Chapter 15- Recruitment, Selection and Training

Question 1

Recruitment

Answer 1

The process by which business seeks to hire the right person for a vacancy.

Question 2

Why might a business need new staff?

Answer 2

• Business expansion due to: Increasing sales of existing products,
Developing new products, Entering new markets
• Existing employees leave: To work with competitors or other
employers, Due to retirement, sick leave, maternity leave
• Business needs employees with new skills
• Business is relocating – and not all existing workforce want to move
to new location.

Question 3

Person Specification

Answer 3

The skills and experience required to succeed in a specified job application.

Question 4

Internal recruitment

Answer 4

Jobs given to staff already employed by business. Involves promotion and reorganisation.

Question 5

Advantages of internal recruitment

Answer 5

• Cheaper + quicker to recruit
• People already familiar with business + how it operates.
• Provides opportunities for promotion within business.
• Business already knows strengths and weaknesses of candidates.

Question 6

Dis-advantages of internal recruitment

Answer 6

• Limits number of potential applicants
• No new ideas can be introduced from outside.
• May cause resentment amongst candidates not appointed.
• Creates another vacancy which needs to be filled.

Question 7

External recruitment-

Answer 7

jobs given to people outside the business.

Question 8

Advantages of external recruitment

Answer 8

• Outside people bring in new ideas
• Larger pool of workers from which to find the best candidate
• Wider range of experience

Question 9

Dis-advantages of external recruitment

Answer 9

• Larger process
• More expensive, due to advertisement + interviews required
• Selection process may not be effective enough to reveal best
candidate.

Question 10

How can a business recruit?

Answer 10

• Jobs centres
• Job advertisement (website, local paper)
• Recruitment agencies (offline and online)
• Headhunting
• Personal recommendation
• Advertising

Question 11

Training

Answer 11

Process of increasing knowledge + skills of workers so that they are better able to perform their job.

Question 12

Why train staff?

Answer 12

• Support new employees
• Improve productivity
• Increase marketing effectiveness
• Support high standards of customers service + production quality
• Intro of new tech, systems or other change
• Address changes in legislation
• Support employee progression + promotion

Question 13

What issues can training not solve?

Answer 13

• Poor management
• Poor job design
• Ineffective or inefficient equipment
• Poor production organisation
• Recruitment

Question 14

Induction training

Answer 14

Introducing new employees to job, their new colleagues, premises + values/aims of business, the length + type depends on: size + type of business, complexity of job, level or position of job within business. E.G. Learning about duties of job - Meet new colleagues - Seeing layout of premises - Learning vales/aims of the business - Learning about internal workings + policies of business.

Question 15

On the job training

Answer 15

An employee receives training whilst remaining in the workplace whilst on the job e.g. manufacturing, waiting, labourer.

Question 16

Methods of ‘on the job training’ include:

Answer 16

• Learning from other workers – An employee might work next to
another worker, watch that worker do a task + with their help repeat =
watch, work, repeat.

• Mentoring – more experienced worker asked to provide advice + help
to a less experienced worker, who can ask for help + advice.

• Job rotation – where worker spends period of time doing on job then
another = received broad experience needed to do more specialist
jobs.

• Traditional apprenticeship – undertakes training over 3 – 5 year
period, involving a mix of training methods. When qualified business
will employ worker full time. Graduate training- Medium to large size
businesses may offer graduate training programmes. They are
typically designed to offer those with university degrees either
professional training, such as accountancy or law or managerial
training.

Question 17

Advantages of on the job training

Answer 17

• Most cost effective
• Employees are actually productive
• Opportunity to learn whilst doing
• Training alongside real colleagues

Question 18

Disadvantages of on the job training

Answer 18

• Quality depends on ability of trainer and time available
• Bad habits might be passed on
• Learning environment may not be conducive
• Potential disruption to production.

Question 19

Off the Job Training

Answer 19

employee training that takes place away from the job itself e.g. London.

Question 20

Methods of Off the Job Training:

Answer 20

• Professional development courses or conferences in the work place
or away from the work place.
• Distance learning
• Evening classes
• Day release (employee takes time off work to attend a local college or
training centre)
• Block release courses- which may involve several weeks at a college
or training centre)
• Sandwich courses- where the employee spends a longer period of
time at college (e.g. six months) before returning to work.
• Sponsored courses in higher education
• Self-study, computer based courses
• Online training

Question 21

Advantages of off the job training

Answer 21

• Wider range of skills or qualifications can be obtained
• Can learn from outside specialists or experts
• Employees can be more confident when starting job

Question 22

Disadvantages of off the job training

Answer 22

• More expensive- e.g. transport and accommodation
• Lost working time and potential output from employee
• New employees may still need some induction training
• Employees may now have new skills/qualifications and may leave for
another/better job.