Recruitment, selection and training 1.4.2

Question 1

What is recruitment and selection?

Answer 1

The process of a business hiring new employees.

Question 2

Who is likely to handle recruitment and selection in a large business?

Answer 2

Human resources department.

Question 3

Why may a business need new staff?

Answer 3

Business is expanding
People are leaving
People being promoted
Temporary absence. (maternity/paternity)

Question 4

Outline the stages in the recruitment process.

Answer 4

1. Identify the vacancy.
2. Create job description and person specification.
3. Advertise the vacancy (internal and external).
4. Receive applications/ shortlist candidates.
5. Selection procedure: interviews, assessment days, in-tray exercises.
6. Select the best candidate.

Question 5

What is the most common recruitment method currently?

Answer 5

Online recruitment, may involve sending in a CV and doing an online test - people can apply at anytime and businesses can view applications at their leisure.

Question 6

What is a job description?

Answer 6

Description of the duties and responsibilities of a job, its working conditions, and the tools, materials, equipment, and information used to perform it.

Question 7

What is a person specification?

Answer 7

Specification providing details of the qualification, experience, skills, attitudes and any other characteristics expected expected of a person appointed to do a particular job.

Question 8

What is internal recruitment?

Answer 8

Means that potential applicants are found within the organisation

Question 9

What are the advantages of internal recruitment?

Answer 9

• Cheaper (less training, no advertising).
• Employees may be more familiar and comfortable with the environment and procedures requiring less training.
• Qualities, abilities and potential of candidates are better known.
• Provides opportunities for promotion within a business.
• Reduces training costs.
• Motivates the workforce with chances of career progression.

Question 10

What are the disadvantages of internal recruitment?

Answer 10

• A limited number of employees to choose from.
• New ideas and experiences from other businesses not utilised.
• Internal candidates may not have the right skills.
• May cause resentment among workers not selected.
• The internal candidate’s previous role will now need to be filled.

Question 11

What is external recruitment?

Answer 11

This means that potential candidates are found from outside the organisation, either by advertising, job centres, recruitment agencies (online and offline), headhunting and personal recommendation.

Question 12

What are the advantages of external recruitment?

Answer 12

• Employers can bring someone in with different ideas and outlooks.
• Will likely attract a larger number of applicants.
• Less resentment.
• Highly qualified/ already trained.
• A larger pool of workers from which to find the best candidate
• People have a wider range of experience

Question 13

What are the disadvantages of external recruitment?

Answer 13

• Risky: Candidates not known.
• No knowledge of how the business runs: specific training may be needed on machinery.
• Longer process
• More expensive process due to advertisements and interviews required
• The selection process may not be effective enough to reveal the best candidate.
• May need a longer training and induction period.
• Impressions at the interview might be misleading and mistakes may be made.

Question 14

What is the selection process?

Answer 14

• Interviews
• Assessment centres
• Tests

Question 15

What was Alec Rogers 7 point plan for carrying out selection interviews?

Answer 15

1. Physical make-up –> health, appearance, speech
2. Attainments –> education, training, experience
3. Intelligence –> ability to learn, analyse and evaluate situations
4. Aptitudes –> special skills e.g. maths and IT
5. Interests –> social, active, intellectual
6. Disposition –> humour, maturity, independence
7. Circumstances –> geographical mobility and availability

Question 16

What is human resources?

Answer 16

The business function responsible for the deployment, training and development of people as a strategic resource within an organisation.

Question 17

What is labour turnover?

Answer 17

Measures the rate at which staff leave the business. They may or may not need replacing. It can be measured by the percentage of staff leaving within a time period.

Question 18

What is training?

Answer 18

Equipping employees with skills and knowledge necessary to carry out job effectively.

Question 19

What are some objectives of training?

Answer 19

• Making workers more productive.
• Familiarising with new equipment or tech.
• Educating workers in new methods e.g. shifting from production line to cell.
• Making workers more flexible (multi skilling).
• Preparing workers to move in to different job within the business.
• Improving quality.
• Implementing health and safety.

Question 20

What are costs involved in training?

Answer 20

• Courses
• Legal health and safety
• Loss of output
• Employee leaving can be wasted investment also

Question 21

What is recruitment?

Answer 21

Steps taken by a business to identify vacancy & attract suitable candidates. (internal & external)

Question 22

What is selection?

Answer 22

Actions taken to identify best candidate for role.

Question 23

What are the hard costs of recruitment?

Answer 23

• Advertising and recruitment agency costs
• Interview costs and expenses and managerial time diverted
• Costs of training and induction

Question 24

What are the soft costs of recruitment?

Answer 24

• Loss of production when staff are involved in recruitment and training.
• Time is taken to build up knowledge, experience and working relationships with co-workers and customers.

Question 25

What are the 3 types of training?

Answer 25

- Induction - On the job - Off the job

Question 26

What does the cost of recruitment and training result in?

Answer 26

- The costs of recruitment and training mean that a high rate of labour turnover can be a real problem. It entails the loss of valued skills and knowledge and therefore lowers productivity. It may affect employee motivation. Even so, a certain amount of labour turnover can bring in capable and innovative people who will have a positive effect. - Training costs can be significant in any business. Most employers are prepared to incur these costs because they expect their business to benefit from employees' development and progress.

Question 27

What does common training needs include:

Answer 27

- Supporting new employees (induction training) - To improve productivity - Supporting high standards of customer service and production quality - Introduction to new technology, systems and or other change - Support employee progression and promotion (internal recruitment)

Question 28

What is induction training?

Answer 28

A period of initial training given when a new employee joins a company.

Question 29

What is on the job training?

Answer 29

Training that takes place whilst the employee is still engaged in their work task.

Question 30

What is off the job training?

Answer 30

Training that takes place away from the workplace. (e.g. university, MBA course)

Question 31

What are the types of on the job training?

Answer 31

- COACHING: using a supervisor to support and teach the employee. -MENTORING: the employee is assigned an experienced colleague that can advise/support. - JOB ROTATION: the employee is moved around the business to work on different tasks/ areas. - SHADOWING: the less experienced follows/ observes the work of a more experienced colleague.

Question 32

What are the types of off the job training?

Answer 32

- DAY RELEASE: employee takes time off work to attend a local collage or training centre. - DISTANCE LEARNING/EVENING CLASSES: done in the employees own time. - BLOCK RELEASE COURSES: may involve several weeks at a local collage to learn a new skill. - SANDWHICH COURSES: where the employee spends a larger amount of time at collage to learn a new skill before returning to work. - SPONSORED COURSES IN HIGHER EDUCATION: may be completed in employees own time.

Question 33

What are the advantages and disadvantages of off-the-job training?

Answer 33

A: - A wider range of skills or qualifications can be obtained - Can learn from outside specialists or experts - Employees can be more confident when starting a job - Training can be both relevant and intensive - Training will be professional - Training will be up-to-date D: - More expensive - e.g. transport and accommodation. - Lost working time and potential output from the employee. - New employees may still need some induction training. - Employees now have new skills/qualifications and may leave for better jobs.

Question 34

What are the advantages and disadvantages of on-the-job training?

Answer 34

A: - Generally most cost-effective - Employees are actually productive - Opportunity to learn whilst doing - Training alongside real colleagues - Easy to organise - Training is specific to the business and therefore fully relevant D: - Quality depends on the ability of the trainer and time available - Bad habits might be passed on - The learning environment may not be helpful - Potential disruption to production - Trainers may not have up-to-date knowledge

Question 35

What are the advantages and disadvantages of induction training?

Answer 35

A: + Employee settles quickly and can function more effectively in their job role. + Prevents costly mistakes. + Introduces the new employee to colleagues. + Decreases labour turnover and further recruitment costs. D: - Takes time so reduces output.

Question 36

What are the benefits of effective training?

Answer 36

- Better productivity - Higher quality - More flexibility through better skills - Less supervision required - Improved motivation - through greater empowerment - Better recruitment and better employee retention - More loyal employees

Question 37

Motivation and effective training?

Answer 37

- Assuming training is effective; then... - Employees feel more loyal to the firm - Shows that business is taking an interest in their workers - Provide employees with greater promotional opportunities - Enables employees to achieve more at work - perhaps gaining financially from this

Question 38

What are the reasons businesses neglect effective training procedures?

Answer 38

- They fear employees will be poached by competitors (who will then benefit from the training). - A desire to minimise short-term costs. - They cannot make a justifiable investment case. - Training takes time to have the desired effect. - Sometimes the benefits of training are more intangible (e.g.morale) than tangible.