Nike Inc. is a listed American sportswear and equipment manufacturer with its head offices in Oregon City. It is the leading world’s supplier of athletic shoes and apparel and major manufacturer of sport equipment. To Nike “diversity is not just the right thing to do, it is the smart thing." Worldwide, Nike Inc. had more than 30,000 employees as of 2008 (Nike, 91).
Essentially, Nike recruitment policies allow the in-house staff to view job openings on the internal web and apply directly to the SSC center electronically. The SSC ActiveRecruiter software from there handles the entire application process. At the same time the recruiter will search the “future interest” database for already registered potential candidates with the job profile details and interviews are schedule (Human Resource Management International Digest, 2005, 33).
Internal and external applicants are subjected to similar recruitment processes except for managerial positions, and other occasionally occurring promotions (Bloomberg Business week website).
Although Nike has no official data of proportions of promotions with in Nike, their policy on recruitments, retention of contractual and intern staff, and promotions of the current staff are based on employee work experiences, leadership, and performance (Bloomberg Business week website)
In recruiting, Nike use computer-assisted interviewing. The computer interviews identify applicants who have been in service customer surroundings, with zeal for sports and would make better Nike customer-service diplomats. The computer interview is followed by oral interviews for the selected candidates (Murphy, & Mathew, 3).
Skills tests (e.g. presentations) related to the position roles are administered on the selected candidates. Candidates are usually notified of the details of any skills test when they are invited for interview. The choice of appointee will be determined by the majority view of the interviewers or test performance evaluated by the administering panel.
Nike recruitment and Human resource policies aims increasing diversity of representation in leadership and high visibility roles. Hoover 2009 reported that according to the 2008 Nike Human Resource audit, the company saw more women promoted to account for 29 percent of senior management. Women accounted for 40 percent of the managers and supervisors in 2008.
The department of human resources constantly reviews the balance of ethnicity in the entire workforces within the United States Nike offices. As at 2008, the Diversity of inclusion report reported that in the company managerial positions, Caucasians predominated with 85 percent of senior management; 76 percent when the pool is expanded to include managers and supervisors. The remaining proportions are represented by African-Americans, Hispanics, Asia and Pacific Islanders, and Native Americans. All though there is documented evidence of difficulties administering interviews dues to language, Yuling Pan conceded that there are limitations related to language and translation issue in interview processes (pp 4862-4863).
According to Business Week, Nike does not employee staff on contracts except for internships programs. The internship employment is a new talent search strategy for the company.
As at 2008, the percentage of individuals over age 65 at Nike had significantly dropped to less than 30 percent. The average age of employees was 21 year in 2007 and 23.5 years in 2008. The company does not have the latest data of age profiles of all the staff. The company does not have a military policy.
In 2008, employee retention rate at Nike was at 7%, two-thirds lower than industry average of 11%. The average length of employment is 3 years. Employee Turnover was averaged 25% and though no quantified information of hiring costs, the cost to replace staff is reported to be exorbitantly high.
An anonymous survey was conducted on the staff indicated that the major causes of the high employee turnover are Employees in search of better paying jobs with more benefits. Other leaving employee do so due to limited direct opportunities for promotion opportunities at Nike.
The company has been working on employee retention strategy, which included opening up avenues for direct growth in the company.
Most job advertisements are done the company website. The reason for this is that only people who are interested with company are targeted.
The Interviewing process involves standardized procedures for specific level of positions. Junior positions involve use of structured questions, which are posted on the company website. Candidates attempt the questions to qualify for oral interviews and later presentation tests. Interviews are conducted by panels composed of member from the relevant department the position fall under, and representative from the Human Resource unit. As for senior positions, a recruitment agency is involved.
Possible changes in the Nike hiring process
The process of hiring in the company is a time consuming exercise. All the ActiveRecruiter Software installed in 2008 increased efficiency and transparency in the process, the much to e done to improve the process further.
Works cited
(Anonymous) 2005. E-recruitment gets the Nike tick of approval: System frees HR staff to
perform more consultancies. Human Resource Management International Digest, Vol. 13
Iss: 2 pp 33-35
Bloomberg Businessweek: http://www.businessweek.com/careers/bplc/2007/55.htm
Hoover reports, 2009. http://www.hoovers.com/company/NIKE_Inc/rcthci-1.html
Locke, Richard M., Fei Qin, & Alberto Brause. October 2007. Does monitoring improve labor
standards? Lessons from Nike Industrial and Labor Relations Review, Vol. 61, No. 1
Murphy, David F., & David Mathew. January 2001. Nike and Global Labour Practices: A case
study prepared for the New Academy of Business Innovation Network for Socially
Responsible Business.
Nike website: http://www.nikebiz.com/careers
Nike Inc. 2008. Nike Performance: A story of modest change FY 07-08 pp 91-107. Available at:
