Explain three steps of the job design process with suitable illustrations 2) Explain the advantages of job enlargement over job simplification

3) Explain the significance of job enrichment in improving the motivation levels of the employees

9.5 Recruitment and Selection

The objective of recruitment and selection process is to select the right candidate for the required job description. There are many ways in performing the recruitment process depending upon the nature of job description. In this section we shall understand about the key parameters the recruiter should be looking at in the recruitment and selection process.

9.5.1 The recruitment process

One of the activities of recruitment process is to select the candidates and short list them for the interview. The list of candidates can come from many sources. In broad the sources are referred to:-

a) Internal Sources: Identifying employees within the company who can take care of job. Here the employees from various departments may shift into the department where the vacancies are available or a promotion will be given within the same department and fill the vacancy.

b) External Sources: Here the candidates will be selected from outside the company i.e. who are not currently working with the organization. Companies might advertise in newspapers, job portals, magazines etc to attract the talent available. Most of the times companies go to well known reputed educational institutes to get the list of candidates who are eligible for the section process.

A successful recruitment process enables the highly talented list of candidates who could be employees of the organization. Recruitment process should be done carefully in short-listing the candidates for the selection process. Selection process should be done in such a way that the candidates skill set is matching with the required skill set as mentioned by the job description activity. There can be various parameters which the recruitment process would look at before short-listing the candidates such as the family background, employment history, educational qualifications, hobbies and interests. All these factors play important role in judging the candidate for the suitability for the job.

9.5.2 The Selection process

Kujnish (2006) describes a typical selection process which is explained by the following diagram:-

The preliminary interview is done as a process to filter out the candidates who do not fit the job description. Application form should be designed in such a way that it captures the necessary information which is required to evaluate the candidate across the skill set required by the job description. For sales representatives, attitude, communication skills and analytical skills are very important; hence the testing phase should be prepared so that it captures these skills. The testing phase can be just an interview or can have a written test and a group discussion. After the test has been completed, the candidates will be short-listed according to their performance for an interview round.

During the interview much emphasis should be given in the attitude of the candidate rather than the skills. Two basic ways in which the interview can take place are:-

a) In a comfortable mode, where the recruiter would bring the atmosphere to the comfort level of the candidate and then start observing the behaviour of the candidate.

b) In a stressed mode, where the recruiter would put the candidate under a lot of stress by asking a lot of questions and then observe the candidates reactions.

Doing an interview in these two ways is important in order to judge the candidate for sales job as the sales representative would have to encounter both the serene and pressure environment while making the sale. Previous work experiences and references should be cross checked before selecting the candidate for the job. Physical examination is important to ensure the candidate is in good state of health as he/she requires traveling during the sales job. Finally after all the selection process and the candidate qualifies for it he/she will be given the employment offer which describes the nature of work, job title, salary, any contract period etc.

SAQ 4

1) Describe the ways in which the candidates can be obtained during the recruitment process for selection.

2) Explain the important characteristics you would like to test the candidates in the interview for a sales representative job.

3) Explain the importance of reference checks and physical examination in the selection process.

9.6 Summary

In this unit we have understood the job characteristic model which describes any job in terms of different dimensions which measure the nature and requirements of the job.

We have also understood the job analysis by describing the nature of the sales job and the identifying the skills required. We understood that sales job is a challenging work and requires good communication skills, fast learning capabilities, positive attitude and behaviour, multi-tasking abilities and the ability to self motivate. We have later discussed about the steps that involve in creating a job design and understood these steps in the context for sales representatives. Later we have studied various job design techniques such as job simplification, rotation, enlargement and enrichment in creating the job which are beneficial for both the company and the sales representative economically and in career growth. In the last section of the unit, we have examined the critical nature of the recruitment process in identifying the right candidates for the selection process. We have understood the basic model of selection process and looked into various ways in which the selection process will be handled for a sales representative job. We have also examined the skill set that needs to be evaluated in the interview phase of the selection process.

9.7 Keywords

1) Extrinsic motivation It is the motivation that is driven by external factors apart from the nature of work like the money, awards, recognition etc

2) Intrinsic motivation It is the motivation that is driven by the nature of the task assigned in the work place.

9.8 References

1. K. Aswathappa (2005), “Human resource and personal management: text and cases”, Tata Mc-Graw Hill, India.

2. Kujnish Vashisht (2006), “A practical approach to sales management”, Atlantic Publishers and Distributors, India.

3. Ram Nath Sharma, Rachana Sharma (2004), “Guidance and counselling in India”, Atlantic Publishers and Distributers, India.

4. Stephan P. Robbins (1999), “Organizational behaviour: concepts, controversies and applications”, Prentice Hall, India.

9.9 Suggested Readings

1. Darin E. Hartley (1999), “Job analysis at the speed of reality”, HRD Press, USA.

2. Thomas N. Ingram, Raymond W. LaForge (1989), “Sales management: analysis and decision making”, The Dryden Press, New York, USA.