Sam's Recruitment Problem After lengthy discussions with his manager, Sam Tomayko was convinced that success in staff selection depended upon a supervisor's skills in recruitment. As Sam became more aware of the need to choose replacement staff carefully, he began to look at his existing employees to determine what made them successful. Choosing the best of them, Sam suggested that they ask their friends to apply for positions he knew would soon be vacant. This approach seemed to be successful as Sam received word from a number of prospective applicants. He then interviewed those who appeared to have the experience and personal qualities needed. He applied his own ideas about the way interviews should be conducted. He usually fitted them into the normal day's activity, with the telephone ringing constantly and people dropping into the office for advice, to leave messages or even to have Sam make one of his 'on-the-spot' decisions. Between these interruptions, Sam would carry out the interview, dominating the time available by talking about the job, the opportunities in the organisation and his own impressions of what made a successful applicant. Throughout the interview, he made notes and symbols on the applicant's form. He also liked to make a decision as to whether the applicant had the job before the interview was over so he could let them know on the spot. This saved tedious letter writing. Then Sam found himself being called to his manager's office to discuss the personnel problems developing in his department. It seemed that new recruits were not suitably qualified for their jobs, while applicants who were known to have the necessary skills had been informed at their interviews that they were not the type of employee the organisation was seeking or that the job would not suit them or their background. Sam's manager decided to work out an action plan whereby Sam would develop his skills in recruitment and selection. They sat down to decide together what to include and how it could best be covered. Questions 1 Was Sam's manager wasting her time? Why, or why not? 2 What were the specific problems with Sam's interviewing technique? 3 How would you explain to Sam the way a selection decision should be reached? 4 What topics should be included in the action plan to develop Sam's skills? How would you suggest they be covered (e.g. through reading books, attending evening classes, coaching from the HRM manager, role playing)