Chapter 10 Mini Stim Exercise: Human Resource Management
Decision Point: Updating the Job Description You meet with the Manager of Human Resources, who suggests that the two of you first update the job description. Keeping in mind the profile of the position, which of the following would you list as work experiences required for the job?
3+ years' experience selling medical products. This was the best choice, because the position that needs to be filled is that of a sales representative for medical products, and work experience in sales in that field is an essential requirement to perform the job effectively.
Decision Point: Pre-Employment Testing In addition to interviewing, you've decided to have the candidates take a pre-employment test. Which of the following pre-employment tests would be most useful in predicting the candidate's job success?
Ask the candidates to perform a job skill test: Hand the candidate a pen or a pencil from your desk and ask him or her to "sell" it to you. This was the best choice, and it's commonly used in sales interviews. The interviewer can get a quick assessment of the candidate's confidence and sales style, and that is directly related to the candidate's job success.
Decision Point: The Interview: Scenario You're intrigued with this candidate's answer to the first question, so you decide to probe a little deeper. Because the successful candidate must be able to not only initiate and follow through on a sales call, but also effectively handle dissatisfied customers, you decide to ask about the candidate's ability to handle disgruntled customers. You pose the following scenario: "Assume that you have a sales appointment with a client to sell health supplements. However, you discover that the client had purchased the company's line of steam inhalers only last month and already faced issues with them. During the meeting, the client tells you, 'Although my shop needs a new stock of health supplements, I'm reluctant to buy any other products from your company. The three batches of inhalers I bought last month were all faulty. I emailed the customer service department, but I still haven't received a response.' How would you handle such a situation?" Which candidate appears to have the strongest response to this question?
Candidate B. This was the best choice because it indicates that the candidate can effectively handle dissatisfied customers and also meet the company's sales targets.
Decision Point: Selecting the Right Candidates to Interview Unfortunately, your efforts to identify a qualified internal candidate didn't pan out. You asked your current sales representatives if they could recommend someone, and you posted the job on Monster.com. Resumes soon began pouring in. You've narrowed your choices down to the six resumes shown. You really don't want to spend too much time interviewing, so you've decided to bring in your top three choices for an interview. Based on the six resumes shown, whom should you interview? (Choose three resumes.)
Resume 2, Resume 3, Resume 6
Together with the HR Manager of QueStar, you arrange interviews with the three candidates you have selected. They will interview not only with you (as their immediate supervisor), but also with your boss (the Director of Sales), the HR Manager, and a couple of the current sales representatives. Because you know that structured interviews are more effective than free-wheeling interviews at predicting job success and eliminating interviewer biases, you have prepared a list of questions that you plan to ask each candidate. Your first question is open-ended and is intended to tell you about their training and work habits. You ask each candidate, "When are you the most satisfied in your job?" Which candidate appears to have the strongest response to this question?
Candidate B. This was the best choice because it indicates that the candidate is focused on meeting customers' needs and solving their problems. These are the hallmarks of an effective salesperson.
A job description lists the duties and responsibilities of a job, its working conditions, and the tools, materials, equipment, and information used to perform it. A well-written job description should include five key elements: Job Title Job Summary or Objective: A few brief sentences about the general nature, purpose, and objective of the job Duties and Responsibilities: Functions that are essential to meet the objectives of the job, as well as secondary requirements Qualifications and Requirements: The minimum qualifications needed to perform the essential elements of the job, such as education, experience, skills, licenses, etc. Working Conditions: Working conditions and physical demands that relate to the essential functions of the job, such as working outdoors, exposure to hazards, etc. A thorough job description is essential when recruiting employees, but its importance doesn't stop there. For example, the job description can serve as the basis for interviewing candidates and gathering information that will predict job success. Because the job description effectively identifies the skills, education, and other requirements of the job, it can be used as the basis for training new employees and the ongoing development of current employees. Finally, once employees are trained and settled into their jobs, one of management's next concerns is performance appraisal, a formal assessment of how well employees are doing their jobs. A properly written job description states the responsibilities of the job and the key duties that must be performed, so what better way to assess an employee's performance than to compare it to the expectations of the job? Click Next to continue.
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Once the recruiting process has attracted a pool of candidates, the next step is to select the most appropriate candidate to hire. Remember that the intent of the selection process is to gather legally defensible information from the candidates that will predict their job success. Interviews are a popular selection device, although traditional (unstructured) interviews are generally poor predictors of job success. Unstructured interviews depend on free-flowing conversations that often focus on personal qualities rather than the work itself. Have you ever been asked a question in an interview like, "If you were an animal, what kind of animal would you be, and why?" If so, you've likely experienced an unstructured interview. In structured interviews, each candidate is asked similar questions in a predetermined format, and the questions are generally based on the candidate's experience and the requirements of the job. The interviewers generally use a prepared list of questions that are based on the job description. One type of question that is common in a structured interview is known as a situational interview question, in which the interviewer describes a situation that is likely to arise on the job and asks the candidate how he or she would handle the situation. Another common type of question in a structured interview is a behavioral question, in which the interviewer aims to learn about a person's past behaviors in specific work situations. For example, an interviewer may ask, "Tell me about a successful presentation you gave and why you think it was a hit."
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Decision Point: Recruiting the Right Candidate Now that you've ironed out the details of the job description with Human Resources, you're ready to begin the recruiting process. What should be your first step in recruiting qualified candidates for this position? Select an option from the choices below and click Submit.
Post the position on the company's intranet to determine if there are qualified, interested internal candidates. This was the best choice. Internal recruiting means considering present employees as candidates for openings. Promoting from within has a number of benefits. First, it can help build morale within the organization, because employees see that there is room for growth within the company. Second, current employees are already familiar with the company's goals, processes, and ways of doing things, so hiring from within can reduce training time. Third, current employees already have a proven track record within the organization. Finally, hiring from within saves money. Advertising on job boards or placing ads in newspapers -- as well as other recruiting methods like using employment agencies or executive search firms -- can be expensive.
Decision Point: Selecting the Candidate The hiring deadline is fast approaching, and you need to act quickly to fill the position before the end of the fiscal year. What should you do?
Contact the others who interviewed the candidates and ask for their feedback. This was the best choice. Although it's true that the sales representative would be reporting directly to you, you should take advantage of the feedback from the other people who interviewed the candidates -- the HR Manager, your boss, and the other sales representatives. After getting their input, make your decision and then take the time to check the candidate's references before making a job offer.
