RECRUITING

Managers perform various functions, but one of the most important and least understood aspects of their job is proper utilization of people. Research reveals that worker performance is closely related to motivation; thus keeping employee motivated is an essential component of good management. In a business context, motivation refers to the stimulus that directs the behavior of workers toward the company goals. In order to achieve company goals, managers must be aware of workers’ needs.

Recruiting good people is a difficult task. It is time-consuming and costly. But a well-chosen labor force will be more productive than a poorly-chosen one. Do a good job of selecting and recruiting employee and they will stay with you. People who work a territory for years build up goodwill for the company; they become well-acquainted with the customers’ needs and are able to give advice rooted in experience. Customers place a lot of confidence in such people. A poorly-selected labor force means a high staff turnover. There are two main reasons for having to recruit: expansion and replacement. But in any case you need to prepare a "man profile". Some of the points that might be included in the man profile are:

age range qualifications skills

experience single or married appearance

physical abilities personal characteristics foreign languages

educational level

These should be listed in terms of what is acceptable and what is preferable, as in Table 1.

Table 1. Man profile for sales person

Sometimes a list of characteristics and guidelines is created. The list may include the following points:

There are many sources of recruitment. The following are among them: educational establishments, vacancy fairs, employee agencies, trade associations, job centers, advertising.

1. What sources of information will you consider as an employer and/or as an applicant? Why?

Task I. Here is more information about some approaches to recruiting people. Read it and say whether you can take the information seriously. Give your reasons.

A. When might you need to give blood for a personality test? The answer to that question may puzzle you more than the question itself: when you apply for a job. What’s more, your blood group could seriously influence your career prospects. Some people believe your blood group hides no secrets. It reveals the “real you” – a person who gets things done, a good salesman, a creative person or a problem-solver – that is why you could be asked to state your blood group when completing a job application form. This growing trend was first used in Japan and now management consultant firms in other parts of the world have joined in. Someone, somewhere has spent some time working out statistics regarding who’s who in the blood group system. The owners of certain group tend to be particularly good or bad at certain tasks. In fact, one major Japanese firm is so well informed about blood groups that the company is quite specific about its needs: “We must have 30 per cent of blood group A and 15 per cent of AB, 25 per cent of blood group O, and 30 per cent of blood group B among echelons of our management personnel”. Apparently, if you belong to blood group O you get things done and sell the goods. Blood group A are thinkers, while blood group B are highly creative. And if you got problems, ask the ABs to solve them.

B. … Я прикладываю по очереди свои пальцы к специальному сканеру и с тревогой ожидаю вердикта: ту ли профессию я выбрала, за того ли человека вышла замуж, правильно ли воспитываю ребенка. Ответы на все эти вопросы у меня, оказывается, имелись и были буквально записаны на кончиках пальцев. Но как и почему наши руки хранят такую важную информацию?

Дело в том, что узоры на пальцах закладываются на 13-й неделе развития плода. Примерно в то же время вместе с кожей формируется нервная и эндокринная системы. Поэтому кожные узоры тесно связаны со структурой нервных окончаний в кончиках пальцев. И от этого они очень точно отражают особенности организации мозга человека.

Наука, изучающая папиллярные узоры, получила название дерматоглифика (от греч. дермато – кожа, и глифо – гравирую). Всего существует три типа таких узоров: дуги, петли и завитки (самый редкий знак). А с учетом их более тонких особенностей и разных комбинаций можно насчитать несколько десятков подтипов. Данные дерматоглифики используются в медицине (для определения врожденных заболеваний), в криминалистике (в экспертизах), в спорте (для определения вида спорта и возможностей вырастить чемпиона). Все большую популярность приобретают специалисты, работающие в этой области, поскольку помогают при выборе профессионального пути, подсказывая, получится ли из вас толковый редактор или грамотный инженер, по плечу ли вам руководить компанией или только отделом.

TEXT 3

Read the text. Differentiate between categories of job specifications and be ready to give your own examples of a trade or profession illustrating each category.

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