Recruitment and Selection of staff is the main function of a company’s Human Resource Department and this process is the key to the appointment of employees who will give the company specialised skills, enhance efficiency and effectiveness and deliver s strategic advantage over other organisations. Unless there are flaws in any part of the system in which case, some appointments may bring serious problems to sections of the company. It is a time consuming and skilled process and too many smaller companies take a cavalier and superficial attitude to the process which again is likely to cause problems
First of all the company identifies one or more vacancies – there may be thorny issues of two areas of work and one vacancy though asking for dual-skilled people may work, it’s always a gamble. The people with knowledge about the requirements assist the HR Department with preparation of the job description and person specification (some of which can, alas, exclude people who would do the job b brilliantly say, if a degree is specified rather than a Level 4 or above qualification).
Where the job is advertised in crucial as is the process of sorting the responses into a short list. Interviews are arranged and the interview process organised (which may involved, say, a presentation as well as an interview) and then final decisions taken. On important decision to be able to make is not to appoint even if a candidate is suitably qualified and experienced for the post it may well be that other qualities that arise through the appointment process make clear the individual would not fit into a specific team role. It is a more expensive to appoint an unsuitable person in the long term than to call others in for interview.
HR Management software and Applicant Tracking software can help the process but will not replace careful planning by the company.