Most Appropriate Tools for Selecting a General Manager at Tescol Mining Company

Executive Summary

This report contains six sections centered on some of the main tools and methods that can be easily adopted by human resource managers in their hiring practices. In section one, the paper begins by introducing five tools that are widely used by both small and large firm managers in their hiring criteria before narrowing them down to the three most effective ones. In section two of the report, interviewing and job analysis questionnaire techniques have been elaborately discussed. Additionally, the report focuses on how Tescol Limited can employ the two techniques to obtain a general from a total of 33 applicants. The recommendation segment forms section three and gives more details regarding the betterment of the two strategies, whereas section four (conclusion) gives a recap of the entire paper. Section five gives all the sources cited in the paperwork, while the last section presents the appendix.

Introduction

In most companies, the human resource management department uses a collection of different tools to select the best job entrant for a given slot. These resources are employed at different stages and start from the assessment of employment application letters all through to the background inspection of the job-seeker. The collection of job analysis information is a critical stage in the hiring process and significantly determines the possibility of picking a suitable candidate. This report aims to explore the best way to structure their interviews and job analysis questionnaires to obtain the right people for job vacancies within their company.

Five Tools for Selecting the Right Candidate for the Job Vacancy

However, there are at least five tools that are effective both for small and large companies. These strategies include the use of interviews, job analysis questionnaires, observation, diaries/logs, and critical incident reports. Techniques such as observation and interviews sometimes intertwine because most managers pay attention to the applicants’ dress code, composure, facial expressions, and other non-verbal cues during interview sessions. For example, if the job seeker reports before the interview panel in a brightly colored outfit and displays poor sitting posture is unlikely to get verified by the board.

Similarly, an applicant who is easily distracted by his phone, external surroundings, and things happening around him may be deemed unfit on the basis of lack of concentration. Essentially, employers use observation to determine the concentration span, level of diligence, and general behavior of the job entrant. On the same note, the recruiter can temporarily hire the applicant and keenly observe his behavior during work hours. This technique is incorporated through different forms such as unobstructed, continuous, and direct observation. For unobstructed observation, the interviewee hence the applicant is oblivious to the fact that is being monitored while at work.

Then, the entire process of observation, whether direct or unobstructed, can be time-consuming as it requires at least one month before the recruiter can deduce significant personality attributes and work ethics of a potential employee. Tools that blend well with technology can be used to obtain job analysis information easily and more conveniently. For example, interviews and analysis questionnaires can be sent to job-seekers, requiring them to send their feedback via platforms such as email, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Such modalities are usually cost-effective hence and less time-consuming compared to other applicant screening processes like observation and use of critical incident reports. Based on the above discussions, it is evident that the use of interviews and job analysis questionnaires are the best approaches that can be blended to obtain the best candidate from a bunch of applications for any given job. A breakdown of these two techniques that can be adopted by Tescol Limited.

Use of Interviews

From the above discussions, the interview technique has been cited as one of the best tools for obtaining job analysis information relevant to fill the general manager’s position. In this section, the report will explore different aspects of interviewing techniques, including all related theories and evidence. To begin with, the interview is conducted by a panel comprising ten members, six males and four females. Since Tescol Limited is a subsidiary of Roche Copper LLC, the forecited ten panelists will be obtained directly from the parent company’s senior employees and managers. One of the members will be selected from Finvin Limited, a related mining company in the neighboring state. The inclusion of an external manager will ensure that the final choice matches the standards of both Tescol Limited and the general levels of merit.

Number to be Interviewed. The panel targets to interview 33 job-seekers for the general manager vacancy. The interview will be divided into two daily sessions conducted every Wednesday and Friday. The caucus will be held on a biweekly basis due to the high number of applicants that need to be interviewed within the set span of one week. A range of four to five applicants in the first session and three to four in the subsequent is considered optimal. Therefore, the panelists will follow this order for the interview.

Duration of the interview. The panel in this report will adopt the same duration for every candidate targeting the vacancy. The two sessions are expected to begin at 8.30a.m and 1.30p.m Eastern Time, respectively. There will be a small break at 1.00 pm where the panelists can relax as they wait for the afternoon session to extend to 4.30 p.m. A break between interview sessions resurges the interviewer, preparing him for the next candidates. Similarly, he is able to reset his mind from the conversion with the previous applicant, thus avoiding biases.

Types of questions to be asked. The type and quality of the questions will reflect directly on the interview rubric formulated by the members of the panel. Similarly, the questions will purpose to explore the merits and experiences of the applicants while covering all the specifications highlighted by the human resource manager. Applicants will tackle 16 questions ranging from a wide variety of topics, including but not limited to safety, kick-off, integrity, suitability, inclusion, and responsibility questions. For example, one of the safety questions will probe the applicant to tell if they have had a previous encounter where their subordinates were in critical danger or life-threatening conditions in the mines and how they acted to avert the situation.

Preparation of candidates. The level of interviewees’ preparation depends on the nature of communication from the hiring company. Approximately 18% of job seekers across the United States have missed interviews as a result of unclear communication from their potential employers. In that regard, it is important for the company to make prior communication regarding the venue and date of the interview. In this context, the panel’s chair will send emails to candidates three days prior to the interview, communicating to them the location and time of the assessment. Furthermore, the former will send text messages to applicants to ensure that everybody receives the message.

Assessment criteria. The company’s panel will adopt moderated interview guide to ensure that the interviews are replicable, reliable, authentic, and fair. The same template will be used for all 33 applicants. This implies that candidates will face the same questions which will be asked in a similar order. Although most interview questions are intertwined with the firm’s hiring criteria, that single factor is incapable of producing precise assessments. Therefore, the questions asked will be standardized to avoid too obvious or ambiguous questions hence poor quality interviews. The results of the interview will be communicated to individual interviewees one week after the last interview session. The panel will nominate one of the top three best candidates to eliminate the need for a second interview. The winner will be officially informed as the general manager of Tescol limited and his assistant will be chosen using the job analysis questionnaire method discussed below.

Job analysis questionnaires. The human resource manager will be responsible for formulating the four-page document to be emailed to potential employees. Their contents and formatting will follow the Position Analysis Questionnaire Template. The use of questionnaires targets to reach 15 potential employees and the entire process will be conducted online. The questionnaire’s main contents must include general instructions for the application, fundamental aspects of the job, duties of the general manager, specific company requirements, and the expected level of corporate responsibility. Under fundamental aspects of the job, details regarding the net salary, allowances, bonuses, and other incentives will be included. Similarly, the basic work environment and required employee attributes will be highlighted under the corporate responsibility section. It is important to note that the formatting and questions for all applicants will be the same to ensure objectivity and fairness in the process.

Filling and submission. Job seekers are expected to fill the questionnaires by ticking in appropriate boxes or filling in details regarding their skills and experience in the spaces provided. There will be an automated support system to help applicants to clarify questions that they may find difficult. The incorporation of an automated system in the hiring process ensures applicants receive timely feedback on critical issues that may need to be addressed. A dully signed copy of the questionnaire will be submitted by the 15 job applicants via email three days prior to the stated deadline.

Time and feedback. Potential employees will be given one week to assess and state if they are comfortable with all the listed instructions. To ensure fairness and unbiased results, all applicants will be given equal time to answer the questions to the best of their ability based on their work experience and skills before submission. Some political scientists have established that questionnaire respondents may provide dishonest answers if they retain the questions for longer, an idea reinforced by the recruitment theory. In that regard, the submission window will be opened earlier to allow early feedback delivery.

Recommendations

Although the use of interviews may be considered effectual by many employers, the implications of interviewer bias on the final outcome of the interview cannot be ignored. One of the best recommendations to avoid prejudiced and false assessments requires the recruiter to take notes periodically as the interview unfolds. Instead of evaluating the candidate after he has already left the office, it is recommended that the interviewer uses a standardized sheet with gaps for filling each response as given by the applicant. This would avoid biases related to stereotyping. Similarly, the overshadowing resulting from one spectacular response from an interviewee can be avoided by periodic note-taking.

Then, it is recommended that all candidates are evaluated based on an established template. The rubric should adequately highlight the required level of skills suitable for the vacancy as elaborated by the hiring manager. An interviewer may be more convinced to consider hiring an applicant who appears confident and composed while disregarding another who displays a lame first expression. However, the mere aspect of high self-confidence and tenacity does not necessarily guarantee that the first candidate is fit for the job.

The template will help the assessor make hiring decisions according to the required applicants’ skills rather than being pigeonholed by the applicants’ sparkling aplomb displayed during the interview. On the other hand, the biasness attributed to the use of job analysis questionnaires can be eradicated through the incorporation of anonymous evaluation. The questionnaire is sent to the applicant without the slot for location and name, but each of them is uniquely coded to identify it from the rest. Concealing the respondents hence applicants’ anonymity, will prevent the assessor from judging the respondents based on their gender orientations, ethnical backgrounds, and racial identification.

Conclusion

To conclude, the report shows that the hiring department of many organizations employs different modalities in their attempts to select the best and most qualified candidates in the market. Whereas techniques such as observation, use of diaries, and critical incident reports may accrue favorable results to small-sized enterprises, these methods can be tiresome, time-consuming, and uneconomical if the sample to be assessed is large. Procedures such as job analysis questionnaires and interviews can be incorporated to ensure the cost-effective evaluation of applicants since they blend well with modern technology. In addition, the recommendation section highlights major steps that can be taken to counteract biases associated with the two methods, thus ensuring high objectivity when the two criteria are used to screen applicants.

References

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Langhan, Melissa L., Michael P. Goldman, and Gunjan Tiyyagura. “Can Behavior-Based Interviews Reduce Bias in Fellowship Applicant Assessment?” Academic Pediatrics 22, no. 3 (2022): 478-485.

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Appendix 1

• Schedule______________________
• Name of the company___________________________
• Address_______________________________________
• Venue of interview________________________________
• Date______________________________________________

Special instructions and recommendations_________________________

Interviewer’s signature______________________________________

Appendix 2

Interview Checklist

Kick off Question

Tell me about yourself – Please walk me through your background. (Interviewer may follow along using resume)

Safety Questions

1. Tell me about a time when you led a team that was reluctant regarding safety procedures. What did you do?
2. Give me an example of how you install a culture of safety amongst your team.
3. Tell me about a time a member of your team made a mistake that led to injury. What did you do?

Integrity Questions

1. Describe a time when you’ve had to make an unpopular or difficult decision. What was it and what did you do?
2. Give me an example of how you’ve supported your organization’s community engagement strategy.
3. Please share a time that you noticed a direct report or other colleague contradict an organizational value or commitment. What did you do?
4. Please share a situation where your team members didn’t get along. What did you do?

Sustainability Questions

1. How have you conveyed the importance of health, community and environmental protection to your team?
2. What role do you believe sustainability should play in the mining industry?
3. Tell me about a time you identified the need to improve sustainability performance. What did you do and what were the results?

Inclusion Questions

1. What specific actions have you taken to understand people’s differences and create a team where all people feel valued, respected and appreciated?
2. Tell me about a time when you had to secure the assistance or cooperation of people in other departments to complete a task or project. What did you do and what was the outcome?
3. Share about a time you had to alter your work style to work with a person who was different than yourself or had a different work style than you.
4. Give an example of how you have developed a staff member to be your successor. What did you do and what were the results?

Responsibility Questions

1. Give an example of how you have developed a staff member to be your successor. What did you do and what were the results?
2. Tell me about the goal-setting process you used in your most recent position. How did you monitor or measure the goals and what was the outcome?
3. In your most recent position, what was a specific example of a challenging deliverable? What was it and what did you do?
4. Describe a time when you/your team didn’t meet a deadline. How did you handle it?
5. Tell me about a situation in a previous job when you removed an obstacle that helped your team perform better. What was the obstacle, how did you go about removing it?
6. Describe a situation when you felt a change was necessary to improve a process or system. What did you do and what were the results?