Recruiting and retaining qualified mid-level managers through job analysis

Human Resources

Over the last several years, the issue of employee compensation has been increasingly brought to the forefront. This is because globalization is requiring firms to have employees with specialized skills. In the case of the mid-level manager position, the ideal candidate must be able to meet the basic qualifications to include: a good communicator / listener, leadership, someone who can work well with others, a minimum of a four-year Bachelor's degree, at least three years business experiences, the ability to utilize technology, a quick learner and a person with a willingness to continually adjust.

At the same time, they must be flexible enough to deal with a host of challenges. To fully understand how this is occurring we will focus on: the job description, developing a recruiting plan, the selection strategy, job performance evaluation, compensation and possible training / development issues that need to be addressed. Once this takes place, is when we will show how this can help to find the most qualified individuals for the position. This is the point that firm will be able to address its needs and attract / retain talent that will help to keep them competitive in the future.

Introduction

One of the most common challenges that all companies will face is succession planning. In many cases, this will occur when someone is leaving the firm and is replaced by another candidate (either: internally or externally). This will create challenges in finding qualified employees who can consistently meet the changing needs of customers. To fully understand how this takes place requires conducting a job analysis and producing a description. This will be accomplished through looking at: the description, developing a recruiting plan, the selection strategy, the job performance evaluation, the compensation and possible training / development issues that need to be addressed. Together, these different elements will provide specific insights as to how the company can deal with new challenges and become more flexible.

The Job Analysis

A job analysis is when there is a focus on specific attributes that will help to improve the ability to attract the right kind of candidates. This means that actuaries must understand what skills, education and experience they are looking for. Evidence of this can be seen with observations from the article titled Understanding the Reality of Your Job which observed, "Job analysis is a useful technique for getting a firm grip on what really is important in your job so that you are able to find the best candidate. It helps you to cut through clutter and distraction to get to the heart of what you need to do. And it shows you the tasks you should remain focused on." This is illustrating how job analysis will help executives to determine the most qualified individual for the position. ("Understand the Reality of Your Job," 2012)

The Job Description

The job analysis reveals that we need someone who possesses a certain number of attributes. This is because the position of middle level manager will require a certain kind of mind set and specific skills. The most notable include: a good communicator / listener, leadership, someone who can work well with others, a minimum of a four-year Bachelor's degree, at least three years business experiences, the ability to utilize technology, a quick learner and a person with a willingness to continually adjust. These different elements are important, because they will help the individual to meet the requirements of the position and address the needs of customers. Over the course of time, this will allow the company to remain competitive and increase its profit margins.

The Selection Strategy

The basic selection strategy will be to focus on those individuals who have the education and experience to help increase productivity. This means that there will be an emphasis on a number of attributes to include:

A Bachelor's degree: This is essential for ensuring that everyone will meet the basic educational pre-requisites of the position. (Anderson, 2008, pp. 11 -- 61)

Minimum of three years' experience working in lower to mid-level management: This kind of experience will reduce the time involved with teaching someone core management principles. Moreover, they could use these skills, to effectively work with and manage others. (Anderson, 2008, pp. 11 -- 61)

The ability to pass a written and oral qualifying exam: This will ensure that everyone has the mental aptitude and skill sets to work well in the position. (Anderson, 2008, pp. 11 -- 61)

Have all candidates go through a series of different interviews: This designed to show how well a particular candidate interacts with various personalities. The way that this is achieved is through a series of interviews that are conducted. Then, have the various managers provide, a summary of what they think. This will help the company to quickly find someone who can address a host of challenges and meets all of the qualifications. (Arthur, 2012, pp. 221- 262)

Background checks: Prior to starting the position the employee must agree to a criminal and financial background check. This will be accomplished through a having an investigation conducted to verify the information and see if there anything that was not discovered previously. (Arthur, 2012, pp. 221- 262)

These areas are important, because they will help the firm to have a process of assessing the experiences and skills of candidates. This will streamline the search in finding the right person for the position. Once this takes place, is the point that that a firm can locate someone who will be able to excel in their new role. (Anderson, 2008, pp. 11 -- 61)

Job Performance Evaluation

The job performance evaluation will occur in a series of different stages. During each phase there will be an analysis of the quality of work and the ability of the individual to successfully meet the requirements of the position. To include:

Stage 1: During this process, the supervisor will provide a written evaluation the employees. At the same time, a survey will be conducted to determine if they are happy and possible challenges they are facing. This will serve as a way of evaluating how well the employee is working with other executives and with their supervisor. (Harwood, 2012, pg. 284)

Stage 2: In this step, an outside consultant will be brought in. They will serve as a potential customer. Their job will be to see how well this person interacts with them and the kind of experience they had. This will determine if they are helping the firm to do more to: increase competitiveness and the overall quality of products / services they are delivering. (Harwood, 2012, pg. 284)

Stage 3: The final stage will be to have a series of interviews with the employee and managers. This will decide possible areas that need to be addressed and any kind of adjustments. (Harwood, 2012, pg. 284)

In general, this process will occur at least once a year. However, if the individual is performing poorly, they will be required to go through this kind of evaluation semiannually. The reason why, is to quickly rectify any kind of issues and address their performance challenges while they are small. At the same time, this is ensuring that there is proper oversight of their activities and the way they are interacting with customers. (Harwood, 2012, pg. 284)

Compensation

In order to attract and retain the best employees means that the firm must have a competitive compensation package. This is divided into two different areas the most notable include: salary and additional benefits. The combination of these factors is used by staff members to determine if this addressing their financial needs. ("Average Mid-Level Manager's Salary," 2012)

In the case of salary, the company has to offer something that goes above and beyond what mid-level managers are receiving (i.e. $61,000 per year). To achieve these objectives there must be a basic salary that has additional incentives for everyone to do more. One possible approach is to have the individual's wages tied to an increase of 2% a year. This will help their income levels to keep up with rising inflation. The below table is illustrating the salary structure for the position and the yearly increases. ("Average Mid-Level Manager's Salary," 2012)

Mid-Level Manager Salary

Year

Salary

1

$62,000.00

2

$62,120.00

3

$63,366.80

4

$64,633.80

5

$65,926.43

6

$68,637.78

7

$69,713.69

("Average Mid-Level Manager's Salary," 2012)

This kind of salary will pay more than competitors. At the same time, the cost of living increases will provide the individual with a small annual raise every single year. This will address their basic needs and ensure that they are able to continue to move forward. ("Average Mid-Level Manager's Salary," 2012)

In the case of additional benefits, the firm will cover the rest of the employees' financial needs. This will be accomplished through a number of different programs to include: health / life insurance, tuition reimbursement, stock options, discounts of travel / entertainment, child care assistance and flexible work scheduling. The combination of these elements will provide everyone with tools that will help them to focus more effectively. This is the point that they are willing do more to ensure that the firm is successful over the long-term. (Carrol, 2011)

Possible Training and Development Issues

The possible training / development issues that must be addressed include: employees becoming too comfortable, pushing everyone to do more and creating a lifelong desire for learning. These different areas are interconnected with an employee becoming too relaxed. When this happens, they will not have a sense of huger or desire to go to the next level. This is the point that the firm will lose market share from employees doing just enough to get by. (Reed, 2011)

To deal with these kinds of issues, managers must have programs that will explain why it is important to do more. This can be accomplished through using social responsibility in conjunction with the normal duties of the position. The way that this will occur is everyone will work on community related projects as members of the firm. This will give them a greater sense of appreciation about the contributions they are making. (Reed, 2011)

When they are interacting with customers and other stakeholders, is the point that they are willing to do more. This is because they see the firm as an organization that cares about everyone. Once this takes place, is the when someone is willing to go above and beyond their job requirements (to be in line with these objectives). If this kind of approach is used it will help to address the most critical issues impacting the firm and increase the underlying levels of motivation. This will create a transformation in the operating environment and the way that everyone is interacting with various stakeholders during the process. (Reed, 2011)

Conclusion

Clearly, the most effective way that the company can be able to find the right candidate for the position is to focus on a number of areas. The way that this will be accomplished is to provide a basic description of the job and the qualifications. This will seek to inform everyone about the requirements. To recruit the right candidate requires catching their attention and encouraging them to apply. This will be accomplished using traditional and online line media. The job performance evaluation will take place once a year, with different managers analyzing the individual. In the event that they are performing poorly, this process will take place semiannually. This will allow the firm to quickly address any kind of challenges so that everyone is able to move forward.

As far as compensation is concerned, the firm will pay a salary that is above the industry average for mid-level managers. At the same time, there will be benefits provided that goes above and beyond what employees are receiving elsewhere. The most notable include: health / life insurance, tuition reimbursement, stock options, discounts of travel / entertainment, child care assistance and flexible work scheduling. To improve employment development and training, social responsibility will be used to create a change in attitudes about the firm along with their role in the community. This will lead to a positive transformation in the views of the firm and how the employees are interacting with stakeholders. These different elements are showing how this approach will help the firm to find the right candidate for the position. Moreover, it is also effectively evaluating and motivating them to do more. Once this takes place, is the point that the firm will maintain and build its customer base