Interview

This study explores the impact of parental separation/divorce can have on a child’s learning and development in the primary school classroom. The broad aim of the study was to explore teachers’ classroom experiences of parental separation/divorce and its effect on teaching learning and development. The researcher aimed to gather an in depth and rich account of these experiences in the primary school classroom. This current chapter critically explores the most appropriate methods and tools that were used to gather data for this study. The researcher evaluates and outlines the design method undertaken, the participants that were involved and the materials that were used to gather the information and data relating to this study.

Ethical considerations are also outlined in this chapter.3.2 Aims of the studyHaving reviewed the literature on the topic of ‘the effect parental separation/divorce can have on a child’s learning and development’ it is evident that there is a lack of Irish research conducted on the area. A breakdown in a family structure is becoming more common with 1 in every 10 marriages in Ireland ending in separation/divorce (Rainbow, 2018) with the figure of marriage separation rising from 116,194 in 2011 to 118,178 in 2016 (CSO, 2016). For this reason this study aims to provide an insight into the effect this breakdown in family structure is having on a child’s learning and development.

This study aims to investigate to what extent does parental/separation divorce has on a child’s learning and development and if it has an effect on a child’s emotions, behaviour, capacity to learn and concentration in the classroom and whether teacher’s feel they have the adequate training to aid and help children during this change in their lives.3.3 Research DesignIn deciding on a research design for the study, the researcher considered both quantitative and qualitative approaches. According to (Patton ; Cochran, 2002) qualitative research ‘is characterised by its aims, which relate to understanding some aspect of social life, and its methods which (in general) generate words, rather than numbers, as data for analysis and seeks to build a holistic and narrative description of a social or cultural phenomenon (Gall, Borg & Gall, 1996).

Qualitative approaches to research involve emerging questions and procedures, typically collecting data in the participants’ setting, and analysing data inductively (Creswell, 2014). However, quantitative research ‘generally produces objective numerical data that are generated without influence on behalf of the researcher’ (Denscombe, 2010). It emphasises precision and sets out to explain phenomena by collecting numerical data that are analysed using mathematically based methods, and seeks to minimise bias and maximise objectivity (Rubin ; Babbie, 2010). Therefore taking both methodologies into account the researcher decided on a mixed- methods methodology approach for the purpose of this research.

The qualitative data provided an insight into the various ways children may be impacted by parental separation/divorce and the teachers own experiences and views in this area. On the other hand the quantitative data provided a numerical data insight into the extent of the way a child may be impacted by parental separation/divorce and the teachers own views and opinion’s on the key area it can have an impact on and how prepared they feel they are to help a child through this change in their lives. In conclusion a mixed method approach enabled the researcher to gain rich and valuable information for the research and facilitated the research to achieve a full picture of the impact parental separation/divorce may be having on a child’s learning and development in the primary school classroom.3.4 Data collectionIn order to collect the data the researcher interviewed 3 teachers who each taught different levels in the school; junior, middle and senior ends of the school.

The interviews were face to face and semi-structured using open ended questions and all 3 interviews were voice recorded. In order for the research to be fully representative of the sample the researcher conducted the interviews on teachers who taught in 3 different schools incorporating both town and country schools. One participant was a teacher in a country school in 5th and 6th class, another participant was a teacher in a populated town school in 3rd and 4th class and the final participant was a junior and senior infant teacher in a small country school. The class sizes varied from 21 pupils to 32 pupils with each participant stating they had a variety of ethnicities and learning support needs in the class. The aim of the interviews was to focus on the participants’ own experiences of the impact of parental separation in the classroom, and the researcher decided on an unstructured interview approach.

The intention of the researcher was to build a rapport with the participants create a narrative about their subjective experiences of this area. During the interviews, many of the questions were spontaneous and built on the experiences of the teachers and their own opinions surrounding the area of parental separation/divorce and its effects it can have on a child’s learning and development and the questions came as part of the natural interaction between researcher and participants. The unstructured approach allowed the researcher to ask questions as and when they were appropriate, and to further explore particular themes of interest the participant had. In order for the researcher to encourage a degree of consistency during the interview process among the 3 participants the researcher employed the use of an aide memoire to help guide the focus of the interview without disrupting the natural course of the discussion.

The interviews were recorded and were later transcribed for analysis. The recording of the interviews enabled the researcher to interact fully with the participant through the full interview and also permitted the researcher to provide a full textual account of the entire interview and everything that was said and highlighted. In the same context the survey’s created employed a non bias approach, using a broad array of questions in order to not direct or lead the participant and also to ensure that a full rich picture of the teacher’s opinions and experiences are gathered. The survey was created online and included 8 questions. These 8 questions ensured to not be misleading and aimed to reflect a teacher’s own views understanding and knowledge around the area of parental separation/divorce and the impact it can have on a child’s learning and development.3.5 Data analysisThematic analysis was used in this study to analyse and interpret the data. This section provides an overview of the thematic analytical method and outlines its procedural application to the data collected in this study. Thematic analysis is a comprehensive process where researchers are enabled to identify numerous cross references between the data and the research’s evolving themes (Hayes, 1997).

An inductive approach was therefore used to identify the themes. Similarly, (Marshall and Rossman, 2006) recommended that immersion in and familiarity with the research is an essential stage. Following this recommendation, the researcher transcribed each interview, thus familiarising herself with the data. Inductive analysis involved the process of discovering patterns and codes in the data (Patton, 2002). The researcher developed patterns by keeping notes on the transcripts that related to a fascinating and relevant point and used highlighters to link these codes together. It was important for the researcher to not have pre conceptions when conducting the interviews and analysing the surveys, consequently the researcher “has to explore and understand the social world through the participants’ and their own perspectives; and explanations can only be offered at the level of meaning rather than cause” (Snape and Spencer as cited in Ritchie and Lewis, 2003, p. 23).

As a result the researcher ensured that all the data collected was reliable and dependable to provide clear, concise and meaningful conclusions from the data.3.6 Ethical considerationsPrior to undertaking this study, ethical approval was sought and granted by the HiberniaCollege Ethics Committee. This study was therefore conducted to the highest ethical standards in line with the Ethical Guidelines for Educational Research (BERA, 2011). When considering the ethical considerations, data protection guidelines were taken into account by the researcher. The researcher ensured that all data will be stored safely and securely in encrypted data files and hard copies of transcripts will be kept in a locked filing cabinet and all other identifiable data such as the names, phone numbers, and email addresses of participants will be stored separate from other data collected in order to ensure anonymity and confidentiality is upheld.

The participants were also informed in their consent letter that they had access to the data. Keeping in line with the guidelines the researcher ensured that each participant received a clear information letter about the research area and their role. It stated that anonymity and confidentiality will be ascertained at all times. Before each interview, the participants signed a consent form and also informed that they were permitted to end the interview process at any time they wished. The prospective participants were then given time to consider their participation, without any duress, and were later contacted by the researcher for their decision. Throughout the data collection process, all interactions were carried out in a respectful and considerate manner. Interviews were conducted in the spirit of partnership, without manipulation. The names participants were not used on interview recordings and transcripts, and any identifiable information was stored separate from this data.

Throughout the data collection and data analysis the researcher ensured complete commitment, reliability and integrity. In accordance to Hibernia College Dublin the data will be kept for three years after the completion of the dissertation. The researcher will ensure that the data collected is only used for the purpose for which it was gathered and will not be shared with a third person.3.7 LimitationsFirstly, the lack of experience the researcher had on conducting interviews arose as a possible limitation for conducting the research and collecting the data. In order for the researcher to gain experience and confidence in conducting interviews the researcher performed mock interviews with 3 student teachers.

The mock interviews ensured that the researcher would not highlight opinions or response through facial expression and also show no bias towards the interview questions and topic (Bryman, 2004; Cohen et al., 2005 ; Reynolds, 1979). This aided the researcher when conducting the interviews with the 3 teachers to collect the data. Secondly, the interviews were semi-structured and conducted with teachers from 3 different schools. This took up a lot of time and had additional drawback on travel costs. Finally the online surveys also had its disadvantages. As the surveys were online a lot of people (teachers) tend not to take the time to complete them in comparison to a hardcopy.

As a result it took longer than expected for the researcher to get back the quota of answers that was needed to give an accurate representation of the data.3.8 ConclusionIn conclusion, this chapter provided an analysis on how the researcher collected the data, taking into consideration the most appropriate methodology for this study. The researcher chose to use a mixed methods approach to collect and analysis the data collect during this research as it gives a layer of depth and validity to the research. The data collection methods complimented each other and provided valuable findings which will be presented in the next chapter.

The interview process and survey analysis will allow the researcher to gain an insight into the opinions and experiences of teachers from different backgrounds, various areas and different class levels. Following the chosen appropriate methodology, the researcher took into consideration the participants, materials, method design, ethical considerations and data analysis. The participants in the study gave their informed consent to the research, their anonymity and confidentiality maintained, and they will have access to the data and findings if desired. The participants of the interview were made feel comfortable during the interview process using the appropriate interview skills. The next chapter will outline the main findings of the present research which utilised a mixed-methods approach.

Behavioral A common type of job interview in the modern workplace is the behavioral interview or behavioral event interview, also called a competency-based interview. This type of interview is based on the notion that a job candidate’s previous behaviors are the best indicators of future performance. In behavioral interviews, the interviewer asks candidates to recall specific instances where they were faced with a set of circumstances, and how they reacted. Typical behavioral interview questions: “Tell me about a project you worked on where the requirements changed midstream.

What did you do? ” “Tell me about a time when you took the lead on a project. What did you do? ” “Describe the worst project you worked on. ” “Describe a time you had to work with someone you didn’t like. ” “Tell me about a time when you had to stick by a decision you had made, even though it made you very unpopular. ” “Give us an example of something particularly innovative that you have done that made a difference in the workplace. “What happened the last time you were late with a project? ” “Have you ever witnessed a person doing something that you felt was against company policy. What did you do and why? ” A bad hiring decision nowadays can be immensely expensive for an organization – cost of the hire, training costs, severance pay, loss of productivity, impact on morale, cost of re-hiring, etc. (Gallup international places the cost of a bad hire as being 3. 2 times the individual’s salary). *The AssessmentIndia* Core Competency!

Behavioural Event Interviews constitute a powerful tool for numerous organizational processes like recruitment, selection, performance management and even research. The interviews are backward looking and are based on the assumption that human behavior has patterns which repeat. Like the track record of a horse or sportsman, behavioral event interviews seek actual behaviors of a person and the underlying characteristics which power the behaviors like – attitudes, motives, intents, self image, world views or even drives.

Based on the work of David McClelland, Flanagan and others, the Behavioral Event Interview presents a powerful tool for the professional. This interview tool looks at critical incidents in a person’s life or career and the behavior patterns. Have a well defined competency model and competency framework in an organization and Behavioral Event Interviews can produce sharp competency profiles of people. Often key decisions like putting the right person in the right job are well facilitated by Behavioral Event Interviews.

 Introduction

In our days, employment became a hard process in which many managers are complaining about it. In addition, hiring good employees is essential to run a good business on a daily basis and for a long run. Thus, employees would be the heart and the soul of a business. On the other hand, Interviewing is an important process in the preselection of good employees and so opening a gate to have the right person in the right position.

Interviewing is an art of gathering information and trying to learn about candidates before selection. Furthermore, Recruitment is a chain of events that could have sequential and disastrous consequences. Thus, designing a good interview should not address or talk about job requirements before the interview starts. On the other side, many savvy applicants could mask their true capabilities and thus inaccurate image could be drawn.

Interview Requirements

The interview process should:

• Define the position that the applicant is admitting for.
• Address questions specific to the position and requires conscious behavior. Check or test the ability of interviewer to do the interview.
• Be more scientific and less emotional
• Check the steps that are taken for the final hiring process.
• Avoid group interviewing that would become a “game of tag”

Consequences of Bad Employment

Bad employees not only affect an employer by driving down sales, costing the company unwanted expenses due to negligence or simple lack of motivation, but affect customer as well. In addition, wrong decisions and demotivated employees could lead to:

• Heightened feelings of stress for the employee in his daily work.
• A chain of disastrous events that does irreparable damage. An increase in absenteeism.
• Frustrated and angry mangers that try to employ motivation techniques; KITA (kick-in-the-ankle)
• A “lose-lose” situation for all company stakeholders.

Hiring Strategies

Selecting and hiring candidates could take several forms:

• Interviewing to check the background of the interviewer
• Personality characteristics assessments.
• Abilities assessments
• Interest assessments
• Integrated assessments.

These assessments facilitate dramatically the hiring process by identifying the thinking styles, occupational interests and behavioral traits and allow the visualization of the “total person”. To complete the assessment process behavior tendencies play an important role in increasing individual productivity by identifying personal accommodation , assertiveness, attitudes, energy level, independence, objective judgment, sociability, manageability and decisiveness. Keeping and Maintaining Good Employees: As important as attracting good employees is, it is just as important to retain them. As always, benefit packages help to retain employees. After spending as much time as you should have in attracting good employees, it only makes sense that you would go to certain lengths to keep them.

Essential tools in keeping and maintaining good employees:

• Offer opportunities for personal growth.
• Build an organization culture that appreciates personal achievement and performance.
• Construct a newsletter that nominates the employee-of-the-month.
• Sustain a comfortable environment that empowers employees.
• Understand that many employees are motivated by their social networks at work.
• Encourage team involvement.
• Make benefits more accessible.
• Create clear paths at the company.
• Share challenges and successes.

Hiring and retaining good employees goes hand in hand; and the assessment process should be tested for their ability and reliability to establish a “win-win” situation for people to be happier, produce more and experience less stress. In addition organizational culture should build into it an employer recognition and appreciation to look to their strengths over their weaknesses and their power over their problems. Finally, companies should be aware of matching the right person to the right job and secure its employees in a more convenient and comfortable environment.

Executive Summary Duxton Hotel Wellington began its life as the Plaza International Hotel that opened in 1987. The hotel was renamed and rebranded in June 2000. Situated in the heart of the Harbor Capital of New Zealand, 170 Wakefield Street, Wellington. There are 198 employees who employed by Duxton Hotel. Our group interviewed Anne Bellman who is Human Resources Manager of Duxton Hotel. Anne gave us much information about the methods of recruitment and selection of their hotel.

Like if they need recruit a position, they will recruit internal first and they concentrate on external too (internal and external are nearly balance). They recruit on website, because it is cheap and popular medium. And many people can have chance to apply. They also use Employment Recruitment Agency. Although agencies are very expensive, they can save time and provide excellent suitable candidates to Duxton Hotel. For selection methods, Anne told us they usually use structured interview because they think it is equally to the applicants to answer the same standard question.

Further they use Reference Checks too. Reference checks are a low-cost and save time method. I suggest Duxton Hotel use multiple interviewers can be advantageous, for their individual biases and stereotypes may cancel one another out. Because there are only 2 people do the interviewer. And I also advise them use some logo on the ads on the web. Don’t recruit internal when they recruit some too senior position. Sometimes the reference can’t s show the employee real ability and personality. Duxton Hotel should have a checklist to evaluate the selection methods.

The various methods of recruitment and selection all have benefits and drawbacks, and the choice of a method has to make in relation to the particular vacancy and the type of labour market in which the job falls.

Executive Summary

Date: 28th August 2003 Subject: A critical analysis of the recruitment and selection methods used in a large or medium sized organisation

Terms of reference

This assignment is requested by Jacqui Campbell, Lecturer of Human Resource Management. Its purpose is to analysis the recruitment and selection methods used in a large or medium sized organization and to make appropriate recommendations. This assignment is due on 28th of August 2003. It is submitted by a group primary research, but secondary research and writes by individual.

Nina Bu wrote this report individually.

Procedure

Primary Research On 14th of August 2003, an interview was conducted with Ms Anne Bellman, Human Resources Manager of DUXTON HOTEL Wellington. Three digital recorders were used during the interview.

Secondary research

•  City library & Massey Library books
• Internet websites
• The hand book of Duxton Hotel

Finding

• Introduction of DUXTON HOTEL

Duxton Hotel Wellington began its life as the Plaza International Hotel that opened in 1987. In 1992 the hotel was bought by Mr.

George Ishiyama. Mr. Ishiyama set about refurbishing the hotel to its present standard, ensuring its growths and development. He owned the hotel until 2000 when Duxton Hotels International purchased it. The hotel was renamed and rebranded in June 2000. Duxton Hotel situated in the heart of the Harbor Capital of New Zealand, 170 Wakefield Street, Wellington.

• Recruitment

Our group interviewed Anne Bellman who is Human Resources Manager of Duxton Hotel. From the interview, we know each position has a different cost associated with recruitment.

If they were replacing a manager then they would put an advertisement in the newspaper, that costs about $1000,and also put on “seek” website as well, so in total maybe $2000. If they uses an agency and pay a fee, the cost is about $6000. To replace a person, the cost is different because there is a training cost, including the time of other people. The average cost is about 2. 5% of the annual salary of the person—sometimes 2 or 3 times that if the position is really important. We chose the job group is Front office manager.

So Duxton Hotel paid $120 for the web advertisement for one month, and paid $6,000 to an agency to recruit a suitable front office manager. Duxton Hotel has policies on recruitment and the main policy is they advertise internally first—Hotel Situations Vacant Board, this is to promote career progression. They have an EEO policy. They look at someone’s CV on the basis of what they can do, and not their sex or country of origin. For a job like housekeep attendances, they advertise internally and see if people have a friend or daughter, cousin etc.

Then advertise in “free newspapers” so many people have a chance to apply. If the role were more supervisory then they would first look internally to see if they could promote someone. If they want to recruit a manager, even to a role like Front Office Manager then they still need to use Employment Recruitment Agency, for example, TMP, Candidates Personnel, Terrence Cox (an agency specializing in hospitality) because there are not many people who have that ability. Duxton Hotel does use the web to advertise because it is more cheaply compared to using an agency.

As part of the fee they can keep the advertisement on the web for 4 weeks and this means many people have the opportunity to see it. It becomes more and more popular to use the web because fewer people buy newspaper now. Anne measure they analysis each position on a “case-by-case” basis. They look at where they got the person from, for instance, newspaper, web, agency or internally. There is a balance between internal and external. Agencies are very expensive so they only do that once or twice each year. They look at why one method was less successful.

Maybe it was the language they used, or the logo, the words were not attractive enough. They mention the days of the week are best for advertising. Normally that is Wednesday and Saturday for newspapers. There are not many checks from outside for EEO policy. Nobody really audits them, but they rely on “self-checks”. They look at how honest they were, and they want to be “seen” as a “good employer” so they need to make sure people know they demonstrate EEO. If they didn’t do it then people would find out and contact their supervisor or manager. Anne said they would try them best to let the employee feel at home.

On average they would advertise 25 times per year (2 per months), including advertising on the web, through the newspaper, or at the student job research. This is an industry where staff turnover is high so that is one reason they have so many advertisement. Another reason is because sometimes they are very busy and they just need more people. Number of applicants depends on the position, i. e. , some position quite popular then maybe up to 30 and it is normally around 15. For some hard position, they maybe only get 5 people interested. Now they are advertising for a Front Office Manager which the job group we focused.

They have about 10 applications at the moment from the web and about 6 applications from Employment Recruitment Agency. The number depends on the position and how attractive it is.

• Selection

The selection method of Duxton Hotel is interviews and they use Structured Interviews, so everyone is asked the same questions. Anne would do first interviews and then “shortlist” people for a second interview. This methods is used for more senior positions and they normally shortlist down to 2 or 3 people and meet assistant manager or someone more senior. Then they make a decision based on that.

They always have 2 people interviewing each applicant so they can discuss it afterwards. They are Anne and the manager of the department if there are lots of applicants they are interviewing, then they (the interviewer) fills in a form about each applicant, so they can remember what happened in the interview. Examples of questions Anne asked during the interview. Generally they would tell the applicant about their hotel and the chain of hotel. They would then tell them about the position and the department. After that they would give the applicants a copy of the job description.

So they spend the first 5-10 minutes trying to make the interviewee feel more relaxed (maybe also service them a cup of coffee) and giving them information about the hotel and the job. Then some questions Anne would ask is why they applied for the job and what do they know about the hotel. They would also ask the applicants to talk about their previous work experience. Hence they can “get a sense of” how well they communicate. Anne mention how well they can describe something and whether they can make it interesting. Further ask them questions about their strengths focus.

Anne use a format like “ tell us about a time when you…” “Tell us a story…” Anne uses work experience, personality and communication ability–criteria to measure candidates. They want to know if applicants confident in talking with other people. Anne can understand more about them by asking them questions like how they dealt with difficult customers in the past. And questions about working under pressure are also vital. The criterion is how they present themselves–do they look after themselves, for example, their hair and their clothes. Anne does a “reference check” too.

They would call the candidates’ previous employers to see if they would recommend them. Anne always do reference checks and never offer a job before they do that. Sometimes they check the qualifications too. For the successful applicants, Anne would phone them and see if they still want the job. Anne will tell them the salary and starting dates, and who they will be reporting to, and tell them what kind of information they will need to give the hotel: like bank account details and IRD number. For unsuccessful applicants, Anne normally uses a letter, but for second interview applicants she sometimes will call them.

Anne said she should have a checklist but they don’t have it, so they don’t really evaluate.

• Analysis and Critical

Commentary Human Resource Management involves the productive use of people in achieving the organization’s strategic business objectives and the satisfaction of individual employee needs (Stone, 2002, P 4). HRM is getting the right people who have the right skill into the right place at the right time. Manager use recruitment and selection, to attract and hire new employees who have the abilities and skills to achieve the strategic goal. Good HRM demands that organizations have well-defined EEO objectives and policy.

Duxton Hotel have EEO policy requires fair treatment for all members of the community and the elimination of discrimination. It means candidates should be treated fairly irrespective of differences in race, sex, nationality etc.

• Recruitment methods

The definition of recruitment is the process of seeking and attracting a pool of qualified candidates for a job vacancy (Stone, 2002, P174). There is numerous ways in which Duxton Hotel can find employees to fill their job vacancy. They have application form (see Appendix 2). They advertise internally first, advertise on newspapers and website, use Employment Recruitment Agency etc. . 1. 1Anne advertises internally first–Hotel Situations Vacant Board, it is to promote career progression. It is extremely advantageous for you to be able to offer upward mobility your internal people. While Anne said their Internal and external recruitment is a balance (half-half).

In contrast, external recruiting has benefit: new skills, knowledge, methods, wider choice of applicants, and good advertisement for the hotel. When organization is in trouble and performing poorly, external recruiting is often relied on to bring in managerial talent with a fresh approach.

Duxton Hotel does use the web to advertise, because it is very cost effective compared to using an agency. Website is the web address or location of an organization (Stone, 2002). The web site for Duxton Hotel is www. duxton. com. Now Duxton Hotel posts their vacancies like front office manager via their own Web site.

For example, position is front office manager, job description is to ensure maximum yield and profitability from the rooms inventory, requirements is he/she must have at least five years experience in a first class hotel, and a natural leader, key responsibilities is to provide statistical & financial reports for the general manager as request and the date of applications (more details please see Appendix 3). In the last seven years, the Internet has really had an impact on business. Like Anne said nowadays the web becomes more and more popular but fewer people buy/read newspaper.

And advertising on the Internet is not expensive, so they can just use $120 keep the ad on the web for 4 weeks (24 hours a day), we can image this means many people have the opportunity to see it. So when an human resource manager do an actual recruiting plan for the hotel, he/she should includes Internet advertising as part of the media mix, along with newspaper ads, agency and so on. In general, the higher the education level and the greater the past employment responsibility, the greater the likelihood a candidate will use the Internet as a tool.

• Recruitment agencies specialize wholly in recruitment and generally keep an up-to-date database of experience potential employees.

They take the time out of advertising, interviewing and selecting candidates, and can hand the client a ready-made employee to fit the client’s job specification. Duxton hotel uses Employment Recruitment Agency, because for Front Office Manager, there are not many people who have that ability. So they need to pay $6000 for that to the agencies, i. e. TMP, Candidates personnel, Terrence Cox which is an agency specialising in hospitality.

From that we know, Employment agencies can be effective in generating job candidates in some fields. The agency’s effectiveness is largely a function of how well it understands the organization and the requirements of the specific job. Using agencies is expensive and usually not cost-effective for low-level and low-paying jobs. In contrast, most opening at the senior management level use executive search firms as part of their recruiting efforts. It is important to establish a good relationship with the professional recruiters you use; they can provide excellent candidates and save you a lot of time and effort. . 2 Selection methods The definition of selection is the process of choosing the candidate who best meets the selection criteria. (Stone, 2002, P174) Many organization uses selection methods like this graph show: SELECTION

Duxton Hotel concentrates on structured interview and references for selection. Structured interview in which interviewers ask a standard set of questions of all candidates about qualifications and capabilities related to job performance To determine who has the best claim to a position and thus will be selected for further consideration (e. . second interview), candidates are short-listed on the basis of their job application, work samples, interviews or reference. In a structured interview, Anne asks each applicant the same standard questions. At the beginning of the interview, they spend the first 5-10 minutes trying to make the applicants feel more relaxed (maybe service them a cup of coffee) and giving them information about the chain of hotel and the copy of job description. In my opinion, Anne did very well. One reason is because the candidates will feel nervous when they sit the interview.

An effective interviewer should take candidates at ease, address they feel comfortable, have water, coffee, or soft-drinks available, and help them feel as welcome as possible. And then encourage people to be open in their communications, talk candidly. Another reason: it is important to remember that the interview has a two-fold purpose: to find out whether the applicant is suitable for the particular job, and to give the applicant information about the firm and the position which is vacant. Anne then ask why they applied the job and what do they know about the hotel.

Because of this, Anne can know if the applicants have done some homework, testing their interests. And also ask them to talk about their previous work experience, Anne mention how well they can describe something and whether they can make it interesting. Further using a format like “tell us about a time when you (deal with a different client) …” to know candidate’s strengths. These questions are important to Duxton Hotel because this is a “customer service” industry. Communicate with people is very important.

Question asked must be job related, under EEO legislation, irrelevant and private unnecessary question may lead to charges of discrimination. Many Human Resource Manager feel structured interview are fair to applicants, because they are same question. Anne feel structured interview method is quite successful for selecting. However, I think the interview should be improved at one point. That is Anne told us they always have 2 people (Anne and the manager of the department) interviewing each applicant so they can discuss it afterwards.

If there are lots of applicants they are interviewing then they fills in a form about each applicant so they can remember what happened in the interview. Even when structured interviews are used, but, there is always the potential for the biases of the interviewer to influence his or her judgments. It is important for interviewers to be trained to avoid these bias and sources of inaccurate perceptions as mush as possible. Duxton Hotel just has 2 people do the interviewer. They may be cannot avoid the effects of biases and stereotype. So at this point, Duxton Hotel needs to improve.

Anne said they also do a “reference check”, they would call the applicants previous employers to see if they would recommend them and sometimes also check the qualification. Duxton Hotel always do reference checks and never offer a job before they do that. This is a good selection method for Duxton Hotel. Reference check is one of the most commonly used predictors of future job performance (www. ask. com). References are usually supplied by a former employers or professional colleague who knows the applicants’ skills, abilities, or personality attributes such as motivation, leadership and personal skills.

References are often used at the end of the selection process to confirm a decision to hire. There are two benefits for using References. o References are best for evidence of attributes that cannot be easily assessed in an interview, either due to impression management (e. g. interpersonal skills) or the unrealistic setting (e. g. reliability, honesty). o References checks are not too costly or time-consuming. References are usually only checked for short-listed applicants.

In fact, some former employers are reluctant to provide negative information in references sometimes makes it difficult to interpret what a reference is really saying about an applicant.

Conclusions

The correct recruitment and selection of new employees is just as important as finding the right person for the job. “Better recruitment and selection strategies result in improved organizational outcomes. ” Says DDI (Development Dimensions International), Ph. D. So HRM recruit and select candidates is the more effective task for the organization.

We interviewed the Human Resource Manger of Duxton Hotel, Anne Bellman. I discussed some methods of recruitment and selection using by Duxton Hotel.

•  Recruitment methods

Internal recruiting is manager turn to existing employees to fill open position. The employees familiar with the hotel, managers have considerable information about their skills and increase employee moral.

The availability of New Zealand focused Internet recruiting sites is growing rapidly. Putting the advertisement on the Website is cheap and many people will have a chance to read the advertisement.

Employment

Recruitment Agency is also used by Duxton Hotel. Because Front Office Manager is a senior position, not everyone has that ability. Although agencies are really expensive, they can save time and provide excellent suitable candidates to Duxton Hotel.

Selection methods

Structured interview is commonly used by Duxton Hotel. They think it is fair to the applicant, because there are same standard question. However, there are only 2 interviewers, so maybe they cannot avoid the effect of bias.

Reference checks are a low-cost and save time method, so it is very popular in Duxton Hotel, too. The various methods of recruitment and selection all have advantages and disadvantages. Whatever recruitment and selection methods the organization choose, remember that the objective is to attract people who suit the job vacancy. So be as open and as informative as possible.

Recommendation

Duxton Hotel recruits front office manager internally firstly. I don’t think it is a smart idea. Because one drawback of internal recruitment is limit to number of applicants, the other is stifle creativity and innovation.

Maybe they can recruit someone from the inside to replace the position, but maybe his/her former task will get problem. So I suggest Anne should concentrate on external selection totally for a too senior position in the future.

Duxton Hotel do advertisement on Website, it is really good method. While depending the advertisement, they only put Job position is Front Office Manager, and the detail of job description, requirements and key responsibilities. I think it is not “catchy” enough for attracting people. They should put some attractive Logo on the web to encourage people apply.

Using multiple interviewers (at least 3 people) can be advantageous, for their individual biases and stereotypes may cancel one another out. Now there are only 2 interviewers in Duxton Hotel to select new employees.

Anne said they always do reference checks and never offer a job before they do that. However, sometimes some former employers are reluctant to provide negative information in references. So Anne should not believe all the comments of the references, she should concentrate on the employees’ real work ability.

Duxton Hotel should have a checklist to evaluate the success of their selection methods.

Then they can check whether the method is useful and improve the methods in time.

References

• Black, J. S. , & Porter, L. W. (1999). Management: meeting new challenges (1st ed). Upper Saddle River, New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc. Chambers, H. E. (2001). Finding, hiring, and keeping peak performers: every manager’s guide (1st ed. ). Cambridge: Perseus Books Group. Gilberison, D. W. , & Stone, R. J. (1985). Human resource management: case and readings (2nd ed. ). Roseville: McGraw-Hill Book Company Australia Pty Ltd. Jones, G. R. , & George, J. M. , & Hill, C. W. L. (1998).
• Contemporary Management (International Ed. ). U. S. A. : Craig S. Beytien. Stone, R. J. (2002). Human resource management (4th ed. ). Milton: John Wiley & Sons Torrington, D. , & Hall, L. (1998). Human resource management (4th ed. ). Herefordshire: Prentice Hall. www. ask. com www. duxton. com

Deming (1988) was the inventor of the Total Quality Management (TQM) principle with the aim of improving quality in the manufacturing and service sectors worldwide. Thus, Deming (1988) defined TQM defined TQM as “Management practices designed to improve the performance of organizational processes in business and industry. ” Specifically the TQM concept focuses on reducing errors during manufacturing and servicing process by 1 per 1,000,000 units. Various manufacturing and processing organizations apply TQM of a fitness of good basis.

However, all these organizations have common characteristics of TQM that cut across the industry divide. The common grounds are in planning, assessment, implementation and new product development (Jablonski, 1991). This paper is a dissertation on the implementation of a TQM structure through information, with special focus to the customer service call centres. The customer call centres have various functions such as attending to customer queries on products and services, operations, costs and others. Due to globalization factors, most organizations have resorted to outsourcing the call centre services across their national borders.

Ostensible, these organizations have the primary aim of optimizing operational costs whenever they outsource cal centre services from other countries (Bateman et al., 1999). Many first world nations have experience rapid rise in the number of call centre outsourcing over the last decade alone. However, massive challenges exist ranging especially in the area of quality of service (Batt and Moynihan, 2002). Various studies have been on how organizations implement TQM in the service industry, but less effort was in ascertaining how IT can aid in these processes.

Thus, Yasin et al, (2004) confirmed that TQM implementation in the service sector that is IT oriented was very beneficial in service delivery. 1. 1 Aim of this study The fundamental aim of this study is to identify quality issues in customer call centres service delivery then provide TQM structure recommendations with Information Technology background. Most call centres are already delivering services that are IT founded, yet more efforts needed in evaluating and improving the IT structures (Au and Choi, 1999).

Most IT structures used in call centres are fragmented and collaboration of knowledge is hampered (Davenport, 1993). The following are the persistent problems that customers raise as complains as far as quality service delivery is concerned:

• Utilization of old and traditional call lines yet the customer calls are increasing.
• Delayed transfer of calls to the right person or department.
• Poor internal knowledge sharing leading to un-level reception and perceptions of the customer account or information between the departments.
• Poor motivation and empowerment of the staff to offer quality services that meets the customers’ expectations.
• Barriers arising from outsourcing locations and inherent languages of communications.
• Poor quality of voice with the increasing use of VOIP. (Gilmore, 2001; Dean, 2002).

Objectives of the study

The cited problems in call centre quality service delivery arise from real life experience, perceptions and implications to the affected customers. Thus, this study is divided into two major aims; the customers and the call centres staff.

This major categorization of aims will help in better problem identification, statement and solution as:

• Enquiring from the customers on the quality of services, delivery of service and possible solutions.
• Enquiring from the staff the problems, they encounter while attempting to solve customer problems.

The objective of this study is to highlight all the problems that exist within and between each of these two major stakeholders then recommend a TQM structure that can proactively solve these problems in future. It is established that most customer call centres apply many IT levels to deliver services.

However, these IT levels are not by TQM principles, which preliminarily explain why many service delivery problems arise. Various researchers have noted that the customer call centres are IT related even though they do not rely on IT. These studies highlighted service delivery and quality management as the core problems at the call centres. Even though many organizations feel that investment in modern and expensive customized IT solutions, there is no guarantee that the problems will not recur (Aksin et al., 2007).

Research methods

This research used of qualitative methods.

The qualitative method was justified because the problem statement was not very clear and the area of study is new with further needs for exploration. The qualitative research approach is widely regarded as less bias when compared to other alternative approaches since the researcher is merely expressing the other study views (Patton, 1990). The major aim of this study is to use semi structured and informal interviews while the focus groups from the customer, and call centre staff will ease the setting and analysis of the problem statement and recommendation for solutions.

Interviews are justified because they give the researcher a fresh perspective of the problem while avoiding preformed responses. Interviews also offer factual ideas, transparent and fair problem solution approaches (Kvale, 1996). The data was collected from 10 interviews and 2 focus groups in total. 5 interviews were conducted with the staff of the call centres and 1 focus group. The same amount of interview and focus group was planned for the end users. This information collection method was considered primary research while the secondary research was by journals, website and books in the academic field.

Project plan

This project has taken two months to complete. The first 15 days of the project was spent gathering secondary data in relation to TQM and IT structures in the call centres. This study explored existing journals, paper and books that describe problems existing at the call centres. Thus, the secondary source of information helped in building background for this study. The next 15-20 days were on gathering primary information through interviews and focus groups.

These interviews resulted in huge amount of data that that aided in compiling results and recommendations. This project, being exploratory in nature is not bound by the deadlines of completion, rather, is based on milestones achieved in outlining the facts and issues at stake.

Results, findings and discussions

Quality issues in customer call centres service delivery

• Utilization of old and traditional call lines yet the customer calls are increasing.

3 out of 5 interviewed call centre staff confirmed that their organizations use old lines even with the increasing number of customer calls. 4 out of 5 interviewed staff also confirmed that their call connectivity and sustainability was just above average satisfaction possible due to use of old lines. Another 3 out of 5 interviewed customers reported the call centre staff cleared congestion in the network forcing them to either redial or cue as the call traffic. The average wait in cases of congestion was 3 minutes possible due to use of old lines with the scenario worsening during peek times. Upal (2008), noted that call centre service must offer the customer assurance and reliability.

Thus, the adoption and utilization of old lines at call centre may lead to compromise of quality services aside from unreliability. When services are unreliable, the customers’ loose confidence and this may dent the image and subscription bases in the short or long run (Gilmore, 2001).

• Delayed transfer of calls to the right person or department.

4 out of 5 interviewed call centre staff reported delays in transferring calls to the right departments possible due to the state of IT at the call centre. The average waiting time for call transfer reported was 3 minutes with calls going through after the average 2 attempt. 4 out 5 interviewed customers reported and average wait of 2. 5 minutes before their calls went through to the right department. 3 out of 5 interviewed customers believe that the state of IT can improve the service quality and improve their customer satisfaction. Upal (2008) noted that poor responses to customer call ranging from delays to wrong transfers affect the services quality in call centres. This issue is also a reflection of whether the call centre staffs are prompt and efficient in assisting the customers.

To help the interviewee (you) decide if this is the Job that you want and ask uestions that will help you determine if this Job will be a good fit for you.

2. To help the interviewer decide if you are the best fit for the position that is available.

It really is that simple. But that does not mean that it is an easy process. From the moment that you find out you have an interview; you must step into sales person mode. “But I want to be a security guard – not a sales person,” you might be thinking. That’s true. Until you have the job though, you are a sales person and what you are selling is yourself.

You must be able to sell yourself as something that the company needs to fulfill a purpose. There are two rules that sales people follow, no matter what they are selling:

1. Know your product.
2. Know your audience.

These two rules will take you a long way in the interview process and all of the tips that you are going to read about in this e-book will all come back to these two things. Without knowledge of your product (yourself) and your audience (the company you want to work for) you will not be successful in the interview.

Before, moving on to the 10 tips that will help you in the interview process, remember that the interview process does not begin the moment you walk in the 5 Before the Interview oor of the interviewer’s office. Nor does it begin when you walk in the building of the place you are being interviewed at. The interview process begins the moment you find out that you have an interview. And that is where we will begin.

Before the Interview

1. Research

Before you begin doing anything else, your first task should be to find out as much about the company as possible. And that goes back to that second rule of sales, “Know your audience. The more you know about the company that you are want to work for, the more information you will have available to show the interviewer that you are the best erson for the Job. It could be something as simple as knowing that the owner of the company has been nominated for an ABC award or knowing how many people the company employs each year. Every little bit of information can be helpful in some way. Here is some of the information that you should look for:

Who are the leaders of the organization? Have they been featured in the news or media lately? What are their personal mottos, goals, and values?

Where did they go to school? Have they owned other companies?

What kind of online presence does the company have? Most businesses have a web site, so make sure that you read every age of that site. Do they have a Facebook account or a Twitter account? Read the latest updates and tweets. See how they interact with others and topics show up on their tweets and on the wall of their page.

Who is the company’s competition? How does the company promote themselves to stand out amongst the competition? Does the company have a motto? Is the company growing or expanding in comparison to other companies?

Before the Interview

Does the company participate in volunteer events or charities? Are they involved in the community? Any information that you can gather about the company can be helpful. The information that you learn can help you answer questions. It can also create questions that you can ask later in the interview.

2. Practice

No matter what questions you are answer and no matter what you are talking about, it is important to sound confident. The more you practice what you are going to say, the more confident you will appear. Practice by yourself and practice with other people.

Friends, colleagues, and family members make excellent practice partners and sometimes they hear things that you might not notice. You may not notice how many times you say, “Umm… ” but your practice partner will. You can also practice by using a recorder or a web camera. With a recorder, you can focus on your speech. Listen for things like talking to fast or too slow, pronouncing words wrong, overuse of the words “like”, “um”, or “uh”. Some people have a tendency to let words trail off at the end of their sentences and this can make you difficult to understand.

With a web camera you can pretend that the camera is the interviewer. Observe how much you keep eye contact and how often you look at things other than the “interviewer”. When you are practicing tor the interview, one ot the most obvious things to practice s how you answer interview questions. Be familiar with the most popular interview questions and practice answering them until you are completely comfortable with your answers. You will read more about the most commonly asked interview questions in the During the Interview section. You can also find more common interview questions that you can practice by doing some research online.

The interview questions are not the only thing you should practice though. Some of the other things you can practice are:

1. Your handshake.
2. How you introduce yourself.
3. How you end the interview.

3. While You are Waiting You will often have some time to wait in the reception area before you go into the interview. This time is important, too. Here are a few DOS and DON’TS to keep in mind:

1. DO use this time to mentally rehearse your answers.
2. DON’T talk to yourself.
3. DO visualize yourself entering the interviewing room, shaking hands with the interviewer, and appearing calm and confident.
4. DON’T chat up the receptionist. The receptionist has their own Job to do and it is not the receptionist’s Job to babysit you or entertain you.
5. DO get rid of the chewing gum before you enter the building. You do not want to have it in your mouth when ou enter the interview and it will be more difficult to dispose of once you enter the waiting room.
6. DON’T pace. Pick up a magazine or brochure before you sit down if you like but don’t spend your time wandering around the reception area.
7. DO use the restroom before you get settled.
8. A full bladder will distract you and make you appear nervous.

During the Interview

4. Confidence isKey

The first few minutes of the interview are imperative. It is believed that people develop an impression ot you within the first 30 seconds and that impression can continue through the interview. No matter what you must appear confident. If you don’t believe in yourself, if you do not have confidence in what you are selling, how can you expect anyone else to believe in you?

One of the worst things you can do in the first 5 minutes of the interview is showing your nervousness. For instance, “If they are nervous and can’t answer questions or give one word answers,” says Ahmed Elbarmil of North Eastern Security Force, it decreases your likelihood of getting hired. How can you demonstrate confidence in those first few minutes? One of the best ways to do this is to smile. A smile goes a long way in any situation but it is especially important in the interview. It tells the interviewer that you are happy to be there and that you are happy to meet them.

A smile implies sincerity and approachability. A smile suggests that you are honest. You can also show that you are confident through your eye contact. Eye contact should be maintained throughout the interview, but when you first meet someone it is even more important. When you make eye contact with someone you are telling them that you have nothing to hide. You are suggesting that you are an open book. You also give them the impression that you are interested in them and that you are ready to listen. Of course, one of the things that convey confidence more than anything in an interview is your handshake.

Can you carry on a conversation with someone without having long awkward pauses? Those things are important to master because as a manager, they’ll have to communicate with different people in different circumstances often and they must give feedback to their company members with as little confusion as possible. Having an open and friendly personality will go a long ways with clients when making business decisions. Next, would be to develop networking skills. Networking is the ability to exchange information, contacts, and experience for professional or social purposes.

This Is especially helpful to someone seeking a management position or Just In general cause it can help get someone’s foot in the door just by knowing someone. Also if a situation occurs and someone isn’t properly trained to handle it, it’s useful Just to be able to call someone and receive a second opinion about The more people someone knows, the better off they will be In the long run. 2 Next, is being able to give respect to your subordinates and hierarchy. When employees are treated with respect, they will be more likely to work hard for you. Hen a manger shows that they care for employees, It will often lead to Increased motivation to get tasks done. Workers will also return that respect because you have to give respect to get respect. Showing respect towards the upper management is also important because It will give someone a greater chance to continue moving up In the business and can also help retain a Job If company employees Like the person. Finally, make sure to volunteer for things. “Make sure people know who you are without being too obnoxious about It. (Patella, 1) Don’t be a wallflower and Just blend In with everyone else In the company. You’re trying to be recognized as a leader so showing the capabilities of being a leader is important. Make sure to do as much as possible in terms of going out of your way to help the company in any way possible. Top management will recognize the extra effort being put forward and eventually will reward with a promotion. Also, going to different leadership seminars can train someone on skills needed to effectively manage, motivate, and inspire a team.

All those things are a necessity to know when getting ready for a management position. There are numerous numbers of business positions in modern business environment. For example marketing, finance, accounting, and so on. And these positions are having FIFO differentiations on and on in this time, too. In this situation, finding a right position for one is an important step because a position that does not fit someone’s personality is as detrimental as clothes that do not fit. The results of the position that does not fit well will not be fun, efficient, and also can make quitting or getting fired early.

Since sustainability is a critical issue not only in management but also in employment, the importance of finding the right position increases. There are three big topics for finding the right position, and they are separated and have to be reformed simultaneously. First is discovering inner character. As being educated and spending time from schools, family, and or experiences Job seeker must know about his or her inner character. As knowing about oneself, it could help finding a right position. For instance, it will be a tough Job for an introvert person making sales from people who are unknown.

In this case an extrovert person might do the same job better. Therefore knowing personal character will make the differences finding a right position. Second, is learning specialized skills. A Job seeker, who is considering a bob position, will have to learn specific skills for the Job. This does not mean to learn any kind of skills, it means to have time leaning different kinds of skills and thinking about which skills makes interests and attentions. Skills like handling a computer, for example, when learning about a computer makes interest in computers and makes it feel fun.

This will be a good way to find the right position. Thus, looking for a right position, always be ready and look for interests. 4 Third, doing activities and making experiences. As long as people are living together with another, any kind of activities will be helpful. For example, there are more things to learn from marketing club. Not only know-wows and skills, but also communication with other people and interacting with another is an essential skill for the club. For finding a position, an internship can be a helpful tool for Job seekers.

During an internship program, interns can learn, do, and be trained. This will help the Job seeker by doing the real work at a particular position. All three statements will be helpful, for certain it will be the best when it is performed at the same time. First impressions are critical in Job hunting. Your resume is the first impression for Seibel employers when choosing candidates to interview for positions. A recent graduate should have a one sided single page resume that is easily navigated and tuned towards the reader.

A solid resume consists of 4 major parts, contact information, education, objective, experience; also if applicable skills, activities and honors may be useful. When providing contact information make sure the address and phone number is a number that may always be reached. If either of these contacts are temporary list them as such and the date that they will no longer be available, furthermore keep a armament address or phone number listed. Email addresses are important to list, but make sure the address is professional, also keep voice messages and ring back tones appropriate.

Second to be listed in a 5 new graduates resume should be education. List where you obtained your degree, your major, minor and Spa’s equal to or higher than 3. 0. If you have taken a course that is closely related to the Job you’re applying you may include that coursework. Some sources say to use an objective or summary and other say not too however, if Fourthly listed on a resume includes experience. Many people ask what is acceptable to put in the experience section. One way to organize your resume would be to establish any specific experience you have in the Job, such as internships, volunteer work or full to part time work.

Then, in other experience highlight how you made your living during college or other important employment. When listing your experience always name the organization, your title with them, the location and date. Next, describe first what your duties were, then how you did it and how you were successful. Finally skills, activities and honors might be suitable under certain circumstances. Skills should be exclaimed if for example you speak one or more languages, have a high proficiency in technology or a skill that is identified in the Job description.

Other options are actives such as holding an office position in a student organization, being involved with a sports team, or part of the arts, these endeavors may be listed in this area. Separately, any honors or awards received should be relative to the Job description or show academic achievement. This criteria will help build a strong resume to lead to an interview. 6 If called for an interview, there is one more piece of work that must be done following he process. A thank you letter will set you aside from other candidates.

The letter should be address to whomever the interview was with, starting with giving your appreciation for there consideration. Next, rephrase individual qualifications , and how you felt like a good match for the company. Then after restating your new interests again give your appreciation and thanks with your contact information under your name. Not only will this show them your interest but that extra time had been put forth and the interviewer will remember your name. The Interview – first impression counts! Before an interview it is essential to be well prepared.

One has to consider talking about the resume, to answer questions about it or give further information if required. It is also of importance to be prepared to talk about past working experiences, positions and responsibilities. The applicant should be conscious about his strength and weaknesses to highlight the good skills in the interview. Of course it does not have a good impact on the interview if the applicant is too self confident. It is an advantage to bring more than one copy of the resume. It saves the interviewer time and makes a forward-thinking impression.

To be able to speak fluently and confident, it is advisable to practice talking in time so that the applicant gets used to talking in front of and with people. 7 It is definitely important to dress appropriate and to wear a business suit. Make sure, as a female applicant to not dress too provocative and to not use too much make up. Furthermore it is favorable if the applicant feels comfortable in those clothes to make a relaxed impression. The applicant should definitely arrive earlier than Just on time. The traffic can never be predicted and also public transportations cannot always been trusted.

Parking lots have to be found as well as the right building and office. It makes the worst impression if the applicant comes too late to the tasks of a future manager. It is also good to calm down before the interview and not to be in a hurry or sweaty from running to the interview. During the interview one has to listen carefully and be attentive and to be able to answer the questions as informative as possible. Applicants should not be afraid to ask questions. Prepare some questions before. Asking questions show interest in the company and in the Job. It shows that the applicant wants to learn and adopt.

It also s important for the applicant himself to receive enough information about the company and the Job to find the best position in the right company. After the interview, it is recommendable to take notes about the most important facts and about the company and the Job-position so that it can be compared to other interviews. Make thoughts about what you did well and what you would like to improve in the next interview. Being critical with oneself is important to avoid saying minor things and wrong things 8 in the next interview. If an update about the application status is required contact the according contact person.