Chapters 6&7

This last week throughout class we learned about Chapter 6 (Recruiting) and Chapter 7 (Training).
Also, I conducted my interviews this last week and the topic I chose was recruiting. We also had a guest speaker in class who talked about Training. I definitely got a well rounded knowledge of the topics because I learned about them not only in the book, but also through the interviews and guest speaker. Their is a lot that goes into recruiting, It is so important that employers and HR professionals know how to do a good job at this so that they can lower turnover rates and improve the quality of their company. The HR professionals, or managers, have to become experts on skimming through resumes and finding the best candidates for interviews. In this economy it has become increasingly more difficult to do the pre-screening because of how many resumes companies receive. Also, it's important for employers to call references and past employers along with conducting background checks or other types of tests. Once interviewing, their are many techniques that are beneficial. Open-ended questions were something I though would be very important to employers. These questions give candidates an opportunity to put together well structured answers. When training it is important to do a needs assessment to evaluate the organization and to determine the needs and kinds of training that are necessary. There are also other types of analysis including person and task analysis, these may also be useful. There are also many training methods available that organizations can use, my favorite was reading about the experiential programs because they sounded so fun, and I think if used the right way they could be extremely beneficial team building skills.

Chapter 4&5 Blog Post

This week we talked about chapter 5. I learned a lot and feel like the discussion in most of class and in our groups was directed at downsizing and outsourcing. I really think it's interesting to learn about this, especially in our economy. I learned that if you are going to downsize you better be pretty positive it is the right thing to do because many companies turn around and have to hire employees back at a premium. Many companies don't think about the affects that downsizing may have and many people provide very valuable information that the company needs. Managers may not think about this when laying people off. Also, many companies have started offering early retirement programs as to incentivize employees to leave sooner. A lot of older workers however have no intentions of retiring anytime soon so employers need to be careful and sensitive when it comes to this. A few other ways of downsizing are to use outsourcing or to hire temporary workers.

I think the main point to the discussion and from the text is clear. Management and HR just need to be careful about the decisions they make. It is important to clearly think through the individual and their tasks at the company. Maybe they will be more profitable in the long run if they decide to keep someone even if it will cost more now. I think these situations are best answered by the best answer to any business question... "it depends..."

Chapter 2&3 Thoughts

I thought this week was very interesting in class. I especially enjoyed our guest speaker. He seemed like he enjoyed his career and it was fun to hear his thoughts and opinions about HR.
I thought the points that were brought up related to our discussion topics were interesting. I think it's kind of humorous that they need to have so many laws and regulations about discrimination. Of course, I don't think it would be fair to discriminate on any occasion, but they wouldn't need to have any regulations if managers didn't say things to lead people to believe they have been discriminated against. I feel that as long as you choose the candidate that you feel will work best with your company and has the best qualifications, you will be in good shape. If you choose the best fit for your company and don't say much to other candidates, they won't have a reason to prove they have been discriminated against.

My First HR post!

During the first few classes of Human Resources I have learned a lot of things I had once misconceived. Before I started taking this class I thought HR was a very narrow, specific position. I figured a position in HR was filled with employee paperwork, payroll, and maybe a few other key tasks. I am now realizing the key role of HR within a company, they are in charge of controlling much, much more! I have been thinking about and debating a career in HR for some time now and learning more about it has made me much more excited. HR is also about empowerment and finding the best knowledge workers. In a lot of companies HR advise and support the activities of other departments. HR is also in charge of finding the right technical skills, supporting the organizations strategy, and following up on labor laws and ethics. So much of a company's success relies upon HR and at first glance you wouldn't even know it. I'm excited to keep learning more about what HR can bring to the table. - Allyse Tree