Recruitment Methods and Channels, and Selection Criteria for Different Employees Regarding Mcdonald Company - Case Study Example

Recruitment and Selection- McDonalds of the of the Number Recruitment and Selection- McDonalds Introduction McDonalds is one of the largest restaurant chain serving hamburgers. The estimated average daily customers are 68 millions and the retail chain has more than 35,000 outlets across 119 nations. The company was started in the year 1940 by Maurice and Richard McDonalds, which was further reorganized in the year 1948. The company is presently headquartered in United States. Recruitment Methods/Processes of McDonalds The recruitment process of McDonalds is world famous and the company is known for investing in employee development, training and development programs and ensuring flexibility in terms of work and overall performance measures (“Recruitment & Training at McDonald’s”). The precise recruitment methods of the restaurant chain are as follows; Step 1: Online application The online application process is the first step of the recruitment process of McDonalds. A candidate can apply to maximum 10 outlets with one application form. The application form is the first stage which determines the candidate’s potential, enthusiasm and abilities to work in a friendly but demanding service environment. The application form is divided into two categories. In the first category, the candidates are asked a quiz of multiple choice answers. This stage ensures that the candidates understand the areas, has knowledge regarding the services and is ready to service as a potential and effective crew member (Denby 147-150). Personality questionnaire After the application form is submitted the candidates are required to fill up a personality test wherein they will be evaluating the personal values as well as how suitable they are for the job role. The personality questionnaire will majorly test leadership qualities and the questions are categorized into four subheadings; leadership, teamwork, career choice and customer service (Kramer et al. 35-55). Resume The resume of the candidates are scrutinized extensively in order to understand the academic excellence, relevancy of work history and the authenticity of the references provided in the resumes. This is an important phase of the application form wherein candidates are required to put straightforward and authentic personal details, minimum two references and educational history (“Recruitment & Training at McDonald’s”). Step 2: Interview and on-the-job evaluation Interview Once the application form of the candidates is selected, they are invited for an interview either through email or telephonic call. In general, the interview process takes place inside the restaurant only and the average time for an interview can be 30 minutes. The interview can be of two types. It can be face-to-face wherein the candidates are interviewed by trainee manager, operations manager, sales head and HR head. The interview is a crucial method is the recruitment process of McDonalds for evaluating the skills, knowledge and service qualities of the candidates (“Recruitment & Training at McDonald’s”). On-the-job evaluation Another on-the-job evaluation process is a briefly supervised shift audition. This assessment continues for an entire day wherein the candidates are required to work on various assignments of the outlet. At first, they need to join the restaurant crew, which checks the candidate’s friendliness and compatibility. The second stage is to learn about the various customer services offered by McDonalds including safety and health, equipment maintenance, cash-handling and food hygiene. The objective of the above stage is to understand the service delivery skills as well as adaptability of the candidates (Billett 115-125). In the later part of the day candidates test for shift management and complaint handling skills. The operations and HR departments observe the candidates during their work and they are also required to engage in various group exercise series for overcoming emergency problems and other customer and operational issues (Brotherton and Evans 25-30). Here also, the preferred qualities are team-working abilities, leadership as well as problem-solving abilities. The on-the-job evaluation is also an opportunity for the candidates to know more about the expected job responsibilities, job role and the overall behavior that is required while working in the restaurant. Step 3: Reference checks Conducting reference checks is a necessary task conducted by the HR department of McDonalds. Reference check is for conforming the information provided in the resume and can also assist in the application form sent by candidates. Reference check is generally with the candidate’s previous employer, parents, guardian or school teachers (“Recruitment & Training at McDonald’s”). Recruitment channels The various recruitment channels used by the restaurant chain for screening and selecting candidates are job portals, external recruitment firms, contracting agencies, employee referrals, internal recruitment and social media recruitment. For different job profiles and job roles, different recruitment channels are considered (Pilbeam and Corbridge 35-56). For instance, for ground level employees and other floor staffs, the major recruitment channels flowed are offering job opportunities in various job porters, posting the job requirements in the company website or contacting the external recruitment firms for providing suitable candidates. However, for all these recruitment channels, the recruitment process remains the same starting from application form. The various recruitment channels used by McDonalds are as follows; Internal recruitment/promotion Internal promotion and recruitment is a frequently followed recruitment channel for filling vacancies and utilising talents. The company both chooses one or a set of employees according to their experiences and skills and notifies them for the interview and selection process. When the recruitment is for mass internal vacancies, particularly at ground level, the retail chain usually makes public announcements and the eligibility criteria’s for applying. Internal recruitment is a popular form of recruitment channel as it is cost effective and saves the company from primary induction processes which are given for external candidates (Ahmed 35-40). Private and business contacts Private and business contacts are used by the retail restaurant for sourcing job profiles in middle and higher level. For instance, the company can source its client base or other complimentary business profiles to look for candidates having sufficient experience, knowledge and leadership qualities. A benefit of sourcing candidate’s from business or private contacts is that the reference check is solid and authentic. Online job portals and recruitment agencies This recruitment channel is generally used by McDonalds for sourcing ground level candidates. In general mass recruitments are conducted for these job profiles. McDonalds either places its advertisement for recruitment in various job portals or contacts recruitment agencies which in turn provides suitable candidates for interview (David 267-300). Company Website McDonalds’ website is also a viable and regularly used channel to post current and future job requirements. The candidates can also store their resumes in the company’s website by logging in and submitting the resume in the company website. This resume can be sources by the company for future references (“Preparing Job Descriptions and Selection Criteria”). Social Media It is an increasingly used platform for sourcing and attracting talents is social media. Most of the youngsters and budding professionals are using social media platforms for informal and formal discussions and sharing their ideas, thoughts and viewpoints. These ideas and viewpoints are an important description of their knowledge, understanding and relevancy to the company’s goals and objectives. Selection criteria for different employees McDonalds use a broad selection criterion for recruiting and selecting prospective employees. The overall selection criteria can be categorized into four different headings. These are formal education credentials, job-specific knowledge and skills and non-job specific knowledge. While the structure of selection criteria is similar, the underlying criterion within each section is different for different business functions and job profiles (“Preparing Job Descriptions and Selection Criteria”). Formal education credentials Educations as well as other related academic credentials are the foremost selection criteria for any job profile. However, the level of education varies with the job role. For instance, ground level floor employees such as cashiers and food service provides need to be minimum graduates. For this, McDonalds generally prefer fresh graduates. Apart from that, McDonalds also hired part-time employees who are still studying. High school diploma is minimum requirement for job profiles of cleaners, waiters and other ground-level service providers. All streams of study including science, commerce and arts are eligible for ground-level job profiles (Mullins, 25-30) On the other hand, the academic credentials increases with the increasing job role. For instance, a floor manager or a trainee manager needs minimum post graduate qualifications. Operations managers and other technical staff need college diploma are technical education and also authentic certificates in technical training. Job-specific knowledge and skills These include job knowledge as well as specific skills which are directly related with the performance for which McDonalds is hiring. These specific knowledge and skills also vary for different job profiles. For instance, the knowledge and skills of a floor manager includes overseeing day-today operations, making sure that every customer goes out happy, solving tricky customer complaints and ensuring that the employees are motivated entire day long (McGuire and Bagher 495-500). At the same time, the knowledge and skills of the floor-level employee such as billing operator or counter service provider should be fast and efficient service without errors or spillage, multitasking, patient and quick in service and quick understanding and adapting skills. Non-job specific knowledge and skills These are knowledge and skills that are not directly related but can add weight to the job performance. For management trainees, sales and marketing managers, some of these attributes include understanding and being able to negotiate with local bureaucrats and political establishments, public relations knowledge and organizational skills. Similarly, some of the desirable skills for ground level employees include understanding the target customers, proficiency in the local language, clerical and computer skills and previous exposure a philosophy similar to McDonalds. Works Cited Ahmed, Pervaiz, K. “Culture and Climate for Innovation.” European Journal of Innovation Management, Vol. 1.1(1998): 30 – 43. Print. Billett, Stephen. “Situated learning - A workplace experience.” Australian Journal of Adult and Community Education, Vol. 34.2(1994): 112-130. Print. Brotherton, Jonathon and Carl Evans. “The importance of the trainer: factors affecting the retention of clients in the training services sector.” Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 42.1(2010): 23 – 31. Print. David, Fred. Strategic management: Cases and concepts (13th ed.). Florence, South Carolina: Pearson, 2011. Print. Denby, Steve. “The importance of training needs analysis.” Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 42.3(2010): 147 – 150. Print. Kramer, Robin, Timothy Bartram, Helen De Cieri, Raymond A. Noe, John R. Hollenbeck, Berry Gerheart and Patrick M. Wright. Human Resource Management: Strategy, People, Performance. New York: McGraw-Hill, 2013. Print. McGuire, David and Mammed Bagher. “Diversity training in organisations: an introduction.” Journal of European Industrial Training, Vol. 34.6(2010): 493 – 505. Print. Mullins, Laurie. Management and Organizational Behaviour. London: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. “Our Recruitment Process” McDonalds. McDonalds Corporation. 2013. Web. 18 August 2014. Pilbeam, Stephen and Marjourie Corbridge. People Resourcing. Contemporary HRM in Practice. London: Prentice Hall, 2010. Print. “Preparing Job Descriptions and Selection Criteria” Community Tool Box. University of Kansas. 2013. Web. 18 August 2014. “Recruitment & Training at McDonald’s” McDonalds. McDonalds Corporation. 2008. Web. 18 August 2014. Read More