English Literature

I will first address recruiting additional engineering talent to supplement our current engineers.
While designing the recruiting strategy, for factors were considered, which were (i) make or buy employees (ii) methods used in the recruitment and selection process (iii) where to look for potential candidates and (iv) methods of approaching these candidates (Aswathappa, 2005). I believe the best way to recruit quality professionals is to adopt the buy strategy. This means that we will be able to attract recruits who are already very skilled, have past leadership experience and are used to the pressure found in the industry. These people will be able to start working immediately, with little training required. Also, they will not have any problems in blending in with the culture of our company, which strives for quality and leadership. Secondly, the methods of the recruitment and selection process will combine the use of technological and personal means. With the aid of computer technology, we will be able to reach a broad category of job seekers in the initial stages quickly and without incurring major costs. Furthermore, we will focus on both internal and external recruitment to look for potential employees. Finally, we will approach these candidates through various forms of advertisements including print and electronic mediums. The aim of this strategy is to find and attain the best talent available in the local labour market, so that our products can retain their position as being the standard in the pipe industry.

In order to be successful in this strategy, we will attract new engineers by
Branding  while recruiting new engineers, our emphasis will be on the promise of exciting, innovative and growing opportunities that we can offer as an employer. This will be supported by the credibility our company name carries, acquired from being the industry leader and through our continuous efforts to stay ahead of the competition. Nearly all employees, whether experiences or recent graduates look for certain factors such as career growth opportunities and innovative workplace while selecting employers to apply to (BNET, 2006). Thus, it is important to demonstrate our workplace to potential recruits as a gateway to acquire valuable experience and satisfaction of working at a cutting edge organization, offering the best resources available.

Equal Opportunities  In our recruiting process, we will ensure that we conduct ethical recruiting and selection practices. This means that we will not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, pay grade and disability (Foot  Hook, 1996). This will allow us to sustain our image as a socially responsible organization which genuinely cares about its employees. As a result of the integrity displayed by these good conducts, the employees we recruit will stay committed to the organization.  

We will use the following sources to look for engineers
Employee Referrals  This is a very effective method, especially when an organization already has a large number of employees, as is the case at our organization (Luthans, 2000). The first and foremost benefit of internal recruitments is that many people can be reached with very little cost incurred. Secondly, people presently employed at our company have a fairly good idea of what kind of candidates we are looking for and they are easily able to recommend people from close relations who will be able to fit in the category of engineers we are looking for.

Professional and Trade Associations  We will also seek recruits through the professional and trade associations we have memberships with. Many of these associations publish job advertisements in their journalsmagazines which are regularly viewed by professionals of the respective industries. In this way, we will be able to concentrate on engineers with the specific qualifications we are looking for.

Campus Recruitments  This type of recruitment is very popular with prestigious companies around the country. Since our aim is to make sure that we are the top recruiter in the pumps industry and stay ahead of our competitors, we must ensure that we get a hold of fresh talent. Recent graduates are always up to date on the latest trends and will bring in many new ideas as well.

After successful recruiting we will select engineers to join our company as follows
Selection Tests  Initial screening of candidates will be based on tests that we will conduct. Only applicants who match the requirements of our job descriptions will be asked to sit for the tests. The tests will be divided in two parts Ability tests and Personality tests.

I will ensure that this method is valid by concurrent validity (Aswathappa, 2005). The characteristics of successful employees will be identified and will be used as benchmarks when evaluating the tests.
I will ensure that this method is reliable by making sure that the test is conducted in a standardized manner and can be interpreted likewise by two or more people.

Employment Interview  Interviews are the most popular method of selection for all employers. They provide the employer an opportunity of a thorough analysis of a candidates capabilities as a person and a professional as well as a chance for the applicant to learn more about the company.
I will ensure that this method is valid by making sure that the interviews are structured, allowing the interviewee to talk as much as possible and evaluating the interviewee immediately after the interview is conducted.

I will ensure that this method is reliable by making sure that questions are predetermined and that the same questions are posed to all applicants. Also, all interviews will be conducted by more than one person to avoid any stereotyping.

We will use the following method to make the final selection
The line manager and I will evaluate the shortlisted candidates and evaluate their test and interview results based on benchmarks set by historical performance of employees at the company as well as our personal judgments.

This method will be used because the line manager and I will be administering the entire recruitment and selection process and are considered to have thorough knowledge of our respective departments.
In addition to bringing in new engineers, we must retain our current engineers. I recommend the following

Hold exit interviews  This will help determine the precise causes of the increasing employee turnover and will highlight areas we can improve in as an employer.

Continuous growth and skill development  By consistently investing in the development of our employees and promising them growth opportunities in the company, we can reduce the turnover rate significantly.