From my previous study I found out that in a technology firm, the most appropriate model of staffing is the job/ staff match. The model allows the HR manager to pay attention to details by ensuring they hire the right person for a particular position. The process involves identification of behaviors and attributes possessed by successful employees and screening for the same during the recruitment process and matching them with the duty requirements of the vacant position. This study seeks to analyze further on the particular job requirements that may be appropriate for the technology firm, long-term recruitment plans, branding strategies to attract qualified staff, the process of selection and assessment method of selecting a new employee.
Job Requirements
The technology industry is a dynamic field that keeps changing with time. The sector is continuously overgrowing. These two factors are vital in influencing the job description. An individual must possess a Bachelor’s degree, associate degree or a certificate in an information technology field. Some of the preferable majors include information management and computer science. An IT professional certification is always an advantage. Previous work experience of more than one year is also important. It could be personal computer related projects or in any information technology industry or department. The individual must also have specific skills in company systems, general computer maintenance, coding, communication networking and time management.
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These job descriptions will have a positive impact on the organization’s staffing in that they ensure:
1) They will assist in aligning the staff duties to the company’s visions.
2) A job description is a direct means of communicating the expectations of the company, and therefore they are a perfect basis for the measurements of the performance rate of the staff. The staff will also know the means the company uses to evaluate them.
To ensure all the applicants meet the required qualifications, the company needs to ensure they use the best communication strategy. They should effectively write descriptions about the job with clarity and brevity. The types of projects the candidates will be working on need to be well explained. A proper description of the work environment, the essential skills requirements, daily duties, and education requirements should be well spelled out. The language and the words chosen for writing the job requirements should focus on the job’s characteristics and not the individual‘s characteristics.
Long-term Recruitment Plans
According to Noe (2015), a standard recruitment plan should be able to save time and money. Below is a long-term recruitment plan:
Recruitment policy: To schedule a recruitment plan that is based on supply and demand, and implementing the program within the organization.
Recruitment goal: To recruit 15 IT experts his year base on resignations, attrition or growth.
Strategies: to concentrate our efforts on recruitment to few IT professionals who are retired to ensure long-term service and competency, to have a continuous yearly recruitment schedule.
Recruitment structure: The recruitment will begin on 20 th March 2018. The Human resource department will coordinate all the recruitment activities. Reviews of the recruitment process will be done after four months.
Recruitment activities: Analysis of current openings, scheduled recruitment committee that will analyze the best practice for implementation and attendance of man recruitment and human resource fairs.
Branding and Communication
Branding is a critical determinant of a job application response. It should include more information that candidates want to see with unique photos, social media links, and benefits. The following brand strategies will be appropriate to attract qualified applicants according to Boudreau, (2015).
Brand Definition
This is involves explaining what the brand for the company stands for. The brand should tell or reveal the critical values of the organization. For instance, the contribution to the environmental conservation and preserving the socio-economic wellbeing of individuals. Candidates look at the company’s appearance objectively before taking a step to apply for the job. The best and the most experienced candidates will always want to be part of an organization that observes the critical values of life and has a direct impact on the environment. The company should, therefore, seek to meet these expectations. For instance, in a technological firm, the advertisement needs to make the applicant feel like the organization is up to date with the latest innovation, values cyber integrity and creativity.
Differentiation and positioning
The job advertisement should be exemplary and have the ability to attract the attention of the people. It needs to stand out from their competitors in the market to attract the best candidates. Technology is one of the fields that highly relies on skills. Candidates sometimes choose where they want to fit. The company, therefore, has to create a unique advantage mindset among the job seekers. This is explicitly at a point they think working for a particular company is better than working for another from the presentation and the way the company brands itself. They should see a higher value in applying for the job in the company.
Building and exposure
According to Powell, building a unique brand takes time and consistency. The organization needs to keep reinforcing values and skills by being creative and taking up new roles that will give the company more exposure. In this case, the technology company needs to go out of the ordinary routine and show the world how competent it is. It can use channels like blogs, social media and promotional channels. It is normal that everyone wants to work with a well-known company. Brand personality is therefore critical because it drives individuals to want to work with the company. Brand personality is the way people address a company, how they think of it and what they know about it.
Communication Methods to Reach Out to the Applicants
The organization would reach out to the applicants mainly through nonverbal communication methods like written job advertisements in newspapers, posters, websites and posts on the company’s social media pages. Boudreau (2015), states that successful advertising should involve focusing on a particular intended audience. According to her, written communications can trigger three reactions: getting the target audience to feel something about the message, initiating thinking in people and encouraging the intended action of applying for the job.
A written communication is highly efficient with the branding strategies that will be used by the company. Since most of the targeted population is learned, it means they can all read. The goal of the branding is ideally to influence the job application behavior of only the competent people that will benefit our company. Writing a few words in posters, brief organizational objectives, mission, vision and the job description in a manner that is attractive, precise and perfect enough can draw more technology experts to apply for the jobs in the organization.
Selection Process for Recruiting New Employees
Selection process refers to the steps taken to fill a vacant position in the organization. Since technology is a skill-oriented firm the most critical selection process will be interviewing and test administration. Questioning will happen after the selection of the individuals who would have met the criteria for application. The interview will be physical, and it will be foreseen by the human resource manager. The next crucial process is the test administration. Tests will be conducted before the hiring decision. Particular stress will be placed on personality tests, cognitive skills, reference checks and background education confirmation.
Selection Criteria for Hiring
A selection criterion is used to determine the best-qualified applicant from all the candidates who applied for a position. Hall, (2012) suggests the following criteria for selecting employees: Competence : the candidate should have the required skills, education and experience. Proficiency with computers and computer applications is mandatory. Candidates need to be knowledgeable in software skills, programming, and graphic design, writing and communication skills as well. The candidate has to have a proof of the previous working in an information technology company. He/ she must have at least attained a college degree with particular majors in any information technology field.
Character: The individual candidate’s values should align with the values of the organization. They should be hardworking, honest, selfless and a team player.
Capability: The person must show the ability to handle both simple and challenging tasks in the position. He must show potential for growing the company to another level.
Compensation: The candidate and the organization need to agree on a particular compensation level that is applicable in the market.
Compatibility: To avoid clashes in the future, the person should be willing to harmonize with the bosses, colleagues, clients, and partners.
Effect of the Criteria on Employee Long-term Retention
Competence: A competent staff will find roles less challenging, and they will always be creative to figure out solutions to problems. Competence simplifies work and consequently makes the employees to be motivated to keep working longer in the organization.
Compensation : Remuneration is the foundation of the employee-employer relationship. It shows how committed the employer is in appreciating the little efforts made by the employee. However much the pay is small or big, employees tend to stay where they feel appreciated well enough.
Character: Employees with high values would not want to compromise in situations of corruption, politics or dishonesty. Most of them resort to quitting. Employees therefore appreciate institutions that believe in their core-values.
Compatibility: Work environments need to be conducive to work. Toxic relationships between bosses and employees, disrespect and poorer customer handing might make employees to be fired.
Assessment Methods of Selecting New Employees
Concerning Pulako's assessment of employee assessment (2015), the most appropriate approach to the analysis of employees before selection would be KSA- based assessment. The most important methods for a technological job ae the job knowledge test and cognitive ability test. Cognitive ability test is a measure of a variety of various mental ability such as verbal, mathematical, reasoning ability and comprehension of problems. They are administered through paper or computer. This method has commonly been used by many people, and it has proved to be effective. It is valid for a position in information technology since it is one of the areas that require a high IQ. Job knowledge test measures the technical knowledge areas needed to perform a job efficiently. They are most appropriate in positions that have no training after selection. This test is more reliable and accurate because it is based on references to ob descriptions and specifications that are already documented (Boudreau, 2015).
Job Predictors that can Assess Candidates’ (KSAO’s )
Work sample tests: Candidates can be given similar work to do and then comparing the results of performance by each candidate. This method is particularly useful in certain roles. This method is more accurate in predicting job performance when it is used alone.
Structured interviews : The candidates are asked the same set of formal and standardized questions about the job. The assessment is on the quality and value of the response given. The advantage is it eliminates biases because the questions are uniform.
Integrity test: this is a test that seeks to find out the level of honesty in candidates.
Conscientiousness tests: This test focuses on the candidate’s self-discipline and ability to organize themselves.
References
Boudreau, J. W. (2015). Lead the work: navigating a world beyond employment. New Jersey: Wiley.
Hall, A. (2012, 06 19). The 7 C's : how to find and Hire Great employees. Entrepreneurs .
Noe, R. A. (2015). Human Resource Management. New York: McGraw-Hill Education.
Pulakos, E. (2015). Selection Asseessment Method: a guide for implementing formal assessments to builld a high-quality workforce. USA: SHRM foundations.
