Enterprise Rent-A-Car Recruitment and Selection - Case Study Example

Enterprise Rent-A-Car (Name) (University) Enterprise Rent-A-Car Recruitment and Selection Introduction Founded in the year 1957, Enterprise Rent-A-Car is presently the largest car rental business in North America (Baeza, 2015). The enterprise has four operations that major on rentals, fleet management, car sales and rental of trucks. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has expanded its market all over the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Puerto Rico, Ireland and Germany. The company employs over 65,000 people and aims to better its services due to the increased competition in the industry. Enterprise Rent-A-Car strives to maintain the satisfaction of customers at a high level which in turn ensures its growth. Principles and values in a company help to shape the culture of an organization towards achieving its end objectives (Scott, 2015). The principles of Enterprise Rent-A-Car are rooted on honesty and integrity. The enterprise places great importance on its brand and all employees are expected to promote the image. It is the responsibility of the employees to show commitment to the brand and carry out their roles while observing the highest possible standards of ethics. Following this, the relationships between the enterprise and its customers are highly valued to ensure that they are long term and that the customers remain loyal to the brand. Customer service is essentially the focus of Enterprise Rent-A-Car as the services are tailored towards their satisfaction. The success of the enterprise can thus be attributed to the personal services provided which exceed customer expectations. Recent human resource practices in successful companies show that products and services are tailored towards the satisfaction of the customer. Globalization as a factor in itself helps to market a company as transport and communication has become faster and easier (Kotler, et al , 2015). With this in mind, organizations ensure that their reputation can be upheld through making the customer and the needs of the customer the first priority of the organization. In addition to valuing honesty, integrity and customer services, Enterprise Rent-A-Car places huge importance on teamwork. The work environment is characterized by a workforce that is enthusiastic, competition driven and one with high energy. Basing on the Ansoff Matrix, business expansion is a strategy that involves moderate risk and increases the market share of organization so as to gain a high position in their respective industry of operation (Thijsen, 2014). Enterprise Rent-A-Car has used the expansion approach to grow into different regions and increase its customer base. The strategy to expand into new regions requires that the organization research into the characteristics and the needs of the market and the nature of the competition. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has focused its approaches on the development of the market, the development of the product and diversification in order to launch its product expansively into the industry. The fact that the car rental service is similar creates a challenge in differentiating the product thus calling for intensive market research and executing services to march the exact needs of the customer. An instance is the convenience created through establishing the locations of the business as close as possible to the customers. Enterprise Rent-A-Car has many of its business locations in airports where the need for car rentals is very high. Attention to customer feedback as additionally contributed to the differentiation of the service thus adding value to the business. The strategy to expand has been extremely successful to the enterprise giving it a large market share in the automobile industry. Following the discussion on the values and strategies of the organization, the subsequent section discusses the recruitment and selection at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Recruitment and Selection Practices The human resources management team of Enterprise Rent-A-Car is involved with the hiring, training and development of the staff to achieve their maximum potential. The HR team is involved with workforce planning where the management anticipates future needs of staffing and plans for them. Enterprise Rent-A-Car practices the promotion of its managers from within the present employees. The criterion involves choosing personnel who have the capability to grow. The development of careers at the enterprise has had a constructive effect on the company as eh employees are happy, motivated and performing at their best. Nevertheless, the growth and shifts taking place in organizations calls for the implementation of workforce planning and thus the need of recruitment form external platforms (April, 2013). Based on the need to appeal to candidates who have great potential, Enterprise Rent-A-Car engages in a program that raises its profile through attracting university students as interns. The internship additionally provides an opportunity for the students to apply in the company and become employees. Among the methods that are used to appeal to the students are presentations on the company. In the recent age presentations are used to create a graphic summary of a subject which is precise and carries the most pertinent information. Good presentations are interesting and can be used as a marketing tool to sell an organization to both potential customers and employees. Enterprise Rent-A-Car is additionally present at career fairs where students are advised on the best career choices that suit their academic profiles and characteristics. Their presence gives an option to the students to remember when applying for their internship programs. Furthermore, Enterprise Rent-A-Car has mentorship programs that are used to encourage students in professional development. These programs have the advantage of marketing the enterprise as the ultimate organization to work in. Among the major motivations offered by enterprise is the attractive salary package. This however does not supersede the chance to have a career in the organization. Many of the employees are first recruited as management trainees and later grow and develop in the enterprise to become managers. The trainees in addition have the opportunity to progress in their specific areas such as finance, human resource, or vehicle acquisition. The changing global arena has had employees directing their focus towards growing their profession instead of simply settling for a job with an adequate salary. The growth of one’s profession translates to better opportunities in future. The culture of diversity that is practiced at Enterprise Rent-A-Car is an additional benefit since the workforce has the opportunity to learn from people from diverse backgrounds and this helps in turn to cater for customers from diverse backgrounds. A diverse is among the characteristics of a customer friendly organization as the organization has enough information on different culture and is in a better position to understand customer needs. The above features are part of the structure of the retention theory which helps in selecting and keeping the best workforce in an organization (Mahal,2012). Recruitment The development of an electronic platform for the management of human resources has enabled Enterprise Rent-A-Car to carry out a number of its HR functions online. The move to recruit potential candidates over an online forum is one that consists of its strategy to employ a dedicated team of workers. The efficiency of the application via electronic media is beneficial to both the organization and the applicants. The contents of the website include a list of the jobs that are available for application and the procedure to follow when applying for the job wanted. The website goes further to provide imperative information on the principles and values that the organization insists on and the company culture. The provision of this information is vital as it allows the applicant to evaluate their suitability to the respective organization. The online platform has made correspondence easier as well and feedback can be received in good time. The new recruits have a variety of options in which to enter the business. Enterprise Rent-A-Car provides an internship program for students in their first or second academic year in the university. The internship program is beneficial to the students as its gives them hands on experience on the real operations that take place in the industry. Furthermore, the students that have exemplary performance in their internship have the opportunity to be hired back as full time employees after they graduate. At first the interns go through a session where they are trained in the classroom followed by being elected to work in a specific branch. They thus receive their training while they are on the job. The responsibilities given to the interns are similar to those that are given to management trainees. The second way in which recruits enter the business is through a management trainee program for graduates. This program enables the recruits to build their career paths and develop professionally such that they can attain a management position based on their tenacity. The roles assigned to the management trainees include marketing of the business products and services offered by Enterprise Rent-A-Car, corresponding with the business partners of the organization and essentially providing a great experience for the customers. The vacancies and opportunities available at Enterprise Rent-A-Car are advertised through various platforms such as online and print media. Advertisements are among the major methods used to quickly get the attention of the potential audience that an organization is seeking. Recruits for the graduate program are targeted through a recruitment brand known as Come Alive. The forum explains the benefits that accompany working for Enterprise Rent-A-Car and provides an avenue for potential recruits to submit their applications. The applicants are further encouraged from the personal stories put forth by the employees who have successfully built their careers at Enterprise Rent-A-Car. The strategy that the enterprise has adopted to get the highest number of recruits is to place the program at the time when the business is at its peak. The training is thus very experiential and informative for the recruits who get the chance. Selection Under human resources, selection involves the identification of the best candidate for the respective role in an organization. Selection is imperative as it allows the panel to match the right set of skills and competencies to the required role and choose the best candidate. During the selection process Enterprise Rent-A-Car seeks a candidate that can fulfill the job in question and at the same time be viable for development over a longer period in the company. The documents used to perform this function include the job description form which is matched against the main tasks as required by the organization and the specification of the person against the qualities that the organization is looking for. The framework used assesses the skills required by the company, the competencies and the benefits that this combination brings to the company. The following framework outlines the competency model used by Enterprise Rent-A-Car. Capabilities and Skills required by Enterprise Rent-A-Car Competencies Expected Advantages to the Organization Focus on customer service Looking at needs from the perspective of the customer Provision of precise customer service Expressiveness Suitability to the respective audience as presented Dealing with a variety of customers with ingenuity Flexibility Positive reaction towards challenges, and placing priority on the most crucial matters Coping with change in circumstances Driven towards results Works well under pressure, organized Delivery of highest possible standards Ability to lead Cooperation, accountability and visionary Encourages growth and progress of the leadership and management for the long term Communication Confidence and plans on essential conversations Supports the image of Enterprise Rent-A-Car Through the selection process, candidates are offered various chances to show their responses and their best performances in different scenarios. The screening of candidates involves a comparison of the application forms to the competencies required for the job. The candidates are then interviewed face to face by the recruitment manager followed by the branch manager. Ultimately, the selected candidates are further required to be available on a later date for assessment. The assessment involves practical exercise and different work related tasks which test the skills of the candidates. The final activity is an interview with the senior manager which determines the final selection. Based on how Enterprise Rent-A-Car carries out its selection, the process is thus seen as imperative as the skills of the candidates on delivery of service, aptitude in sales, ethics, flexibility and team work have to be tested to ensure that the recruits can work well with the rest of the team. The recruitment and selection procedure therefore show the importance of having a foolproof method of selecting an organization’s workforce (Harper, 2015). It is through this process that Enterprise Rent-A-Car gets the best workforce to cater for its customers. When compared to other similar companies such as Hertz and Avis, the organization focuses on keeping customers satisfied in order to retain its powerful position in the market (Narsing et al, 2014). The organization has implemented innovative strategies as well which include picking customers at their home; a service that is delivered by the effective team at the enterprise. Best Practice at Enterprise Rent-A-Car The best practice followed at Enterprise Rent-A-Car includes a motivation culture where the work environment is made comfortable for all the employees. The strategy to make employees comfortable helps to ensure that the customers are satisfied as well. Studies show that a motivated employee is most likely to offer satisfactory services to the customers of the organization. The motivational culture in the organization includes an established relationship among the employees and the management which is productive. The employees respect each other and the management is aware of the expectations of the employees. Communication in the work environment of Enterprise Rent-A-Car is clear and the feedback system is very effective. This is an imperative factor in the environment of any organization as communication is among the key factors that make for effective operations in organizations (Cummings and Worley, 2014). Additionally, the resources provided for the employees at Enterprise Rent-A-Car enable them to work effectively within the organization. Employees are further encouraged to perform well and recognized when their performance is exemplary. The top best practice of Enterprise Rent-A-Car however is the career growth opportunity that is provided for the employees. The requirement is simply competence and the respective employee can progress professionally. Advantages of Recruiting Fresh Graduates The following outlines the benefits of recruiting graduates for the management trainee program at Enterprise Rent-A-Car Graduates are ambitious and goal driven thus add to the competence value of the enterprise They are not expensive to hire given that they start at the entry level They have the ability to show a new perspective to the operations of the enterprise which will improve products and services. Disadvantages of Recruiting Fresh Graduates The lack of experience stands out as the major disadvantage of graduate though Enterprise Rent-A-Car counters this by consistently training the new recruits and instilling an urge to work better and grow in the organization Conclusion The exemplary service delivery as provided by Enterprise Rent-A-Car has made it a reputable organization that is trusted for its services. As the enterprise continues to expand its market the human resource department is tasked with overseeing to the future needs of the organization and thus planning for the workforce adequately. The present management of the staff has succeeded in providing a workforce that delivers products and services based on the values and guiding principles of the organization. The most essential values are the delivery of satisfactory services to their customers and maintaining the image of the enterprise through consistency. Workforce planning enables an organization to plan for changes such as job separation, introduction of new systems and technology and diversification of the business. All these changes influence the present functioning of the workforce and require a competent HR team that can act in response with effectiveness and ensure that the company maintains its proficiency. The recruitment and selection process for future planning should therefore involve the presence of qualities such as technological savvy skills, ability to foresee risk and emphasis on flexibility. References April, J., Better, M., Brinkman, C., Kelly, J. P., & Wubbena, T. (2013). U.S. Patent No. 8,386,300. Washington, DC: U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Baeza, P. G. I. (2015). Business model innovation in rent-a-car companies introducing carsharing in their portfolios. Cummings, T. G., & Worley, C. G. (2014). Organization development and change. Cengage learning. Harper, C. (2015). Organizations: Structures, processes and outcomes. Routledge. Kotler, P., Burton, S., Deans, K., Brown, L., & Armstrong, G. (2015). Marketing. Pearson Higher Education AU. Mahal, P. K. (2012). HR practices as determinants of organizational commitment and employee retention. IUP Journal of Management Research, 11(4), 37. Narsing, A., Sanders, T., & Ford, M. (2014). A Model for Managing Rental Fleets in the New Competitive Landscape-Maintenance, Productivity, Corporate Branding and Legal Implications. Academy of Information and Management Sciences Journal, 17(1), 33. Scott, W. R., & Davis, G. F. (2015). Organizations and organizing: Rational, natural and open systems perspectives. Routledge. Thijsen, T., Tong, T. and van Leer, J., 2014. Ansoff Model. Marketing. Read More