Introduction
Successful employee recruitment and selection are two vital Human Resource Management processes whose success depends on methods applied by respective officials. The analysis below will use one organization’s selection process to illustrate how best practices can be used to improve hiring practices, which form strong foundations of employee productivity in respective organizations.
The analysis is divided into four distinct sections: the first one provides the selections method of the organization in question; the second section illustrates direct and indirect costs of the method in practice; the third provides strategies that could help in reducing costs, whereas the fourth section illustrates how the recommendations on improving selection methods should be implemented.
This analysis will use an example of public policy research and analysis selection methods. The writer has had an opportunity to participate in such an organization’s hiring processes. Individuals applying for policy analysis and research positions have to provide some work samples in the form of written policy analysis papers. This also applies to other positions in the organization, including internships. These samples are inherently important given that general work in the organization involves writing. HRM department has to therefore ensure that candidates express ideas in written form.
In some instances, the hiring department requests HRM to have candidates write papers addressing specific policy issues, which helps in gauging their understanding of specific topics and concepts. Many are candidates who feel enthusiastic presenting their work samples, given that they happen to be passionate about issues they have to address. HRM then uses written samples from candidates to analyze for three key elements: level of understanding of the required topic or issue(s), depth of topic analysis, and clarity in writing. Candidates scoring high on all three parameters are the ones who finally get selected from the crowd of applicants.
Direct and Indirect Costs of Work Samples
Public policy think tanks face several challenges as they use work samples as the primary selection method. Among the challenges include the subjectivity of writing styles (Bernthal, 2006). Indeed, individuals have their own writing styles, which they prefer but may not be preferred by others. In this regard, HRM officials have to understand candidates’ writings style rather than sticking on their own. This is a tasking responsibility.
In addition, HRM officials have to read all the candidate’s documents despite the number of individuals applying for respective positions. These are burdens that HRM officials have to bear in the cost of. This means officials have to leave other duties as they concentrate on reading the materials for the selection process. Such indirect costs are especially high when the organization is hiring several policy analysts or interns. A solution to this indirect cost is addressed in Part III.
HRM department in the think tank has further expressed concerns over a long time it takes to complete the selection process. This is complicated by the fact that HRM officials have jointly performed the selection process with representatives on the department(s) seeking new team members. Individual departments have been slow forwarding designated hiring new colleagues. There are other instances that HRM and department representatives have had conflicting schedules that would allow better collaboration.
In addition, to the conflicting schedules, the organization’s HRM has, in some instances, found it hard to understand the level of understanding of issues as well as the depth of analysis performed because they also lack understanding in the respective field. Another challenge comes in synchronizing the hiring department’s interests in candidates and what HRM sees in the same candidates. A lot of time is wasted as HRM, and department representatives discuss and agree on whether individual candidates meet the criteria mentioned in the above sections.
As in many organizations relying on the work sample as the primary selection model, the think tank faces the challenge of gaging the potential of young candidates who do not have enough writing experience but have a chance of becoming excellent policy analysts given a chance (Lee, 2006, p. 25 ). The use of the system has led to few young and promising candidates failing to get employment and therefore rob future analysts who could have made a great contribution in various studies. The solution to this cost is addressed in Part III. Another drawback in the written work sample is that candidates are usually requested to provide short work samples.
However, having excellent written short samples does not mean that future employees would be in positions to accomplish longer projects. Indeed, there have been instances where candidates had excelled in the samples but failed to replicate the same depth of analysis and clear written communication when it came to longer projects. The criteria illustrated above have sometimes been hard for candidates to have, especially when it comes to a critical understanding of issues or research topics that individual candidates have to illustrate. This has resulted in the HRM, in conjunction with the hiring department, taking a long time before getting the right employee. There are cases where HRM has to undertake several selection processes without getting the right candidate.
Strategies of Reducing Cost
Included in this section are strategies that the think tank can apply in the process of solving challenges posed by the costs mentioned in Part II above. First, HRM should ask job candidates to bring short and long written samples, which would help in understanding whether they can attain the level demanded by respective departments. The longer versions do not necessarily have to address the issue or topic that might have led to the need for a new hire—they should only be used to gauge writing skills and presentation among candidates.
HRM and the participating department should, however, understand that not all applicants would have longer writings samples, especially the younger ones. Second, HRM should consider developing a program that would help present and future interns become better writers and policy analysts. This could include providing lessons during internship programs. Helping interns overcome their writing weaknesses has a high chance of them beginning to comment on policy issues in local dailies and journals.
Continuing with commentaries eventually makes the students better writers. In order to benefit from their improved writing and policy analysis skills, the think tank’s HRM should ensure keeping in touch and inviting them to apply for jobs when vacancies arise.
In order to eliminate inefficiencies caused by lack of time between HRM and representatives of the hiring department, it should be ensured that permanent participants in each department are selected and names submitted to the HRM department (Iskiyan, 2004). This measure will make it easy for HRM to contact the designated representative and therefore arrange on times of undertaking various selection activities. These representatives should further undertake short HRM courses in order to understand best practices in these processes.
The HRM should also be in a position to understand the issues or topics that led to the need to get new employers. Department representatives should therefore embark on providing HRM officials with a better understanding of what the department is looking for in the candidates, failure of which could lead to problems in later stages of the selection process. These partners should therefore embark on helping each other understand various issues of the hiring process. Most importantly, individuals from both sides should work as a team by complementing each other’s strengths. Only then can the process achieve the desired goals.
Processes
The process should begin by developing a policy framework for the improved selections method in the think tank. Participants in this process should include HRM officials and the designated hiring members from individual departments. This is done to ensure that members of think tank departments understand the new processes, their importance, and their application. Individual departments also get time to make contributions on matters they think are important.
The organization would finally have new processes that are well understood by individuals members completely. Companies have never achieved the development of processes that would help in the process of hiring new members of staff. It should be understood that ROI in this new process would not be achieved until it is begun. Also, companies should ensure revisiting processes regularly in order to ensure that best practices are improved further, which Iskiyan (2004, p. 29) notes as the best way of ensuring long-term success.
References
Bernthal, P. (2008) Calculating ROI for Selection Systems. Web.
Lee, I. (2006). E-Recruiting. Information Management, 19, 24-25.
Nicholas F. (2006). Reenergizing Hiring Practices. Printing Impressions. 47, 89-99.
Iskiyan, J. (2004) Behavioral Interviews. Web.
Razi, M. (2006). Strategies in HRM Globalization. Organization Dev. Journal. 26 (3), 23-78.