UNIVERSITY OF NICOSIA ONLINE  MASTER IN BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION

MBALN-609

HUMAN RESOURCES TOOL KIT

 CYRIL ESURUMAIT ETIANG R1607D1698959

HOW TO DESIGN A JOB POSITION AND DESCRIPTION

For any position within the organisation, there must be an accompanying job description. According to Grant (1989), a job description will be useful to the extent to which it is well designed. This is a critical document that performs some functions that include;

It outlines competencies skills an individual must have to perform tasks

It clearly describes the position of the job within the organization’s hierarchy

It is also used t provide a basis for drafting an employment contract and finally

It can also be used as performance management toolIn this presentation, we outline five steps that can be

used to write an accurate, concise, and clear job description. The steps are;

1. Job title – job title is the first element of a job description. Useful job description are expected to have the following qualities;

It should explicitly address what the job entails

Clearly shows how the position relates to other positions within the organisation

It should not deliberately exaggerate the position importance

It should not reflect any bias regarding gender and age

Should be self-explanatory

For example “security officer” would be a better job title compared to “county officer in charge of security”.

2. Duties – it should clearly contain a list of all functions related to the particular job. Together with that, it should also state the amount of time need for the job. For example, it should be indicated that time allocation is 10% data entry and 40% filling. The duties should be very brief for instance developing monthly reports for the department. Smaller companies are most likely to have a longer list of job description since most of the employees tend to do more work.

3. Skills and competencies – it should clearly be understood that there is a difference between skills and competencies. Skills refer to qualifications possessed by candidates while competencies refer to attributes expected to be displayed by the candidate in the execution of their duties (Evers et al., 1998). An example of skills includes flexibility, teamwork, among others.

4.Relationships – it is of great importance to indicate a chain of hierarchy in your organisation. This shows who the candidate reports to and who reports to them. This is important in giving them an idea of how their position fits into the entire organisation structure. Normally, it may be best shown by the use of an organizational chart.

5.Salary – it is recommended that instead of providing a fixed salary for a particular position, a salary range is provided which would be commensurate with experience and educational background.

TIPS FOR CONDUCTING A SUCCESSFUL EMPLOYEE SEARCH.

The most challenging tasks for the human resource department is attracting and recruiting suitable candidates for any position. Many possibilities may be employed in an attempt to attract the best in the market, and this may vary from the traditional methods to methods that were introduced with technology. These are;

When developing a job description, clearly indicate what the job entails Ensure the advert can easily be accessed from your organisation website and

that applications can be made through email Engage stakeholders on possibilities of referrals Engage employment agencies to help you attract the best talent in the market Put in your advertisement in local newspapers and other mainstream media Use social media to attract job seekers who need jobs Undertake applications within the shortest time possible You could conduct a telephone interview which precedes a personal for those

you may find qualified.

Keep focused on a few candidates that you think are more focused before you make a decision on who to hire.

HOW TO CONDUCT AN EMPLOYMENT INTERVIEW

It is common knowledge that interviewees usually have a hard time during interviews. However, it should also be noted that interviewers equally have a share of their challenges in respect to interviews. They have a task to ensure that they can pick the best candidate possible from those that turn up for the interviews. They can do this by asking questions that would elicit the best responses. To conduct an effective interview, you should be able to do the following;

Research about the candidate – before starting an interview, it is prudent that you perform a background check on the applicants to be interviewed before the interview. This can best be done by reviewing their resumes correctly and formulating proper questions. You may go further and search for Google and social media to find out if the candidate will fit the job position.

Understand the position and what it takes – there is nothing complicated like interviewing a candidate for a position that he knows better than you. Therefore, it is important that the interviewer undertakes proper research on the position and all the relevant skills required for the job.

Get the candidate to understand what is expected of them – it is disappointing to recruit candidates who are not prepared. You may be required to send candidates details on email. The information you may send could include the dress code, documents to carry, a few interview tips, among many others.

Try to calm the candidate – it is the role of the interviewer to ensure that the interviewee can relax and give a proper response because when they are nervous, they will give appropriate answers to questions. This can be done by asking none work related issues like how they day has been.

Limit questions you ask during the interview – it is important to limit the interview questions so as to give them an opportunity to respond to the questions adequately. Human Resource practitioners advise that you should not ask more than six questions in thirty minutes.

Afford the candidate an opportunity to express themselves – it is advisable that you ask open-ended questions so as to enable the candidate to respond to the questions. This makes them understand that you honestly have an interest in them.

TOOLS FOR EVALUATING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE

It is important for the organisation to ensure their employees are motivated and they can easily be held accountable for their actions. Performance evaluation is a critical process in making employees what is expected of them and what the management thinks about their actual performance. Therefore, conducting proper employee appraisal is essential in aiding both the employees and management reach their goals.

Set job standards – when you hire new employees, it is important to establish new standards for the first day.

Document all employee accomplishments to ensure that they prove an audit trail of all activities they have engaged in.

You could develop formal appraisal tools in appraising your employees. These forms are designed for people who are not human resource practitioners.

Performance plan – this is an important tool in the evaluation process. This can be done by sharing with employees the organisational plans and timetables.

HOW TO DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE EMPLOYEE TRAINING PROGRAM

There are many factors which come into play when seeking to develop a workforce that is effective. One of the methods is developing a good training program. Below are tips for developing a robust training program. These factors are;

Identify goals – depending on the industry that you operate it; it is important to define your goals for you to be able to develop proper training goals.

Acquire the necessary resources for training – some organisations could have the resources ready for them. However, for most organisations, there is a need to obtain the support from vendors who offer the sources.

Create a training schedule – the training could take a few days depending on the complexity of the training. You would create a program to ensure that all employees receive the training.

Find a qualified trainer – to ensure the training is successful, ensure that you get a qualified trainer to train the team. You may decide to get a trainer internally if or contract an outside trainer.

Communicate effectively – to ensure that you are in a position run the training well; you are required to undertake proper communication to the team with the aim of handling employee expectations.

Track training progress – you are encouraged to break down the program into parts so that you can easily monitor how the training is being implemented.

Encourage feedback on training – once the program has been completed, the human resource department should organise a session to review the training and determine if it attained the goals. Proper training is one of the surest ways of ensuring that employees are well prepared for success. You would expect to have a more cohesive team if they are equipped and empowered to carry out their work. Some of the incentives that may be realised as a result of proper training could include increased sales, excellent organisational culture and higher employee productivity.

PROVISION OF ADEQUATE FEEDBACK AND PERFORMANCE EVALUATION PROCESSES AND PROCEDURES WHICH WILL IMPROVE INDIVIDUAL AND CORPORATE PERFORMANCE

To obtain feedback on training, it is important to provide questionnaires which would be useful in capturing feedback. Often, it may be suggested that employees maintain anonymity by not giving their names on the forms. They would ensure they provide information they would otherwise fear to offer.

There is a symbiotic relationship between the employees and the organisation. The entire process starts by the organisation attracting the best employees and empowering them through proper training. On their part, employees are obliged to ensure they provide the best services to employees since all the necessary tool will be availed to them.

REFERENCES

Evers, F. T., Rush, J. C., Berdrow, I., Useem, M., Evers, & Evers, I. B. (1998). The Bases of Competence: Skills for lifelong learning and employability. San Francisco, CA: Jossey- Bass Inc., U.S.Grant, P. C. (1989). Multiple use job descriptions: A guide to analysis, preparation, and applications for human resources managers. New York: Quorum Books.