1.

0 Introduction

1.1 Human Resource Management

Strategic HR Management Process

Human Resource Management (HRM) is the function within an organization that focuses

on recruitment of, management of, and providing direction for the people who work in

the organization. Human Resource Management can also be performed by line managers.

Answer: Departments are the entities organizations form to organize people, reporting

relationships, and work in a way that best supports the accomplishment of the

organization's goals. Departments are usually organized by functions such as human

resources, marketing, administration, and sales.

But, a department can be organized in any way that makes sense for the customer.

Departments can also be organized by customer, by product, or by region of the world.

1.2 Human Resource Department

The forward thinking human resource department is devoted to providing effective

policies, procedures, and people-friendly guidelines and support within companies.

Additionally, the human resource function serves to make sure that the company mission,

vision, values or guiding principles, the company metrics, and the factors that keep the

company guided toward success are optimized.

The most common Human Resource jobs that are grouped in the Human Resource

Department are the Human Resources Director, Human Resources Generalist, and

Human Resources Assistant. Additionally, some organizations have a Vice President of

Human Resources and employees who are organized around providing a specific

component of Human Resource services including compensation, training, organization

development, and safety.

Human Resource Management is the organizational function that deals with issues

related to people such as compensation, recruitment and selection, performance

management, organization development, safety, wellness, benefits, employee motivation,

communication, administration, and training.

2.0 Literature review

2.1 HR Challenges In Recruitment and Selection

Estimating Internal Labor Supply for a Given Unit

Recruitment is a function that requires business perspective, expertise, ability to find and

match the best potential candidate for the organisation, diplomacy, marketing skills (as to

sell the position to the candidate) and wisdom to align the recruitment processes for the

benefit of the organisation. The HR professionals – handling the recruitment function of

the organisation- are constantly facing new challenges in Recruitment. The biggest HR

challenge in Recruitment for such professionals is to source or recruit the best people or

potential candidate for the organisation.

In the last few years, the job market has undergone some fundamental changes in terms

of technologies, sources of recruitment, competition in the market etc. In an already

saturated job market, where the practices like poaching and raiding are gaining

momentum
HR professionals are constantly facing new challenges in one of their most important

function- recruitment. They have to face and conquer various challenges to find the best

candidates for their organisations.

The major challenges faced by the HR in recruitment are:

• Adaptability to globalization – The HR professionals are expected and required

to keep in tune with the changing times, i.e. the changes taking place across the

globe. HR should maintain the timeliness of the process

• Lack of motivation – Recruitment is considered to be a thankless job. Even if the

organisation is achieving results, HR department or professionals are not thanked

for recruiting the right employees and performers.

• Process analysis – The immediacy and speed of the recruitment process are the

main concerns of the HR in recruitment. The process should be flexible, adaptive

and responsive to the immediate requirements. The recruitment process should

also be cost effective.

Strategic prioritization – The emerging new systems are both an opportunity as well as

a challenge for the HR professionals. Therefore, reviewing staffing needs and prioritizing
the tasks to meet the changes in the market has become a challenge for the recruitment

professionals.

2.2 Defining Requirements

Typical Division of HR Responsibilities: HR Planning

The number and categories of manpower required should be specified in the recruitment

programme which is derived from the manpower plan. In addition, there will be demands
for replacements or for new jobs to be filled, and these demands should be checked to

ensure that they are justified. It may be particularly necessary to check on the need for a

replacement or the level or type of employee that is specified.

In a large organisation it is useful to have a form for requisitioning staff. However, even

when a requisition form is completed, it may still be necessary to supplement the brief

information contained in the form about the job, and it will almost certainly be necessary

to check on the specification. If a requisition form is not available, then the job has to be

analysed and a job description and job specification prepared. Existing descriptions and

specifications should be checked to ensure that they are up-to-date. It is also necessary to

establish or check on the terms and conditions of employment at this stage.

2.2.1 Job descriptions

A job description defines the overall purpose or role of the job and the main tasks to be

carried out. A good job description is vital to the success of a selection procedure because

it is the foundation upon which all other processes are based. The personal or job

specification and, in turn, the advertisement and interviewing, testing and assessment

procedures will all be derived from it.

2.2.2 Personnel specifications

Personnel specifications, also known as recruitment or job specifications, define the

qualifications, experience and personal qualities required by the job holder and any other
necessary information on the special demands made by the job, such as physical

conditions, unusual hours, or travelling away from home. They should also set out or

refer to terms and conditions of employment such as salary, fringe benefits, hours and

holidays.

The information on qualifications, experience and qualities should be derived from an

analysis of the knowledge and skills needed to carry out the job. These should therefore

be specified. The list should be as exact as possible so that at the interviewing stage the

interviewer can ask direct questions about what the applicant knows or can do. The

biggest danger to be avoided at this stage is that of overstating the qualifications required.

Perhaps it is natural to go for the best, but setting an unrealistically high level for

candidates increases the problems of attracting applicants, and results in dissatisfaction

among recruits when they find their talents are not being used. Understating requirements

can be equally dangerous, but it happens much less frequently.

When the requirements have been agreed, they should be analysed under suitable

headings. There are various ways of doing this; the most familiar being the seven-point

plan developed by Alec Rodger and the five-fold grading system produced by Munro

Fraser. Other more complex methods include job component analysis and repertory grids.

The Seven-point plan covers: physical make-up, attainments, general intelligence, special

aptitudes, interests, disposition, and circumstances. The five-fold grading system covers:

impact on others, acquired qualifications, innate abilities, motivation, adjustment.

2.2.3 Choice of method

Of these systems the seven-point plan has the longer pedigree. The five-fold grading

scheme is simpler, in some ways, and places more emphasis on the dynamic aspects of

the applicant’s career. Both provide a good framework for interviewing although a more

simple approach used by many interviews is to start from the analysis of the knowledge

and skills required and go on from there to define the minimum and optimum education,

qualifications, training and experience needed to succeed in the job. This leads on

naturally to a specification ofthe personal and physical attributes required and to a

definition of other requirements such as age limits, location of work, travelling, night or

shift work. The more complex systems can be used in circumstances where the jobs

themselves are fairly complicated and the numbers to be recruited or trained are large.

2.3 Attracting Candidates

Attracting candidates is primarily a matter of identifying, evaluating and using the most

appropriate sources of applicants. However, in cases where difficulties in attracting or

retaining candidates are being met or anticipated, it may be necessary to carry out a

preliminary study of the factors that are likely to attract or repel candidates - strengths

and weaknesses of the organisation as an employer.

2.3.1 Eleven ideas for attracting capable people1

1. Use job-sharing as a technique to attract clerical and technical people to our company.

Two part-time clerical or data processing people can do one job. We meet the needs of

the person who can only work part time, and we will have two people who are trained on

the same job.

2. Use odd-hour scheduling to attract clerical, technical, or service and blue-collar

workers, and even students. People working full-time jobs elsewhere who need extra

work will be attracted to odd-hour scheduling. If they see how enlightened your

management is in providing for employees’ needs, they may be attracted to work for us

full time.

3. Allow professional and clerical workers, such as writers, typists, data processing

people who have a home computer, draftspersons, and others who can work just as well

from home as from your office, to work at home and bring the work in at scheduled

times. We can pay by the hour by asking them to keep time cards; we can pay a salary; or

in some cases we can pay them as independent contractors. Adapt the method of payment

to the individual and the company needs. As long as payment complies with all necessary

regulations, we can be flexible.

4. Use retired workers for special projects. Whether they retired from our company or

another company, if they have needed skills and abilities, they can do special projects at
home or in our office. There is a distinct possibility that a critical worker shortage lies

just over the horizon.

5. Create an ad hoc committee in-house with engineers, accountants, and the same types

of people we are trying to hire. They can help us come up with new ideas for recruiting.

They also can add a networking element with a variety of professional associations.

6. More than 70 percent of the women in Asia today work outside the home. Be sure your

ads and recruiting literature appeal to women. Ask women currently on our staff for new

recruiting ideas.

7. Set up a hotline for people who might be interested in a job with your company to call

in and get information about specific jobs. Keep one hotline open during evening hours

for people who work.

8. In every company there are people who, if given the chance to learn a new skill, could

do so in a very short period of time. Can a data clerk learn a job one or two levels above

the current assignment? Can a secretary learn a job as a report writer or a project

coordinator? Can an older clerk learn new skills and become a warehouse or purchasing

supervisor? Are you being creative and thoughtful in looking inside your own company

for talent? An investment in training might bring a better return than recruiting costs.
9. Consider organisational change as an alternative staffing method. If we can not hire a

specific person, consider an alternative move. Case Example: One company had two

managers in its data processing organization one manager for business systems and one

manager for technical mineral systems. We lost the mineral systems manager and could

not replace that person immediately with another qualified individual. A discussion about

organisational alternatives brought excellent results. They reorganised the data processing

function. The manager of business systems had a good general background and

knowledge of the mineral systems function, had a great deal of credibility with both

groups, and was an excellent manager. When they were unable to find an experienced

mineral systems manager, they decided to reorganise by putting both groups under the

business systems manager and beefing up the technical mineral systems group by adding

a geologist with a degree in data processing. The reorganisation proved to be a good

move and resulted in a more productive department.

10. Upfront bonuses, a perk once reserved for senior executives, has become a way to

attract middle management. The perk helps combat inflation while not upsetting

established compensation levels. The bonuses range from 8 to 25 percent of a manager’s

first year salary. Once paid, the candidate is free to walk away. No matter how large the

bonus may appear, its impact on a candidate’s financial well-being is soon dissipated.

11. Make an effort to recruit and employ handicapped workers. Forward thinking

companies like Control Data allow workers like technical writers to work at home while

receiving employee benefits. The Xerox Corporation has an excellent programme for
employing disabled workers, and AT&T has developed a programme to train managers

of disabled people.

2.3.2 Analysis of recruitment strengths and weakness

The analysis of strengths and weaknesses should cover such matters as the national or

local reputation of the company, pay, fringe benefits and working conditions, the intrinsic

interest of the job, security of employment, opportunities for education and training,

career prospects, and the location of the office or plant.

Candidates are, in a sense, selling themselves, but they are also buying what the company

has to offer. If the labour market is a buyer’s market, then the company which is selling

itself to candidates must study their needs in relation to what it can provide.

The aim of the study might be to prepare a better image of the company for use in

advertisements, brochures or during interviews. Or it might have the more constructive

aim of showing where the company needs to improve if it is to attract more or better

candidates. The study could make use of an attitude survey to obtain the views of existing

employees.
2.3.3 Sources of candidates

The main sources of candidates are: internal, by means of a search or ‘trawl’, as the Civil

Service puts it more expressively, or by internal advertisement; external advertisement;

employment agencies - private or government; education and training establishment;

other external sources, unsolicited letters or casual callers, and recommendations from

employees.

One source may be sufficient, or it may be necessary to tap a number of alternative

sources. It depends upon the type of job to be filled, the relative difficulty of attracting

candidates, the area in which the company operates and the history of success or failure

in using different methods.

Advertising

Advertising is the most obvious method of attracting candidates. Nevertheless, the first

question to ask is whether an advertisement is really justified. This means looking at the

alternative sources mentioned above and confirming, preferably on the basis of

experience, that they will not do. Consideration should be given as to whether it might be

better to use an agency or a selection consultant. When making the choice, refer to the

three criteria of cost, speed and the likelihood of providing good candidates. The

objectives of an advertisement should be to: attract attention-competing for the interest of

potential candidates against other employees; create and maintain interest - the
advertisement has to communicate in an attractive and interesting way information about

the job, the company, the terms and conditions of employment and the qualifications

required; stimulate action - the message needs to be conveyed in a manner which will not

only focus people’s eyes on the advertisement but will also encourage them to read to the

end and stimulate action in the form of a sufficient number of replies from good

candidates.

Working with search firms and employment agencies

There is such a proliferation of companies in the recruiting business that a general

guideline for use of such agencies is in order. There are firms in business today that are

not as reliable as they should be. They practice such shady policies as churning, which is

the practice of placing a candidate and then recruiting that same person into another

company several months later, thus collecting two placement fees. Another questionable

practice is to parade a succession of poor candidates through for interviews to make a

mediocre candidate look good by comparison, thus wasting everyone’s time.

Here are a few questions we might ask about an employment agency or search firm

before we commit to using them:

1. Question the background and professionalism of the people we will be working with.

Ask for a resume if we have doubts about credentials and experience.

2. Have a meeting with the person away from your offices - maybe over lunch, where the

person will be less formal and on guard - and observe his or her interpersonal skills and

what he or she says about other clients. Then ask yourself if this is the type of person we

want representing our company.

3. Can we communicate with the person? Is there good chemistry?

4. How well does the person know our industry and the positions we will have to fill?

5. Does the recruiter ask the right questions and have the right insights?

6. What personal attributes come across? Honesty, commitment, professional standards?

7. What is the firm’s current work level? Will they have the appropriate time to devote to

our company?

2.4 Selecting Candidates

A typical selection programme - Seven steps to successful selection

The recruiting and selection process takes a lot of time, and most of us spend too much

time interviewing applicants who are not qualified. We need to work smart at attracting

the right people. Following are seven steps to consider adding to your selection process:

Step 1. Much time is spent interviewing applicants for jobs when the position’s

specifications and the actual requirements of the job are not clear. Many times even

hiring managers have not defined the job clearly in their own minds. Job responsibilities

are frequently blown out of proportion, resulting in too high an expectation of the job on

the part of the person hired. To avoid a lengthy, costly recruiting process and a poor

selection decision, it is important to know the precise job specifications, including daily

interfaces, ability to commit to the company, interpersonal skills, and levels of

sophistication and experience.

Step 2. A brief discussion with the hiring manager could save hours of interviewing time

later. It is important to understand what the manager wants in the person to be hired.

What are the person’s obvious objectives and hidden agendas?

Step 3. Identify the best recruiting source for the open position. The interviewing process

will be successful only if we are able to attract the most qualified candidates for the job.

We frequently have to try several sources until we are successful at attracting the best

candidates for the job.

Step 4. Use an assessment approach to reviewing applicants and choosing the top

candidates. Assess the following qualities: Technical skills, Academic credentials,

Credentials for the position, Experience in the field, Past successes, Can do qualities,

Will do qualities, Past promotions, Attitudes, Interpersonal skills, Knowledge of our

business.

Step 5. Check the applicant’s credentials, employment references, academic credentials,

and so on.

Step 6. Conduct a thorough selection interview. Cover such items as education, work

experience, the can do qualities of the applicant; watch for good listening skills, speaking

and interpersonal skills. Determine the applicant’s technical expertise by asking open-

ended questions about job assignments. Encourage open discussion by putting the

applicant at ease at the beginning of the interview.

Step 7. After we have put together a complete file of information on our top three

candidates, the hiring manager must make a decision based on the data collected. We

recommend using a form to evaluate the top candidates initially. A form tends to make us

more objective about the data gathered. Ask ourself which candidate best fits the job

specifications and the internal environment of the department and the company.

2.4.1 Interviewing
Interviewing today is a whole new process. Many of today’s applicants are as aware of

the interviewing process as the company interviewer. Smart applicants are well prepared

for the interview, and it is tough to elicit the data we need to make a wise hiring decision.

Because interviewing has become such a widely practiced skill, there is a need for human

resource people to learn and apply new techniques constantly.

2.4.2 Six interviewing strategies

There is a way to put top achievers on our payroll and cut our company’s turnover at the

same time. Make the most of job interviews. Pinpoint in advance those qualifications

necessary for the job we are filling. And make sure the interview focuses on how the job

applicant will fit the bill. Here are some effective techniques many company presidents

use to boost the odds that the person they hire today will become tomorrow’s top asset:

1.Do some comparison shopping before we sit down with an applicant. Pull a few

resumes of some of our successful employees to see how the applicant’s experience

stacks. we will have a clear idea of which qualifications point to success in that particular

job.
2. Get a second opinion. Involve our supervisors to see what their ideas are. They will

have a different perspective to add. Send the applicant’s resume to the supervisor and ask

if he or she would hire this person. And find out the reason why the supervisor would or

would not hire the prospect. When we send the resume to the supervisor, do not indicate

any preference or dissatisfaction. If we do, the supervisor will most likely just second our

opinion.

3. Test their involvement. This is especially important when an executive position is at

stake. Check on the applicant’s powers of observation. Let us say the prospect has

worked for a company manufacturing corrugated boxes. Ask him or her to explain the

production process and cost-cutting procedures used by that company. Then ask what

changes the prospect initiated. A detailed answer with suggestions for good changes

indicates a get-ahead person. An answer merely describing the operation suggests an

employee who is happier as a follower.

4. Keep the spotlight on the candidate. Try to avoid the trap of talking about what

naturally interests us /our own business. Tell a candidate just enough about our company

so he or she can relate any personal or work experience to our company’s operations. The

spotlight is on the candidate’s ideas, even while the executive tells about the company.

Usually, applicants learn as much about the company as we do about them all in a give-

and-take conversation.
5. Fit the applicant to the job. Conduct the interview according to the position the

applicant is seeking.

6. Look for “take charge” qualities. In particular, look for salespeople who are

aggressive. Move the applicant’s chair about four feet away from our desk before the

interview. Then, observe what happens when the applicant comes into the office. The

person to look for is the one who moves the chair closer to us. This person is aggressive.

He or she does not feel that just because the chair was far away from the desk, it should

stay there. This type of person will pursue a sale even after an initial turndown.

3.0 Findings
3.1 Recruitment in an Organization

In Organizations, when recruiting staff, by to comply with the government’s bumiputra

policy of proportionate racial mix. For sales positions, it is more convenient to us to have
employees whoa re from the same ethic group as the client. On the recruitment methods
we use newspaper advertisement in both English and Bahasa Malaysia. The popular
dailies are the New Strait Times, the Malay Mail and The Star. We also use recruitment
agencies to fill senior positions, where confidentiality is important. Internal promotion
may create problems as employers are required to observe ethnic quotas.

At the same time we are also recruiting foreign skilled workers. There are guidelines for
employing foreigners as set by the Malaysian government. There are two main
categories: expatriate personnel (mainly white-collar workers and resident representatives
of foreign companies) and unskilled workers. Companies with more than US$2 million
foreign capital will be given resident status for five foreign workers on a permanent basis.
Companies with foreign capital below US$2 million are subject to conditions such as
requirement to train Malaysian employees and to transfer technology.

Employees are also equipped with skilled and soft training once recruited in to our
organization. Other benefits such as annual leaves and medical benefits will be clearly
briefed to the candidates once we decided to take them in for service. one common
requirement to all staffs will be to work hard and smart and to be dedicated and
responsible on their job.
References

1. Armstrong, Michael (1988) A handbook human resource management. Nicholas

Publishing Company, New York.

2. Cook, Mary F. (1984) Human Resource Director’s Handbook. Prentice Hall,

New Jersey.

3. Cascio Wayne, F. (1992) Managing human resources: productivity, quality of

work life, profits. McGraw-Hill.

4. Decenzo David A., Robbins Stephen P. (1988) Personnel Human Resource

Management. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

5. Douglas, John, Klein Stuart, Hunt David (1985) The strategic managing of human
resources.

6. Dorio Mare A. (1989) Personnel manager’s desk book. Prentice Hall, New Jersey.

7. Megginson, Leon C. (1985) Personnel Management: A Human Resource Approach.

Irwin, Illinois.