RECRUIT, SELECT AND INDUCT STAFF CANDIDATE RESOURCE WITH SIMULATED ONLINE BUSINESS ASSESSMENT BSBHRM402A

Transcription

1 RECRUIT, SELECT AND INDUCT STAFF CANDIDATE RESOURCE WITH SIMULATED ONLINE BUSINESS ASSESSMENT BSBHRM402A

2 Precision Group (Australia) Pty Ltd 9 Koppen Tce, Cairns, QLD, info@precisiongroup.com.au Website: BSBHRM402A Recruit, Select and Induct Staff ISBN: Copyright Notice No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying or recording, or by an information retrieval system without written permission from Precision Group (Australia) Pty Ltd. Legal action may be taken against any person who infringes their copyright through unauthorised copying. These terms are subject to the conditions prescribed under the Australian Copyright Act Copying for Educational Purposes The Australian Copyright Act 1968 allows 10% of this book to be copied by any educational institute for educational purposes, provided that the institute (or the body that administers it) has given a remuneration notice to the Copyright Agency Limited (CAL) under the Act. For more information, info@copyright. com.au or visit for other contact details. Disclaimer Precision Group has made a great effort to ensure that this material is free from error or omissions. However, you should conduct your own enquiries and seek professional advice before relying on any fact, statement or matter contained in this book. Precision Group (Australia) Pty Ltd is not responsible for any injury, loss or damage as a result of material included or omitted from this material. Information in this course material is current at the time of publication.

3 Table of Contents 2 Legend 3 Qualification Pathways 4 Qualification Rules 5 Introduction 7 BSBHRM402A/01 Determine Job Descriptions Key Points Clarify time lines and requirement for appointment Assist with preparation of job descriptions which accurately reflect the role requirements in accordance with organisational procedures and legislation, codes and national standards and occupational health and safety (OHS) considerations Consult with relevant personnel about job descriptions Ensure that job descriptions do not contravene legislative requirements Obtain approvals to advertise position 19 True or False Quiz 21 BSBHRM402A/02 Plan for Selection Key Points Advertise vacancies for staffing requirements in accordance with organisational policies and procedures Consult with relevant personnel to convene selection panel and to develop interview questions Short list applicants Ensure that interview questions do not breach legislative requirements Schedule interviews and advise relevant personnel of times, dates and venues 37 True or False Quiz 39 BSBHRM402A/03 Assess and Select Applicants Key Points Participate in interview process and assess candidates against agreed selection criteria Discuss assessment with other selection panel members Correct any biases or deviations from agreed procedures and negotiate for preferred candidate Contact referees for referee reports Prepare selection report and make recommendations to senior personnel for appointment Advise unsuccessful candidates of outcomes and respond to any queries Complete all necessary documentation in accordance with organisational procedures Secure agreement of preferred candidate 49 True or False Quiz 1

4 51 BSBHRM402A/04 Appoint and Induct Successful Candidate Key Points Provide successful candidate with employment contract and other documentation Advise managers and staff of starting date and make necessary administrative arrangements for pay and employee record keeping Advise manager and work team of new appointment Arrange induction in accordance with organisational policy 55 True or False Quiz 56 Summary 57 Bibliography 59 Assessment Pack Use considered risk taking in your grey area...and others will follow you! Legend This symbol indicates the beginning of new content. The bold title matches the content of the competency and they will help you to find the section to reference for your assessment activities. Activity: Whenever you see this symbol, there is an activity to carry out which has been designed to help reinforce the learning about the topic and take some action. This symbol is used at the end of a section to indicate the summary key points of the previous section. This symbol is used to indicate an answer to the Candidate s questions or notes to assist the Facilitator. 2

5 Qualification Pathways There are always two choices. Two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it s easy. Source Unknown This unit of competency is provided to meet the requirements of BSB07 Business Services Training Package although it can be used in a range of different qualifications. The BSB07 Business Services Training Package does not state how a qualification is to be achieved. Rather, Registered Training Organisations are required to use the qualification rules to ensure the needs of the learner and business customer are met. This is to be achieved through the development of effective learning programs delivered in an order that meets the stated needs of nominated Candidates and business customers. 3

6 Qualification Rules You re either part of the solution or part of the problem. Eldridge Cleaver Qualification requirements include core and elective units. The unit mix is determined by specific unit of competency requirements which are stated in the qualification description. Registered Training Organisations then work with learners and business customers to select elective units relevant to the work outcome, local industry requirements and the qualification level. All vocational education qualifications must lead to a work outcome. BSB07 Business Services Training Package qualifications allow for Registered Training Organisations (RTOs) to vary programs to meet: Specific needs of a business or group of businesses. Skill needs of a locality or a particular industry application of business skills. Maximum employability of a group of students or an individual. When packaging a qualification elective units are to be selected from an equivalent level qualification unless otherwise stated. 4

7 Introduction Whether as an individual, or as part of a group, real progress depends on entering whole-heartedly into the process and being motivated to make you a more deeply satisfied human being. Source Unknown This unit of competency is about overall planning of personnel recruitment, writing job descriptions, and recruiting and selecting staff. This role may be carried out by the manager or the task may be delegated to others. This manual is broken up into four distinct sections. They are: Determine job descriptions Plan for selection Assess and select applicants Appoint and induct successful candidate At the conclusion of this training you will be asked to complete an Assessment Pack. The information contained in this resource will assist you to complete this task. On completion of this unit of competency you will have demonstrated your ability to write job descriptions, and recruit, select and induct staff. 5

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9 PART 1: Determine Job Descriptions Key Points Section 1 Begin by assessing what competencies, skills and capabilities will be required by your organisation. This can be accomplished through looking at the positions within the organisation and determining what skills are needed to meet those needs. Consult with supervisors, team leaders and frontline staff to understand their experiences. Check results sheets, quality records and outputs to gain greater clarity as to whether hiring more staff will rectify the current situation. Job descriptions and person specifications allow you to ensure that you will make correct selection decisions by allowing you to describe exactly what it is you are looking for in an employee. Job advertisements should be placed in media that will allow you to get the maximum number of qualified respondents. 7

10 Who Do We Need? The first stage of determining the human resource requirements for any organisation (whether it is a small business or a multinational corporation) is to assess the requirements of the position so you are able to determine the competence, skills and capabilities of your existing staff. This can often be achieved by creating a three column table, which you can fill in. Components: List all the job components in one column. You may find it useful to list these in decreasing level of importance, for example the most critical component should be listed first, and the less important components listed below that. This will allow you to ensure that those job-critical components are dealt with first. The second column is where you match the attributes with the components. You will need to put some thought into this task. The more detail you are able to provide the easier the next step will be. Your job analysis interviews and direct observation will also be of assistance here (as well as work participation if you used this method). We will discuss these techniques in a later section, as the questions you asked of the individuals should have provided some links between their skills, knowledge and attributes with the tasks they perform. Each of the types of requirements will be discussed in detail below. Skills: Skills are generally the easiest requirements to attach to job components, as they can be directly attributed to the ability to perform a certain task. For example if your staff don t have skills in negotiation, and the job component involves negotiation, this component cannot be performed to the required standard. Knowledge: Knowledge cannot be easily seen during a direct observation session, so it is more difficult to match knowledge with a particular task which needs to be performed. But during your job analysis you will have prepared a list of the requisite knowledge required - and in most cases, when looking through the job components, there are obvious matches (for example a knowledge of consumer protection legislation is required for a job component such as solve problems of customers ). Others may not be so obvious, but attempt to find all of the knowledge required for each critical job component. Personal Attributes: These are the most difficult requirements to attach to specific components. There is a need to attach required standards of performance to each job to make it easier to attach personal attributes to its components. Often the ability to perform a task well is due to personal attributes such as ability to work in a team, attention to detail, or empathy with people. You will need to think about just what requirements are necessary, as often these are not obvious. It is at this stage you may also find that there are requirements that you had not thought of previously. Add all these into your table, to get the best view of all of the requirements necessary for the successful completion of the tasks. The final column in your table should give a general indication of the level of performance required in each job component. This is important in that it gives you some measure of what ability is required to show the necessary competence. It may be as simple as stating whether the individual is: 8

11 Introduced: The employee is aware of its existence. Learner: The employee can perform the task, with guidance from another person or reference to procedures. Competent: The employee can competently perform the task. Expert: The employee can competently perform the task and train others. This will assist both in developing the level of competencies required in the next section, and also when evaluating your staff as to whether or not they meet the requirements for the position, when evaluating the training gap. Once you have set out exactly what is required of your staff in terms of the key competencies they will have to undertake to complete a task, you are able to assess how well your staff, and yourself, are able to meet those competencies. As we determined above, you are looking for any gaps in competency between actual and required performance and knowledge. These gaps within your organisation will need to be filled either through training or by employing individuals to fill those particular roles. Once you have established the required skills, competencies and capabilities of your current staff, begin to analyse your actual staff s abilities, skills and competencies. Training records, skill assessments and the like should provide you with enough information to begin this task. One useful means of presenting this data is in a table. One column could represent the required skills, the next column you could use to list actual competencies. List these by the name of the individuals concerned and the level of their skills. When listing the individuals who have a given competency or capability it is important to determine whether the level of their skill meets with the required level. Are they an expert, is an expert required? A final column could be used as a means of listing where your organisation has the required level of human resources, and where there are skill gaps that need to be filled. You may also briefly mention whether the skill gaps will be best filled through training or through recruitment. Generally recruitment should only be used if the skill gap is wide enough to require a new person to enter the organisation and if budgetary resources allow for it. If the skill gap is small, training may be used to eliminate any skill gaps that exist. This can be determined by speaking with supervisors, team leaders and the frontline staff themselves. Gaining an understanding of the experiences and knowledge of others in the team can provide valuable insights into whether a perceived shortage of manpower is a reality or whether better resources, systems or training can fill the gap. Check results sheets, quality records and outputs. These will all provide greater clarity as to whether hiring more staff will rectify the current situation. Once you have done so, you can then put the figures and comments together into a report to support your request for hiring more personnel. 9

12 Activity One - Clarifying the Critical Roles of Each Team Member The objective of this Activity is to: 1. Identify the critical roles of our jobs. 2. Allow all team members to reflect and comment on the critical roles of their colleagues. Preparation 1. Provide a sheet of flip chart paper and four coloured markers for each participant (red, blue, black, and green). 2. Tear off two-inch strips of masking tape and place the tape on the walls of the room, two strips for each participant. Learning Activity 1. Request that all team members create a flip chart display with their names at the top and a list of their individual roles and responsibilities. Allow approximately 10 minutes for creating these displays. 2. After all team members have finished their flip chart displays, have them hang the displays up around the training room. 3. Ask team members to circulate, silently reading the roles and responsibilities on each chart. Ask them to make notes directly on the displays, adding constructive comments, raising questions, adding ideas and suggestions. Allow approximately 10 to 15 minutes for team members to circulate and make comments. 4. Following this round of activity, have the team members discuss their respective roles and adjust their personal job description. Allow approximately 10 to 20 minutes for this discussion. 5. Ask team members to reflect on their experience in examining critical job roles and personal job descriptions. Approximate Time minutes. 10

13 Identifying the Specifications Over time, a particular role within an organisation may change, due to new technologies, or restructuring of the organisation. This means that a job description may need to be altered in order to best reflect the current position. As mentioned in the previous section, one of the initial stages of the recruitment process is to analyse the job that you are attempting to fill. Once the job analysis has been completed you need to consider whether the nature of the job has changed, or could change; the person appointed may need to have different qualifications, experience or potential in comparison to their predecessor. If there is a need to alter the job description it should be modified to reflect the information obtained during the job analysis. You may find that very little needs to be altered, but you may also find significant changes need to be made to the various sections. The aim of the job description is to describe the main tasks, duties and responsibilities of a job, therefore a job description should be short and straightforward. The information that you should detail in a job description includes: the job objective (purpose of the job), the training and skills required, and special demands made by the job (physical demands, working conditions, travel etc). The job description is written to tell: What is done in this job: using action verbs to indicate exactly what jobs will be performed? How the job is done? Why it is done: what is the objective or purpose of the position? What is the freedom to act - that is, what freedom does the incumbent have to make decisions on their own? When writing a job description, be sure to include all of the following information: Date of writing: Your job descriptions must be continually updated. The process allows you to ensure that any changes in the job are accurately reflected by the job description. You may find it useful to update descriptions after performance appraisals and when you are hiring a new staff member. By dating the description, you can be sure you are always using the latest job description. Type of position: briefly describe whether the job is paid a salary or whether it is an hourly position. You also need to outline the hours worked, and whether the position is permanent or not. Job title: This simply states what the actual job title is. When writing a job title, be sure to ensure that it reflects the actual job being undertaken. Try to avoid any title that may over inflate the actual work being undertaken. Summary of position: Summary of position. Here you need to provide a brief overview of what the job actually entails. At this stage, you just need to overview the key duties, as more detail will be provided later. Essentially you are looking to describe the main functions undertaken by the individual in the job. 11

14 More details on duties: Here you will take your summary and provide more detail on each of the duties. This should identify the key duties and separate them from the other duties that may be undertaken. Skills: Next, list down each of the skills that an individual will need to undertake the duties required by the position. Ranking duties: You may find it quite useful to take the duties required by a given position and rank them in order of importance. This can be very useful in the recruitment process as you can then determine what skills are most important for the position and use this to identify those individuals most suited to the job. Quantity of duties: Each duty that you write down should have an indication of how often it is performed. For example if a position requires financial reporting, indicate how often this needs to be done for example is it monthly or quarterly. Work environment: Where the position is done also needs to be stated will the individual be working in harsh environments, on-site or off-site? By providing this sort of detail, you give the candidate an opportunity to better understand the position and what is required by working in it. There are some things that you should not include in a job description. This includes: Not including too many duties don t state everything that needs to be done, particularly if it is not vital to the position in question, but rather is more general in nature. Don t mention too much about the person in your job description. The job description is aimed at attempting to build a picture of the job itself, not the sort of person that you want to fill it. It is the job of the person specification to outline the type of person that you wish to employ into a given position. It can be used to quickly eliminate unsuitable applicants by giving guidance into the type of person that you are looking for. The person specification aims to provide a list of essential criteria that an individual undertaking a given job must have in order to do the job effectively. It does this by providing criteria by which applications can be evaluated. The criteria that you provide in this document must be objective don t list things that are not relevant to the job or which rely on the interpretation of the interviewer to gauge. The person specification should allow you to compare one applicant to another to determine which is more suitable for a given position. Your specification may outline: Qualifications: List the minimum qualifications that an applicant must have in order to successfully undertake the position. This is particularly important where certification or registration is required for the position. Be specific with what you provide here. Experience: Look at the type or length of previous experience that is required. State the type of experience in terms of level is managerial experience required, supervisory experience? Etc. Saying relevant experience is too subjective to be useful. Knowledge Base: Consider the type of knowledge that may be required. This can be considered by examining the types of task that the current position holder is required to undertake. 12

15 Personal Attributes: Look at what sort of personal attributes you are looking for. Some key attributes may be: friendly, well organised, honest. Other Requirements: Some aspects of the position may not fit well under any other section, so should be listed at the end. You might look at requirements to lift heavy boxes, work shift hours, and other associated requirements. Essentially the person specification aims to evaluate those applications you receive and quickly sort out unsuitable applications. To ensure you can do this, make sure that you: Keep the person specification related solely to the position. Clearly link the position to the person specification. List what the individual must possess in order to be able to do the job. Keep the criteria very clear, so that the assessor does not have to interpret what you are saying to make their decision. It should be clear and a black or white decision. The criteria you use must be able to be assessed objectively and be realistic for the position you are examining. Look to weight the criteria, so that the individual assessing applications knows what is most important and which aspects are not so important. This can allow the correct decision to be made on those points which are most important. Hard work spotlights the character of people: some turn up their sleeves, some turn up their noses, and some don t turn up at all. Sam Ewig 13

16 Being Fair The selection criteria that have been developed should be the basis on which the recruitment and selection decision is made. These should be as objective as possible. When writing these documents, be sure that anything you include is relevant to the position being advertised. Try to avoid anything which strictly speaking is not a job requirement. The Human Rights Act covers a range of areas upon which you may not discriminate. It states that it is unlawful in employment to discriminate on the grounds of: Sex, Marital status, Religious beliefs, 14

17 Ethical beliefs, Colour, Race, Ethnic or national origin, Disability, Age, Political opinion, Employment status, Family status, and Sexual orientation. You should carefully examine each selection criterion you have written to establish whether it mentions any of these areas. In short, when examining your selection criteria you need to ask yourself: Is that truly a requirement of this job? If it is not, the criterion is not appropriate. The selection decision is ultimately based on the candidate s ability to do the job, not their sex, race, age or any other attribute such as those. When planning to recruit staff, it may be advantageous to look for internal candidates, or candidates for the position from within the company. This method of recruitment has the advantage of the candidates already knowing the company and its procedures well. One useful method of internal recruitment involves advertising the position internally through the company newsletter or noticeboards subsequent to advertising it publicly. In doing this, those individuals who feel they are suited to the role may come forward. You may also have internal candidates that stand out as being obviously suited to the role. In establishing whether internal candidates are suitable, your human resources records should come in useful. Finally, speak with your human resources department or advisor to ensure the section criteria meets the team, organisational and legal requirements. 15

18 Activity Two - Creating a job description Using the following model, discuss with your Facilitator the various ideas. Discuss why they would be useful or how they could be made useful in your business. General Duties Training Position Description The Position This is a statement comprising a few sentences which describe the overall purpose of the position. It describes what the position occupant is responsible for, and briefly, what they need to do to achieve this and how they do it, eg: WHO: The Manager, Records Section. WHAT: Is responsible for ensuring the institution s records are collected, stored and retrievable by customers. HOW: By supervising staff and unit activities, recommending policies and implementing them as required. When reviewing or documenting this section, ask the following questions: What is the main purpose or purposes of the position? What is the position mainly required to produce or do? How can the position be described briefly and clearly to others? This information can be used in job advertisements, selection interviews, training needs analyses, in any phase of the Staff Development and Performance Planning Program, and in classification reviews. Selection Criteria Clear criteria which directly relate to the duties of the position should be included in the position description, as this makes selection fairer and easier. The criteria should be separated into essential and desirable. In addition to qualifications and skills, the experience and personal attributes necessary to work, learn and grow in the Organisation s environment, should be specified. Excellent selection criteria provide the Selection Committee with a structure for the selection process, and an objective set of pre-established standards against which to rate applicants (rather than rating one against the other). They will also provide the applicant with an overview of the Organisation s expectations and trends, the criteria to self select, and the opportunity to make the best possible application. Essential criteria: Provide a common standard for all applicants; Provide a disciplined structure for assessing applicants; Minimise the possibility of irrelevant matters being taken into account; 16

19 Activity Two - Creating a job description Remove the possibility that the interviewers make assumptions or guess about candidates skills and abilities; and Minimise the possibility of organisational policy or equal opportunity legislation being contravened. When listing the formal qualifications that are required to meet the basic requirements of the job the following definitions of qualifications may be useful: Year 12: completion of year 12 at secondary school. Trade certificate: completion of an apprenticeship, normally of four years duration, or equivalent recognition. Post-trade certificate: a course of study over and above a trade certificate and less than an advanced certificate. Advanced certificate: a two year part time post-year 12 or post trade certificate course, or a four year part time course. Certificate: a two year full time or four year part time course, without a year 12 prerequisite. Associate diploma: a two year full time or four year part time course with a year 12 prerequisite. Degree: a recognised degree from a tertiary institution, often completed in three or four years, and sometimes combined with a one year diploma. Postgraduate degree: a recognised postgraduate degree, over and above a degree as defined above. The above definitions also include equivalent recognised overseas qualifications. Special Requirements List any special requirements of the position, eg, use of chemicals, veterinary precautions with animals, VDU screens, or the need for a driver s licence etc. This information may be useful when the job is advertised. Key Responsibilities of the Position In this part of the document, six or seven key responsibilities are described. These responsibilities should reflect the main focus of the position, and the outcomes or results that each produces. This is not an exhaustive list of duties. Just include the responsibilities that, if achieved, will indicate that a good job has been done. If the incumbent is not directly responsible for producing final results, describe how he or she contributes to results. Key responsibilities should be written in such a way that the outcomes or results for which the incumbent is responsible are clearly identified, and distinguished from the outcomes to which the incumbent makes a contribution only. The two key verbs which help make this distinction are, Ensure and Contribute. 17

20 Activity Two - Creating a job description When reviewing or documenting this section, ask the following questions: What are the main things that have to be produced or achieved? What is the position principally responsible for, and why? How does the position contribute to results? Who are the customers - in the work unit/department, or outside it? Job Complexity, Skills and Knowledge Level of supervision Keeping the key responsibilities clearly in mind, the position as a whole is then described under each of these headings: Level of supervision, independence Problem solving, judgement Organisational knowledge Management of resources The breadth of the position To what extent is the incumbent guided in their duties? Supervision may be close, routine, general or broad. Think about: What is the level of supervision required? How independent is the incumbent? What decisions are taken in relation to key responsibilities without referring to the supervisor? What decisions must be referred or recommended to the supervisor? Problem solving and judgement This is the process of defining the most appropriate course of action in circumstances where there are possible alternatives. Think about: What are the common problems to be solved? What are the more complex problems the incumbent is expected to take responsibility for solving? What problem does the incumbent help others find solutions for? Does the incumbent largely apply procedures, a body of technical knowledge or is he or she required to be innovative? 18

21 Section 1 - True or False Quiz Please tick True False Skills are difficult to attach to job components. Recruitment is always the best solution to fill gaps. Training records and skill assessments are of no use when considering recruitment. In assessing the requirements of an organisation, you are able to determine the competence, skills and capabilities of your existing staff. The recruitment strategies you decide to employ should be guided by the information you require to make the selection decision. Psychological testing is a suitable method to employ for low level positions. If a section of your advertisement states all applicants must be female you are not employing the principles of EEO. The internet is a useful tool, as its use in job hunting is now widespread. 19