MANAGEMENT
1.0 The company
1.1 The organization and Core Position
The ABC Success Facilitator company is non-governmental organization (NGO) that connects business owners or potential business owners with financial experts by offering workshops and other useful information. The clients are the business owners; they are not charged for the services provided. ABC Success Facilitator is funded through donations from some of the most successful global businesses.
1.2 Creating Person Specification and a Job Description
1.21 Analyse the Job Position to be filled
Weiss (2009) a business journalist for Forbes Online recommends that a manager preparing to hire a new assistant take time to evaluate some factors before typing up a brief job description and posting it. Her suggestions are very timely and well worth considering for a manager who is preparing to hire a new employee. Weiss (2009) suggests making a list of duties and she means all of the duties that the person filling the position is expected to do and to do well. The job posting should include any personal tasks the manager may expect to be done although most of the times do not remember to include them in job postings. A new employee can feel uncomfortable when they are asked to carry out tasks that were not in the job posting and are also of a personal nature. The tasks could include running errands for the manager (like picking up lunch or coffee) or organizing both professional and family trips through the company’s a travel agent.
1.42 Job Description creation
Creating a job description can be complicated. A manager needs to include the primary tasks the employee who fills the job is required to carry out. The primary tasks need to be separated from the secondary tasks or the job description will be too long to catch anyone’s interest. The person looking for a job should know the following information after reading the job description. (a) Job Title, (b) Supervisor, (c) Job’s purpose, (d) Major duties, (e) Necessary experience, (f) Salary and (g) Working conditions. (Foot and Hook, 2008, p. 149)
There are secondary talents and/or skills that are important to fill the job description. If a great candidate is found that does not have the secondary skills they can always be trained. If this happens it should be someone that shows a desire to pursue an professional career in the ABC Success Facilitator company. The candidate needs to be proficient with Microsoft applications (Word, Excel, Office and others). They will also need to have experience using PhotoShop. Knowledge in social media should be more than superficial. Twitter, Facebook and PinInterest are only three examples of the variety of social media appropriate to promote the financial service provided by ABC Success Facilitator. For example it will be necessary to have a Facebook page so that events and other information will be added and updated as needed. Al the social media used will require being kept up-to-date and timely. ABC works on two continents so the candidate needs to show a high comfort with intercultural communications. This could be demonstrated by having studied in a foreign country. They must also show a comfort level with conversational speaking in at least one language different form their native language. The job needs someone with experience in putting together media kits. A final thought, an eye for details may not be something that can be taught. It is best to hire a candidate with a natural tendency to take care of details.
1.43 Writing a Person Specification
When writing a profile for the type of candidate you would like to fill the job LaBombard (2009) cautions “A common mistake is to develop a profile that identifies too many desired attributes.” In other words “Be realistic.” LaBombard (2009) explains that there can be three to four (at the most) specifications including previous employment and world experience. Good problem solving skills, professional development attitudes and accurate understanding of how their skills match the job can be evaluated during the interview. One more thing that LaBombard (2009) suggests if you like the candidate -promote the company because there is competition between businesses to find the best candidates.
4.43.1 Importance of Intercultural Communication Skills
Scollon and Wong-Scollon (1981) have researched intercultural contacts and they explain the importance of real communication, not only speaking the same language. “We want to be careful then not to think that understanding will be automatic just because two speakers do not differ greatly in grammar or vocabulary. Assumptions about the presentation of self and the distribution of talk in interethnic communication lie at the bottom of many communicative conflicts.” (Scollon and Wong-Scollon, 1981 cited in Carbaugh, 1990, p. 276)
2.0 The Recruitment and Selection Process
2.1 Planning a recruitment strategy
Baldoni (2009) who works at Right Management/Great Lakes suggests two strategies that can reveal very good candidates (a) use a consulting firm and (b) hire from within. If a manager is in the habit of posting the job on the company website and through recruitment sites then they may need throw a wider net to find the best candidate for the job from the pool of potential candidates. Baldoni (2009) has said emphatically that “consulting is brainpower, pure and simple,” and “They lead the way in recruiting good people.” (176) A good point to remember is “Recruitment is not enough; you have to retain your people.” (Baldoni, 2009)
There are several reasons retaining people within the company is a reasonable hiring strategy. Cost effectiveness for many companies is the main reason. LaBombard (2009) the CEO of GradStaff has written about the costs of trainee for an entry level job in small to medium sized banks. He includes in his calculations the costs for recruiting and training from filling the job position originally, the costs attributed to filling the new position, losses in productivity during the transition, and other administrate costs.“Say you hire ten trainees per year at an average salary of $40,000. Assuming a replacement cost of two times the annual salary, if you experience 30% turnover in the first year, your total cost to replace existing employees will be $240,000. At 50%, the replacement cost rises to $400,000.” (LaBombard, 2009, ABJ.com)
2.2. Recruitment Tools
The Human Resource Department (HRD) is asked to evaluate employees to locate an appropriate candidate in-house to fill the position. The next step would be to locate a recruitment firm through the HRD. Social media that has been established will include a post of the job description. If a recruitment firm is not used then websites for recruitment will be used.
2.3 Interview Questions
LaBombard (2009) lists four strategies that help evaluate a potential candidate’s personal characteristic during an interview. (a) Ask open ended questions. (b) Ask about how they solved a problem in the past. (c) Ask questions that will reveal the professional career plans of the candidate. (d) The candidate should be able to explain how the company and job are a good match with their skills.
3.0 Interview Questions
3.1 What qualities do you have will make you and this job a good fit?
The applicant will share what they think are their best qualities. They will also show whether they understand the job description.
3.2 What did you like most about our company’s website? What would you change on our website to make it more attractive?
A communications assistant should be able to evaluate the good and the bad things about a website. The answer will show if they have checked the website and if they are able to critique the presentation of the information on the website.
3.3 If more than one person gives you tasks all with same deadline how will you prioritize the tasks?
The answer to this question will provide important insight to how an applicant problem solves and what their inter-personal skills are like.
3.4 How you would you attract a person’s attention on the phone to promote our services?
This question is very important because the main purpose of the job is to sign up clients on the phone. The answer will show whether the applicant did any research about the company and if they thought about how they would handle the job.
3.5 Why do you say that you are an organized person, can you share an example or two?
The applicant should be able to offer one or two examples of their organizational skills that can carry over to the job. The answer will give some insight into their experience of filing, keeping track of phone numbers/addresses and accessing information.
3.6 Can you tell us about two events you have organized or helped organize?
The answer to this question will show the amount of experience they have had organizing events and whether they did it on their own or under supervision
3.7 Do you prefer working alone or in a group?
The job requires the employee to sit at their desk working alone and making contacts. The answer to this question will help evaluate whether or not they will be satisfied working alone the majority of the time.
3.8 What is your opinion of the service that ABC Success Facilitator offers?
The question is asking if the applicant did their homework and knows what the company does. It is also an opportunity for the applicant to show off any ideas they might have.
3.9 Can you give us an example of your experience with intercultural skills?
The ability of the applicant to describe their experience will show that they understand the meaning of ‘intercultural skills.’ The example will also demonstrate whether or not they are able to work with people from all over the world.
3.10 How would you handle clients that are difficult because they are rude or mean to you on the phone?
This question should allow the applicant to share some of their phone experience. It is also a way for the applicant to show how they work with difficult people.
4.0 Induction Process
An information brochure designed by the human relations department will be given to the new employee. The brochure is especially designed to give an detailed overview of the company, examples of past events and examples of the clients that are members. The Communications Director will show the new employee around on the first day and will work closely with him/her to train and to teach how to talk to the potential clients on the phone and on Skype. After the first day one 30 minute period a day will be scheduled between the Director and the new employee until the employee can handle the job alone.
5.0 References
Arthur, D., 2006. Recruiting, Interviewing, Selecting and Orienting New Employees. New York: AMACOM. Available through: Questia website
Baldoni, J., 2009. Lead by Example: 50 Ways Great Leaders Inspire Results. New York: AMACOM. . Available through: Questia website
Carbaugh, D. II-International Communication. In: Carbaugh, D. ed., 1990. Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, pp. 151-176. Available through: Questia website
Dunn, S. and Jasinski, D. The Role of New Hire Orientation Programs. Journal of Employment Counseling, 46(3) (2009): 115+. Available through: Questia website
Foot, M. and C. Hook. 2008. Introducing Human Resource Management 5th Ed. Essex, UK: Pearson Education Ltd.
LaBombard, R.J., 2009. Make Entry-Level Hiring an Asset: How to Reduce Turnover and Build a Great Bench for the Future Using Effective Recruiting. ABA Banking Journal 101(10), 42+. Available through: Questia website
Weiss, T., 2009 June 30. How to Hire A Great Assistant Forbes Online, Available from:
Scollon, R. And Wong-Scollon, S., Athabaskan-English Interethnic Communication. In: D. Carbaugh, ed. 1990. Cultural Communication and Intercultural Contact, Hillsdale, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Ch.18. Available through: Questia website
6.0 Appendices
6.1 Appendix A
The Person Specification for Communications Assistant, ABC Success Facilitator
A communication assistant should first and foremost demonstrate excellent communication skills. The person should present themselves in an attractive way. They should show they are professional but that they are also able to be friendly while at the same time retaining professional boundaries. Therefore good interpersonal skills are essential. The candidate should show that they have an open mind and they can adapt to other languages and cultures with little to no misunderstandings. A candidate with strong intercultural skills should show experience in handling circumstances’ in more than one region and country so they should have studied in a country other than their homeland or had some equal experience. They need to be able to speak one language other than their native language at a conversational level which should allow them to show a good degree of confidence. The right person for the job should be able to stay focused on a task and show attention to details. They must show initiative and good problem solving skills. Self motivation and a strong work ethic are desirable characteristics.
6.2 Appendix B
Job Description for the Communication Assistant, ABC Success Facilitator
Level of education: Master’s Degree. Languages: native language and at least one other language. Work conditions: shared office in new downtown office building, some travel Salary: $xxxx/month
