Strategic staffing practices at the Beacon Corporation

¶ … Staffing Handbook, not an Employee Handbook

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STAFFING HANDBOOK

The Beacon Corporation

Handbook Date:

July 22, 2011

DEFINITION OF STRATEGIC STAFFING

When considering the ever-changing and highly competitive global landscape of business today, we at the Beacon Corporation realize the need to stay at the cutting edge of our field in order to sustain profitability in the long-term. With the current exponential growth of technology and the computerization of business and learning, consumers and investors have become much more connected to the businesses they patronize (Kurzweil, 2001). Accordingly, the Beacon Corporation is faced with the continuous task of finding new ways to understand and subsequently accommodate the needs of our customers and stakeholders, while simultaneously securing lucrative business models and job environments. In achieving these goals, it is critical for us to seek out and obtain the most qualified and reliable human resources. This is especially the case when considering that we operate in the highly intellectual software industry. Over the last number of years, our company has begun to rely increasingly upon the inventive minds of our labor force to carry us into a profitable future. Therefore, in order for Beacon Inc. To ensure that it has the best possible set of working parts in the engine of the corporate car, we must have a sophisticated system in place to attract the finest individuals. This strategic staffing process embodies the genuine pursuit of those individuals possessing a wide range of usable skills. Attributes like the ability self-motivate, communication skills, technical expertise, integrity, market knowledge, and problem-solving skills will all be considered for virtually every applicant. By targeting the best and brightest in these areas, we at the Beacon Corporation hope to poise ourselves for an increasingly innovative future. Additionally, the structural facets of Beacon's strategic staffing system rest on several tactical cornerstones including periodic managerial conferences to determine each department's staffing needs, constructive job analysis, internal and external job posting, advertising, highly applicable information collection material, candidate data screening, thoughtful interviewing, and a strategically created array of pre-employment assessments. The culmination of these various meticulously selected inputs comprises Beacon Inc.'s strategic staffing approach. We believe that the all-encompassing nature of this methodology will allow Beacon to effectively staff its departments and marginalize any human-resource related future profitability risks.

MANAGERIAL CONFERENCES

Three times each year, middle and upper managers from all departments will conduct a meeting to discuss current staffing logistics and future projects or endeavors that may require additional staffing (both permanent and non-permanent). If the executive body deems a reasonable need for human resource expansion, the discussion will proceed to determine the precise number of staff members needed to effectively meet the goals of the expansion plan or project proposal.

In many cases, multiple departments will request additional human resources for their respective proposals. This type of situation will call for additional decisive sessions on behalf of leadership groups. Upon deciding how many jobs will be created and to which department will such human resources be allocated, an informative session will be held with the relevant department's managerial team. Such sessions will aim to determine a precise number of staff members to be hired, a timeline for recruitment and generalized responsibility quotas.

JOB ANALYSIS

Upon receiving the usable data from leadership bodies as to staffing requirements, department managers and human resource professionals will work in concert to construct a detailed list of job-specific qualities each candidate must possess (Breaugh & Starke, 2000). And while Beacon's generic list of attributes will apply to all potential applicants, these newly constructed requirements will be largely based upon the specifications of the chosen project or proposal. Being that an effective job analysis is critical in achieving the greatest levels of efficiency in the staffing process, the collective result of middle management's consultations will then be discussed with executives to ensure that all bases have been covered (Breaugh & Starke, 2000). Below is an example of the customizable template used by the Beacon Corporation for conducting thorough and effective job analyses.

JOB ANALYSIS FORM

1.) Introduction

a. This section begins with a basic summary of the position. A general idea of the nature of the potential candidate's responsibilities will be outlined in this introductory area.

2.) Specific Job Duties

a. This aspect of the job analysis form will list the job-specific duties this staff member will be responsible for on a daily basis. Things like data input, design programming, network configuration and product presentation will be located in this section.

3.) Resources

a. This area of the job analysis form will list the various technological resources the staff member will be regularly utilizing in the office. Without question, proficiency in the use of specified resources will be a critical aspect of effective staffing. Things like operating systems (i.e. Microsoft Windows), word processing programs, web design software and customer relations software will be exhibited in this section.

4.) Reporting Structure

a. This aspect of the analysis form will detail the specifics of how the staff member will report and present his or her products, ideas and achievements to superiors. The relevant departmental chain of command for the Beacon Corporation will be described in this section.

5.) Educational Requirements

a. Almost all positions at the Beacon Corporation require a minimum education level of at least a Bachelor's degree. However, the prestige or specific demands of a newly created position may prompt managers to require a graduate level degree or at least specify mandated areas of study for Bachelor degree-holding applicants. This type of information will be presented in this section.

POSTINGS

The posting of job positions represents yet another critical aspect of Beacon's commitment to efficient staffing. Accordingly, our job postings (both internal and external) are concise in nature and primarily focused on providing a succinct description of the vital data needed to ascertain the essence of the posted employment position (Kickul, 2001). Undoubtedly, external job postings will include a bit more company information (i.e. brief company background and mission), whereas internal postings will primarily focus on the details of the position itself (Kickul, 2001). Below is a brief sample of a typical internal job posting at the Beacon Corporation:

STAFF OPPORTUNITY

Position: Design Team Manager

Reports to: Board of Directors

Location: Design Department

Qualifications:

Proficiency in various design software programs including (but not limited to): PrimoPDF, Adobe Illustrator, AutoCAD, and CorelDRAW (CNET, 2011).

Superior communication skills.

Ability to effectively motivate and mobilize subordinates.

Must be a proficient and creative problem-solver.

Must be able to accurately and reliably complete assignments in a timely fashion.

Responsibilities:

Aligning team members in accordance with specific project goals.

Monitoring the activities of all team members.

Periodically assessing the performance of each team member.

Reporting final products of group work directly to the executive body.

Addressing the concerns of superiors and other invested stakeholders.

EDUCATIONAL HISTORY

Please list all schools attended after high school along with the name and field of the degree or diploma received and the year of graduation.

Skills and Qualifications: (please list any licenses, skills, additional training or awards you may have received as related to the position)

EMPLOYMENT HISTORY

Current or last position held:

Company name:

Location:

Supervisor:

Phone:

Email:

Employment period: (from: XX/XX/XX to: XX/XX/XX)

Responsibilities:

Salary:

Reason for Leaving:

Previous Position:

Company name:

Location:

Supervisor:

Phone:

Email:

Employment period: (from: XX/XX/XX to: XX/XX/XX)

Responsibilities:

Salary:

Reason for Leaving:

ADDITIONAL REFERENCES

Please provide the full name, address, employer, title, phone number and email address of any further references you may have.

The application form outlined above will be used to determine if each applicant is adequately qualified for future employment at the Beacon Corporation. This determination will be made strictly based upon the general requirements and specifications set out in job postings and initial job analyses. Applications will be initially divided into those who meet the requirements and those who fall short. This elementary categorization process can be completed by relatively low-level employees and help to save time and increase efficiency in the upper level staff selection process.

CANDIDATE DATA SCREENING

Once the initial round of filtration is completed, managers in the relevant departments will engage in further data screening for the applicants who have met the general requirements. Being that the interviewing process demands a great deal of time and expenditure, and considering that a large portion of applicants typically meet generic requirements, this step is essential in effectively utilizing company time in the selection process. Ideally, the Beacon Corporation recommends that no more than five highly qualified applicants should be interviewed. We believe that effective data screening can make this policy into reality. Applicant data screening by upper and middle managers will involve extensive examinations of the applicant's educational background, contacting multiple previous employers and references as well as deciding whether or not the skills/experience listed on the candidate's application match those on the previously created job analysis.

INTERVIEWING PROCESS

In order to find out if a candidate has sufficient interpersonal and assiduous experience as well as experience in areas like planning, organizing and leading, Beacon's interviewers must be able to ask the right questions. Being able to identify specific characteristics necessary for a given position and the ability to extract a precise experiential history is crucial in selecting the right applicant without expelling unnecessary time and effort (Heathfield, 2011). With the strategic use of the data and tools presented above, Beacon interviewers are expected to be able to identify and appoint the best man or woman for the position. Some examples of regularly used interview questions are as follows (though it is important to note that these questions are relatively generic because much of the interview material is conducted based upon the specifications of the relevant position):

1.) What was one major obstacle you were able to overcome in the last year?

This question addresses problem solving. A good answer to this question will exemplify a candidate's ability to think independently and creatively in order to find a productive resolution.

2.) If you were to begin this job tomorrow, what things you focus on immediately and in what priority?

This question can show an interviewer whether or not an applicant has any knowledge of the company and its mission. A truly desirable and qualified candidate will have done at least some research about the position to ensure that he or she can speak knowledgably and confidently during the interview.

3.) What would you do in the case of a task not being properly completed due to inefficient planning?

A good answer to this question will highlight the interviewee's ability to multi-task and reorganize planning structures in order to ensure a successful conclusion.

4.) Where do you see yourself in five years?

This is obviously a common interview question, but it is effective nonetheless. A qualified applicant's answer should be realistic and beneficial to the goals of the company. A motivated individual will not be satisfied in remaining in the same position for the long-term future.

PRE-EMPLOYMENT ASSESSMENTS

Being that many positions at the Beacon Corporation require a great deal of technical knowledge, pre-employment skills tests are a critical part of the staffing process. In many cases (especially those requiring technical expertise), a job applicable assessment is the only way for the company to truly ascertain whether or not the applicant is genuinely proficient in the required areas. While the value of communication skills is certainly important, we at Beacon understand that it may be very easy for some individuals to perform during an interview, though the same may not be the case when the clock is ticking on their technical abilities. Therefore, by subjecting every interviewee to a brief technical examination (one that is highly relevant to the position he or she has applied for), Beacon interviewers can assure themselves and their superiors of the best possible staffing selection.