Recruitment Process of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management

Recruitment and Selection Process
of
The Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management

Human Resource Management is part of the organization that is concerned with the “people” dimension. HRM can be viewed in one of two ways. First, HRM is a staff, or support in the organization. Its role is to provide assistance in HRM matters to line employees, or those directly involved in producing organization‟s goods and services. HRM is a function of every manager‟s job.

Whether or not one work in a “formal” HRM department, the facts remain that to effectively manage employees requires all managers to handle the activities.

Human Resource Planning helps determine the number and type of people an organization needs. Recruitment follows Human Resources Planning and goes hand in hand with the selection process by which organizations evaluate the suitability of the prospective Candidates for the job. Job analysis and job design specify the tasks and duties of jobs and the qualifications expected from prospective job holders. The next logical step is to select the right number of people the right type to fill the jobs. Selection involves two broad groups of activities: (i) Recruitment and (ii) Selection.

Recruitment is the process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. Whereas Selection is the process of picking individuals (out of the pool of job applicants) with requisite qualifications and competence to fill jobs in the organization.

An organization large or small, profit or service oriented, whether it is, the ultimate aim is to achieve organizational goal. This achievement can only be possible through skillful and effective management of manpower. Selection is a key component in the acquisition of human resources. Without a reliable and erective selection mechanism, a business can never flourish, especially in the present world of market economy, which is fiercely competitive. Usually after successful completion of recruitment, selection and introduction process the new employee must be developed to better fit the job and the organization.

Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management is a small organization under societies act 1986. Every year recruiting goes on in its different concerns. BIBM Group has an enriched and skilled Administrative department. Human Resource Management is under Administrative control. Through definite and systematic recruitment and selection procedure selects & trains up its manpower for achieving its ultimate goal. This study is important because we may find out what are the methods BIBM can adopt for recruitment and selection and some recommendations for their better effect in future.

Objective of the Study

The main objective of this study is to understand the process of recruitment and selection of BIBM and its impact. To achieve the main objective this study highlights some specific objectives that can be the following manner:

• To focus on theoretical knowledge in the field of Human Resource Management.
• To analyze Human Resource Practices and examine the recruitment and selection procedure of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management.
• To assess and evaluate the existing recruitment and selection procedure of BIBM with the standard.
• To find out the shortcoming of existing recruitment and selection procedure of BIBM.
• To summarize the recommendations of existing recruitment and selection procedure of BIBM.

Methodology

Methodology refers to the systematic method consisting of enunciating the problem, formulating a hypothesis, and collecting the facts or data, analyzing the facts and reaching certain conclusions either in the form of solutions towards the concerned problem or in certain generalizations for some theoretical formulation. It includes the process of gathering, recording and analyzing critical and relevant facts about any problem in any branch of human activity. It refers to critical searches into study and investigation of problem/ proposed course of action/hypothesis or a theory. The study requires a systematic procedure from selection of the topic to preparation of the final report. To perform the study, the data sources were to be identified and collected, to be classified, analyzed, interpreted and presented in a systematic manner and key points were to be found out. The overall process of methodology has been given as below.

Sources of Data

The data and information of this report are collected from –

• Primary sources
• Secondary sources

Primary sources:

The data were collected through personal interview and discussion. The interview sessions were conducted with some Faculty Member, Officers and other than officer of the organization.

Secondary sources:

BIBM Academic Calendar, BIBM Activity Report, Job Description, Policy, Official Records, Booklet, Published Materials, Training Materials and web site of BIBM, File study Administration Department.

Organizational Overview

BIBM is the national Training, Research, Consultancy and Education institute on banking and finance collectively owned by all banks that are in operation in the country. Registered under the Societies Act 1860, BIBM was established in 1974 with an initial primary focus of providing training to the officials of banks and financial institutions of Bangladesh in order to strengthen and update their skills. Since then more and more banks settings up their own training institutes to handle a significant part of their own objective based training needs, particularly those of their junior level officials. Currently, BIBM is engaged in offering training to the mid and senior level executives of banks. Over the years, BIBM has modified its training activities and broadened its operation to cover other areas of activities such as providing education in the form of degree- Masters in Bank Management (MBM) and Evening MBM (EMBM), carrying out research in banking & finance, holding seminars and roundtable discussions, offering training and research related consultancy services or aiding the banks in their recruitment.

History of BIBM

The need for a national level training institute was keenly felt in the early seventies to cater to the management training needs of the banking sector. The birth of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management (BIBM) was sine-qua-non for the development of human resources of the banking institutions at that time. In the beginning, BIBM had to concentrate on training of the entry level officers due to absence of appropriate training infrastructure in the banking industry. However, with the passage of time it assumed the responsibility of imparting training to the mid and senior level officials of the banking sector.

In the early nineties, the financial sector of Bangladesh underwent a number of reform measures as part of structural adjustment in the economy. In line with these reforms, the banking institutions have been adopting new strategies and methods for improving their services. BIBM is also keeping pace by putting up its best efforts to respond to the need for capacity building of bank officials for implementation of the reform measures. Meanwhile the banking sector of Bangladesh demanded upgradation of capabilities of managerial level officials as the banks expanded their horizon of operations. In line with that BIBM regularly updates its training areas, contents and methods.

In 1997, BIBM entered into education program offering a post graduate program in bank management – the MBM. Initially the program was conducted during day time. Later on, responding to the demand from in-service professionals, Evening MBM program was launched. Beside training and education, BIBM‟s current activities include undertaking research, organizing seminars and publishing reports on the issues relevant to the banking and financial sector. BIBM publishes Bank Parikrama (a quarterly journal),

Banking Research Series (a yearly publication of the keynote papers of BIBM research workshops),

Banking Review Series (a yearly publication of the review workshop papers), Research Monographs (publications of the BIBM research projects), Financial Sector Review (a yearly independent review of bank and non-bank financial sector of Bangladesh), BIBM Bulletin (a quarterly publication) and Lecture on “Ethics in Banking” (a yearly publication of the lecture delivered in the Nurul Matin Memorial Lecture on “Ethics in Banking” program) on a regular basis. The institute also provides support in recruiting bank officials. Since inception till December, 2014 BIBM trained a total of 74,668 officers of banks and financial institutions. Further, 725 MBM graduates passed out from BIBM during the period 1996-2014 and almost all of them have joined the banking profession. Besides, 193 Evening MBM graduates passed out from BIBM since inception in 2006. In addition to that a good number of senior executives of banks take part in BIBM‟s Seminars, Research Workshops, Review Workshops and Conferences every year.

Major Activities of BIBM

BIBM is a fairly large organization and it has several core areas to manage. These are 1) Professional Development Programs 2) Professional Education Programs; Research Activities; and Consultancy Services. A brief description of the activities of BIBM is presented below:

Professional Development Programs

Professional Development Programs i.e. training is at the heart of BIBM activities. It mainly includes training courses and training workshops. BIBM arranges in-campus and outreach training courses and training workshops. Outreach programs are organized in the different regions of the country based on the demand of the member banks. These programs are organized as per the BIBM calendar. BIBM finalizes its academic calendar well ahead of the start of the concerned year in consultation with the member banks. By following the consultation process, BIBM drafts the topics, duration and frequency of the training courses and workshops. These proposed training courses and workshops are then placed before the Governing Board for approval. Once it is approved, detailed course outlines are developed or upgraded by specifying objectives, contents, duration, frequency, target level of participants and coordinators. Subsequently, BIBM undertakes all activities for successful implementation of its training calendar. Other than these, BIBM arranges special training programs for banks in response to the requisition of the member banks. Since inception till 2013, BIBM trained a total of 71,108 officials of banks and financial institutions.

Professional Education Programs

BIBM offers two professional education programs at the post graduation level under Dhaka School of Bank Management (DSBM): Masters in Bank Management (MBM) and Masters in Bank ManagementEvening (MBM-Evening) program. The Masters in Bank Management (MBM), introduced in 1997, is a two-year full time day program. The program was initially affiliated with National University. However, MBM has been affiliated with Dhaka University since the academic year 2012-2013. The objective of the MBM program is to develop the skills and analytical abilities needed for the efficient handling of affairs of banks and financial institutions. The program also aims to instill innovation, judgment and creativity among the students. The highest policy making body of DSBM is its Governing Body headed by the Governor, Bangladesh Bank. Since inception till 2013, a total of 668 MBM graduates passed out from BIBM and almost all of them are placed in the banking profession. BIBM has introduced Masters in Bank Management-Evening (MBM-Evening) program in 2006 mainly for the professional bankers. The program was initially affiliated with National University (as the MBM programs), however, MBMEvening has been affiliated with Dhaka University since the academic year 2012-2013. Since inception till 2013, a total of 161 Evening MBM graduates passed out from BIBM.

Research Activities

Researches Activities at BIBM mainly include research based professional programs, and research projects and seminars. BIBM undertakes research projects and publishes reports, and the institute arranges seminars on each report with a view to accommodating experts‟ opinion in the final report of the research project. It also arranges seminars on contemporary issues of the financial sector. BIBM conducts review studies on six functional areas of banks that are Trade Services Operations, Credit Operations, Treasury Operations, Human Resources Management, Internal Control & Compliance and IT Operations.

The review studies are presented before the senior level bank executives in Review Workshops. Moreover, research based key-note papers are prepared on critical areas and presented in the Research Workshops. BIBM also performs review studies on the performance of banks and non-bank financial institutions of the country.

Consultancy Services

BIBM offers consultancy services in the areas of banking and financial sector both locally and internationally. The consultancy services of the institute include conducting special training programs; conducting recruitment tests; and research based consultancies.

Supportive Infrastructure of BIBM

BIBM has several departments /wings and infrastructural resources to support its core activities. BIBM has a fairly large green campus. It has a five storied academic building and a six storied hostel building.

Office building accommodates a rich library, a modern computer lab, well-equipped class rooms, the chambers of the faculties, officers & other staffs of administration. BIBM library is incomparable in the country in terms of the number of relevant books it owns and journals it subscribes on banking and finance. There are some other services available in the campus like – canteen, prayer room, room for indoor games, etc.

Dhaka School of Bank Management

In 2013, the education program of BIBM received affiliation of the University of Dhaka under which the program are being administered by the Dhaka School of Bank Management (DSBM) headed by the Director, DSBM. Four faculty members of BIBM are involved with the MBM and MBM Evening Program as Program Officers.

Administration and Account

Administration and Accounts of BIBM provides support services to all other departments so that they can execute their function smoothly. These activities are performed under Director General of BIBM.

BIBM Library

The BIBM library is fairly rich. It has a collection of over 25,000 books. The library subscribes and collects about 200 domestic and foreign journals and magazines regularly. Addition of new books and journals to the library has enriched the library collections over the years. BIBM customized and developed the “Library Management Software (LMS)” and the entire management is being done by this software. Existing books cover Economics, Finance, Banking, Accounting, Business, Management, Marketing, Law, Computer Science, Agriculture, Research, Education, Psychology, Statistics, History, Geography, English and Bengali Fiction and Dictionaries/ Encyclopedias on various disciplines. The library subscribes for various Journals on Economics, Banking, Accounting, Management, Training, NGOs, and Computer Science. The library is subscribing for the Online Journals from various worldclass publishers, (e. g. Springer, Black-Wiley, Oxford University Press, etc.) from INASP- PERI Consortium via Bangladesh Academy of Sciences (BAS). Annual Reports of various banks and financial institutions, ADB, IMF, World Bank Reports and government publications are kept in the library. It also preserves BIBM course materials, seminar papers and background materials of workshops. On the week day library is kept open from 9 am to 8 pm and on Friday & Saturday: 9:30 am to 3:30 pm .

BIBM Hostel

BIBM has a fairly large hostel building to accommodate its participants for different training and workshop programs. BIBM regular programs are fully residential. Currently the hostel can accommodate around 150 bank executives at a time.

Theoretical Analysis of Selection and Recruitment Process

Bangladesh is the ninth largest country of the world as regards its population not for its area of land. It has almost 16 core people. So the main thrust could be given on the development and management of human resources. In the country some large medium sized and a large number of business and industrial organization have been established and a significant number of human resources are employed in the organizations. Though more than 70% of its total population is still involved in cultivation of land, but no remarkable attempt has been made to manage the agriculturists for the national purpose. That is why Bangladesh is still a poor country. In Bangladesh, many public and private businesses, non-business and industrial organization has been emerged.

Selection and Recruitment

Having good people in a team gives a competitive advantage to a business. Employing the right person for the role will positively influence the performance and productivity of the work team as a whole. Selecting the wrong person can result in lower performance, higher operating costs, reduced morale and increased turnover among other staff members.

The only way to get good people on a team is to attract applicants through a well thought out recruitment process and then finding the best person for the role using sound selection techniques. The recruitment and selection process also provides a window into a business for job seekers. Having a professional approach to these processes reflects positively on the farm business. This fact sheet will cover:

• Preparation required to be successful
• The recruitment process
• The selection process
• Examples
• Templates

Preparation required being successful before recruiting and selecting; an employer should complete a job analysis, job description and person specification. These documents will help to fully clarify the role as the employer sees it. A clear description is important so it can be communicated to the potential employee. When an employee knows what is expected of them they can assess whether or not the position is right for them. Knowing what is expected allows the employer to select staff much more objectively, reducing the risk of failure in the selection process. Recruitment and selection is also important in performance management, as illustrated below, because performance expectations are shared at the start.

This fact sheet will cover:

• Preparation required to be successful.
• The recruitment process.
• The selection process.

Aim of Selection and Recruitment

Recruitment

To ensure that a pool of suitably experienced and qualified people apply for the job.

Selection

To identify one candidate who is likely to perform better in the position than the others. This combines aspects of the person‟s knowledge skills and experience as well as their place in the culture of an established team. This is a two-way process and the applicant is also trying to establish for themselves if the role and the team meets their own needs.

The Advantage of Internal Recruitment is that:

• Considerable savings can be made. Individuals with inside knowledge of how a business operates will need shorter periods of training and time for ‘fitting in’.
• The organization is unlikely to be greatly ‘disrupted’ by someone who is used to working with others in the organization
• Internal promotion acts as an incentive to all staff to work harder within the organization.
• From the firm’s point of view, the strengths and weaknesses of an insider will have been assessed. There is always a risk attached to employing an outsider who may only be a success ‘on PAPER’. The Disadvantages of Internal Recruiting is that:
• It will have to replace the person who has been promoted.
• An insider may be less likely to make the essential criticisms required to get the company working more effectively.
• Promotion of one person in a company may upset someone else.

External Recruitment

External recruitment makes it possible to draw upon a wider range of talent, and provides the opportunity to bring new experience and ideas in to the business. Disadvantages are that it is more costly and the company may end up with someone who proves to be less effective in practice than they did on paper and in the interview situation. There are a number of stages, which can be used to define and set out the nature of particular jobs for recruitment purposes: Job analysis is the process of examining jobs in order to identify the key requirements of each job. A number of important questions need to be explored:

The title of the job to whom the employee is responsible for whom the employee irresponsible simple description of the role and duties of the employee within the organization.

Job analysis is used in order to:

• Choose employees either from the ranks of your existing staff or from the recruitment of new staff.
• Set out the training requirements of a particular job.
• Provide information which will help in decision making about the type of equipment and materials to be employed with the job.
• Identify and profile the experiences of employees in their work tasks (information which can be used as evidence for staff development and promotion).
• Identify areas of risk and danger at work.
• Help in setting rates of pay for job tasks.

Job analysis can be carried out by direct observation of employees at work, by finding out information from interviewing job holders, or by referring to documents such as training manuals. Information can be gleaned directly from the person carrying out a task and/or from their supervisory staff. Some large organizations specifically employ ‘job analysts’. In most companies, however, job analysis is expected to be part of the general skills of a training or personnel officer.

The recruitment process

The recruitment process involves:

• Advertising the role
• Selling the job to potential applicants.

Advertising the job

Advertising is the shop window that attracts a potential applicant to find out more about the job. It should provide enough information to make the job sound appealing and encourage a potential applicant to take action.

Types of advertising

Traditionally, advertising has been done through the local newspaper or rural media. Other forms of advertising may include:

• Word of mouth through friends and associates
• Referrals from other team members
• Direct approaches to a potential applicant
• Job sections on websites such as www.bdjobs.com
• Internet job search sites
• Signs on notice boards at local businesses (supermarkets, farm supply stores etc)
• Agencies such as Work and Income or Student Job Search
• Local school or club newsletters
• Print advertising in industry publications
• Listing with farm consultants or an agricultural employment agency.

Writing an Advertisement

Newspaper advertising is the most common form of recruitment; therefore this fact sheet will focus on that process.

Components of a Good Advertisement

There is clear evidence that qualified applicants are less likely to reply to vaguely worded or ill-defined advertisements, whereas unsuitable applicants are more likely to apply.

A common advertising format is as follows:

• Advert Title
• Sales pitch
• Job title and property
• Description
• Description of the job
• Type of person required
• Contact details and closing
• Date

Title

The advert title may either be the job title or an eye-catching phrase. Other eye-catchers such as graphics or pictures (your farm logo) may also be added.

Job title and property description

The job title and property description tell the applicant what the position is and provides a context for the role by describing the location, size and facilities available on the farm

Description of the job

This section describes the appropriate responsibility areas, tasks or duties for the role. This can be taken almost directly from the job description previously constructed.

Realistic job previews: While selling the job is important, it can be a good sales ploy to point out any particular difficulties of the job, giving the applicant a more realistic idea about what the job entails. This should only be used where a direct compensation has been built into the package.

Job specification

A job specification goes beyond a mere description -in addition, it highlights the mental and physical attributes required of the job holder. For example, a job specification for a trainee manager’s post in a retail store included the following: ‘Managers at all levels would be expected to show responsibility. The company is looking for people who are tough and talented. They should have a flair for business, know  how to sell, and to work in a team. Job analysis, description, and specification can provide useful information to a business in addition to serving as recruitment instruments. For example, staff appraisal is a means of monitoring staff performance and is a feature of promotion in modern companies. In some companies, for example, employees and their immediate line managers discuss personal goals and targets for the coming time period (e.g. the next six months). The appraisal will then involve a review of performance during the previous six months, and setting new targets. Job details can serve as a useful basis for establishing dialogue and targets. Job descriptions can be used as reference points for arbitrating in disputes as to ‘who does what’ in a business. Selection involves procedures to identify the most appropriate candidates to fill posts. An effective selection procedure will therefore take into consideration the following: keeping the costs of selection down making sure that the skills and qualities being sought have been identified, developing a process for identifying them in candidates making sure that the candidates selected, will want the job, and will stay with the company. Keeping the costs of selection down will involve such factors as holding the interviews in a location, which is accessible to the interviewing panel, and to those being interviewed. The interviewing panel must have available to them all the necessary documentations, such as application forms available to study before the interviews take place. A short list must be made up of suitable candidates, so that the interviews do not have to take place a second time, with new job advertisements being placed. The skills required should have been identified through the process of job analysis, description and specification. It is important then to identify ways of testing whether candidates meet these requirements. Testing this out may involve:

• interviewing candidates
• asking them to get involved in simulated work scenarios
• asking them to provide samples of previous work
• getting them to fill in personality and intelligence tests
• Giving them real work simulations to test their abilities.

Type of person required

In the person specification you may have identified some special characteristics, knowledge, skills or experience required in the person who fills the role. Any that are critical to your business should be detailed in this section. However, be careful to avoid any characteristics that do not directly affect performance of the role, as this is discrimination.

Selling the job

Before an effective sale pitch can be designed, the employer should:

• Review the terms and conditions for the role
• Check the farm budget
• Prepare an information pack if one is to be sent out.

Sales points

Advertising should sell the job by highlighting the opportunities the role provides. These opportunities may include:

• Learning and growth opportunities (professional and personal development)
• The team on the farm
• Quality of accommodation
• Training provided
• Recreational opportunities
• Proximity to town
• Time off
• Leave provisions
• Level of salary
• Success stories of previous employees
• Farm facilities/infrastructure.

Employers should be careful not to oversell the role because if they can‟t come through on promises made, staff will be disappointed. It is also illegal under the Fair Trading Act. In all cases adverts should avoid overused words, such as “progressive”, “self-starter” and “motivated”. They are used with such frequency that they have lost their meaning and have become space fillers.

Undesirable consequences of poor recruitment

Poor recruitment choices (i.e., poor person-job fit) can have a range of undesirable consequences for the organization and the worker including:

• Higher rates of turnover
• Reduced performance effectiveness
• Lowered job satisfaction
• Reduced work motivation.

Effective Recruitment Steps

Three steps to develop an effective recruitment process are:

Step 1: Ensure an up-to-date job description which contains information related to:

• Specific c tasks and activities required for a job
• The knowledge, skills and abilities required for effective performance by the job incumbent.

Step 2: Develop an effective recruitment strategy which considers:

• Appropriate sources of recruitment (i.e., advertisements, personal referrals, employment agencies, direct applications).
• Appropriate recruiters (e.g., supervisor or co-worker).

Step 3: Evaluate the recruitment strategy to determine its efficacy.

• Conduct a cost-benefit analysis in terms of the number of applicants referred, interviewed, selected, and hired
• Compare the effectiveness of applicants hired from various sources.

Overview of Selection Techniques

Evidence-based best practice for three of the most commonly used selection techniques is outlined below:

Curriculum Vitas / Resumes and written Applications

A curriculum vitae (CV)/resume provide valuable information relating to a person‟s professional qualifications and experience. All information in the CV should be verified where appropriate (e.g., asking applicants to explain gaps in employment history). Requesting job applicants to address specific selection criteria (i.e., essential and desirable) can improve the efficiency of reviewing CVs.

Conducting Interviews

Structured interviews are recommended. A structured interview involves asking each candidate the same set of questions and assessing their responses on the basis of pre-determined criteria. Questions and assessment criteria should be based on accurate, updated job descriptions. It is also helpful to develop criteria to categories responses (e.g., as excellent, good, average and unsatisfactory). An interview panel consisting of a representative selection of people may also be helpful.

Two common types of structured interview questions are:

Situational questions which ask candidates about hypothetical scenarios that may be encountered in the job and how they would respond in that situation.

• Experienced-based questions which focus on specific examples of the candidate‟s prior work experiences and their responses to past situations that are relevant to the job in question.

Reference checks

Referees are useful for identifying past employment problems and clarifying the accuracy of information presented in an interview or CV. Only a small percentage of all reference checks are negative, therefore, it is often difficult to differentiate between candidates on the basis of reference checks alone.

Induction and orientation of new workers

An effective induction helps new workers understand their role and where they “fit” within the organization. It also equips them with the tools they need to perform their work role. Two useful induction tools are:

1. Induction manual / kits which may contain:

• An induction checklist
• Organizational philosophy / ethics / history
• Strategic values of the organization
• An organizational chart / structure
• An employment manual on policies and procedures
• An orientation to the workplace (including parking and safety issues)
• Information about episodes of care, the duty system, supervision, staff meetings, etc.

2. Mentoring / “buddy” system

New workers can be paired with experienced workers from a similar area to “show them the ropes”. Alternatively, a more formal / structured mentoring system can be a useful induction strategy in which new workers are paired with a mentor who can assist them with their ongoing professional development.

Employer CV

When people apply for a job the employee may provide, the employer, with a CV outlining their vision, values, strengths and weaknesses, work history and references for you to check their story out. Providing them with a CV on you and the farm can aid the recruitment process by providing potential employees with details of you, the farm system and how they will fit in. The CV could be emailed or sent out to potential employees with a copy of the job description. In turn, helping potential employees self-select whether they would suit the job, long before have to go through the interview and selection process. An employer CV doesn‟t need to be exhaustive. Have a think about the key information that could let potential employees know or ask other staff members what they would have like to have known.

What could include

• Key contact details
• Details of your history as an employer
• The type of training, skills and experience you have as an employer
• Details about what past employees have gone on to do
• Referees from both current and past employees.

Information packs

As part of the sales pitch, employers sometimes send out information packs to people making enquiries. Information packs are designed to provide more detail about a job than can be included in an advertisement, as well as help to sell the job. A pack may contain things like a job description, a copy of your employer CV, performance checklist and description of farm policy as well as more detail on the sales pitches. The one issue surrounding distribution of information packs is timing. They need to be with the applicant immediately to keep the process rolling and therefore must be ready in advance. Using email to distribute this information can help speed up the process.

Phone or written replies

Written replies can be in a number of formats. The most common being the completion of an application form or the preparation of a CV. Preparation of a CV can be a barrier to people applying for the job.

Compilation is time consuming, and especially for lower level jobs, can put people off applying. This can be overcome to some extent by using an application form which requires set questions to be answered.

Preparing an application form and getting each applicant to complete it at the start of the recruitment process has many benefits:

• The same information is supplied by each applicant, making comparison easier
• It allows you to ask questions you are not comfortable asking people face-to-face
• People filling them out must declare they are doing so honestly
• It can be a means to testing if applicants can read and write.

Providing a phone number is the quickest way to get in touch with job applicants. However, this requires a higher level of organization on behalf of the employer.

A template with phone interview questions should be kept handy to the phone so all applicants can be asked the same questions. It may also be a barrier to potential applicants if they can never get in touch with the advertiser. To avoid this, employers should indicate times for applicants to call and make sure they are ready to answer the phone. An answer phone also helps avoid this problem.

A formal record of application is desirable and should cover off information such as referees and work history to provide evidence in case of misrepresentation of fact by a job applicant. This information may be gathered by way of CV application form or employer notes.

Size

Double column advertisements with borders stand out better than single column run-on advertisements and are more likely to attract responses.

Cost

Advertising in the newspaper is the normal approach for many farm positions. Following the above guidelines will be more expensive than may have historically been the case. However, remember that taking time to screen out unsuitable applicants is an expense, as is having to re-advertise if there are no suitable applicants.

Acknowledging applicants

Where CVs are requested, it is polite to acknowledge their receipt with an email, letter or a phone call.

The selection process

• The selection process has the following components:
• Initial screening of applicants
• First interview
• Reference checking
• Second interview
• Job offer

Setting selection criteria and selection techniques

Selection criteria are the set of competencies or measures used to rank candidates. These measures should cover eight to ten of the most important requirements identified in the job description and person specification.

Example: If an employee will be required to carry out feed budgeting, their skill in this area would be one the selection criteria. Ability to work in a team may be another example. Applicants are rated against the selection criteria during the interview process. The selection criteria can weight depending on importance and the rating of the applicant multiplied by the weighting gives the applicant‟s score for those selection criteria. Selection techniques such as interview questions and tasks are designed around each of the eight to ten selection criteria so each candidate can be thoroughly tested for competency in that area. Ideally an applicant‟s competency should be tested in more than one way.

Example: For the feed budgeting example one test may be to get the applicant to carry out a feed budget (a practical work test) and the second test may be a discussion around how the results of the budget would be applied on farm (a structured interview).

Structured interviews

Structured interviews ask all candidates the same questions and set the same tasks. This ensures that the same information is gathered from all candidates and allows for a more objective comparison between applicants.

Practical work tests

Practical work tests ask an employee to demonstrate their competence. An example may be inviting an applicant to complete a feed budget.

Reference checks

Reference checks help to establish how a candidate has performed in the past. Both written and verbal references can be falsified, so information gained should be double-checked in another way.

Role play

Role play puts a person in a situation and asks them to act out how they would deal with it. This technique is especially useful to assess interpersonal and team skills.

Personality Tests

Personality tests are good for understanding people and how they can be managed, but they are not good predictors of how a person will perform. If the job is described appropriately and the selection criteria are appropriate, the „right‟ personality for the job is likely to be selected anyway. Initial screening of applicants following successful recruitment, the aim of the screening process should be to cut the list of applicants to three or four people to be interviewed.

Screening should be done on the basis of the experience level and skills the applicant demonstrates through the CV or phone conversation, and how they match up with the selection criteria for the job. If there are a number of similar applications you may wish to make a phone call to their referees. Once a shortlist has been made it is polite to let the other applicants know they will not be required for an interview.

Notifying applicants of an interview

The applicants selected for an interview should be phoned to ensure they are still interested in the job and then offered an interview. This phone call should ideally be followed up in writing with details of the time, place and expected activities to be carried out at the interview and the expected duration so the applicant can plan their day.

Interviewing one or two interviews

Some thought should be given to whether or not a second interview stage will be used. If a second interview is to be used the objective of the first interview is to identify two to three people to move through to the next stage. This allows for shorter interviews. If there will not be a second, sufficient time must be allowed to conduct the interview and give the candidate a full tour of the farm and accommodation. Accommodation and the farm sheep and beef should be shown on the first interview as they are often deciding points for a candidate.

Who should be involved in the interview?

Using two people to conduct the interview is a good idea as they will both take different points from it. Make sure roles of the interviewers are clearly defined. Where possible, the direct manager of the job applicant should be involved.

Training

New workers in a firm are usually given an induction programmed in which they meet other workers and are shown the skills they must learn. Generally, the first few days at work will simply involve observation, with an experienced worker showing the ‘new hand’ the ropes. Many large firms will have a detailed training scheme, which is done on an ‘in-house’ basis. This is particularly true of larger public companies such as banks and insurance companies. In conjunction with this, staff may be encouraged to attend college courses to learn new skills and get new qualifications. Training thus takes place in the following ways:

1 On the job -learning skills through experience at work

2 Off the job -learning through attending courses.

Promotion within a firm depends on acquiring qualifications to do a more advanced job. In accountancy for example, trainee accountants will be expected to pass exams set by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA). At the same time, a candidate for promotion must show a flair for the job. It is the responsibility of the training department within a business to make sure that staff with the right skills are coming up through the firm or being recruited from outside.

The Association of Chartered Certified Accountants has 300,000 members and students throughout the world. It is a professional body setting standards for the accountancy profession. To be properly qualified, accountants must have passed examinations that make them eligible for membership of one or more professional accounting bodies, such as ACCA. Typically accountants will improve their knowledge and experience by taking courses run and organized by ACCA during their professional training enabling them to develop and enhance their careers. Induction is the process of introducing new employees to an organization and to their work responsibilities in that organization.

The Selection and Recruitment Process of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management

In Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management HR function is under administration section. To know the future demand of human resources, the administration section usually prepares a list of all approved post, current employee and vacant position list. From the list admin section gets an estimate of the human resource requirement for the year. No long term human resource forecasting is done in BIBM. The recruitment goals of BIBM are to attract and retain highly qualified human resources who will perform best in their respective areas. The institute not only tries to attract well-qualified candidates but also tries to identify and recruit people who are really interested to work in it for an acceptable period of time.

Types of Recruitment

BIBM practices two types of recruitment

• Yearly recruitment: This is done each year, according to the HR plan
• Need-based recruitments: This is done when there is a sudden vacancy.

Recruitment Sources and Methods

BIBM usually promotes from within the organization. But it also recruits from external sources. The external sources are:

• Application through Advertisement
• Central Banks & Different Banks

The Administration section will need to take a decision regarding the source of external recruiting considering variables like –

• Available spread of candidates
• Cost impact
• Time needed and the external recruitment methods include: Advertising in newspapers, company website etc.

Selection Process

The different steps if the selection process is described below in detail:

Receipt of Applications

This is the first selection hurdle to join BIBM. Candidates either send their CVs in application for a specific vacancy after advertisement. The HR part of Administration section collects job applications against each job vacancy. In case of newspaper advertisements, the applicants are given at least 3 weeks to apply. After a specific period, each and every job is closed for applying.

Preparing candidates profile summary:

Now HR part will ready for preparing itself. They will make candidates profile summary. Most of the candidates profile summary is prepared before written exam. This candidate‟s profile summary contains applicants‟ name, father‟s names, last education, education institution, date of birth, experience, reference. This will help interviewee to understand applicants in a moment.

Sorting out of Applications

The next step is the short listing of CVs. Usually the HR part of administrative division is engaged in the short listing. Firstly they prepare a statement of the received application. Then it is shorted out according to BIBM recruitment policy. To recruit experienced bankers (as faculty member), CVs may be sorted out from the collection of unsolicited CVs received. Or, another possibility is to find out experienced and competent bankers in other banks. Once potential candidates are thus found out, they are contacted and called for an interview.

Informing Selected Candidates

After the applications are sorted out and a preliminary list is prepared, the candidates are informed and are called for a written exam (for entry level positions of faculty member,officer and other than faculty & officer) or an interview (for experienced banker or mid level or senior level positions of faculty member).

For written tests, the BIBM issues admit cards through courier services 07 to 15 days prior to the exam.

Written Tests

The employment test is generally an aptitude test which measures the candidates‟ verbal ability, numerical ability, reasoning ability etc.

Viva/Interview

The interviews that are conducted are panel interviews and not structured. The interview board consists of the Director General of BIBM, and recruitment committee members.

Final Approval by Competent Authority

After the interview is conducted and the interviewees are evaluated, the management committee decides who is to be selected and who is to be rejected. After this final decision the panel is prepared appointment according to the result and then it is placed to the competent authority for approval. After approval „Appointment Letter‟ is issued for the finally selected candidate. The candidates that are rejected are not informed.

Physical Examination

After the appointment letters are printed, the candidates are given one month for joining. First, the candidates have to go through physical examinations. If the result of these physical examinations is satisfactory, then the candidate is eligible to join the bank.

Joining and Placement

After the physical examination, the candidate needs to bring the result of the medical tests along with all the necessary documents and academic certificates for joining. After going through the formal joining and placement process, the candidates are finally employees of Bangladesh Institute of Bank Management.

Accumulated Findings of my Survey

Human Resources Planning

The HR division of the bank as we know before a payment authorized division. The officers and employee (other than officer) who work for the HR division has developed their effort and intelligence in order to the development of the employees work for the organization. They set goals identify the current passion develop plan to achieve the goal identify their position and taking corrective actions regularly.

Job Analysis

The total manpower positions, post, tasks, responsibilities of the organization are well-define and well designed. According the total tasks of a branch, several departments are establish to sacrifices the jobs perfectly and create opportunity to sacrifices each and every position spontaneously by concerning authorities,. Observation, interview question nary and functional job analysis method are followed for different job. Employees are entitled to modern Banking training.

Job Evaluation

Point‟s methods are used in cash of job evaluation. Higher authorities of the BIBM are always concern about their fairness of the job evaluation. BIBM establishes a competitive and standard pay structure according to the job evaluation.

Major Findings

 Recruitment Procedure

The management of BIBM cares for the quality of service as well as the quality of its human resources. Internal growth creates an attachment between the employees and the organization. Moreover, internal growth has increased the recruitment and selection efficiency of the HR Division, since it has better knowledge about the applicants‟ knowledge, skills, abilities and other qualifications.

The recruitment and selection process of BIBM emphasizes more on who fits the organization, rather than who fits the job. Thus, it has created a unique organizational culture and the whole HR Division has ensures a friendly and caring working environment.

BIBM uses an in-house function which ensures consistent recruitment from opening to opening.

As they use in-house functions they have greater control on the recruitment process and they can easily execute different aspects of recruitment properly.

BIBM pursued centralized recruitment policies. That is recruitment activities are coordinated by the Administration Department. The advantages of this centralization recruitment are quick decision making, elimination of duplication, limitation of time, low cost and efforts.

Administration Department already exercises their internal network properly for recruitment advertisement. Now they can post recruitment advertisement on their website. So, interested applicants can get information to visit their website.

The Head of Administration along with the other stuffs do all the HR activities in BIBM. This increase the intimacy between the management and the stuff.

There is fair and equal treatment in different categories of the jobs in BIBM. Male and female employees are treated equally in BIBM. There is no gender discrimination.

There is little effort of HR division for continuous development in recruitment process. The world is changing and recruitment process as well. They are using the same methods and strategies year after year because they are familiar with the practice and it is working.

Selection Procedure

Usually, the selection is a time consuming procedure. All the processes take more time to complete the whole selection process.

The applicants send their resumes through courier service. These resumes are then sorted for particular competencies. These sorted and varied resumes are then entered in the database to weed out any probable entry mistakes. The whole process takes considerable length of time as the number of applicants often reaches staggering number.

The persons who are selected in the process are only contacted.

When selection took place, BIBM loses more qualified candidate because within this time most of the candidates joined in another organizations.

Recommendations

Strive to make the important things measurable, not the measurable things important. Many HR professional believe their function has become more involved in business decisions, more strategically oriented and more effective as a business partner. The HR function is adding more and more value to modern organizations. The changing role of HR professional carries with it new responsibilities and challenges.

Throughout my employment in HR at BIBM, I found some deficiency in the present recruitment and selection procedures. Based on objectives, findings and analysis some recommendations have been developed. It would be valuable for the HR to follow these:

There should be a separate Human Resources Department.

The Human Resource need identification should be done by HR department rather than divisional Head. It will facilitate the proper control of HR on different concerns and it will be possible to procure the actual number of employees.

The CVs of applicants should be sorted on the basis of degree or skill as early as possible which will save valuable time to internal CV sourcing.

An online database of all employees should be developed so that every employee has individual online profile account and it can be accessed at a time by more than one employee.

Reference should not be used as selection criteria because there is a chance to select a wrong person.

BIBM should arrange orientation program for all new employees. As a result new employees happen to know the organizational culture, values, mission, vision etc.

HR part of Administration Department needs enough space to maintain CV bank. It will help employees to find resumes easily.

HR division should also communicate with failed candidates. At least, they can send an email on applicants‟ account.

HR division can also minimize using paper on its recruitment and selection process.

The recruitment and selection process‟ of BIBM is very long.

HR division should be also more focus on management assessment centers in its selection process. It will help them to judge applicants according to perform realistic job.

Conclusion

As a personnel function recruitment and selection is a major Human Resource function designed to attract, obtain and retain the qualified workforce to meet the future organizational needs. Through efficient handling of this practice the company can successfully continue its operation. This requires a sharp business focus from HR professionals and the delivery of high quality HR systems that are integrated into the organization strategy and operations. The study “Recruitment and Selection Procedure of BIBM” under HR revealed that employees are the most valuable resources for the progress of the organization. For the development of these valuable resources there are many factors involved. The analysis of the report shows some positive practices and negative practices which are need to improve for conducting the employees successfully. To increase the productivity of an organization effective & dynamic recruitment and selection procedure is essential. BIBM practices a progressive recruitment and selection procedures. HR officers of BIBM Group are now expected to work beyond the boundaries of contracts and policies to contribute directly to the operation and success of the business.