Choosing the Right Employee (CIE IGCSE Business)

• The recruitment and selection process details the steps a business takes when bringing new employees into a business
• A manager or HR employee is usually nominated to manage the application process
  • This person (possibly together with others) will draw up a shortlist of candidates from the applications received
  • The shortlist is a list of candidates who are invited to interview or asked to complete an assessment tas

Diagram of the Stages in the Recruitment Process

The recruitment process starts by defining the role the business wants applicants to apply for

Step 1: Defining the role

• Businesses should determine exactly what is required and part of that is developing a job description and a person/job specification
  • A job specification (sometimes known as a person specification) outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and personal qualities required from a candidate for a specific job e.g. problem solver, good communicator, able to code in Java etc.
  • A job description outlines the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of a particular job
     

Comparison of the Person Specification and Job Description 

Job Specification	Job Description
Details the essential and desirable characteristics of the person suitable for the job including Qualifications Experience Skills such as the ability to drive or IT capabilities Personal characteristics and attributes	Details the features of the job including Duties Hours and location of the job Managerial or supervisory responsibilities Pay and conditions

Step 2: Identifying the source of required employees

• Internal recruitment involves a business promoting or redeploying workers that already work for them
  • Internal recruitment can be beneficial as it encourages employee development, builds morale and can save time and money on training
• External recruitment involves bringing in new workers from outside of the business
  • External recruitment can bring fresh ideas, experiences and perspectives to the organization
    

 Step 3: Advertising the role

• Roles may be advertised internally or externally
  • If the business is seeking an internal candidate business newsletters, staff noticeboards or internal email can be used to display job advertisements
    • Line managers may be asked to recommend suitable candidates following appraisals
      
      
  • External candidates can be targeted with advertisements in newspapers, industry magazines, specialist recruitment websites, agencies and government-run agencies
    • Existing employees may be asked to nominate people they know for roles - sometimes they receive a reward of their nominee is successfully recruited
    • Headhunting can be used to fill high level roles
    • Businesses with a strong social media presence can use these platforms to advertise cost effectively e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok
    • Specialist recruitment portals may be used to advertise
      • These tend to be expensive but target specific groups of potential applicants
        • E.g. The Times Educational Supplement is one of the main publications in the UK used to recruit teaching staff 

Step 4: Receiving applications

• The business may accept applications from candidates via Curriculum Vitae (CV) and covering letter or application form

Step 5: Selection

• Once candidates have submitted their applications and the business has shortlisted suitable candidates, a variety of methods can be used to select the right worker for the role

Interviews

• Interviews are commonly used to meet with candidates
  • They usually include a face to face, telephone or online discussion between a manager and the candidate about their suitability for the role
  • It is important to prepare a set of relevant questions to ask all candidates and to ensure that the interview is conducted in a fair and consistent manner
  • Interview questions may focus on 
    • Skills and experiences that are relevant to the job
    • Successes and failures - and how these were overcome
    • Personal interests and experiences
      

Selection tests

• The final decision of which applicant to employ depends on several factors
• Even when a suitable candidate is identified the business will need to think about whether it can finalise their appointment 
  • Can the business fulfil the applicant's pay and conditions demands?
  • Can appropriate fringe benefits be offered?
  • Are attractive development opportunities available to the applicant?
     

Factors used to Select the Best Applicant

Factor	Explanation
Experience	Which applicant has the most relevant work experience? How might broader experiences help an applicant succeed in a specific role?
Qualifications	Are formal qualifications essential for filling the post? E.g. A teacher may require a degree in their specialist subject, whilst a retail store manager's experience is likely to be more relevant than formal qualifications
Internal or external candidate	How important is it that the applicant already has a good understanding of how the business operates? Time may be saved on induction training and productivity may reach expected levels sooner than with an external candidate How important is it that the new worker has experience and skills gained from outside the business? New ideas, insights into competitor activities and different ways of working could contribute towards a businesses competitive advantage
Gut feeling	Will the worker 'fit' in with the business's culture and values?

 

Choosing between two different applicants

• A small children's bookshop business has received two applications for its advertised sales assistant role
• The shop owner is keen to select a knowledgeable candidate who is capable of delivering good customer service, communicating effectively with its (often young) customers and being willing to support administrative tasks such as banking cash
• Which of these two applicants would likely be appointed?

Applicant analysis

• Amira scored better in the assessment tests. She was nearly 20% better in communication
• Amira has had two weeks experience of working with kids, which will suit this role nicely
• Amira also has a first aid qualification, which is a useful skill when working with kids
• Overall, Amira is a better fit for the role advertised