The development of human resource management (HRM) is a response to the realisation that the competitive edge can only be achieved through the efforts of highly effective, efficient and motivated employees (Molander and Winterton 1994). Thus, this evidently highlights the importance for the need of a proficient recruitment and selection process. Wood & Payne (1998) describes recruitment as a process of identifying and attracting a group of potential candidates from within and outside the organization to evaluate for employment.
Once these candidates are identified, the process of selecting appropriate employees for employment can begin. Similarly, Dale (2003) states that this means collecting, measuring, and evaluating information about candidates’ qualifications for specified positions. Organizations use these practices to increase the likelihood of hiring individuals who have the right skills and abilities to be successful in the target job. I have personally experienced a successful recruitment and selection process and it happened after my internship with Hewlett Packard.
During the third and final semester at Temasek Polytechnic – Diploma in Business Information Technology, it is a semester where all students will be enrolled into the Internship Programme; each student will be allocated to a company in the relevant fields. I was posted to Hewlett Packard (HP) Singapore, as an intern of the Supply Chain – Finance department, assisting in the maintenance of the intranet system, for a period of four months.
After the completion of the internship, I was offered a full-time position at the Purchasing department, job position of the Assistant System Analysis and Protocol (SAP) Programmer Developer. The role of the Assistant SAP Programmer Developer is to analyse, design, configure, maintain and develop user interface as well as assist in the preparation and validation of end user training and documentation. I also was assigned to assist the Senior Programmer Developer in the development of the SAP system to integrate the internal Hewlett Packard database and its intranet.
I continued to take on this role in HP for six months, before enrolling into university. ‘HP is a technology company that operates in more than 170 countries around the world’ (Hewlett Packard 2009), and it is one of the world’s most technologically sophisticated corporations where endless possibilities are being discovered. HP offers a wide range of ‘products and services from digital photography to digital entertainment and from computing to home printing’ (Hewlett Packard 2009).
HP is exceptionally selective when it comes to recruiting the right candidates to fill up positions. Taleo: Talent Drives Performance (2009) identifies HP’s stringent requirements, stating that its selection process focuses on finding a complete staffing management solution that will excel in ‘skills-based assessment through a skills-based inventory, pre-qualification of internal and external candidates around the world, candidate correspondence and associated relationship management and the integration of recruiters and hiring managers into the staffing process’.
Key elements in recruitment and selection process Subsequent to completing my internship at the Finance department, I was being referred by my manager, to the manager of the Purchasing department as there was an opening position for an Assistant SAP Programming Developer. My manager thought that I would make a suitable candidate, thus she made a suggestion to the manager to consider me for the position. However, I had already enrolled into university, which was to commence in about six months time.
Despite wanting to further my studies, I decided that this short period of time, this experience will be of great added value to my portfolio. My manager briefed me on the requirements of the job and although it was a leap from the Finance to Purchasing department, the job scope was very much similar; likewise, I was required to deal with the development of the SAP system. Employee referrals across departments in HP are required to go through the same process as other candidates because there will be external applicants for the position as well, and only the most suitable candidate will land the job.
Besides sending in a resume and cover letter to the Human Resource (HR) department, I also filled in an application form, in which enclosed information such as personal particulars, qualifications and work experience, which was provided on the HP Job’s portal. I received a call from the department a few days later, notifying me of a preliminary screening which involves an interview with the HR executive.
