Contents

Contents
Articles
Human resource management
1
Recruitment
6
Job interview
11
Induction programme
15
References
Article Sources and Contributors
17
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
18
Article Licenses
License
19
Human resource management
Human resource management
Human resource management (HRM) is the strategic and coherent approach to the management of an
organization's most valued assets - the people working there who individually and collectively contribute to the
achievement of the objectives of the business.[1] The terms "human resource management" and "human resources"
(HR) have largely replaced the term "personnel management" as a description of the processes involved in managing
people in organizations.[1] In simple words, HRM means employing people, developing their capacities, utilizing,
maintaining and compensating their services in tune with the job and organizational requirement.
Features
Its features include:
•
•
•
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Organizational management
Personnel administration
Manpower management
Industrial management[2] [3]
But these traditional expressions are becoming less common for the theoretical discipline. Sometimes even employee
and industrial relations are confusingly listed as synonyms,[4] although these normally refer to the relationship
between management and workers and the behavior of workers in companies.
The theoretical discipline is based primarily on the assumption that employees are individuals with varying goals and
needs, and as such should not be thought of as basic business resources, such as trucks and filing cabinets. The field
takes a positive view of workers, assuming that virtually all wish to contribute to the enterprise productively, and
that the main obstacles to their endeavors are lack of knowledge, insufficient training, and failures of process.
Human Resource Management(HRM) is seen by practitioners in the field as a more innovative view of workplace
management than the traditional approach. Its techniques force the managers of an enterprise to express their goals
with specificity so that they can be understood and undertaken by the workforce, and to provide the resources needed
for them to successfully accomplish their assignments. As such, HRM techniques, when properly practiced, are
expressive of the goals and operating practices of the enterprise overall. HRM is also seen by many to have a key
role in risk reduction within organisations.[5]
Synonyms such as personnel management are often used in a more restricted sense to describe activities that are
necessary in the recruiting of a workforce, providing its members with payroll and benefits, and administrating their
work-life needs. So if we move to actual definitions, Torrington and Hall (1987) define personnel management as
being:
“a series of activities which: first enable working people and their employing organisations to agree about the
objectives and nature of their working relationship and, secondly, ensures that the agreement is fulfilled" (p. 49).
While Miller (1987) suggests that HRM relates to:
".......those decisions and actions which concern the management of employees at all levels in the business and which
are related to the implementation of strategies directed towards creating and sustaining competitive advantage"
(p. 352).
1
Human resource management
Academic theory
Research in the area of HRM has much to contribute to the organisational practice of HRM. For the last 20 years,
empirical work has paid particular attention to the link between the practice of HRM and organisational
performance, evident in improved employee commitment, lower levels of absenteeism and turnover, higher levels of
skills and therefore higher productivity, enhanced quality and efficiency [6] . This area of work is sometimes referred
to as 'Strategic HRM' or SHRM ([7] .
Within SHRM three strands of work can be observed[8] : Best practice, Best Fit and the Resource Based View
(RBV).
The notion of best practice - sometimes called 'high commitment' HRM - proposes that the adoption of certain best
practices in HRM will result in better organisational performance. Perhaps the most popular work in this area is that
of Pfeffer [9] who argued that there were seven best practices for achieving competitive advantage through people
and 'building profits by putting people first'. These practices included: providing employment security, selective
hiring, extensive training, sharing information, self-managed teams, high pay based on company performance and
the reduction of status differentials. However, there is a huge number of studies which provide evidence of best
practices, usually implemented in coherent bundles, and therefore it is difficult to draw generalised conclusions
about which is the 'best' way (For a comparison of different sets of best practices see Becker and Gerhart, 1996 [10]
Best fit, or the contingency approach to HRM, argues that HRM improves performance where there is a close
vertical fit between the HRM practices and the company's strategy. This link ensures close coherence between the
HR people processes and policies and the external market or business strategy. There are a range of theories about
the nature of this vertical integration. For example, a set of 'lifecycle' models argue that HR policies and practices
can be mapped onto the stage of an organisation's development or lifecycle[11] . Competitive advantage models take
Porter's (1985) ideas about strategic choice and map a range of HR practices onto the organisation's choice of
competitive strategy. Finally 'configurational models' [12] provide a more sophisticated approach which advocates a
close examination of the organisation's strategy in order to determine the appropriate HR policies and practices.
However, this approach assumes that the strategy of the organisation can be identified - many organisations exist in a
state of flux and development.
The Resource Based View (RBV), argued by some to be at the foundation of modern HRM [13] , focusses on the
internal resources of the organisation and how they contribute to competitive advantage. The uniqueness of these
resources is preferred to homogeneity and HRM has a central role in developing human resources that are valuable,
rare, difficult to copy or substitute and that are effectively organised.
Overall, the theory of HRM argues that the goal of human resource management is to help an organization to meet
strategic goals by attracting, and maintaining employees and also to manage them effectively. The key word here
perhaps is "fit", i.e. a HRM approach seeks to ensure a fit between the management of an organisation's employees,
and the overall strategic direction of the company (Miller, 1989).
The basic premise of the academic theory of HRM is that humans are not machines, therefore we need to have an
interdisciplinary examination of people in the workplace. Fields such as psychology, industrial relations, industrial
engineering, sociology, economics, and critical theories: postmodernism, post-structuralism play a major role. Many
colleges and universities offer bachelor and master degrees in Human Resources Management or in Human
Resources and Industrial Relations.
One widely used scheme to describe the role of HRM, developed by Dave Ulrich, defines 4 fields for the HRM
function:[14]
• Strategic business partner
• Change Agent
• Employee champion
• Administration Expert
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Human resource management
Business practice
Human resources management involves several processes. Together they are supposed to achieve the above
mentioned goal. These processes can be performed in an HR department, but some tasks can also be outsourced or
performed by line-managers or other departments. When effectively integrated they provide significant economic
benefit to the company.[15]
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•
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•
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•
•
•
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Workforce planning
Recruitment (sometimes separated into attraction and selection)
Induction, Orientation and Onboarding
Skills management
Training and development
Personnel administration
Compensation in wage or salary
Time management
Travel management (sometimes assigned to accounting rather than HRM)
Payroll (sometimes assigned to accounting rather than HRM)
Employee benefits administration
Personnel cost planning
• Performance appraisal
• Labor relations
HRM strategy
An HRM strategy pertains to the means as to how to implement the specific functions of Human Resourse
Management. An organization's HR function may possess recruitment and selection policies, disciplinary
procedures, reward/recognition policies, an HR plan, or learning and development policies, however all of these
functional areas of HRM need to be aligned and correlated, in order to correspond with the overall business strategy.
An HRM strategy thus is an overall plan, concerning the implementation of specific HRM functional areas.
An HRM strategy typically consists of the following factors:• "Best fit" and "best practice" - meaning that there is correlation between the HRM strategy and the overall
corporate strategy. As HRM as a field seeks to manage human resources in order to achieve properly
organizational goals, an organization's HRM strategy seeks to accomplish such management by applying a firm's
personnel needs with the goals/objectives of the organisation. As an example, a firm selling cars could have a
corporate strategy of increasing car sales by 10% over a five year period. Accordingly, the HRM strategy would
seek to facilitate how exactly to manage personnel in order to achieve the 10% figure. Specific HRM functions,
such as recruitment and selection, reward/recognition, an HR plan, or learning and development policies, would
be tailored to achieve the corporate objectives.
• Close co-operation (at least in theory) between HR and the top/senior management, in the development of the
corporate strategy. Theoretically, a senior HR representative should be present when an organization's corporate
objectives are devised. This is so, since it is a firm's personnel who actually construct a good, or provide a service.
The personnel's proper management is vital in the firm being successful, or even existing as a going concern.
Thus, HR can be seen as one of the critical departments within the functional area of an organization.
• Continual monitoring of the strategy, via employee feedback, surveys, etc.
The implementation of an HR strategy is not always required, and may depend on a number of factors, namely the
size of the firm, the organizational culture within the firm or the industry that the firm operates in and also the people
in the firm.
3
Human resource management
4
An HRM strategy can be divided, in general, into two facets - the people strategy and the HR functional strategy.
The people strategy pertains to the point listed in the first paragraph, namely the careful correlation of HRM
policies/actions to attain the goals laid down in the corporate strategy. The HR functional strategy relates to the
policies employed within the HR functional area itself, regarding the management of persons internal to it, to ensure
its own departmental goals are met.
Careers and education
Several universities offer programs of study pertaining to HRM and broader
fields. Cornell University created the world's first school for college-level study
in HRM (ILR School).[16] University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign also now
has a school dedicated to the study of HRM, while several business schools also
house a center or department dedicated to such studies; e.g., University of
Wisconsin-Madison, University of Minnesota, Michigan State University, Ohio
State University, Roosevelt University,and Purdue University.
There are both generalist and specialist HRM jobs. There are careers involved
with employment, recruitment and placement and these are usually conducted by
interviewers, EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) specialists or college
recruiters. Training and development specialism is often conducted by trainers
and orientation specialists. Compensation and benefits tasks are handled by
compensation analysts, salary administrators, and benefits administrators.
Cornell University's School of
Industrial and Labor Relations was
the world's first school for
college-level study in HRM
Professional organizations
Professional organizations in HRM include the Society for Human Resource Management, the Australian Human
Resources Institute (AHRI), the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD), the International Public
Management Association for HR (IPMA-HR), Management Association of Nepal (MAN) and the International
Personnel Management Association of Canada (IPMA-Canada), Human Capital Institute. National Human Resource
Development Network in India.
Functions
The Human Resources Management (HRM) function includes a variety of activities, and key among them is
deciding the staffing needs of an organization and whether to use independent contractors or hire employees to fill
these needs, recruiting and training the best employees, ensuring they are high performers, dealing with performance
issues, and ensuring your personnel and management practices conform to various regulations. Activities also
include managing your approach to employee benefits and compensation, employee records and personnel policies.
Usually small businesses (for-profit or nonprofit) have to carry out these activities themselves because they can't yet
afford part- or full-time help. However, they should always ensure that employees have—and are aware
of—personnel policies which conform to current regulations. These policies are often in the form of employee
manuals, which all employees have.
Note that some people distinguish a difference between HRM (a major management activity) and HRD (Human
Resource Development, a profession). Those people might include HRM in HRD, explaining that HRD includes the
broader range of activities to develop personnel inside of organizations, including, e.g., career development, training,
organization development, etc.
There is a long-standing argument about where HR-related functions should be organized into large organizations,
e.g., "should HR be in the Organization Development department or the other way around?"
Human resource management
The HRM function and HRD profession have undergone major changes over the past 20–30 years. Many years ago,
large organizations looked to the "Personnel Department," mostly to manage the paperwork around hiring and
paying people. More recently, organizations consider the "HR Department" as playing an important role in staffing,
training and helping to manage people so that people and the organization are performing at maximum capability in
a highly fulfilling manner.
References
[1] Armstrong, Michael (2006). A Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice (10th ed.). London: Kogan Page. ISBN 0-7494-4631-5.
OCLC 62282248.
[2] "personnel management" (http:/ / www. bartleby. com/ 65/ x-/ X-personne. html). The Columbia Encyclopedia (Sixth Edition ed.). Columbia
University Press. 2005. . Retrieved 2007-10-17. "personnel management - see industrial management".
[3] Encyclopædia Britannica (kl ed.). "Personnel administration is also frequently called personnel management, industrial relations, employee
relations".
[4] Encyclopædia Britannica.
[5] Towers, David. "Human Resource Management essays" (http:/ / www. towers. fr/ essays/ hrm. html). . Retrieved 2007-10-17.
[6] Golding, N. (2010) "Strategic Human Resource Management" in Beardwell, J. and Claydon, T. (2010) Human Resource Management A
Contemporary Approach, FT Prentice Hall
[7] Storey, J. (2007) "What is strategic HRM?" in Storey, J. (2007) Human Resource Management: A Critical Text, Thompson
[8] Paauwe, J. (2009) 'HRM and Performance: Achievement, Methodological Issues and Prospects' Journal of Management Studies, 46 (1)
[9] Pfeffer, J. (1994) Competitive advantage through people, Harvard Business School Press
[10] Becker, B. and Gerhart, B. (1996) 'The impact of human resource management on organisational performance' Academy of Management
Journal 39 (4) 779-801
[11] Kochan, T. and Barocci, T. (1985) Human Resource Management and Industrial Relations, LittleBrown
[12] Delery, J. and Doty, H. (1996) 'Modes of theorizing in SHRM' Academy of Management Journal, 39(4), 802-835
[13] Prahalad, C. and Hamel, G. (1990) 'The core competences of the organisation' Harvard Business Review
[14] Ulrich, Dave (1996). Human Resource Champions. The next agenda for adding value and delivering results. Boston, Mass.: Harvard
Business School Press. ISBN 0-87584-719-6. OCLC 34704904.
[15] The Strategic Impact of High Performance Work Systems (http:/ / chrs. rutgers. edu/ pub_documents/ Huselid_17. pdf)
[16] "About Cornell ILR" (http:/ / www. ilr. cornell. edu/ about/ ). Cornell University School of Industrial and Labor Relations. . Retrieved 23
August 2009.
• Wilkinson, A. (1988). "Empowerment: theory and practice" (http://hermia.emeraldinsight.com/vl=2601464/
cl=84/nw=1/fm=docpdf/rpsv/cw/mcb/00483486/v27n1/s3/p40). Personnel Review 27 (1): 40–56.
doi:10.1108/00483489810368549. Retrieved 2007-10-17.
• Legge, Karen (2004). Human Resource Management: Rhetorics and Realities (Anniversary ed.). Basingstoke:
Palgrave Macmillan. ISBN 1-403-93600-5. OCLC 56730524.
5
Recruitment
Recruitment
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people for a job at an organization
or firm. For some components of the recruitment process, mid- and large-size organizations often retain professional
recruiters or outsource some of the process to recruitment agencies.
The recruitment industry has five main types of agencies: employment agencies, recruitment websites and job search
engines, "headhunters" for executive and professional recruitment, niche agencies which specialize in a particular
area of staffing, or employer branding strategy and in-house recruitment. The stages in recruitment include sourcing
candidates by advertising or other methods, and screening and selecting potential candidates using tests or
interviews.
Agency types
The recruitment industry is based on the goal of providing a candidate to a client for a price. On one end of the
spectrum there are agencies that are paid only if they deliver a candidate that successfully stays with the client
beyond the agreed probationary period. On the other end of the spectrum there are agencies that are paid a retainer to
focus on a client's needs and achieve milestones in the search for the right candidate, and then again are paid a
percentage of the candidate's salary when a candidate is placed and stays with the organization beyond the
probationary period. Today's (June 2010) recruitment industry is fairly competitive, therefore agencies have sought
out ways to differentiate themselves and add value by focusing on some area of the recruitment life cycle. Here are
five types of typical agencies.
Traditional agency
Also known as employment agencies, recruitment agencies have historically had a physical location. A candidate
visits a local branch for a short interview and an assessment before being taken onto the agency’s books. Recruitment
consultants then work to match their pool of candidates to their clients' open positions. Suitable candidates are
short-listed and put forward for an interview with potential employers on a contract or direct basis.
Compensation to agencies take several forms, the most popular are:
• A contingency fee paid by the company when a recommended candidate accepts a job with the client company
(typically 20%-30% based and calculated on the candidates first-year base salary (though fees as low as 12.5%
can be found online, and which usually has some form of guarantee (30–90 days standard), should the candidate
fail to perform and is terminated within a set period of time (refundable fully or prorated).
• An advance payment that serves as a retainer, also paid by the company, non-refundable paid in full depending on
outcome and success (e.g. 40% up front, 30% in 90 days and the remainder once a search is completed). This
form of compensation is generally reserved for high level executive search/headhunters
• Hourly Compensation for temporary workers and projects. A pre-negotiated hourly fee, in which the agency is
paid and pays the applicant as a consultant for services as a third party. Many contracts allow a consultant to
transition to a full-time status upon completion of a certain number of hours with or without a conversion fee.
Headhunters
A "headhunter" is an industry term for a third-party recruiter who seeks out candidates often when normal
recruitment efforts have failed. Headhunters are generally considered more aggressive than in-house recruiters or
may have pre-existing industry experience and contacts. They may use advanced sales techniques such as initially
posing as clients to gather employee contacts as well as visiting candidate offices. They may also purchase expensive
lists of names and job titles but more often will generate their own lists. They may arrange a meeting or a formal
interview between their client and the candidate and will usually prepare the candidate for the interview, help
6
Recruitment
negotiate the salary and conduct closure to the search. They are frequently members in good standing of industry
trade groups and associations. Headhunters will often attend trade shows and other meetings nationally or even
internationally that may be attended by potential candidates and hiring managers. Headhunters are typically small
operations that make high margins on candidate placements (sometimes more than 30% of the candidate’s annual
compensation). Due to their higher costs, headhunters are usually employed to fill senior management and executive
level roles. Headhunters are also used to recruit very specialized individuals; for example, in some fields, such as
emerging scientific research areas, there may only be a handful of top-level professionals who are active in the field.
In this case, since there are so few qualified candidates, it makes more sense to directly recruit them one-by-one,
rather than advertise internationally for candidates. While in-house recruiters tend to attract candidates for specific
jobs, headhunters will attract both candidates and actively seek them out as well. To do so, they may network,
cultivate relationships with various companies, maintain large databases, purchase company directories or candidate
lists and cold call prospective recruits.
Niche recruiters
Specialized recruiters exist to seek staff with a very narrow specialty. Because of their focus, these firms can very
often produce superior results due to their ability to channel all of their resources into networking for a very specific
skill set. This specialization in staffing allows them to offer more jobs for their specific demographic which in turn
attracts more specialized candidates from that specific demographic over time building large proprietary databases.
These niche firms tend to be more focused on building ongoing relationships with their candidates as is very
common the same candidates are placed many times throughout their careers.
The alternatives to agencies
Increasingly lower recruitment budgets are encouraging innovation in the recruitment sector and companies are
looking to develop new approaches to the challenge of finding and retaining the most talented staff[1] .
In-house recruitment
Under pressure to reduce costs, both large- and medium-sized employers tend to undertake their own in-house
recruitment, using their human resources department, front-line hiring managers and recruitment personnel who
handle targeted functions and populations. In addition to coordinating with the agencies mentioned above, in-house
recruiters may advertise job vacancies on their own websites, coordinate internal employee referrals, work with
external associations, trade groups and/or focus on campus graduate recruitment. Some large employers choose to
outsource all or some of their recruitment process (recruitment process outsourcing) however a much more common
approach is for employers to introduce referral schemes where employees are encouraged to source new staff from
within their own network
Passive candidate research firms and sourcing firms
These firms are the new hybrid firms in the recruitment world able to combine the research aspects (discovering
passive candidates) of recruiting and combine them with the ability to make hires for their clients. These firms
provide competitive passive candidate intelligence to support companies' recruiting efforts. Normally they will
generate varying degrees of candidate information from those people currently engaged in the position a company is
looking to fill. These firms usually charge a per hour fee or by candidate lead. Many times this uncovers names that
cannot be found with other methods and will allow internal recruiters the ability to focus their efforts solely on
recruiting.
7
Recruitment
Process
Job analysis
The proper start to a recruitment effort is to perform a job analysis, to document the actual or intended requirement
of the job to be performed. This information is captured in a job description and provides the recruitment effort with
the boundaries and objectives of the search.[2] Oftentimes a company will have job descriptions that represent a
historical collection of tasks performed in the past. These job descriptions need to be reviewed or updated prior to a
recruitment effort to reflect present day requirements. Starting a recruitment with an accurate job analysis and job
description ensures the recruitment effort starts off on a proper track for success.
Sourcing
Sourcing involves 1) advertising, a common part of the recruiting process, often encompassing multiple media, such
as the Internet, general newspapers, job ad newspapers, professional publications, window advertisements, job
centers, and campus graduate recruitment programs; and 2) recruiting research, which is the proactive identification
of relevant talent who may not respond to job postings and other recruitment advertising methods done in #1. This
initial research for so-called passive prospects, also called name-generation, results in a list of prospects who can
then be contacted to solicit interest, obtain a resume/CV, and be screened (see below).
Screening and selection
Suitability for a job is typically assessed by looking for skills, e.g. communication, typing, and computer skills.
Qualifications may be shown through résumés, job applications, interviews, educational or professional experience,
the testimony of references, or in-house testing, such as for software knowledge, typing skills, numeracy, and
literacy, through psychological tests or employment testing. Other resume screening criteria may include length of
service, job titles and length of time at a job. In some countries, employers are legally mandated to provide equal
opportunity in hiring. Business management software is used by many recruitment agencies to automate the testing
process. Many recruiters and agencies are using an applicant tracking system to perform many of the filtering tasks,
along with software tools for psychometric testing.
8
Recruitment
Onboarding
"Onboarding" is a term which describes the process of helping new
employees become productive members of an organization. A
well-planned introduction helps new employees become fully
operational quickly and is often integrated with a new company and
environment. Onboarding is included in the recruitment process for
retention purposes. Many companies have onboarding campaigns in
hopes to retain top talent that is new to the company; campaigns may
last anywhere from 1 week to 6 months.
Internet recruitment and websites
Such sites have two main features: job boards and a résumé/curriculum
vitae (CV) database. Job boards allow member companies to post job
vacancies. Alternatively, candidates can upload a résumé to be
included in searches by member companies. Fees are charged for job
postings and access to search resumes. Since the late 1990s, the
A British Army etc. recruitment centre in Oxford.
recruitment website has evolved to encompass end-to-end recruitment.
Websites capture candidate details and then pool them in client accessed candidate management interfaces (also
online). Key players in this sector provide e-recruitment software and services to organizations of all sizes and
within numerous industry sectors, who want to e-enable entirely or partly their recruitment process in order to
improve business performance.
The online software provided by those who specialize in online recruitment helps organizations attract, test, recruit,
employ and retain quality staff with a minimal amount of administration. Online recruitment websites can be very
helpful to find candidates that are very actively looking for work and post their resumes online, but they will not
attract the "passive" candidates who might respond favorably to an opportunity that is presented to them through
other means. Also, some candidates who are actively looking to change jobs are hesitant to put their resumes on the
job boards, for fear that their current companies, co-workers, customers or others might see their resumes.
Job search engines
The emergence of meta-search engines allows job-seekers to search across multiple websites. Some of these new
search engines index and list the advertisements of traditional job boards. These sites tend to aim for providing a
"one-stop shop" for job-seekers. However, there are many other job search engines which index pages solely from
employers' websites, choosing to bypass traditional job boards entirely. These vertical search engines allow
job-seekers to find new positions that may not be advertised on traditional job boards, and online recruitment
websites.
9
Recruitment
Recruiting Companies
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Adecco
Appointments Bi-Language
Association of Executive Search Consultants
AIMS International
Egon Zehnder International
Gary Kaplan & Associates
Kelly Services
Arithon
Korn/Ferry
Michael Page International
Nels Olson
Nonprofit Professionals Advisory Group
R. William Funk & Associates
Raines International
Randstad Holding
Rosenzweig & Company
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Talent Zoo
The Amrop Hever Group
Transearch International
Treeline, Inc.
Valerie Frederickson & Company
References
[1] http:/ / www. recruiter. co. uk/ the-rise-of-the-internal-recruiter/ 1006847. article
[2] http:/ / www. staffing-and-recruiting-essentials. com/ Hiring-Checklist. html
10
Job interview
Job interview
A job interview is a process in which a potential employee is evaluated by an employer for prospective employment
in their company, organization, or firm. During this process, the employer hopes to determine whether or not the
applicant is suitable for the job.
Role
A job interview typically precedes the hiring decision, and is used to evaluate the candidate. The interview is usually
preceded by the evaluation of submitted résumés from interested candidates, then selecting a small number of
candidates for interviews. Potential job interview opportunities also include networking events and career fairs. The
job interview is considered one of the most useful tools for evaluating potential employees.[1] It also demands
significant resources from the employer, yet has been demonstrated to be notoriously unreliable in identifying the
optimal person for the job.[1] An interview also allows the candidate to assess the corporate culture and demands of
the job.
Multiple rounds of job interviews may be used where there are many candidates or the job is particularly challenging
or desirable. Earlier rounds may involve fewer staff from the employers and will typically be much shorter and less
in-depth. A common initial interview form is the phone interview, a job interview conducted over the telephone.
This is especially common when the candidates do not live near the employer and has the advantage of keeping costs
low for both sides.
Once all candidates have been interviewed, the employer typically selects the most desirable candidate and begins
the negotiation of a job offer.
Process
A typical job interview has a single candidate meeting with between one and three persons representing the
employer; the potential supervisor of the employee is usually involved in the interview process. A larger interview
panel will often have a specialized human resources worker. While the meeting can be over in as little as 15 minutes,
job interviews usually last less than two hours.
The bulk of the job interview will entail the interviewers asking the candidate questions about his or her job history,
personality, work style and other factors relevant to the job. For instance, a common interview question is "What are
your strengths and weaknesses?" In some ways, all questions are really subsets of one of three overarching questions
"Can you do the job?" (strengths), "Will you love the job?" (motivation), "Can we stand working with you?" (fit).[2]
The candidate will usually be given a chance to ask any questions at the end of the interview. These questions are
strongly encouraged since they allow the interviewee to acquire more information about the job and the company,
but they can also demonstrate the candidate's strong interest in them.
Candidates for lower paid and lower skilled positions tend to have much simpler job interviews than do candidates
for more senior positions. For instance, a lawyer's job interview will be much more demanding than that of a retail
cashier. Most job interviews are formal; the larger the firm, the more formal and structured the interview will tend to
be. Candidates generally dress slightly better than they would for work, with a suit (called an interview suit) being
appropriate for a white-collar job interview.
Additionally, some professions have specific types of job interviews; for performing artists, this is an audition in
which the emphasis is placed on the performance ability of the candidate.
In many companies, assessment days are increasingly being used, particularly for graduate positions, which may
include analysis tasks, group activities, presentation exercises, and psychometric testing.
11
Job interview
In recent years it has become increasingly common for employers to request job applicants who are successfully
shortlisted to deliver one or more presentations at their interview. The purpose of the presentation in this setting may
be to either demonstrate candidates' skills and abilities in presenting, or to highlight their knowledge of a given
subject likely to relate closely to the job role for which they have applied. It is common for the applicant to be
notified of the request for them to deliver a presentation along with their invitation to attend the interview. Usually
applicants are only provided with a title for the presentation and a time limit which the presentation should not
exceed.
A bad hiring decision nowadays can be immensely expensive for an organization—cost of the hire, training costs,
severance pay, loss of productivity, impact on morale, cost of re-hiring, etc. (Gallup international places the cost of a
bad hire as being 3.2 times the individual's salary). Studies indicate that 40% of new executives fail in their first 18
months in a new job.[3] This has led to organizations investing in onboarding for their new employees to reduce these
failure rates.
Types
Behavioral
A common type of job interview in the modern workplace is the behavioral interview or behavioral event interview,
also called a competency-based interview.
This type of interviewing is based on a philosophy that a comprehensive assessment of the past behavior and
experiences of a candidate is a reliable indicator of his/her response to identical situations in the future. Typically,
prior to the interview, an interviewer identifies a set of behavioral traits and characteristics he/she believes is
essential for success on a particular assignment. In behavioral interviews, the interviewer asks candidates to recall
specific instances where they were faced with a set of circumstances, and how they reacted. Typical behavioral
interview questions:
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•
•
•
"Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed midstream. What did you do?"
"Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What did you do?"
"Describe the worst project you worked on."
"Describe a time you had to work with someone you didn't like."
"Tell me about a time when you had to stick by a decision you had made, even though it made you very
unpopular."
• "Give us an example of something particularly innovative that you have done that made a difference in the
workplace."
• "What happened the last time you were late with a project?"
• "Have you ever witnessed a person doing something that you felt was against company policy? What did you do
and why?"
Case
A case interview is an interview form used mostly by management consulting firms and investment banks in which
the job applicant is given a question, situation, problem or challenge and asked to resolve the situation. The case
problem is often a business situation or a business case that the interviewer has worked on in real life.
Panel
Another type of job interview found throughout the professional and academic ranks is the panel interview. In this
type of interview the candidate is interviewed by a group of panelists representing the various stakeholders in the
hiring process. Within this format there are several approaches to conducting the interview. Example formats
include;
12
Job interview
• Presentation format - The candidate is given a generic topic and asked to make a presentation to the panel. Often
used in academic or sales-related interviews.
• Role format - Each panelist is tasked with asking questions related to a specific role of the position. For example
one panelist may ask technical questions, another may ask management questions, another may ask customer
service related questions etc.
• Skeet shoot format - The candidate is given questions from a series of panelists in rapid succession to test his or
her ability to handle stress filled situations.
The benefits of the panel approach to interviewing include: time savings over serial interviewing, more focused
interviews as there is often less time spend building rapport with small talk, and "apples to apples" comparison
because each stake holder/interviewer/panelist gets to hear the answers to the same questions.[4]
Stress
Stress interviews are still in common use. One type of stress interview is where the employer uses a succession of
interviewers (one at a time or en masse) whose mission is to intimidate the candidate and keep him/her off-balance.
The ostensible purpose of this interview: to find out how the candidate handles stress. Stress interviews might
involve testing an applicant's behavior in a busy environment. Questions about handling work overload, dealing with
multiple projects, and handling conflict are typical.[5]
Another type of stress interview may involve only a single interviewer who behaves in an uninterested or hostile
manner. For example, the interviewer may not make eye contact, may roll his eyes or sigh at the candidate's answers,
interrupt, turn his back, take phone calls during the interview, or ask questions in a demeaning or challenging style.
The goal is to assess how the interviewee handles pressure or to purposely evoke emotional responses. This
technique was also used in research protocols studying stress and type A (coronary-prone) behavior because it would
evoke hostility and even changes in blood pressure and heart rate in study subjects. The key to success for the
candidate is to de-personalize the process. The interviewer is acting a role, deliberately and calculatedly trying to
"rattle the cage". Once the candidate realizes that there is nothing personal behind the interviewer's approach, it is
easier to handle the questions with aplomb.
Example stress interview questions:
• Sticky situation: "If you caught a colleague cheating on his expenses, what would you do?"
• Putting you on the spot: "How do you feel this interview is going?"
• Popping the balloon: (deep sigh) "Well, if that's the best answer you can give ... " (shakes head) "Okay, what
about this one ...?"
• Oddball question: "What would you change about the design of the hockey stick?"
• Doubting your veracity: "I don't feel like we're getting to the heart of the matter here. Start again - tell me what
really makes you tick."
Candidates may also be asked to deliver a presentation as part of the selection process. The "Platform Test" method
involves having the candidate make a presentation to both the selection panel and other candidates for the same job.
This is obviously highly stressful and is therefore useful as a predictor of how the candidate will perform under
similar circumstances on the job. Selection processes in academic, training, airline, legal and teaching circles
frequently involve presentations of this sort.
13
Job interview
Technical
This kind of interview focuses on problem solving and creativity. The questions aim at your problem-solving skills
and likely show your ability and creativity. Sometimes these interviews will be on a computer module with
multiple-choice questions.
Telephone
Telephone interviews take place if a recruiter wishes to reduce the number of prospective candidates before deciding
on a shortlist for face-to-face interviews. They also take place if a job applicant is a significant distance away from
the premises of the hiring company, such as abroad or in another state or province.[6]
Controversies
In many countries, employment equity laws forbid discrimination based on a number of classes, such as race, gender,
age, sexual orientation, and marital status.[7] Asking questions about these protected areas in a job interview is
generally considered discriminatory, and constitutes an illegal hiring practice. Interviewers must pose their questions
carefully in order to obtain the answers they want without instigating allegations of discrimination.[8] Human
Resources professionals generally learn these methods during their training and help to incorporate them into
structured interview questions.
Validity and predictive power
There is extant data[9] which puts into question the value of job interviews as a tool for selecting employees. Where
the aim of a job interview is ostensibly to choose a candidate who will perform well in the job role, other methods of
selection provide greater predictive power and often lower costs. Furthermore, given the unstructured approach of
most interviews they often have almost no useful predictive power of employee success.
Honesty and integrity are attributes that can be very hard to determine using a formal job interview process: the
competitive environment of the job interview may in fact promote dishonesty. Some experts on job interviews
express a degree of cynicism towards the process.
References
[1]
[2]
[3]
[4]
[5]
[6]
[7]
State.ne.us (http:/ / www. hhs. state. ne. us/ hur/ Job/ ImpInterview. htm)
The New Leader's 100-Day Action Plan, George Bradt, Jayme Check, and Jorge Pedraza, John Wiley and Sons, 2009,
Internal study by executive search firm, Heidrick & Struggles as cited by their CEO, Kevin Kelly in the Financial Times, March 30, 2009
Panel Interviews staffing-and-recruiting-essentials.com (http:/ / www. staffing-and-recruiting-essentials. com/ Panel-Interview. html)
Money-zine.com (http:/ / www. money-zine. com/ Definitions/ Career-Dictionary/ Stress-Interview/ )
Jobinterviewquestions.org (http:/ / www. jobinterviewquestions. org/ questions/ phone-interviews. asp)
United States Equal Opportunity Employment Commission. Federal Laws Prohibiting Job Discrimination Questions And Answers (http:/ /
www. eeoc. gov/ facts/ qanda. html), 2009
[8] Haggard, S. Eight Sneaky Ways Interviewers Ask Illegal Job Interview Questions (http:/ / interviewbackdoor. com/
eight-sneaky-ways-interviewers-ask-illegal-job-interview-questions/ ), August 2010.
[9] Vcu.edu (http:/ / www. people. vcu. edu/ ~mamcdani/ Publications/ McDaniel_Whetzel_Schmidt_Maurer (1994). pdf)
External links
• The Interview Process (http://www1.ctdol.state.ct.us/jcc/viewarticle.asp?intArticle=9) by the Connecticut
Department of Labor
14
Induction programme
Induction programme
An induction programme is the process used within many businesses to welcome new employees to the company
and prepare them for their new role.
Induction training should, according to TPI-theory, include development of theoretical and practical skills, but also
meet interaction needs that exist among the new employees[1] .
Benefits of an induction programme
An induction programme is an important process for bringing staff into an organisation. It provides an introduction
to the working environment and the set-up of the employee within the organisation. The process will cover the
employer and employee rights and the terms and conditions of employment. As a priority the induction programme
must cover any legal and compliance requirements for working at the company and pay attention to the health and
safety of the new employee.
An induction programme is part of an organisations knowledge management process and is intended to enable the
new starter to become a useful, integrated member of the team, rather than being "thrown in at the deep end" without
understanding how to do their job, or how their role fits in with the rest of the company.
Good induction programmes can increase productivity and reduce short-term turnover of staff. These programs can
also play a critical role under the socialization to the organization in terms of performance, attitudes and
organizational commitment[2] .
A typical induction programme
A typical induction programme will include at least some of the following:
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
any legal requirements (for example in the UK, some Health and Safety training is obligatory)
any regulatory requirements (for example in the UK banking sector certain forms need to be completed)
introduction to terms and conditions (for example, holiday entitlement, how to make expense claims, etc)
a basic introduction to the company, and how the particular department fits in
a guided tour of the building
completion of government requirements (for example in UK submission of a P45 or P60)
set-up of payroll details
introductions to key members of staff
specific job-role training
Best practise
In order to fully benefit the company and employee, the induction programme should be planned in advance. A
timetable should be prepared, detailing the induction activities for a set period of time (ideally at least a week) for the
new employee, including a named member of staff who will be responsible for each activity. This plan should be
circulated to everyone involved in the induction process, including the new starter. If possible it should be sent to the
new starter in advance, if not co-created with the new starter[3]
It is also considered best practise to assign a buddy to every new starter. If possible this should be a person who the
new starter will not be working with directly, but who can undertake some of the tasks on the induction programme,
as well as generally make the new employee feel welcome. (For example, by ensuring they are included in any
lunchtime social activities.)
15
Induction programme
References
[1] *Alvenfors, Adam (2010) Introduction - Integration? On the introduction programs’ importance for the integration of new employees http:/ /
urn. kb. se/ resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-4281.
[2] *Alvenfors, Adam (2010) Introduction - Integration? On the introduction programs’ importance for the integration of new employees. http:/ /
urn. kb. se/ resolve?urn=urn:nbn:se:his:diva-4281
[3] "Onboarding - How to Get Your New Employees Up to Speed in Half the Time", George Bradt and Mary Vonnegut (John Wiley & Sons,
2009) - ISBN 0470485817
• ACAS article "Recruitment, selection and induction (http://www.acas.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=892)
• Alvenfors, Adam (2010) Introduction - Integration? On the introduction programs’ importance for the
integration of new employees.
• Browning, Guy (15 July 2004) New kid on the block People Management Magazine
16
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Recruitment Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=416638407 Contributors: 16@r, AaronY, Acroterion, AdjustShift, AlasdairBailey, Alilliedekro, Allstarrecruitmentgroup,
Ameering, Amillar, Andycjp, Angr, Answerfish, Arjun024, Art LaPella, BD2412, BMT, Ben Morton, Betterusername, Bhaskarancm, Biker Biker, Billbt, Bluezone101, Bluiee, Bob Cooper,
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Dawn Bard, Dbee, Dekisugi, Delifive, Denise Priestman, Deskana, Dina, Dmwgroup, EH74DK, EJLPP, Edward, Eeekster, Ehheh, Emijrp, Ewlyahoocom, Excirial, FS61, Faisaltradeimpex,
Falconjh, Favonian, Filcro, Finalius, Flint McRae, Frame25, FutuRecruit, Gail, Gbradt, Gilliam, Ginamarie1954, Glennlist, Gogo Dodo, Gohul s, GoodmanMasson, Govt Recruiter, GraemeL,
Gutmach, Hsuffyan, Hu12, Hughcharlesparker, Hugheshk, Hut 8.5, Indon, Infotothemasses, Infrogmation, Inter, Iridescent, J.delanoy, JHunterJ, JRisdale, Jaa02vts, Jaranda, Java Kingpin,
Jaymanlb, Jazza9, Jdsimmons81, Jeff G., Jglobalview, Jlanno, JoanneB, Joelong1313, Johnsav, Jojhutton, Jonathan.s.kt, JordanGekko, Juanscott, Kaihsu, Kakoui, Karenjc, KaySL, Kellyjoy,
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Proofreader77, Qwyrxian, R'n'B, Radicalsubversiv, Raven4x4x, Reaper Eternal, Recruit-England, Recruitlondon, Reevesby, Reyk, Richard Mosley, Rince 1969, Rossami, Rspeer, RyanCross,
Samuel123adams, Seaphoto, Sennen goroshi, Slowisz, SmartGRS, Somearemoreequal, SteveUT31, Stevenwmccrary58, Sumitwirc, Sunilk123, THB, TamsinKelly, TasTasniem, TastyPoutine,
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Viny.krishn, Vlad.rotariu, Vrenator, Wavelength, Wayne Riddock, WeatherFug, Wiki-vr, Woudloper, Wtstoffs, Zzuuzz, 359 anonymous edits
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Andycjp, Andyjsmith, Ansonreed, Aude, Audriusa, Banetbi, Barthandelus, Beetstra, BellaBellaPrincess, Belovedfreak, Betterusername, Bloomster, Blotwell, Bluemoose, Bon508, Brideshead,
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17
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
Image Sources, Licenses and Contributors
File:Facade of Ives Hall.PNG Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:Facade_of_Ives_Hall.PNG License: Public Domain Contributors: User:Eustress
Image:ArmyCareersOxford20051022 CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=File:ArmyCareersOxford20051022_CopyrightKaihsuTai.jpg License:
Creative Commons Attribution-Sharealike 2.5 Contributors: User:Kaihsu
18
License
License
Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported
http:/ / creativecommons. org/ licenses/ by-sa/ 3. 0/
19