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Management
Systematic Selection
SRINIVASAN IYER impresses on the need for a structured and
scientific recruitment policy.
N ot all managers are trained on scientific selection techniques.
In fact, most perfect the art of recruitment through trial
and error. Every organisation has two choices. It can either
hire easy and manage tough or invest time and money to get
the right people on board the organisation.
Weizmann Forex Ltd is one organisation that has put in place
a structured process for recruitment and selection. It is
part of the Rs 7.5 billion Weizmann Group that has business
interests in textile manufacturing and exports, wind and hydropower
generation, money changing, international money transfer and
wealth management. The company has its registered office in
Mumbai and corporate office in Bengaluru with a network of
90 locations spread all over India.
Why a selection policy? Such a policy provides the guiding
principles for staff recruitment and selection. These procedures
apply to the recruitment and selection of all staff and are
designed to provide a clear and simple framework for effective
recruitment with maximum flexibility to meet the needs of
the company.
Weizmann is committed to the recruitment, selection, support
and retention of high quality staff that strengthens its capability
to achieve strategic and organisational goals. This is an
integral part of its organisational strategic plan. Recruitment
and selection for employment by the company is based on merit.
It is guided by principles that promote fair and equitable
practice and enhance the company’s ability to attract
the best possible candidates.
While deciding on the ‘merit’ of a candidate
for the role, the following parameters are considered:
• The person’s abilities, aptitude, skills, qualifications,
knowledge, experiences, achievements, personal qualities and
potential; and
• The duties and responsibilities and associated requirements
of the position.
Based on my 17 years of consulting experience, I feel there
are three key phases to the recruitment and selection process.
These are pre-recruitment, recruitment and selection, and
post-selection. Weizmann’s recruitment policy has been
developed specifically around these phases to enhance the
reliability and effectiveness of the recruitment process.
The recruitment policy manual of Weizmann clearly lists each
and every activity in the above three phases and also gives
the deadline by which it should be completed. For example,
the pre-recruitment stage should be completed within two weeks.
Due weight is given to business need analysis, budgetary constraints
and the department manpower plan in the pre-recruitment stage.
It is mandatory for every manager to make a manpower requisition
before he can initiate the recruitment process for his department.
The HR department does not consider any manpower request that
is not supplemented by a requisition. What I like about this
process is that hiring at Weizmann is now more planned and
is not a spontaneous reaction to business exigencies.
Job profiles are drawn up for every position before recruitment
commences. Line managers with practically no knowledge and
experience in HR are now able to appropriately brief HR about
their requirements, thanks to the job profiles. The HR manager
uses the job profiles to give an accurate description to placement
agencies about the position vacant and the knowledge, skills
and attitudes needed for the role. Job profiles also help
the company in campus placements and newspaper advertisements.
The recruitment phase does not automatically follow the pre-recruitment
phase. Not all positions are filled up externally. Preference
is first given to filling the vacant positions internally
through a structured re-deployment and internal transfer policy.
Another significant aspect of Weizmann’s recruitment
policy is the ‘contingency plan’. Every manager
is required to draw up a contingency plan to manage operational
activity in the event that a suitable candidate is not available.
This plan needs to be developed prior to recruitment activity.
The recruitment policy manual lays down clear guidelines
for the composition of the selection panel, its roles, how
to develop standards for evaluation of candidates, and how
to settle differences between the selection panel.
Weizmann operates in several states of the country and has
numerous branches in most towns and cities of India. Hence
hiring is largely local. This calls for considerable decentralisation
of recruitment and selection. Reference checks are critical
and the recruitment policy manual outlines how to conduct
them effectively. Templates and checklists provided in the
manual aid managers in asking the right questions during reference
checks and minimising the possibility of misinformation by
candidates.
Weizmann follows the competency based ‘behavioural
event interviewing’ model. Although behavioural interviewing
is more time-consuming than traditional interviewing techniques,
it is a better predictor of a person’s ultimate success
on the job. Behavioural interviews are based on the premise
that past behaviour predicts future behaviour. This comprehensive
process uses carefully structured, in-depth questions to gather
and evaluate information on a candidate’s experience
and skills. This technique helps predict employee performance
and reduce subjectivity when making a selection.
The recruitment policy manual defines the six steps of developing
the behavioural event interview and details probing and candidate
assessment techniques. Weizmann also uses ‘work tests’.
In behavioural simulations, you get to observe actual behaviours
or, in some cases, the result of that behaviour. A candidate’s
performance in a work test or assessment makes it possible
for the company to compare the candidate against the agreed
performance standards.
The ‘post-selection’ phase of the manual is devoted
to tips on how to make a good offer and communication with
the candidates after the interview. The manual goes beyond
hiring and selection to providing effective guidelines for
induction and orientation of new candidates.
Weizmann’s recruitment policy manual is about 40 pages
long. It is exhaustive and includes guidelines, templates
and ready-to-use checklists. I have highlighted only the key
aspects in this article. Weizmann is an example for other
companies to emulate. All it takes is the belief that the
cutting edge difference in today’s business for organisations
globally is not process or technology, but people. This belief,
complemented by an eye for details, can result in a structured,
scientific and objective recruitment policy.
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