Recruitment and Selection at NEXT

There are several tasks involved in recruitment and selection, the reason for this is that an organization hires the most effective person to carry the job to get the best result. This recruitment and selection task is based on the Sales Manager position at NEXT. The main tasks are explained in the report, their purpose and importance are appended at the end of this report and will be referred, easier to understand and write the documents more clearly as easily to know about some of the tasks carried out by the manager.

It is important to implement an effective recruitment to select high- skilled candidates. Recruitment differs from selection practices in the way that selection practices involve looking at a candidate’s strengths and weaknesses, at the same time as recruitment attempts to attract high-skilled candidates by promoting a great place to work. The underlying principle is to recruit young professionals who will grow with the company and understand its directions.

It is the responsibility of the Department of Human Resources to ensure that the correct procedures are followed by the departmental manager in recruiting. People who are involved in the recruitment and selection of staff are expected to follow these procedures and to make sure that their actions are consistent with the principles of these procedures. Member’s of each appointing Committee should undertake training in recruitment and selection.

A LITTLE ABOUT NEXT:

Next Plc is a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 40,000 people across the UK, and increasingly in Europe. Head Office and Next Directory Contact Centres are based in Leicester in the East Midlands. Next have over 500 stores and numerous Distribution and Warehouse operations.

‪WHY RECRUIMENT IS TO BE CARRIED OUT:‬

Businesses recruit staff for a range of reasons.

The main reason which include will be the growth of the business, when Next grows in size it usually needs more people to succeed.

The next reason will be they require more staff when it gets busier for Christmas sales, So Next management would cover this by hiring temporary staff.

THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS :

In the recruitment process when an employee leaves the job it is not always the case that a replacement is required. A part time employee could replace the employee, or their work can be shared among the existing staff. The recruiter will have to take in account many things like cost of conducting the process. If it is decided for the need of an employee then a job description needs to be prepared. If a part time replacement is required then it may be possible to recruit an employee from inside the business.

Before recruitment the decision has to made whether recruitment is necessary or not. If yes, then recruitment preocess involves several steps

The Job description is prepared.

Personnel specification is prepared.

Plans are made on how and when to advertise.

Applicants are short-listed.

References are requested.

Candidates are invited for the interviews and selection tests.

The successful candidate is offered the job and signs the contract of employment.

Once the applicants who match the person specification, the next stage is to gather information on each applicant.

The main sources of information are:

‪Application forms‬

‪Curricula vitae

Interviews‬

Testing‬

‪Taking references.‬

‪Person specifications

‪Personal attributes and achievements‬

A person specification is those people who have the right qualities to fit the jobs offering. The personal attribute need to posses punctuality and smartness of appearance.

Another important part of qualification is the person specification is a good measure of prior learning. The idea of a qualification is to prepare you to do a particular job or activity. Next always consider the level of qualification required by a job holder. Someone with experience in carrying out a particular post has responsibilities should be able to draw experience in new situations. Competence implies that a person has sufficient knowledge or skill to carry out particular tasks or activities, should set out levels of competence required by a particular jobholder.

The purpose of recruitment is to get in and retain the best available human resources to meet the organization’s needs. First requirement is to define and set out what is involved in particular job analysis, which leads onto an outline job description used as an indicator for applicants for the job requirements. It is a guideline for an employee or line manager as to his or her role and responsibility. Job descriptions can be used by organizations to provide information on vacant advertisements. The job title is one of the most important parts of job descriptions it gives an indication of the job. The first thing job applicants will look for job title. e.g. in Next they call their telephonic a ‘customer services advisor’. By setting out a job description it would help the job applicant to get a clear picture of what is expected by the management.

Responsibilities for assets and materials: ‬

It is important to set out the range of physical assets and materials, the jobholder will be responsible for the efficient maintenance of resources. It is important for employees to be comfortable with the equipment.

Curriculum vitae (CV) is a document generally prepared by a job seeker. It serves a similar purpose to an application form.  It supplies details like Personal details, Education, Qualifications, Work experience, Interests. In addition it should also include two referees. They can get references from current employers.‬ It can also provide a pen picture of skills and prospective employer which includes

‪Letter of application

‪Rules to remember when writing an application letter

‪Use good English With accurate spelling‬

‪Keep the paragraphs short‬

Correct convention of addressing people should be followed e.g. a letter beginning ‘Dear Sir/Madam should be ended with ‘yours faithfully’. A letter beginning ‘Dear Mr  ‘ should end ‘Yours sincerely’‬.

The recruitment process is to attract person specification. The first task is to identify where the ideal people can be found. When Next needs to advertise for staff, it is important to think about the type of people it are trying to attract and the publications they read. However Next prefer energetic teenagers or very young because they could be an asset to them in the future. The disadvantages are that they would need more training than a person who has had experience in this kind of profession before. Employers are often cautious when writing references. There is no legal obligation to provide references on request, but most employers do. References must be accurate. Any false information, or any omissions that might cause a candidate to fail to be offered a job which he or she would have been offered had the correct information been given, may make a case for damages against the writer of the reference.‬

Once the need of new staff has been established then it is important that Next go through the recruitment process. There are a number of different reasons why an organization may require recruiting staff. The recruitment process can be costly, in terms of resources dedicated to the recruitment process and costs associated with recruiting poorly performing staff. It is important therefore to accurately select people for interview. Businesses need to be very clear about the requirements of the job and about the kind of person they are looking for.

Next understands the ways in which they do this through:

‪Identifying the strengths and weaknesses of job applications, curriculum Vitae and letters of application, ‪The preparation of personal specifications and job descriptions‬, Carefully planning how, where and when to advertise, Short-listing candidates.

There are advantages and disadvantages to recruiting within the company. It can cause considerable savings, as they people who already work in the firm will not need as much training as the know the organization. Having internal promotion can also give other employees within a firm the feeling of an incentive to work harder.

The disadvantages of recruiting within a firm are that you also have to replace the person who has been promoted. During expansion Next may need new staff for new job openings or even existing jobs. As the employees get older, hand in notices, or are dismissed and it is important that they employee is replaced.

·        ‪Internal promotion:‬

Internal candidates are considered for the vacancy for promotion, unless the vacancy is for that of a lower grade job. Next believes in the use of internal promotion. The benefits of internal recruitment are that the organization will attract much better candidates if they are seen to have a future career in the organization. The organization will not have to rely upon external references when they are choosing from internal applicants. They will still feel at least that there will be other career opportunities in the organization and that they will get promotion at a later stage. In all recruitment procedures, an organization needs to understand the contract of employment. The rights of employers and employees — the legal relationship between them. A contract is an agreement between two parties. The contract of employment sets out the basis on which the employee carries out the legitimate work of the employer in return for the payment of wages but a combination of both express and implied terms, and may be verbal as well as written.

Job description:

In this recruitment process the job description is a document that gives full details of the job that has to be filled. There are many reasons for the importance of this job description. Firstly, it informs potential applicants exactly what job they are applying for and what their key duties are, it enables the preparation of the personnel specification. Finally, the successful applicant knows exactly what his duties are and the employee knows what the employer expects. Job description should contain the following information

Number of staff.

Overall purposes of the job.

Specific tasks and responsibilities.

Working conditions.

Career prospects.

Training offered.

Job Title/Vacancy Reference

Sales Manager (Menswear Department)

N0005623

Location

NEXT Plc.

London Bond Street

321-331 Oxford Street

London

W1R2 1HA

Applicants must be eligible to work in the specified location.

Closing Date 20/08/2010

Salary £6.27 – £7.17 p/h

Standard Hours 38.5 hours (Full Time)

Job grade.

Reports to.

Benefits

In addition to a competitive salary the benefits shown below are typically offered for a job at this level. The exact benefits an individual is entitled to will vary depending on their competency level and/or contract type, therefore some or all of the benefits may not apply.

Bonus Scheme

Healthcare Scheme

Life Assurance

Pension Scheme

Savings Related Share Option Scheme

Staff Discount

Uniform Allowance

Providing Customer Service:

To work as part of the sales team in order to provide excellent customer service through providing and continuously developing their product knowledge. Understanding customer care and high levels of customer service both on the sales floor and till points. Replenishing stock and maintaining high standards of merchandising and housekeeping. Displaying good listening skills, identifying customer needs and responding to them quickly.

Working as Part of a Team:

To work as part of the sales team through: Supporting and helping colleagues with their work and getting involved in day-to-day activities as and when required showing interest in other people and willingness to help using initiative at all times during the period of employment regarding hours, work and duties. To communicate effectively with line management on a daily basis to ensure company policies and procedures e.g. timekeeping, absence reporting procedures etc. Maintaining and demonstrating security and Health and Safety awareness – ensure that standards are adhered to at all times. Actively supporting and communicating with colleagues, customers and managers.

Criteria

Essential Criteria:

Ability to work shifts available including overtime, statutory holidays and Sundays.

Desirable Criteria:

Previous work experience in a similar environment (i.e. sales manager or alternatively as work experience). To work as part of the sales manager team providing excellent customer service during a defined period of time.

Internet on practices for recruitment and selection:

The Internet has a significant role world-wide on recruitment practices within organizations of all sizes. The Internet connecting the world linked to the ‘Intranet’, which is a way organizations can communicate internally. The significant impact on both firms and job seekers making use of the Internet for recruitment purposes in addition to traditional recruitment methods of newspaper advertising and links with employment agencies. Career managers for job applicants and helping to both place the applicant in the right job and support their career.

Job seekers too, use the Internet to contact prospective employers by placing their CVs or work resumes on to websites that employers can scan. Some job seekers, with high demand skills, offer their labour in electronic ‘talent auctions’, with job negotiations, a successful match has been made on behalf of the applicants. The main advantages are the speed of operation, breadth of coverage and cost saving . It is clear that the Internet is a major source of recruiting administrative, recruitment agencies or employers want to hold the candidate’s information for longer periods for opportunities. This is likely to be expand and develop in the future.

·        Selection techniques‬:

Making appointments in the entire recruitment and selection process, it is illegal to set any standards, or ask for qualifications, experience or personal qualities that discriminate unfairly against men or women, minority racial groups, and the disabled. It is important for a business to keep a record of its reasons for appointing or rejecting candidates to show that legal obligations are being met. If the selected candidate is offered and accepts the job, the other candidates should be informed and thanked for their time and interest. The need to have a flexible workforce‬ like Next, remain competitive.

‪Different modes of employment‬:

The recruitment and maintenance of a flexible workforce is vital for Next if it wants to stay competitive. In recent years, the general composition of the workforce has altered to create a demand for more, Flexible working practices, such as flextime, multiskilling and job sharing

·        ‪Full time:‬

Full time or ‘core’ employees are those staff that works what is considered to be a standard week, of 37.5 hours or more. Full-time workers benefit from increased pay and benefits and, until recently, had more employment rights. It is advantageous for an organization to employ full-time employees because they can be trained more quickly to become multiskilled.

·        ‪Part time:‬

The rise in part-time workers can be attributed directly to the growth in the number of women choosing to work. Growing demand for more flexible hours although it is not a legal requirement. Part-time positions are sometimes taken by employees as a ‘hobby’. For employers, the attraction of part-time working is that it can offer more flexibility as businesses need to work more flexible hours to meet ever increasing customer demands. Part-time workers, students or school employees are beneficial to Next because they can be used to cover evening and weekend shifts and it’s also an advantage due to the fact that their pay is likely to be less but the output is going to be the same as any full-timer.

Government legislation has been introduced to protect the rights of part-time employees and give them similar rights to full-time employees.

·        ‪Temporary or casual:‬

Temporary employees are used by businesses to ‪cover another employee’s maternity leave‬, assist with large orders or special projects, ‪cover periods of sickness or unforeseen absence and to help cope with seasonal changes in demand.‬ Next are not responsible for training temporary workers because they also use a recruitment agency as well as their own selections and it is up to individuals to ensure that they maintain up-to-date skills and knowledge by the agency. By doing this Next are saving time and money on recruitment by obtaining temporary workers . The agency takes time to select suitable workers and deals with basic administration such as sorting out pay and national insurance.

·        ‪Contracted staff:‬

In recent years there has been an increase in the number of people employed on fixed-term or fixed-task contracts. Fixed-term contracts offer employment for a specified period of time; fixed-task contracts offer employment until a particular task or project has been finished. By employing workers using fixed-term or fixed-task contracts, an organization can ensure that its labour costs are no higher than they need to be, as it only employs people for specific projects or periods of high demand. A contract is an agreement between two people or bodies. The contract exists to provide reference to the rules that govern their relationship. The rules need to be adhered to by both sides.

Both the employer and the employee must make it their responsibility to comply with these rules.

·        ‪Different terms and conditions:

Express terms are stated plainly, exactly and unmistakably during the making of the agreement. This is a very important document because it sets out the details of the agreement between the two parties in writing, and it is usually accepted by the new employee in written between the employer and employee about the nature of the agreement. Any additional detail about what the job entails  such as a job description, work rules or employee handbook  may also be called upon to clarify the details of the contract. Fundamental rights of employees were first set out in statute law in 1963 and 1971. In 1978, the law was amended by the Employment Protection (Consolidation) Act. This gives employees the right to receive written particulars of the terms of employment. Under this Act, most employees are entitled to receive a written statement of the main terms and conditions of their employment within 13 weeks of starting work. In April 1993, a European Union directive reduced this time period to eight weeks.

The written statement must include:

·        ‪the employer’s and the employee’s names‬

·        ‪the date upon which employment began, including any previous period of employment that is to be considered continuous‬

·        ‪the job title‬

·        ‪the payment scale or rate and the frequency of payment‬

·        ‪hours of work‬

·        ‪holiday entitlement and holiday pay‬

·        ‪sick pay and allowances‬

·        ‪pension schemes‬

·        ‪the amount of notice to end the contract‬

·        ‪Disciplinary and appeal procedures, and grievance procedures.‬

If an employer fails to provide a written statement of the main terms and conditions of employment, an employee could exercise his or her legal right to ask an industrial tribunal to decide what ought to have been in the written statement. It is impossible to predict the changes which might occur in the relationship between an employee and employer during the period of employment. To overcome this difficulty, the legal courts read implied terms into contracts which are necessary to allow the contract to work. Employees also have a common law duty of obedience. The duty of obedience (although modified by both UK statute law and European Union laws and regulations) remains fundamental to employment relationships. As a general guide, however, there will be implied terms in all contracts relating to.

·        ‪a duty to act with good faith towards the employer‬

·        ‪a duty of care, each party for the other‬

·        ‪a duty to maintain confidence and test between the employer and the employee‬

·        ‪a duty of the employer to provide work, and a duty of the employee to carry it out conscientiously‬, to give reasonable support to all employees so that they can carry out their work.

·        ‪similarly, the employer has a duty to support managers in their managerial duties.

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·        ‪Analyze the key recruitment documents used by your business and evaluate the quality of information in relation to the purpose of each Training and Performance Management. The personal attributes of a Next employee can differ, as they are many different roles and areas within the company. The basic personal attributes that a Next employee might include is to be able to work well within a team with others, punctually and smartness of appearance. A good indication of an individual’s existing abilities is personal achievements. These can be good indicators of quality such as the ability to work in a team, to help others, to persevere, etc.

Next is committed to treating all members of staff and applicants for employment in the same way, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, marital status, age, disability or religion.

Equality in Employment for People with Disabilities Definition of Disability:

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 states that a person who is disabled is someone with a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day activities. The policy of the Company is to treat all members of staff and applicants for employment in the same way, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, ethnic origin, marital status, age, disability or religion.

Next wishes to be a company that is recognized by the community as an organization that provides good employment opportunities for people with disabilities and we wish individuals who apply to us for employment to know that they will receive fair and be considered solely on their ability to do the job. Next monitors the composition of the workforce and its policies and procedures to be sure its Equal Opportunities Policy is being properly implemented. Members of staff and job applicants are requested to co- operate in the monitoring process.

Qualifications:

Qualifications can also be very important in person specification give you an indication about a person’s knowledge and skills. In order to work for Next experience is very important however if you have ability then they would train you, but there’s a saying that says, ‘there is no substitute for experience’. The selection process for Next used to relying on application forms, interviews and selection centers, personal experience, thus providing real evidence of their capabilities. An important part in a job description is the job title. This should give a good indication of what people are required to do. In the changing environment the job titles of specific jobs may alter to confer a new status in a particular job.

‪Assessing candidates:‬

All Next Candidates are assessed against set criteria for the job applied for. Recruitment and selection are closely tied. Selection is the process of choosing people to work in an organization. The selection system that Next uses is to:

·        ‪Get the best people within existing budgets that is, those with the most appropriate skills, experience and attitudes.‬ Select people who will stay with the organization for a reasonable time.‬

·        ‪Minimize the costs of recruitment and selection relative to returns.‬ The Selection interviews that Next uses is well organized. They arrange convenient times and at convenient locations, and they present to candidates a realistic picture of what the job entails and what working for the organization would be like. Before selecting candidates for interview, the Next normally have a clear picture of the ‘ideal’ candidate. As we have seen, it is then a matter of sitting through all the applications to find candidates who best meet the organization’s requirements and then drawing up a shortlist. As part of the interviews, candidates may be given tasks to complete to test their aptitude. Also, to check whether applicants are likely to stay with the organization, it is important to ask them about their future intentions and to show them the working environment.

In the recruitment process is candidates are invited for interviews and selection tests. Once the references have been provided the candidates are called for the interview. The interview will only reveal limited information about the interviewee. For this reason selection tests may be conducted. The more information the recruiter can get about the applicants the easier it is to pick a suitable candidate. The first thing to note is that an interview process.

The interviewee is not always asked for one interview. For a senior position in a business, the interviewee might be recruited a number of times. There are many different questioning techniques.

Ask open questions

Listen

Make the interview flow

Use playback questions

Use silence in order for the interviewee to think

Do not interrupt

Avoid multiple questions

Interviewees need to be planned in advance by the interviewer. The interviewer needs to plan the following: –

The interviewer needs to be perfectly clear on the type of questions to be asked and the areas to explore.

The location has to be considered and be conductive to an interview situation. The room should put the interviewee to ease.

The number of interviews and number of people on any interview panels need to be decided. Which make the interview successful.

·        ‪Success of the interview:‬

It will be important to appraise the overall success of the interview. One of the key considerations will be whether the interview was an appropriate way of selecting the best candidate for the job. The job interview will need to be carried out in a professional way. This means that interviewers can’t judge looks or should not select candidates on a friendship basis but purely on fitness for the job. Recruiters have legal obligations relating to such areas as race relations, sex discrimination, and opportunities for disabled people and equal pay. At the same time, staff engaged in the recruitment process need to work to a professional code of ethics embracing concepts of objectivity, confidentiality and honesty. Interviews are not only used for people applying for new jobs. The team leader will discuss with a subordinate or team member his or her performance. According to Next, a Short–listing candidate helps to save time, money, and resources. Looking at applicant’s details and seeing whether they fit the needs of the organization does this. The candidates that do fit the needs best are short-listed taken to the next stage, for interviews.

·        ‪Psychometric and aptitude testing:‬

Many jobs today involve some form of psychometric or aptitude testing to find out whether individuals have the right sorts of personalities or dispositions to carry out particular types of work especially at Next.

A psychometric test is a way of assessing an individual’s personality, drives and motivations, often by means of a paper and pencil questionnaire. They are useful predictors of whether individuals will fit into the organization and its existing culture. Employers are bound both by the law and by the requirement to operate in a moral way in terms of their employment policies. There are a number of laws businesses and other organizations need to comply with in relation to recruitment:

·        ‪The Race Relations Act 1976‬

·        ‪The Sex Discrimination Act 1975‬

·        ‪The Disability Discrimination Act 1995‬

·        ‪The Equal Pay Act 1970‬

·        ‪The Race Relations Act 1976 (RRA) and the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 (SDA):‬

The RRA and SDA have a number of similarities and, because of this, they are often interpreted in the same way by industrial tribunals. The RRA and SDA both protect all employees irrespective of age or status, whether they are full- or part-time workers or have a fixed or temporary contract. They attempt to deal with three sorts of discrimination:

•   direct discrimination

•   indirect discrimination

•   Victimization.

Direct discrimination occurs when one employee or candidate for a job is treated better or more favourably than another because of his or her race or sex

Indirect discrimination takes place when all employees seem to be treated exactly the same on the surface but, when looked at closer, members of a particular racial group or gender are found to be discriminated.

Victimization occurs when an employee is singled out for unfair treatment because he or she has attempted to exercise rights under the RRA, SDA or Equal Pay Act, or has helped others to enforce their rights.

Racial Discrimination RRA, defined as discrimination on the basis of colour, race, nationality, or ethnic or national origin.

·        ‪SEX DISCRIMINATION ACT 1975:

The Sex Discrimination Act states that it is unlawful to treat someone else less favourably on the basis of his or her sex. Jobs that, for genuine reasons, must be carried out by someone of a particular sex.‬

·        ‪Privacy or decency is required (e.g. a changing-room attendant).‬

·        ‪Single-sex hospitals, prisons or care centres.‬

·        ‪Jobs that involve work in a country whose laws require individuals to be of a certain sex.‬

No job advertisement which indicates or can reasonably be understood as indicating an intention to discriminate on ground of sex may be accepted, unless it is exempted from the requirements of the Sex Discrimination Act.

·        ‪The Equal Pay Act 1970 (EPA):‬

The purpose of the EPA is to make sure that women are given the same treatment as men:

·        ‪Who are engaged in like work in the same employment.‬

·        ‪Whose work is rated as equivalent.‬

·        ‪Whose work is otherwise of equal value.‬

‪Disability discrimination:‬

The Disability Discrimination Act 1995 (DDA) protects employees who are classified as disabled. Anyone with a physical or mental impairment that has long-term effects upon his or her ability to carry out everyday activities is termed disabled.

·        ‪the recruitment process‬

·        ‪promotional opportunities‬

Interview and Appointment Procedures‬:

Application for all posts will be by standard job application forms. A copy of this statement shall accompany every application form issued. All members of interviewing panels should receive appropriate training, be familiar with this policy and be aware of the guidelines to be followed. This includes arrangements to ensure that such procedures are clearly understood by everyone. For disabled people