What should people understand by the term of recruitment process in this interview essay sample?

The recruitment process is complicated and multistage. It is preceded by several organizational stages, during which the employer determines its specific requirements for the employee: his or her professional qualities and skills, priorities in the field of age, gender, personal characteristics.

The requirements of the employer depend on its personnel policy, the company’s corporate installations regarding personnel, and the specifics of job responsibilities. An important factor affecting the needs of the company is the type of activity, the life cycle of the company and the stage of business development. In the period of active development and expansion of business, initiative and creative workers will be required. They are ready to make quick and independent decisions and take responsibility for them. In the period of stable business development, the organization needs to maintain a systematic approach that dictates the need for workers who are well-organized, predictable, and capable of methodical work.

On the basis of this, the first recommendation should be given: before you pass an interview with an employer, you should try to find out about the company such information as:

• type of activity;
• how many years has a company existed and what position it takes on the market;
• features and priorities of the personnel policy;
• mission and motto of the organization.

The information from an essay about interview should help the applicant for a job to understand the expectations of the employer and what qualities of the employee will be most in demand.

The task of primary selection consists in determining the limited number of candidates with who the company continues to work further. Usually, the role of primary selection is reduced to the elimination of candidates that are unfit for the proposed work. In the process of drop-out, only biographical characteristics are considered at the level of the resume. This does not allow to assess and form an idea of the candidate’s personal qualities.

Famous methods of personnel selection

The British method

It is based on a personal conversation with the candidate of the commission members and analysis of the qualities of the candidate, their relatives, and the recommendations.

The German method

This method is based on the preliminary preparation of candidates for a significant number of documents with mandatory written recommendations known in their field experts.

The American method

It is reduced to checking intellectual abilities, psychological testing using modern computer technologies and assessing behavior in an informal setting.

The Chinese method

It is based on written exams and has historical traditions of selection since the Ming dynasty. Candidates write a number of works and poems, proving knowledge of the classics, facile pen and writing language, knowledge of history.

Each of the methods presented in this example of essay about interview gives different importance to the interview procedure. However, the interview essential part of the selection process.

The background of the selection goes back centuries. Nevertheless, in all the known trials the role of the interview was the first one. For example, in Ancient Egypt, it was necessary to withstand a system of certain tests to get the right to learn the art of the priest. Initially, the candidate was interviewed, in the process of which his or her biographical data and the level of education were clarified. In addition, the appearance and skills in a conversation were assessed. After that, the ability to work, listen and remain silent was determined by the tests.

In modern life, an individual interview with selected candidates is the most popular method of selection and is conducted by its staff service or its representative. Interviewing is the most informative method of recruitment. More than 90% of organizations use this method to choose a job candidate.

The interview itself is a focused conversation with the applicant for a vacancy in order to determine his or her level of knowledge, and skills for performing job duties and to determine the degree of compliance with the requirements of the corporate culture of the company. Thus, the purpose of these interviews is to assess the degree of compliance of the candidate with the image drawn by the employer on the basis of the “ideal employee” circumstances listed above. There are several types of interviews:

• biographical interview;
• situational interview;
• structured interview.

A structured interview with a pre-defined plan and a list of questions is applied if there are many candidates and where the required qualifications are not very high. In the event that a major specialist is accepted for a vacant position in the management of a company, the interview in one way or another turns out to be less structured.

Regardless of the type of interview, the purpose of the is to obtain the following information about the candidate:

• Professional opportunities, experience and skills
• Motivation
• Orientation to individual or team work
• Initiative
• Self-assessment and level of claims
• Willingness to learn
• Appearance
• Strengths and weaknesses of the candidate

Having received this information about the candidate, the employer compares it with the image of the “ideal employee” and assesses the degree of compliance.

What is important to understand the applicant? In the recruitment process, the candidate is evaluated not as a person, but as a level of compliance with the created image of an employee.

Often redundant competences, such as professional knowledge and additional skills, may not match the job requirements and not facilitate the recruitment of such an applicant.

Common techniques for interviewing

These techniques can be also considered as the following interview types:

• Interview as negotiations, when the parties have equal rights;
• Interview as interrogation, when the employer does not recognize the equal position of the parties;
• Interview as a sale, when the employer is interested in a more profitable representation of the company than in real hiring actions.

Of course, an effective technique is the form of an interview that assumes only equal rights of the parties in the recruitment process both for the employee and for the employer. There is a well-established scheme for conducting an interview, which allows the parties to understand each other correctly.

Sample interview scheme

Contact establishing

• The conversation starts with a neutral topic, which allows the candidate to adapt.
• The interviewer represents the company, creating a favorable impression about it.
• It is possible to offer coffee or other drinks.

Description of the structure of the interview

• The interviewer describes the position and its place in the structure of the company.
• The current work of the candidate, job responsibilities, a degree of responsibility and authority are described.
• The interviewer answers the candidate’s questions.

The actual interview

• The interviewer requests a summary of the resume
• Questions related to the work situation (situational issues) may be asked
• All positive aspects of the employer’s company are covered
• Answers to the candidate’s questions

Completion of the interview

Explanation of all company steps in the further process of selection of employees. The role of the manager and the chief manager in the recruitment process and the time frame during which decisions will be made.

In this sample of essay about interview it should be noted that there are non-traditional forms of interviewing, so-called stress interviews, during which the candidate is specially created stressful conditions. However, such forms are justified only when choosing candidates for specific activities. The most common pitfalls in the interview are manifested in such details as creating inconveniences (you may be offered to sit in a too deep chair), provocative questions, avoiding eye contact or an overly arrogant form of conversation, illusions of empathy (a challenge to a confidential conversation). It is better to prepare for such possible situations in advance.

Common mistakes and wages issues

The success of the interview depends, of course, on the two sides, on the personnel policy of the organization, on its corporate culture and on the level of business development, on the qualifications and preparedness of the staff that selects both the qualification level and the personal characteristics of the applicant. The applicant must also be ready for the recruitment procedure. There some recommendations and typical mistakes which candidates make during the interviews:

• Uncertainty, excessive modesty, inability to put yourself in a favorable light.
• Unjustifiably overstated or understated salary requirements.
• Excessive directness, details of personal life.
• Hints on the availability of profitable offers from other companies
• Inappropriate appearance
• Unfair unconfirmed information about yourself
• Arrogance

Another important issue involved in the interview process is the discussion of wages. The amount of wages should be discussed together with such key aspects of work as job duties, working conditions, degree of responsibility and degree of independence, as well as the social package and other benefits provided by the company. To be ready to discuss this issue, each applicant should have an idea of the level of payment for similar positions in the regional labor market.

In conclusion, it should be noted once again that the recruitment process is a two-way process, and the interview is very important, but only as its integral part. The process allows determining the degree of compliance between the employer’s requirements with the applicant’s capabilities and vice versa. Thus, it is all about both applicant’s and the future employer’s expectations.