IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes

Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Table of Contents
Table of Contents......................................................................................................................... 1
Topic: Introduction to recruitment............................................................................................ 3
Recruitment methods .................................................................................................................. 4
Recruitment planning .................................................................................................................. 5
Job applications............................................................................................................................ 6
Interviews...................................................................................................................................... 7
Topic : Training ............................................................................................................................ 8
Kinds of training ........................................................................................................................... 9
Topic: Trade unions................................................................................................................... 10

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Topic: Introduction to recruitment

Recruitment and selection is the process of identifying the need for a job, defining the requirements of
the position and the job holder, advertising the position and choosing the most appropriate person for
the job. Retention means ensuring that once the best person has been recruited, they stay with the
business and are not poached by rival companies.
Undertaking this process is one of the main objectives of management. Indeed, the success of any
business depends to a large extent on the quality of its staff. Recruiting employees with the correct skills
can add value to a business and recruiting workers at a wage or salary that the business can afford, will
reduce costs.
Employees should therefore be carefully selected, managed and retained, just like any other resource

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Recruitment methods
A manager can recruit in two different ways:
Internal recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from within its existing workforce.
External recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from any suitable applicant outside
the business.
Advantages
Internal
Recruitment

External
Recruitment

Disadvantages

Cheaper and quicker to recruit

Limits the number of potential applicants
People already familiar with the business and No new ideas can be introduced from
how it operates
outside the business
Provides opportunities for promotion with in May cause resentment amongst candidates
the business can be motivating
not appointed
Business already knows the strengths and Creates another vacancy which needs to
weaknesses of candidates
be filled
Outside people bring in new ideas
Longer process
Larger pool of workers from which to find the More expensive process due to
best candidate
advertisements and interviews required
People have a wider range of experience
Selection process may not be effective
enough to reveal the best candidate

The four most popular ways of recruiting externally are:

Job centres - These are paid for by the government and are responsible for helping the unemployed
find jobs or get training. They also provide a service for businesses needing to advertise a vacancy and
are generally free to use. These tend to be used when a business is looking for a low skilled or junior
employee
Job advertisements - Advertisements are the most common form of external recruitment. They can be
found in many places (local and national newspapers, notice boards, recruitment fairs) and should
include some important information relating to the job (job title, pay package, location, job description,
how to apply-either by CV or application form). Where a business chooses to advertise will depend on
the cost of advertising and the coverage needed (i.e. how far away people will consider applying for the
job
Recruitment agency - Provides employers with details of suitable candidates for a vacancy and can
sometimes be referred to as head-hunters. They work for a fee and often specialise in particular
employment areas e.g. nursing, financial services, teacher recruitment
Personal recommendation - Often referred to as word of mouth and can be a recommendation from
a colleague at work. A full assessment of the candidate is still needed however but potentially it saves on
advertising cost.

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Recruitment planning
There are a number of possible reasons as to why a business may have to recruit more employees:
Business is expanding due to:
- Increasing sales of existing products
- Developing new products
- Entering new markets
Existing employees leaving to work with competitors or other local employers
Existing employees leaving due to factors such as retirement, sick leave, maternity leave
Business needs employees with new skills
Business is relocating and not all the existing workforce wants to move to the new location
In each of these circumstances a business will normally carry out Workforce Planning to find out how
many workers and what types of workers are required. The workforce plan will establish what vacancies
exist and managers then need to draw up ajob description and job specification for each post.
A job description is a detailed explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the post advertised. Most
applicants will ask for this before applying for the job. It refers to the post available rather than the
person.
A job specification is drawn up by the business and sets out the kind of qualifications, skills,
experience and personal attributes a successful candidate should possess. It is a vital tool in assessing
the suitability of job applicants and refers to the person rather than the post.
These documents are an important part of the recruitment and selection process and provide the basis
as to where the job may be advertised and whether an applicant is suitable for the post. They also help
provide a framework for questions to be asked at an interview.

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Job applications
For many jobs, a business will ask applicants to provide a curriculum vitae (CV). This is a document
(often on one or two sides of A4) that the applicant designs providing the details summarised below.
Personal details

Name, address, date of birth, nationality

Educational history

Including examination results, schools/universities attended, professional

qualifications

Previous
history

employment

Names of employers, position held, main achievements, remuneration

package, reasons for leaving

Suitability and reasons A chance for applicants to sell themselves

for applying for the job
Names of referees

Often recent employer or people who know applicant well and are ideally
independent

In some circumstances however an applicant may be asked to fill in a firms own application form.
This is different from a CV in that the employer designs it and sends it to applicants, but it will still ask
for much of the same information. It has the benefit over a CV in that a business is able to tailor it to
their exact needs and ask specific questions.
Once a business has received all the applications, they need to be analysed and the most appropriate
form of selection decided upon. When analysing applications, a business will normally sieve the
applications into three categories.
Those to reject - Candidates may be rejected because they may not meet the standards set out in the
job specification such as wrong qualifications or insufficient experience or they may not have completed
the application form to a satisfactory standard.
Those to place on a short list. Often comprises 3-10 of the best candidates who are asked to interview
Those to place on a long list - A business will not normally reject all other candidates immediately but
keep some on a long list in case those on the short list drop out or do not appear suitable during
interview. The business would not want to incur costs putting them through the selection process, such
as interviews, unless they have to.

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Interviews
An interview is the most common form of selection as it is relatively cheap to undertake and is the
chance for an employer to meet the applicant face to face and so obtain much more information on what
the person is like and how suitable they are for the job. Examples of information that can only be learnt
from interview and not on paper from a CV or application form are:
Conversational ability- often known as people skills
Natural enthusiasm or manner of the applicant
See how applicant reacts under pressure
Queries on comments or details missing from CV or application form
Interviewers should also follow-up a candidates references, which can act as the final check that all the
information given by the candidate is correct. An honest reference from an independent source can also
reveal good or bad incidences from the candidates past or particular traits that may have been missed.
There are though other forms of selection tests that can be used in addition to an interview to help
select the best applicant. The basic interview can be unreliable as applicants can perform well at
interview but not have the qualities or skills needed for the job. Other selection tests can increase the
chances of choosing the best applicant and so minimise the high costs of recruiting the wrong people.
Examples of these tests are aptitude tests, intelligence tests and psychometric tests (to reveal the
personality of a candidate).
Managers selecting candidates for a high level post in an organisation may even send applicants
to an assessment centre. In such centres candidates undergo a variety of tests, role-plays and
simulations for a number of days.
Once the best candidate has been selected and agreed to take up the post, the new employee must be
given an employment contract. This is an important legal document that describes the obligations of
the employee and employer to each other (terms and conditions) as well as the initial remuneration
package and a number of other important details.

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Topic : Training
Training is a process whereby an individual acquires job-related skills and knowledge. It is a cost to
firms to pay for the training and also to suffer the loss of working hours whilst an employee is being
trained.
However, the potential gains from employee training are significant. The main benefits of training are
improved productivity and motivation of staff and also better quality products being made.
Some of the specific reasons as to why a business should train its employees are:
Introduce new employees to the business (this is known as induction training) see below
Help provide the skills the business needs (in particular making the workforce more flexibleor being
trained on new higher technology machinery)
Provide employees with better knowledge about the business and the market it operates in
Provide support for jobs that are complex and for which the required skills and knowledge are often
changing (e.g. a firm of lawyers training staff about new legislation)
Support the introduction of new working methods, such as a firm introducing new lean production
techniques
Reduce the need for supervision and therefore free up valuable manager timeHelp achieve a good
health and safety recordHelp improve quality of a product or service and lower customer complaints
Increase employee motivation and loyalty to the business

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Kinds of training
Induction training
Induction training is important as it enables a new recruit to become productive as quickly as possible. It
can avoid costly mistakes by recruits not knowing the procedures or techniques of their new jobs. The
length of induction training will vary from job to job and will depend on the complexity of the job, the
size of the business and the level or position of the job within the business.
The following areas may be included in induction training:
Learning about the duties of the job
Meeting new colleagues
Seeing the layout the premises
Learning the values and aims of the business
Learning about the internal workings and policies of the business
On-the-job training
On the job training occurs when workers pick up skills whilst working along side experienced workers at
their place of work. For example this could be the actual assembly line or offices where the employee
works. New workers may simply shadow or observe fellow employees to begin with and are often
given instruction manuals or interactive training programmes to work through.
Off-the-job training
This occurs when workers are taken away from their place of work to be trained. This may take
place at training agency or local college, although many larger firms also have their own training centres.
Training can take the form of lectures or self-study and can be used to develop more general skills and
knowledge that can be used in a variety of situations, e.g. management skills programme.
The respective advantages of on-the-job and off-the-job training are summarised below:
On-the-Job Training
Cheaper to carry out

Off-the-Job Training
Learn from specialists in that area of work who can
provide more in-depth study

Training is very relevant and practical dealing with Can more easily deal with groups of workers at the
day to day requirements of job
same time
Workers not taken away from jobs so can still be Employees respond better when taken away from
productive
pressures of working environment
Employees who are new to a job role become Workers may be able to obtain qualifications or
productive as quickly as possible
certificates

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

Topic: Trade unions

A trade union is an organisation that employees can join in order to have their interests and goals
better represented. A worker will pay an annual subscription and in return will have their interests more
powerfully represented than if they had to negotiate with employers on their own.
Workers acting together in a trade union can counterbalance the power of large firms. This is due to
collective bargaining where all trade union members are balloted (given the opportunity to vote) on
issues and a trade union representative then negotiates with the employer on their behalf. The
negotiations and relationship between a trade union and an employer is known as industrial relations.
Traditionally trade unions used to focus their attention on obtaining a good standard of pay for their
members but more recently unions are concentrating on protecting the individual rights of their
members. This may mean providing legal and financial support and advice for members who feel their
employer has discriminated against them or dismissed them unfairly.
There are four main types of trade union as outlined in the table below:
Type of Union

Description / Example

Craft of skills union

To represent skilled workers e.g. Musicians Union (MU)

Industrial unions

To represent the members of one particular industry e.g. Fire Brigades Union
(FBU)

General unions

Unions which recruit workers from all types of industries and with any level or
range of skills e.g. Amicus the Manufacturing Science and Finance Union (MSF)

White-collar unions

Represent office workers e.g. National Union of Teachers (NUT)

In addition there is the Trade Unions Congress (TUC) who represent all British trade unions at a
national and international level. In particular the TUC tries to influence government decision-making in
the best interests of unions and workers and to coordinate with trade union movements in other EU
countries.
Industrial action
The majority of worker-to-manager and therefore union-to-employer problems are worked out peacefully
through negotiation. However occasionally an issues arises where no agreement or solution can be
reached. This is when a trade union may conduct some form of industrial action in order to force the
employer to back down.
There are several different types of industrial action that could be taken:
Strike Workers select a day(s) on which they will not come into work.
Work to rule Workers apply the firms rules and procedures to the letter with the objective of
slowing down production. For example a machine worker may be told to ensure his machine is clean and
safe before starting work and so he will be deliberately nit-picking and spend hours doing exactly this.
Go slow Employees carry on working but at the minimum pace possible in order to slow down
production but avoid disciplinary action.
Picketing Workers may stand at the entrance to the employers factory or place of work and
demonstrate with banners or slogans.
Overtime ban Workers simply refuse to work overtime as they are not obliged to. This can prevent a
firm being able to produce quickly enough to meet demand and they may lose orders.
If unions and employers continue in dispute then either side can bring in ACAS to help resolve the
disagreement. ACAS is the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service and is an independent body
financed by the government. It is responsible for giving advice to both sides, sitting in and helping with
IGCSE REVISION NOTES
Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw

negotiations and ultimately it can provide an individual, or arbitrator, who can judge the right outcome of
the dispute.
How the role of trade unions has changed
The power of trade union has been gradually eroded over the last 20 years. This is due to a number of
reasons:

Laws passed by governments during 1980s and 1990s which have weakened the power of trade
unions

Decline in trade union membership

Change in structure of industry from heavily unionised manufacturing industry towards service
sector businesses. Also more women and part-time workers who are less inclined to join unions.

Change in philosophy from conflicts due to collective bargaining to individual bargaining between
firms and employees
Benefits of trade unions
In practice many firms choose to deal with trade unions as they can benefit not only the employee but
also the employer. This is shown below:
Benefits to an Employee

Benefits to an Employer

More powerful voice when bargaining as a group Cheaper and quicker to bargain with one trade union
(e.g. for pay rises) as can threaten industrial representative than individual workers
action such as strikes
Workers will have their individual rights better Workers are better motivated if they feel their interests
protected e.g. if dismissed unfairly or are being looked after by trade unions
discriminated against

Trade unions increasingly wish to be seen as working with employers to create a better and more
competitive economy and not as organisations that stand in the way of change and increase costs for
firms. They believe that both parties have mutual interests. This has led to more and more single union
agreements (where an employer agrees to deal with only one union) but in return can often expect a
no-strike deal from the union (where unions agree never to strike if a dispute cannot be settled).

IGCSE REVISION NOTES

Recruitment revision notes
Neil.elrick@tes.tp.edu.tw