The Sex Discrimination Act 1970
This law calls for equal treatment of candidates in all organizations irrespective of their gender identities. In this regard, the selection procedures applied should protect candidates from any form of discrimination on the basis of gender.
The Employment Equality (Religion or Belief) Regulations 2003
This law protects the candidates from any form of discrimination on the basis of religion or cultural beliefs.
The Equal Pay Act 1970
According to this law, candidates intended to serve in same working capacities should be treated equally in terms of wages, salaries, and other relevant benefits regardless of their gender, religion, and cultural backgrounds.
References
Bucher, R. D., & Bucher, P. L. (2004). Diversity consciousness: Opening our minds to people, cultures, and opportunities. New Jersey: Pearson/Prentice Hall.
Cable, D. M., & Graham, M. E. (2000). The determinants of job seekers’ reputation perceptions. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 21(8), 929-947.
Chapman, D. S., & Webster, J. (2003). The use of technologies in the recruiting, screening, and selection processes for job candidates. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 11(3), 113-120.
Lavigna, R. J., & Hays, S. W. (2004). Recruitment and selection of public workers: An international compendium of modern trends and practices. Public Personnel Management, 33(3), 237-253.
Nielsen, L. B., Nelson, R. L., & Lancaster, R. (2010). Individual Justice or Collective Legal Mobilization? Employment Discrimination Litigation in the Post Civil Rights United States. Journal of Empirical Legal Studies, 7(2), 175-201.
O’Leary, B. S., Lindholm, M. L., Whitford, R. A., & Freeman, S. E. (2002). Selecting the best and brightest: Leveraging human capital. Human Resource Management, 41(3), 325-340.
Reskin, B. F., McBrier, D. B., & Kmec, J. A. (1999). The determinants and consequences of workplace sex and race composition. Annual Review of Sociology, 15(7), 335-361.