CONTENTS
Selecting Supervision: Overview Supervisors in all types of organizations are responsible for the human resources in their departments. Selecting competent, high-performing employees capable of sustaining their performance over the long run is a competitive advantage. The selection process consists of forecasting employment needs, recruiting candidates, interviewing applicants, and hiring employees.
External environmental forces affect the selection process. These external forces include labor unions, governmental laws. Labor unions represent workers and seek to protect members' interests through collective bargaining. Good labor-management relations is an important ingredient in contract negotiations. The government influences numerous decisions regarding hiring. Employers must ensure that equal opportunity exists for all job applicants and current employees. Many organizations have affirmative action programs to ensure upgrading and retention of protected groups such as women, minorities, and people with disabilities.
Forecasting Employment Needs
Planning assists in implementing strategy by translating the organization's goals into the workers needed to achieve them. The organization forecasts its human resource requirements in order to determine the number of employees to hire and the types of skills they will need. Forecasting employment needs includes current and future assessment.
The supervisor wants to make sure that the number of employees matches the workload. In the current assessment, supervisors take a human resource inventory to assess what talents and skills are currently resident in the organization, and conduct a job analysis to define the tasks and the behaviors necessary to perform them. This helps determine whether there is a fit between who currently works for the firm and what it needs for its work to be performed successfully. Job analysis provides the information for a job description -- a written description of job content, environment and conditions of employment, and job specification -- knowledge, skills and abilities needed to do the job effectively. Future assessment determines the firm's future human resource requirements by looking at the overall organizational goals derived from strategic planning. Assessing current capabilities and future needs reveal areas where the organization is overstaffed and estimates of human resource shortages. A program is developed to match these estimates with forecasts of future labor supply.
Recruiting Candidates
The organization develops a pool of job candidates from which to select qualified employees. Information gathered through job analysis can guide recruitment to fill skill and personnel gaps. The local labor market, the type or level of position and the size of the organization determine which source is used to find potential job candidates. Recruitment efforts include running newspaper ads, contacting employment agencies, and visiting colleges. To create a more diverse workforce, supervisors can recruit from sources such as women's job networks, ethnic newspapers and urban job banks. Many organizations are turning the Internet to recruit a workforce. Benefits of online recruiting include reduced cost-per-hire, less time-to-fill, and a larger pool of quality candidates. Decruitment is a reduction in the organization's labor force through firing, layoffs, attrition, and early retirement, or maintaining employees through transfers, reduced workweeks or job sharing.
Interviewing Applicants
Once supervisors identify a pool of candidates, they screen the applicants to ensure that the most appropriate candidate is hired. Any selection device used by a supervisor must be valid and reliable. Validity means that there is a proven relationship between the selection device and some relevant criteria to differentiate among applicants' job performance. Reliability means that the device(s) consistently measure the same thing over time.
A variety of valid and reliable selection devises are available for supervisors to make successful acceptance and rejection decisions. Job applications request personal biographical or historical information reflecting activities, skills and accomplishments. Cognitive ability tests measure intelligence, aptitude, ability and interest. Performance simulation tests are made up of actual work behaviors. For routine jobs, work sampling is appropriate. Applicants demonstrate that they have the necessary skills and abilities by actually doing tasks that model the job for which they are applying. Interviews are valid and reliable devices when they are structured, well organized, and ask candidates valid questions. Background investigations involve verification of application data and reference checks.
Employment Interviewing
Selection interviews are used to obtain information and to elicit attitudes and feelings from an applicant. In a structured interview, the supervisor controls the course the interview follows as each question is asked.
Step 1. Determine how applicants will be screened. The interview is based exclusively on job duties and requirements that are critical to job performance. Use the job description to create a screening grid.
Step 2. Determine questions and sample answers. Make a written list of job-related questions to ask applicants. Again, use the job description to tailor the questions to the specific duties and qualifications of the job. Determine sample answers to your questions.
Step 3. Develop a guide for the interview itself. The interview guide or agenda should include four parts: the opening, questions and answers, job and company explanation, and closing.
Part 1 - The Opening - Establish rapport by welcoming and putting the applicant at ease. For example, after the introductions and handshake, say, "Have a seat. Would you like a cup of coffee? Did you have any trouble getting here today?"
Part 2 - Questions and Answers - Obtain information from the applicant using the questions on your list. Develop a rating point scale. Define the ratings.
Part 3 - Job and Company Explanation - Provide information to the applicant. Describe current and future job opportunities. Sell the positive features of the firm.
Part 4 - Closing - Respond to the applicant's questions. Clarify responses. Provide an opportunity for final applicant input. Explain what happens next.
Step 4. Evaluate the Applicant. Assess match between the technical qualifications and job requirements. Judge personal qualities such as leadership and team orientation. Make a recommendation.
Review
Today's Manager Managerial Functions Management Levels Managerial Roles Management Skills Management History Business Environment Supervision: Planning Planning Process Operating Guidelines Objective Setting Action Plans Problem Solving Supervision: Organizing Organizing Process Power and Authority Delegating Communicating Managing Time Supervision: Directing Teambuilding Consensus-Building Selecting Training Leading Motivating Supervision: Controlling Controlling Process Coaching Counseling Disciplining Evaluating Terminating
