Strategic Recruitment And Selection Plan For Store Manager – Hobart

Pre-Recruitment

Strategic recruitment and selection is a very crucial action for every organization. It involves the hiring of the qualified and appropriate candidates and retaining them in an organization. If the recruitment process follows a strategic framework, the performance of the company would improve. OZStyle4U, a renowned chain of designer fashion, with more than 10 retail stores with over 150 permanent and part time employees, will expand its retail business with 12 more retail stores across the country by 2018. One of the locations of new stores is Hobart and there is an opening for store manager for this location. Hence, the company has published an advertisement with the job responsibilities, objectives, duties and selection criteria for this position.

The purpose of this report is to create a strategic plan for recruit and selection of appropriate candidate for the position of store manager. The report will focus on the objectives of the company and how it can be maintained during the recruitment process. It is important to keep in mind that the store managers must be able to remain committed to the objectives of the organization, that is, maintaining the status of ‘Employer of Choice’ and provide high quality fashion and excellent customer service. This report will formulate plans on how these objectives can be fulfilled. The structure of the report would consist of Pre-recruitment, recruitment and selection strategies followed by recommendation for the company. The pre-recruitment strategy consists of business strategy, HR strategy or talent philosophy, and job requirement matrix. Recruitment strategy will focus on Employment Value Proposition (EVP), recruitment communication and analysis of sourcing effectiveness. The selection process will consist of assessment plan, panel interview questions; and evaluation and choice of candidates. The conclusion section will draw a conclusion along with some recommendations.

Business strategy consists of the design, formulation, implementation, and evaluation of all types of decisions taken to run a business efficiently and achieve the long term goals of the company. The business objective of OZStyle4U is to provide high quality fashion apparel at a reasonable cost along with providing the best customer service. The basic essences of the strategies are cost leadership, differentiation in terms of quality, growth of the company and specialization (Scholes 2015). OZStyle4U has achieved cost leadership as it provides quality at the best price in the market. It follows quality differentiation to stay ahead from the rivals.

Staffing implication refers to allocation of suitable staff for a specific task. The staffing has to be appropriate and just, so that, there is no disguised unemployment or misallocation of many unskilled labor for one task (Driedonks, Gevers and van Weele 2014). It focuses on matching of job responsibilities and qualifications required with the qualities of the employees. To fulfill the business strategies, it is essential that the appropriate candidates should be placed for appropriate jobs, based on the qualifications (Phillips and Gully 2014). Then only employees can perform efficiently. The following table shows the priority of qualification for staffing implications for different business strategies.

Business Strategy

Business Strategy Save Time On Research and Writing Hire a Pro to Write You a 100% Plagiarism-Free Paper. Get My Paper	Priority (P = primary; S = secondary; NA = not applicable)	General staffing implications
Cost Leadership	P	Efficiency focus, adaptable, trainable, willing to follow standardised procedures
Differentiation (Quality)	S
Growth	P
Specialization	P
Cost Leadership	S	Top research talent, entrepreneurial mind-set, creativity, high tolerance for ambiguity, interested and motivated by learning of discovery
Differentiation (Quality)	S
Growth	P
Specialization	P
Cost Leadership	P	Fit with company culture, future oriented, flexible, willing to take controlled risks
Differentiation (Quality)	S
Growth	P
Specialization	S
Cost Leadership	S	Adaptable, learning oriented, networking skills, customer relations skills, emotional resilience, fit with company culture
Differentiation (Quality)	P
Growth	P
Specialization	P

                                              Table 1: Business strategy and staffing implication for OZStyle4U

                                                                            (Source: Author)

This refers to the rationale behind the staffing. According to Gully, Phillips and Kim (2014), 9 elements of staffing strategies are HR Perspective, Staffing emphasis, Type of workforce, Position focus, Labor market, Skill acquisition, Talent management, Skills Focus, and Staffing decisions. All these elements focus onto the primary objective of the company, i.e. growth, along with maintaining a healthy working environment and good relationship with the employees (Ivanov, Tsipoulanidis and Schönberger 2017). As per the following table, the approaches adopted by the company are the suitable ones.

Strategy element	General approach by Organisation	Particular approach for this position
HR perspective	Investment	Costs	Investment
Staffing emphasis	Proactive	Reactive	Reactive
Type of workforce	Core	Flexible	Flexible
Position focus	Critical	General	Critical
Labour market	Internal	External	External
Skill acquisition	Train	Select	Train
Talent management	Replace	Retain	Retain
Skills focus	Person-Job fit & KSAOs	Person-organisation fit & Competencies	Person-Job fit
Staffing decisions	HR Manager (Centralised)	Hiring Manager (Devolved)	HR Manager

                                                             Table 2: HR/Staffing Strategy/Talent Philosophy

                                                                                   (Source: Author)

Job requirement matrix includes the job and person specifications. The job specification includes the description of duty, and the tasks under it, importance of that duty and how much time should be spent on that. This mainly focuses on the specific nature of the job and its importance. The person specification addresses the requirements that need to be satisfied by the appropriate candidate. It gives a score to the competencies required to perform the tasks (Phillips and Gully 2014).

Job specification	Person specification
Duty	Tasks	Importance of duty (%)	Time spent on duty (%)	KSAO/Competency	Importance of KSAO/Competency to performance (1 = Low, 10 = High; E = essential, D = Desirable)
Managing the store	1. Supervision of financial activities as per the standards 2. Monitoring and managing sales performance and analysis of sales 3. Budget analysis and comparison with actual performance 4. Maintenance of information system of the company	30	20	1. Knowledge on financial management, accounting, POS 2. Knowledge on marketing strategies 3. Knowledge of operation management 4. Time management 5. Ability to learn quickly 6. Ability to handle pressure	8.5E 7.5D 8 8D 8.5E 8
Customer Service	1. Gather customer feedback and generate monthly report 2. Development of strategies to meet customer needs	20	30	1. Communication skills 2. Patience 3. Listening skills 4. Empathy	8 8.5E 7.5 7.5
Management of human resource	1. Manage staffing 2. supervise employee performance, job knowledge 3. arrangement for training for skill development 4. Maintaining legislative requirements	20	25	1. Leadership skills in retail environment 2. negotiation skills 3. motivational skills 4. ability to delegate 5. Prioritization skills	8.5E 7 7.5D 8D 8.5D
Supervision of safety plans	1. Maintaining the safety measures as per the standards	20	20	1. knowledge on safety regulations 2. ability to implement measures	8 8.5
Ad hoc duties	As per instructions	10	5	1. obedience	8

                                                   Table 3: Job requirement matrix for Store Manager – Hobart

                                                                               (Source: Author)

EVP refers to the set of benefits, which is unique and is received against skills, experience and capabilities of the employees. It defines the uniqueness of the company and its purpose (Payne and Frow 2014). As per the market standard, OZStyle4U provides good benefits to its employees. That is reflected from the job satisfaction of the employees and employee turn over rate, which is less as compared to the rivals. The company contributes in the form of compensation, benefits, rewards and recognition, culture, and professional development (Shields et al. 2015). OZStyle4U will provide AU $51,200 per annum to the manager as compensation, which follows the standard market rate. It will also provide a one-time bonus of AU $1500 if the sales performance exceeds expectation; and during the monthly meet, it will reward the managers, who would outshine the others through a reward certificate of Store Manager of the Month. The compulsory medical benefits of up to AU $2500 would be provided by the company per year to the manager.

Human Resource Strategy, Staffing Strategy and the Talent Philosophy

Item	Focus (Job-related/ Organisation-related/ Person-related)	Type (Intrinsic/ Extrinsic)	Organisation contribution	Employee contribution	To which applicants might it appeal
Compensation	Store manager	Extrinsic	AU $ 51,200	Skills of customer service, and improvement in sales	Experienced, freshers
Bonus	Store Manager	Intrinsic	AU $1500	More than expected sales performances	Experienced, freshers
Rewards	Store Manager	Intrinsic	Certificate	Consistent performance	Experienced
Medical benefits	Store Manager	Intrinsic	AU $2500 (Max)	–	Experienced, freshers

                                                     Table 4: Employee Value Proposition for Store Manager – Hobart

                                                                                         (Source: Author)

The advertisement for the position of store manager was developed based on the requirements of the particular store in the new location. The authority has identified the needs for the new store and also identified the qualities required for the position. Initially the job requirements were designed, following the other stores. However, the emphasis on enthusiasm and willingness to perform better was in focus, as the store is new and more effort is required to make it successful (Pantouvakis and Karakasnaki 2017). The advertisement was published on print media, i.e. newspapers, magazines, on social media, digital media, television, and radio.

Position title: Store Manager – Hobart

Status: Full time

Supervisory responsibility: Managing the entire staff of the store

Position objective: Meeting all the targets of budget and sales, managing the operational systems, meeting the compliance standards

Duties/Tasks: Managing the financial operations of the stores, supervising budgets, customer service, HR management, safety management

Qualifications required: Three years of experience in retail management, leadership skills, ability to meet customer demands, knowledge on finance and accounts, POS techniques, knowledge on equal employment opportunities, marketing strategies in retail industries, and on health and safety laws.

EVP: AU $50,000 – $60,000

Table 5: Recruitment communication for Store Manager – Hobart

(Source: Author)

Sourcing refers to the procurement of candidates for a job position in the company. It is an important function of the HRD for recruitment and selection. Sourcing entails the task of searching for desired candidates from a pool of potential workers. Sourcing effectiveness represents successful and efficient sourcing. Sourcing effectiveness analysis says that the souring decisions are different for different organizations (O’Meara and Petzall 2013). For effective sourcing, the type of job, type of applicants, speed of procurement, cost per hire, and expected quality of the applicant are considered. For the position of store manager, the HRD of OZStyle4U will likely to source from various job search portals, resume databases, outsourcing, newspaper ads, career sites, employee referrals etc.

Source (list in order of importance)	Type of applicant (Active/Passive/ Semi-passive)	Average speed Fast/Medium/Slow	Cost per hire (High/Medium/Low)	Expected applicant quality (High/Medium/Low)
Employee referrals	All	Fast	Depends on rewards	High
In house recruiters	All	Fast	Medium	High
Written applications	Active	Medium	Medium	All
Resume databases	Active	Fast	Low	All
Career sites	Active	Medium	Low	High
Online job portals	Active	Medium	Low	High
Recruitment agencies	Passive	Medium	Medium	Medium

                                           Table 6: Source effectiveness analysis for Store Manager – Hobart

                                                                                         (Source: Author)

Assessment plan explains the assessment methods to be used for evaluating the skills of the potential candidates, who apply for the position. It includes the sequence of the assessments taking place and the relative weightage. The scores are combined together for each characteristics required for the job position (Phillips and Gully 2014). However, the training process after hiring a person is not included in the plan. For this position, OZStyle4U would screen the resumes first, with a relative weightage of 20-25% for finance and accounts knowledge and customer focus. It will then arrange a situational test, where candidates have to manage one existing store for an hour. All the selection characteristics will be judged with more weightage. Finally, a panel interview would take place. Based on the combined score, a candidate will be selected.

Recruitment Strategy

Characteristic (Selection Criteria)	Importance of characteristic to job performance (1 = Essential; ≥2 = Desirable)	Select (S) Train (T)	Resume screening	Store management test	Panel Interview
			x(y)#
Focus on customer	1	S	1(.20)	2(.40)	3(.40)
Finance knowledge	1	S	1(.20)	2(.40)	3(.40)
Accounting skills	1	S	1(.25)	2(.35)	3(.40)
Leadership skills	1	S		1(.50)	2(.50)
Delegating skills	2	S		1(.40)	2(.60)
Knowledge of computers and software	2	T		1(.30)	2(.70)
Knowledge of POS	3	T		1(.30)	2(.70)
Attention to detail	3	S		1(.40)	2(.60)

                                                                            Table 7: Assessment Plan

                                                                                     (Source: Author)

The interview questions will be set to assess the characteristics of the potential employees, their qualifications and stamina to work in the position of store manager (Sharhan and Yazdanifard 2014). Being a store manager of a fashion chain like OZStyle4U is no easy task. Hence, it is important to evaluate the candidates eligibility to get the job. The questions are both behavioral and situational type. The answers will be ranked on a scale of 1 to 10, 10 being good.

Interview question	Question type (Behavioural/ Situational)	Selection criteria	Answer (Include three model answers for each question as examples of three types: Good; Satisfactory and Poor)	Answer scoring (Good = 10; Satisfactory = 5 Poor = 1)
What will you do convince a doubtful customer to buy a product?	Behavioural	Communication skills, negotiation skills	1. I will not force him to buy and will let him take his own decision. 2. I would talk to the customer and try to know more about his dilemma. Then I would suggest him the best option and try to convince him about our services on return and exchange. 3. I will delegate one of the experienced staff to look after the customer.	1. 1 2. 10 3. 5
How can you bring the young customers to the store?	Situational	Marketing skills and knowledge on latest technology	1. I would put the ads for the new store in social networking sites and near the colleges and universities. I would also give some opening discount offers for teens. 2. I would keep more products for the youth and give special offers. 3. I would use the social media, digital media for advertisements	1. 10 2. 1 3. 5
How will you resolve a conflict between the employees?	Situational	Leadership skills, patience, empathy	1. I will talk to the employees personally and would try to understand the real problem. Then would try solve accordingly. 2. I will call a meeting with all the staff and discuss the issue with all. 3. I will conduct an one to one session with the employees and listen to their views and take actions rationally.	1. 5 2. 1 3. 10
How will you manage the store during the occasions, such as Christmas, when the customer rush is high?	Situational	Ability to handle pressure, attention to detail	1. I will increase the store hours for a week and hire more part time staffs. 2. I will hire more casual staffs 3.  I will increase my duty hours, will appoint a deputy manager who would manage the store during my off times and also hire more casual and part time workers during the peak season.	1. 5 2. 1 3. 10

                                                                     Table 8: Panel Interview Questions

                                                                                   (Source: Author)

After the recruitment process is done, then comes the selection process. Based on the selection criteria, the candidates are evaluated according to their performance during the recruitment process. Their scores of the store management test and interview round will be examined and compared. The candidates with higher scores will get a higher rank in the list for chosen candidates. Their aptitude, behavior, knowledge, commitment towards the job and presence of mind will be assessed through the process and according to their scores, the right candidate will be chosen for the position (Sandall et al. 2014).

Conclusion

In the end, it can be concluded that, choosing a right candidate for a renowned company, like OZStyle4U is a crucial task. The HRD of the company must be efficient so that, the task of hiring a manager becomes flawless. They must formulate the interview questions effectively to bring out the desired skills of the applicants during the screening process. The compensation and benefits should be attractive as per the industry standard. Moreover, they should provide a supportive environment so that the candidates do not get intimidated. Thus, it can be said that, a store manager would be hired for Hobart location after he goes through three stages of recruitment, i.e. Pre-recruitment strategies, Recruitment strategies, and selection process.

References

Cable, D.M. ed., 2013. The Oxford handbook of recruitment. Oxford University Press.

Driedonks, B.A., Gevers, J.M. and van Weele, A.J., 2014. Success factors for sourcing teams: How to foster sourcing team effectiveness. European Management Journal, 32(2), pp.288-304.

Gully, S.M., Phillips, J.M. and Kim, M.S., 2014. Strategic Recruitment: A Multilevel (pp. 161-183). The Oxford Handbook of Recruitment.

Ivanov, D., Tsipoulanidis, A. and Schönberger, J., 2017. Sourcing Strategy. In Global Supply Chain and Operations Management (pp. 97-119). Springer International Publishing.

O’Meara, B. and Petzall, S., 2013. Handbook of Strategic Recruitment and Selection: A Systems Approach. Emerald Group Publishing.

Pantouvakis, A. and Karakasnaki, M., 2017. Role of the human talent in total quality management–performance relationship: an investigation in the transport sector. Total Quality Management & Business Excellence, pp.1-15.

Payne, A. and Frow, P., 2014. Deconstructing the value proposition of an innovation exemplar. European Journal of Marketing, 48(1/2), pp.237-270.

Phillips, J. and Gully, S., 2014. Strategic Staffing. 3rd ed. Pearson Higher Ed USA.

Sandall, J., Murrells, T., Dodwell, M., Gibson, R., Bewley, S., Coxon, K., Bick, D., Cookson, G., Warwick, C. and Hamilton-Fairley, D., 2014. The efficient use of the maternity workforce and the implications for safety and quality in maternity care: a population-based, cross-sectional study.

Scholes, M.S., 2015. Taxes and business strategy. Prentice Hall.

Sharhan, N.A. and Yazdanifard, R., 2014. Implying an International Strategic Recruitment and Its Impact on Local Workers. American Journal of Industrial and Business Management, 4(3), p.134.

Shields, J., Brown, M., Kaine, S., Dolle-Samuel, C., North-Samardzic, A., McLean, P., Johns, R., O’Leary, P., Robinson, J. and Plimmer, G., 2015. Managing Employee Performance & Reward: Concepts, Practices, Strategies. Cambridge University Press.