Assessment 2: Interviewing, Selecting and Induction Staff BSB6002: Human Resource Management Students: Ali Hussain Sarhan: 201101119 Maryam Al-hayke: 201100996 Manar Mohamed: 201100112 Sara Mohamed: 201101209 Class: W01 Group: 3 Tutor Name: Fadhia Khalid Due Date: 24th of November, 2013 22 PANEL (4 PERSONS) MOCK INTERVIEW INTERVIEW QUESTIONS FOR POSITION OF SALES REPRESENTATIVE Opening and General Questions 1 Question: Tell us a bit about yourself, what are your strengths and weaknesses? Circle appropriate rating 5 4 3 2 1 5 = Excellent 3 = Satisfactory 1 = Very Poor 2 Question: Walk us through your career up to this point. Circle appropriate rating 5 4 3 5 = Excellent 3 = Satisfactory 1 = Very Poor 1 2 1 Behavioural/Performance Based Questions 3 Competencies: Sales and customer service skills, Communication skills, problem solving skills, Composed, resilience and goal driven. Question: Tell us about a time where you had to sell a product to an irritated customer. How did you over overcome obstacles faced? Was the customer satisfied? Indicate rating using the benchmarking process below as a guide. Rating may fall between scale points e.g. 4, if thought appropriate. 5 = Superior [Clearly state the situation with the irritated customer. Show excellent problem solving skills by clearly identifying problems faced with the customer, and the state effective steps taken to solve these problems. Give clear signs of high resilience until the goal has been met and selfcontrol when dealing with the customer. Show effective communication skills used to communicate with the customer and high caliber sales and customer service techniques used to successfully complete the sales with the customer, satisfy them and gain their loyalty]. 3 = Satisfactory [State the situation with irritated customer and show average problem solving skills to solve some of problems he has faced with the customer. The example given shows how the candidate was resilience until he has achieved his goal and self-controlled when dealing with the customer. Demonstrate fair communication and sales and customer service skills used with the customer to sell the product; which was successful to address the customer’s request and their satisfaction]. 1 = Very Poor [Unable to provide a specific example about dealing with an irritated customer, or the candidate provided a general example of dealing with a customer. No problems were mentioned that he dealt with. No clear link was made between the benefit of the product and customer’s needs. Poor communication and sales skills were demonstrated] 2 4 Competencies: Communication skills, Teamwork skills, Interpersonal and relationship building skills, problem solving skills. Question: Walk us through a situation that you found it difficult to work within a group. How did you overcome the obstacles? Was the team successful in finishing the task? Indicate rating using the benchmarking process below as a guide. Rating may fall between scale points eg 4, if thought appropriate. ______5 = Superior [Candidate provides a thorough description of the group dynamics and the issues faced. Demonstrate highly effective communication and relationship building efforts used to communicate with colleagues and create solid working relationships with them. Show excellent skills in working within the team with others. State effective steps he made to solve problems and clearly state the impact on his actions on the team’ performance and if the problems were solved or not] ______3 = Satisfactory [A brief analysis of the team dynamics he was given. Mention how he created sufficient working relationships with the team. Show fair level of communication with the other members and fair level of interpersonal skills used to create sufficient working relationships with colleagues. Demonstrate fair skills in working within teams with others. State the steps undertaken to face some of the problems he has faced and how effective this effort were on the group’s performance] _____ 1 = Very Poor [A poor example of the situation was given, or a really narrow and general explanation of a stable team dynamics was provided. No issues or solutions were described nor their impacts on the performance mentioned] 3 5 Competencies: problem solving skills, time management and organization skills, Adaptability, goal driven, sense duty. Question: Describe us a situation where your manager gave you many tasks at the same time that it created an overwhelming workload. How did you address them? And what did you learn from this experience? Indicate rating using the benchmarking process below as a guide. Rating may fall between scale points eg 4, if thought appropriate. ______5 = Superior [Clearly state the type of tasks given and explain why they were overwhelming. Explain thoroughly how tasks were addressed and highlight effective planning and organization skills and time management used to do so. Show excellent problem solving skills by explaining effective solutions used to face problems. Reflect on the overall performance and state what lessons learnt for this situation and its impact on future performance] ______3 = Satisfactory [Provide some examples of the tasks given and explain why they were overwhelming. Demonstration adequate planning and organization skills used to address the tasks and manage time. Show fair problem solving skills evidence by steps taken to address problems faced; but were not entirely effective. Fairly State the level of performance and how he/she has improved from this experience] _____ 1 = Very Poor [A general example of tasks was given. No mention of how the tasks were challenging or any time management planning and organization or problem solving skills were shown. No apparent impact of the experience on future performance] 4 6: Competencies: planning and organization skills, creativity, initiative, goal setting, problem solving. Question: Give us an example of a new idea that you came up with and implemented. What were your goals from creating the new idea? Was the idea successful? Indicate rating using the benchmarking process below as a guide. Rating may fall between scale points eg 4, if thought appropriate. ______5 = Superior [Provide an example of a very unique and innovative idea that he came up with. Clearly define his role in the implementation and demonstrate strong planning used to implement the project and effective goal setting skills used to specific and valid objectives to the project. demonstrate excellent problem solving skills shown by identifying the problem that arose and create effective solution to face them. Showed Illustrate a good understanding of the impact of the project on the other employees and on the company] ______3 = Satisfactory [Describe a new idea that he came up with. Mention his role in the implementation process with Illustration of a satisfactory planning and organization skills used in the implementation process. Fair problem solving skills were shown by facing some of the problems that arose. Demonstrate fair effective goals that was set for the idea that he has implemented. Show Adequate understanding on the effect of the idea on the company] _____ 1 = Very Poor [Provide an example of a project that he did not create nor implement by his own. No mention of problems faced, or decisions taken. Very vague mention on the project’s goals, and impact of the project was given] 5 Follow on and Closing Questions 7 Question: what are your expectations and things you hope to achieve in the first 6 months of the job? Circle appropriate rating 5 4 3 2 1 5 = Excellent 3 = Satisfactory 1 = Very Poor 8 Question: why should we hire you to fill this position? Circle appropriate rating 5 4 3 2 1 5 = Excellent 3 = Satisfactory 1 = Very Poor All ratings should be transferred to the Decision Matrix for final recommendation 6 PANEL INTERVIEW DECISION MATRIX FOR POSITION OF: Sales Representative Name of interviewee Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Q5 Q6 Q7 Q8 TOTAL Philippe Vande Wiele 4.75 3.5 4 4.5 2.3 5 5 3.7 32.75/40 Panel comments (discuss common observations and comments for each question): Q1:. Mr Vande Wiele demonstrated an excellent preparation and knowledge about the post, which were interpersonal skills, communication skills and ability to make people trust his work. The candidate mentioned these particular strengths because they are essential for a sales representative. At the same time, the examples about his weaknesses were given in a good light, as the examples were how he always accepts to perform all sort of tasks given and is always willing to take non-traditional approach to fulfil the tasks assigned. Both of these examples can be as an advantage for the company and for the post, thus he has turned the cons into pros. The first weakness suggest that he has a high sense of duty while the second weakness shows his creative thinking. The answer for this question provided a good first impression about the candidate. Overall, the answer was a strong start for the interview and deserved 4.75/5 Q2: the candidate’s answer focused on the education level and the amount of experience he has gained. He gave examples of his education (bachelor of computer science from the university of Belgium), and companies he worked in across the world (three different companies related to the software industry in France and the united states. He stated that he has worked as a sales representative for years and has handled many huge customers’ accounts. He also mentioned that he has worked in Europe and as well as in the middle east. The later he worked in for about 8 years; making him an expert in dealing with Arabs. The overall answer was short and condenses, however more details about the position he has held would have been preferable. Nonetheless, his answer was not disappointing and did not leave the panel with bad impression and that is why it was scored with 3.8/5 Q3: The candidate gave a clear description of a situation that occurred in his previous position at a company where he had to deal with a customer who was not pleased with the company's service. He clearly identified and analysed the problem faced, which was that the customer kept complaining about the effectiveness of every software the company created to him because the company kept having troubles with defining the requirement needed; because of communication difficulties with the customer. This led the company to create multiple software as the company was not sure of the customers’ needs. The candidate showed effective communication and problem solving when he analysed the communication barriers and took steps to overcome them by meeting frequently and regularly with the customer and helping him to clearly identify his requirement. This proved to be successful because with his communication skills, the candidate was able to understand the customer’s requests and deal with his complaint. The candidate explained that he kept his effort through all difficulties until the customer was satisfied even when the customer was complaining about everything; however, his sales skills were not effective enough to make the customer a long term client and gain his loyalty since the customer did not deal with the customer again. This means the candidate showed excellent problem solving skills, communication skills and good level of relicenses and being composed, as well as good sales skills. Thus, the candidate showed mostly extraordinary standard, while some 7 competencies he demonstrated were of less than extraordinary and at an acceptable level, in accordance to the benchmarks provided. Thus, the grade was given was 4/5. Q4: The candidate stated the overall situation with a team he had to work in when he was working for a French company that provides software solution to industrial companies. He thoroughly described the group dynamics as the people who he had to work with had more experience and knowledge about industrial companies than he had at that time; thus they refused to listen to his suggestions when they had to sell a product to a huge industrial company. He showed excellent problem solving skills in understanding the problem and convincing a solution by himself; which included him using his effective communication and relationship building skills by meeting each teammate individually. This created effective functional and professional relationship with other team members, which led them to finally accepting him as a peer. The decision he has made effectively led to the group finishing the tasks successfully. Furthermore, the candidate showed how he was able, after sorting out all problems to work effectively within the team until they have achieved the gaols. The candidate explained that he became better at understanding group dynamics and dealing with different personalities. Therefore, this answer clearly indicates the effectiveness of communication, teamwork, problem solving, interpersonal/relationship building skills that the candidate has. The candidate answer to this question was extraordinary by the benchmark standard thus it was given a 5/5. Q5: the candidate explained the situation clearly where the candidate’s the company was taking a new approach in increasing sales; which led his manager to give him more customers to meet with each week while the candidate still had to carry out the rest of his duties. He explained that the huge number of meetings was overwhelming that it affected the effectiveness of his prospecting. The candidate showed weak planning, organization and time management skills used to address the tasks effectively and average problems solving skills; as his solution was to reduce the amount of each meeting. This enabled the candidate to carry out all his task and meet all customers, but it also created troubles in understanding the customers’ requests and deal with them which led to some customers’ dissatisfaction. However, he did state that he kept focusing on each task as much as possible and did not neglect any of his meetings. Therefore, the candidate showed poor to average planning, organization and time management skills, and good sense of duty, composed and being goal driven to achieve his aims; which makes the answer satisfactory and with a score of 2.0/5. Q6: An excellent example of very innovative idea was given. The candidate illustrates the idea he came up with in one of the companies he worked for in Silicon Valley, which was creating and using effective visual methods only to express sales techniques and completely abandoning text in presentations. He showed excellent problem solving used to overcome the problems faced, as the other sales representatives preferred the traditional approach of sales. His effective solution was meeting with all the sales department employees and demonstrating how his new visual approach to selling the product to customers was more effective than the traditional approach. The candidate was clearly enthusiastic about this idea, which he was successful in selling it since it was eventually implemented by the sales manager for the whole sales department. The candidate has also explained how his creative thinking of this idea let to more effective output from the co-workers that used his method, and from the sales department as a whole. Therefore, the whole example has reflected his high level of creative thinking, 8 excellent problem solving and decision making skills, and has showed how he is goal driven and resilience; which result in his answer being outstanding answer to this question and deserving for a 5/5. Q7: Good formulated answer. His expectations were linked to techno-ware and the post; as he expects good working environment where he can enhance his sales skills and career development opportunities. He mentioned some of the goals that will eventually improve the sales department, thus the whole company after all. He stated that he aims to hit all sales targets and develop positive impact on the company by bringing new sales approaches from the different international companies he worked in. the answers where showed interest in development and being effective on the tasks and the candidate stated with this answer his suitability for the company. Thus, the answer was very good and it This answer enhanced the positive opinion of the panel about the candidate and making the score 5/5. Q8: The candidate showed a little hesitation in answering this question; however he quickly was able to list reasons why he is different from other candidates and why he will be beneficial for the company. He focused on skills and abilities that he knows are important for the post. He focused more on his excellent skills (communication and interpersonal) and abilities (composed and goal driven) and placed less emphasis on his experience. This shows that he is able to sell and differentiate himself from others; because he did not list of his experiences but rather he listed his skills that were essential for the post. Overall, it was a good answer that deserved a 4/5 and a good way to conclude the questions. Overall (e.g. how confident was the candidate) Overall, the candidate was very confident throughout the interview and was not intimidated of the panel. He has made good eye contact and showed good body language while answering the questions. The candidate attended the interview with professional attire that is suitable for a sales representative. He was very charismatic and did not loss the panel attention during the interview while he was answering. With each passing question, it is notable that the candidate increased the basing of his answer; this however, did not prevent the panel from understanding and assessing his answers. It also noticeable that he was a bit talkative in some of his answers. Throughout the interview, he has maintained a professional and a respectable attitude in his interaction with the panel members. His tone and base varied to suit his answers, and he used excellent professional English in his speech. Throughout his answers he showed excitement toward joining a successful company as well as at the end of the interview when he started to ask questions mostly related to the company's vision and plans in near future. Albeit he soon started to ask questions regarding the size of department and the clients; but this was mostly due to his excitement. Recommendation (Hire or Not and WHY) : Based on the information presented by Mr. Philippe Vande welie during the interview and his overall performance in that interview that made him score 32.75/40, it is recommended to for Mr. Philippe vande wiele to move to the next phase of induction. From the observation of the panel during the interview about Philippe Vande welie, it was found that Mr. Philippe is suitable for the post of a sales 9 representative at Techno-ware. - Firstly, he is highly qualified for the post, having a degree in computer science and a degree in sales from the University of Belgium. His years of experience as a sales representative are highly desirable and his overall working experience is 8 years in Europe and in the Middle East indicates his ability to work with different individuals from different backgrounds. This indicates that the candidate is qualified and has the necessary experience for this post as indicated in the attached person’s specification. - Secondly, he has demonstrated deep knowledge in using professional English and more importantly he has shown good of sales and customer service skills that enable him to sell products effectively. He has also demonstrated high-level wide pool of key skills needed for the post. He has showed excellent communication from the example provided and the how effective he was in communicating his ideas to the panel members with clarify and cohesiveness. He also was able to establish a connection with each panel members, thus indicating exceptional interpersonal skills, which also shows from his examples of situation with customers and other co-workers. Furthermore, he has shown signs of good teamwork skills to work effectively with different individuals. Moreover, it is proven that he has excellent problem solving shown on how he analysed and addressed all problems faced in the examples of situations he faced in his career. However, he seems to be less skilful in planning and organization; which can be improved by training and will not affect his ability to carry out the task assigned. Thus, Mr. Philippe also has the excellent pool skills and the necessary knowledge needed to for this post. - Mr. Philippe has showed the characteristics and attitude of sales representatives. He has a professional appearance and behaviour, which is important since techno-ware deals with other companies as clients, thus high professionalism is required. He is very confidence, yet, not arrogant; which is especially shown when he talked about the project he created. He is very creative, shown on how he did not limit himself with the traditional methods of sales and created new visual ways to sell the products. He is friendly, yet professional, and charismatic to a degree that kept the panel interested on what he was saying. Moreover, he has sense of direction that is shown from his career progressions and his expectations from the post; which means he is more likely to be successful. This ability is extremely useful in dealing with customers and establishing strong relationship with them. The above indicates that the candidate is also fit, personality and attitude wise, to hold this post. - In addition to all that, his own strengths will benefit the company and his weaknesses are controllable. One of his strengths being his ability to connect with people easily (interpersonal skills), and make people trust him; while he still keep within the boundaries of honesty. These strengths will be extremely useful in building relationships with customers, and with other colleagues. On the other hand, his weakness that he accepts all type of tasks and always pushing to carry tasks outside of the traditional methods. While these may create inefficiency and waste time and energy; if he is trained well on them, he will be able to decide which tasks he can carry, and he thinking outside the box will enhance his own creativity, as well as his co-workers. Overall, Mr. Philippe vande weile is qualified, experienced enough for this post, and has the necessary competency for it; thus he is very well rounded candidate. However, for the sake of further assessment, the candidate is to move to the next step in the selection process; which is background and reference check. However, if his performance in the interview is an indication to his performance; then it is safe to say that Mr. Philippe vande weile is fully capable of filling the post of sales representatives and carrying out the tasks. 10 ANALYSIS OF PANEL INTERVIEWING METHOD Advantages of using panel interviews Disadvantages of using panel interview Accuracy: Panel interview enables the company to assess candidates in details because there are more than one interviewer who ask questions rather than only one. Thus the questions will be much diversified and the candidate will be assessed on different areas and thus provide a wide pool of information to be used when assessing the candidate (ChrikHR, n.d). Moreover, all members will use the same set of questions and criteria to assess the candidate and no member can change these criteria; which will ensure fairness in assessing all candidates. At the same time, while one member focus on asking questions the other members can focus on writing notes and others can focus on the body language; which will result in a complete candidates’ assessment. (mbrandt, 2010). This way, the candidate will be assessed accurately, and the selection decision will be more informed; leading to better result of the selection process. Intimidating settings: due to its nature, panel interviews make some candidates intimidated by the number of interviewers and create a feeling of “me VS. Them” to the candidate. This will be amplified when the panel starts asking questions continuously and candidates always think that they must impress all members of the panel. All of this, will pressure the candidates; resulting in some candidates not performing with their true potential, and might start giving short or unrelated answers to the questions. This will endanger the company of eliminating , as some good candidates might be eliminated due to them being nervous; which can result in less effective personnel’ selection (mbrandt, 2010). Faster process: the panel interviewers can reduce the time needed for the selection process significantly. This is because the candidate is technically having a set of interviews at the same time. Thus, instead of scheduling different interviews, by simply having a panel from the different department that must assess the candidate, the time will be saved clearly. At the same time the results will be not affected as the candidate will still be assessed on the necessary requirement. This will also reduce the time span of the selection process. Thus, the company will hire candidates more quickly to fill the post; which is vital if the company in need to fill the post urgently (mbrandt, 2010). Required preparation: panel interviews require preparation. Where the company must sacrifice time on gathering the panel members, as it is not as easy as tasking one employee to conduct the interview (ChrickHR, n.d). Furthermore, the panel members need time to organize the questions and their roles in the interview. Moreover, because multiple employees are needed to form the panel, these employees will not be able to perform their regular tasks; which can cause a loss for the company and clog the workflows. Therefore, the company must sacrifice time and money in order to conduct a successful panel interview. In some cases, the company cannot afford to waste time and money on panel interviews, as candidates are needed to be hired quickly; which will make this a huge setback. This might lead the company to rush the preparation process, which will hurt the reliability of the assessment made based on the interview (HRnasty, 2010). 11 Assessing candidate on stress handling: panel interviews provide the opportunity to assess the candidates on how well they can handle pressure. This is due to the panel interview eliminating comfort as it is less comfortable to deal with multiple interviewers rather than one. This will take the candidate from their comfort zone and enable the panel to see if the candidate can handle being put in stressful situations; which will likely happen in case they are hired. Thus, the panel will reach to a more informative decision that will protect the company from the risk of selecting an employee who cannot function under pressure (Mbrandt, 2010). Limited timeframe: Panel interviewers are structured and planned beforehand. This means that the interview has a limited period allowed for the panel to ask questions and assess the candidate. Especially since that, there are different members who all have questions they want to assess the candidate based on them. Therefore, not all members might be able to ask all questions they need to assess the candidate. This can lead to less in-depth assessment of the candidates, which will further make the selection process harder. At the same time, the limited timeframe will affect the candidates answer, as the panel might interrupt the candidate while answering so that the interview does not go over the time limit. Thus, the quality and the quantity of information gathered will be negatively affected. Because of this, the panel can make the wrong decision, since they do not have sufficient information to make insightful decision (HRnasty,n.d). Panel members domination: Opinionated or experienced panel’s members can cause problems and lead to making the wrong hiring decision. This is because they might force their own judgment on the other less experienced members and refuse others judgments about the candidates. Moreover, other members of the panel might feel intimidated by opinionated members, that they do not offer honest opinion about the candidate and simply follow what the others members think (Mbrandt, 2010). Therefore, this can result in selecting unsuitable candidate for the post and eliminating better candidates; which will be harmful for the company in future. Sources: - ChrickHR. (n.d.). Benefits and drawbacks of panel interview. Retrieved from: http://www.chirkhr.com/panel-interviews/ - HRnasty. (2010). How candidates can benefit from panel interview. Retrieved from: http://www.hrnasty.com/how-candidates-can-make-the-panel-interview-work-in-their-favor/ - Mbrandt.(2010). Pros and cons of Panel interview. Retrieved from:http://www.brightmove.com/blog_details/pros-and-cons-of-the-panel-interview-1041 12 Reflect on the experience of your group using panel interviews. Describe what you learned. - The task: This assessment required the team to conduct a MOCK interview with an applicant as a simulation to how personnel are selected. The group was given an assigned candidate to be interviewed. The task demanded that the team prepare eight questions, 4 in which are behavioral based questions; these also require benchmarks to be used effectively. The preparation process started two weeks prior to the date of the interview, where each member wrote a list of 8 questions including opening questions, behavioral questions with their benchmarks and closing questions. Then, out of the questions’ pool, the most effective questions were selected that accurately assess candidates according to the competencies a Sales representative. This process was very stressful because the team decided that each member prepares the whole set of questions rather than splitting the questions amongst the members. This was done in order to allow the team to have a wide range of quality questions to choose from rather than limiting the questions selection to a small pool. Furthermore, the team was worried and nervous about the performance in the interview, since none of members was an interviewer before. Thus, to ensure optimal performance, a research was conducted about panel interviews. The research included how to start and close the interview, how questions can be asked effectively, how notes should be taken and the sitting plans to make the candidate more comfortable. These details have improved the team’s confidence and made the group prepared to conduct the interview. - The results: The interview went generally well and for the most part, the team was able to deal with the candidate and was successful in gathering the needed information. The team was able to ask all questions, give the candidate time to answer them, and allow the candidate to ask questions to conclude the interview. After the interview, all the notes, observations and the members’ opinions were compared in order to assess the candidate and make a final judgment as soon as possible; before forgetting an important information or forgetting the overall impression. Thus, the team was able to accurately assess the candidate; meaning that the task has been successfully fulfilled. - Problem faced: Despite the results being positive, the group faced some difficulties during the interview. The note taking process was a bit challenging; especially for a first time experience, as each member had to multi-task and take effective useful notes while, the same time, effectively listen to the interviewee's answer, link them to the benchmark and maintain eye contact. Therefore, in order to ease this process, the members decided to split the tasks. Two members focused on listening to the candidate's answers while the other two focused on notes taking. Another problem that was faced is that inability of the panel to control of the whole interview. The panel lost the control when the candidate was given the chance to ask questions. The candidate was asking many questions at a rapid base, some questions should not be answered in an interview such as the amount of the last year’s sales. While the team was decaling to give an answer at first, the members soon started to answer all the candidate’s question, whether appropriate or not. The only solution was to stop the candidate by concluding the whole interview. To avoid this problem, the members’ should have conducted a training session with each other before the actual interview to practice on how to deal with inappropriate questions and what questions should be answered. -Lesson learnt: Conducting a mock interview was a very educational experience, and as such many lessons were learnt. - One of the benefits of this experience is that the team is aware of the importance of many skills, and the members improved them by having this experience. Teamwork skills are one of them. As a group, all members had to co-operate to achieve the overall goal rather than work individually, starting from the preparation process and in the interview itself; as explained above about the task division during the interview. The team members also learnt how to give constructive feedback, support and 13 motivate each other; as these thing was done often while carry out the task. Consequently, the members improved their communicate; as the team communicate with each other, and at the same time the team had to learn how to transfer written information (the required competencies) to written questions (written communication) and how to communicate them to the candidate during the interview (oral communication). Other skills that have improved are the analytical skills; when the members had to analyse the competencies needed to be measured and then be creative by creating questions that will measure these competencies. The team also practiced the analytical skills by analysing the candidates’ answer and his gestures such as body language and eye contact. Furthermore, conducting a mock interview showed how the planning and organizational and time management skills are important. Mainly because the time had to be organized and managed to control the interview and fit it in 20 minutes. The team was successful in doing so as all questions were answered; while still give the candidate chance for his questions. - Although the members were taught during this course about interview as selection method, conducting actual interview enabled the team members to better understand the reliability, the benefit and drawbacks of using panel interviews for hiring personnel. The candidates also gained practical knowledge of interviewing. The members also learnt how to both create and understand benchmarks, and how to evaluate candidate based on these benchmarks. This will be helpful for the members, as they know how to understand the benchmarks of tasks they are given to finishing them effectively. - the mock interview gave the team members a scoop of future because at some point of their careers, all members will be interviewed for a job. Thus, this experience was a good chance to learn about the circumstances and the settings of panel interviews; which will enable the members from understanding the mentality of the interviewers and how they assess candidate. This means that the members know what is necessary to prepare for and how to deal with questions to receive a positive assessment; which can bring them one step closer to be selected for hiring. - The members also learnt the importance of being confidence to make decisions and to control the task. This was shown when the candidate started asking questions some of which were inappropriate and usually should not be answered. The members felt intimated by the inductee; and thus the control over the interview shifted from the panel to the candidate. This represents a valuable lesson, which is to not be intimated by obstacles faced, or questions asked in any assessment. The members also learnt that one must take charge and control over the tasks given to him and not let the task control him/her in order to produce the best possible output. 1) To sum up, despite the difficulties, it was a meaningful and interesting experience. It is safe to say that the performance was good considering that it is the first time for the group to conduct such interview. The team learnt valuable lessons which improved the members’ skills and knowledge and will benefit the team in the future, whether in the academic life or in the career. 14 INDUCTION PROGRAM FOR POSITION OF: sales representative. DATE: 24 /11 /2013 Day 1 (24th of November, 2013) Day will aim to induct all employees with topics that relates to the company in general. TOPIC & TIME CONDUCTED BY HOW OTHER/FOLLOW UP Method: Presentation & video Greeting and Company Overview Mr Ali Mohammed, The CEO Time: 9:00 am – 9:30 am Officially, greet the inductees and welcoming them to the organization. Providing basic information about the company's overview that covers: Brief background of the company ( playing a five minute video that shows a timeline of the company's success and achievements since the establishment). Organizational objective. Organizational culture and philosophy. Mission, vision & values. Company size and growth. - Organizational structure 9:30 am 10:00am Ms Mariam Al hayki The HR, Manager Having the CEO welcome the inductees will make them feel valued because one of the most important figures of the company is welcoming them. Method: presentation The HR representative will present to the inductees and introduce them to: - The organizational break down - The different department - The chain of command - The HR will introduce the head of the departments to the inductee. The inductees will go through this step in order to inform them on who is responsible for what and how the company, as a whole, function. It is also important so that they know who they should go to when they have a specific issue. None 15 Feedback: Email After one month of the induction, an email will be sent to ask the employees whether they find difficulties in contacting or reaching or which employee to go to for certain tasks and issues Ms Mariam Al hayki The HR, Manager Organizational rules and procedures Time: 10:00 am – 11:00 am Method: Presentation & handbook The HR manager will conduct a presentation to: - Explain the company's rules and procedures regarding different areas: Employee conduct (dress code, relationship with supervisors and colleagues, employee behaviour, harassment policy). Attendance (punctuality, working hours, working overtime,) Substance Abuse (drug and alcohol procedures). Absence ( time off, filling sick leaves and maternity leave) Health insurance. Filing for complaint. - Explain the consequences and the penalties for not respecting the company's rules and policies such as: warning and employee termination. - Inductees will be given a handbook that contains detailed information about all the organizational rules and procedures that will enable them to use it for future reference when they need information about a particular rule of procedure, because it is unrealistic to expect the candidate to understand and memorize all the rules and procedures by heart. - The inductees were introduce to the organizational rules and procedures as part of their induction because it is important for them to know the rules they must follow and what penalties they will suffer if they break the rules. Or else, they might break some rules unknowingly. 16 Feedback: meeting The HR manager will have a group meeting one month after the induction with the inductees to discuss these rules and procedures and answer all questions inductees may have about them. Thus, the HR manager will be able to clear about this matter and the company can be insured that the inductees understood the Organizational rules and procedures Method: Tour - the inductees will be taken on a tour around the company to: Amenities, health and safety and security HR representative Time: 11:00 am- 11:30 am Break and lunch (11:30 am - 12:30 pm) None show the location the location of the faculties (the toilets, the cafeteria, the meeting rooms, sick room, the smoking areas, first aid kit, and emergency exits). explain the safety measurements of using facilities, including: emergency plans, usage of kitchen equipment while maintain Safety measurements the usage of fire extinguisher and fire alarm in case of an emergency. informing inductees about health and safety is important to enable them to follow these rules to maintain their safety while in the company and know how to react in case of an emergency. A break is fitting at this time, so that the inductees can have a time to rest and have some time to in order to focus on the rest of the induction and not have an information overload. For a Muslim inductees, this time will also be suitable for him/her to pray. Method: Training Session - Stationery and job necessities training Time: 12:30 pm to 1:00 pm Ms. Sara Mohammed, the Corporate Assistant Conducting a training session to practically show the employees: How to use basic equipment necessary for all posts; such as fax machines, printers. How to access the desktops, the company's email and explanation on the company intranet, How to request office stationary Because all of these are practical skills, it is better for the inductee to see how to use these equipment first hand in a training session with the corporate assistant; a person who constantly use 17 None None Feedback Email: The assistant will send emails to ask the new inductees if they are finding any problem with using the equipment listed one week after the induction, in case they have problems the assistant will meet that inductee and show him/her first-hand how to use that piece of equipment again. these equipment on her line of work. This is done so that the company make sure that the employee can actually use all these equipment. Because giving him hand-outs or having normal meeting are not suitable for practical skills. The inductees will also be asked to email the assistant at any time about their inquiries regarding the equipment operation. Method: Meeting - Compensation & Completion of HR documentation Closed meeting is conducted with each inductee to discuss: The inductee's payroll, salary and compensations. Personal data and records (health record, personal information such as the CPR and marital status) Benefits package. HR representative None A closed meeting is highly required to discuss such information due to them being very personal and no other employee without a relation to the matter should know about them. Thus, a closed meeting will ensure privacy. Furthermore, it is important for the company to have accurate information about the employees and the employees must be clear in the terms of their payments in order to avoid future problems. Time: 1:00 pm2:00 pm End of Day one Day 2 (25th of November, 2013) Day two will focus on inducting the employee on departmental level. Feedback: Job’s Responsibilities and Expectations Time: 9:00 am 10:00 am. Method: Meeting HR representatives Observation: After HR representatives will each with the the induction inductee of each department and discuss: conclusion, the The purpose of the post. manager's assistant The responsibilities and duties of each department assigned for each post. will observe the The expected quality of employees during performance. 18 - The importance of the inductees' the working hours. post to the organization. The purpose is to see how each employee This is a very important step in new is carrying out tasks employees induction because this step will and if he/she truly enable the candidates to know and understand what is understand their tasks; thus promoting them required. to be successful at their job Meeting and performance appraisals: After one month of the induction, meeting will be conducted with each employees to discuss the tasks and duties assigned and the manager will give feedback on the performance. Therefore, it will be confirmed if the new employee has understood his/her duties or not, and take any necessary measurements in case the new employee is confused about his duties in order to improve the performance. Software specifications 10:00a.m-10:30 a.m Research and Method: Meeting development The inductee will meet with the new sales representative representatives of the new inductees to: - discuss how the software provided by the company function. - Specification and benefits of the software - process of customizing one under customers’ requests. 19 Feedback: Meeting: the research and development representative will meet with the employee 2 months after the induction in order for the This is a very important part of inducting new sales representatives as they must gain knowledge about the products provided by the company in order for the representatives to be able to carry out one of their most important tasks; sell the software to customers. representative to answer the employee questions regarding the products’ specification. Follow-up: email Furthermore, the R & D department will send emails to the sales representatives informing when new software or new specifications available Method: Meeting - Departments Overview 10:30 am -11:00 am All Departments' Managers Each department manager will meet with his own department inductees and discuss with them: The aims of the department and its mission and vision. The nature of the work environment in the department (the relationship between employees and the relationship between employees and managers) The importance of the department activities in the overall success of the organization. None Method: Tour Employees Introduction Time: 11:00 am – 11:30 am All Departments' Managers Each department manager will take his own employees in a tour around the department in order to: Personally introducing them to and all employees in the department and their position in the organization. Showing each employee the location of his office. It is important for the inductees to know the people who are to work with him/her and be 20 None familiar with them in order to feel conformable in the department. Break and lunch (11:30 am - 12:30 pm) None Just as the break in the first day; A break is fitting at this time, to enable the inductees to rest so they can focus on the rest of the induction and avoid giving them information overload. For Muslim inductees, this time will also be suitable for him/her to pray. None Method: meeting and handbooks Each representative will meet and discuss the following with the new inductees of his department: - Department rulers and workflows. Representative from each department. 12:30 pm- 1:30 Training and development opportunities Time: 1:30 pm – Representative from each department Certain procedures and work flow in each department such as: 1) deadlines, 2) submitting reports, 3) scheduling meetings with the supervisor 4) the department workflow (how the work is done within the department). 5) handling customers complaint. 6) Feedback and performance appraisals - Certain codes of each department such as the customer code of conduct for the sales department. - A handbook will be given to the inductees with their department’s specific rules and workflows so they can use the handbook for future references when they need more information about a specific rule or workflow. This step is done in order to for the inductees to better understand their department and how the work is done there in order to enable them to do their tasks successfully. Method: Presentation (PowerPoint slides) and hand-outs A representative of each department will meet with the inductees of his/her department to: 21 Feedback: meeting meeting will conducted by each department representatives 2 weeks after induction to inquire about their questions about these rules and answer them in order to make sure the inductees are clear on the rules and workflow of their department. None 2:00 pm - inform the inductees about any future training required for the department and his/her position including the length and material to be covered. - Inform the inductees about the available training program for personal development. - Explain to the inductees the career development opportunities in the company such as career promotions. This step was included in the induction in order to give the inductee a clear view of their future in the company; which will enhance their feeling of belongings. End of Induction 22 Training program for: sales representative. Proposed Training – What training is needed? 1. Oral communication Training Trainees: All sales representatives. Business Need Solved – How will the training help the company Time-Line How will training occur and what resources will be needed Techno-ware is dealing with business-based customers where sales representatives’ first gateway to customers is through sales calls and then sales meetings. Thus, this course aims to increase the company’s sales by enhancing the effectiveness and efficiency of sales representatives’ oral communication to make them able to schedule meetings through phone calls (telesales) or during sales meetings in any timeframe available. This will be beneficial because companies receive many sales-related offers per day and thus set limited for each sales callas and meeting. The sales Duration: 20th Mars to April- Method: coaching 20th, 2013. Resources needed: wellEach coaching session will be equipped conformance from 10:00 a.m-12:00 p.m in room with enough capacity each working day to fit the total number of trainees. The program will last for one month during the working All trainees will be trained in hours in order to enable the the normal working hours coach to observe the trainees where the coach will be in their actual line of work and present when they are coach them to improve it. The making sales calls to the one month period is suitable customer. The company will because it allows for the hire an expert in trainees to use the coach in communication to act as the order to receive feedback mentor for the trainees. The from him/her about their coach will meet with communication however it is trainees in the conference not too long for them to get room and will explain to used the constant existence of them a certain oral a coach and thus do not rely communication techniques. 22 Expected outcome – immediate and long term Evaluation: In order to make sure that the trainee have benefited from the training, the sales manager will observe the trainees in their line of work to see how efficient sales representatives are on telesales, and how effective they are on scheduling meetings with the customer through phone calls. The sales manager will then give performance appraisals to enable the sales representatives to further improve their oral communication. Feedback of the trainees themselves will be collected on how efficient and effective they think they have become in delivering their representatives must use this time both effectively and efficiently in order to attract customers before the competitors. Thus, it is important that the company train the sales representatives on oral communication skill, even though effective communication is a requirement, in order to enhance their skills and thus gain the advantage over competitors. too much on him. Furthermore, 2 hours of coaching is suitable as it does not distract the trainees from their other tasks they must carry out; while still provide enough time for the coach to train them. 1 Then they will have a roleplay to show them how to increase the effectiveness of their oral communication during meetings with customers. Then, the coach will observe the sales representatives while they communicate orally with the customers, by phone to set meetings and give them feedback and advices on how the trainees can deliver their point more effectively and efficiently in order to decrease the time they spend on each sales calls and increase the number of sales meeting scheduled. points when calling or meeting the customers. The coach will direct the learning but he will not give the trainees the actual solution to improve their communication but rather guide them in that way. This is done so that trainees will be able to deal with customers and reflect on the Long-term: after practicing the techniques learnt from the training program, the trainees are expected to be expert on oral communication. They are also expected to be able to communicate their points to customers at any time and place they interact with each Immediate outcome: After finishing this course, all trainees are expected to be able to schedule a meeting with clients in a 3 minute phone call. They are also expected to be able to conclude sales meetings successfully regardless of the timeframe; with basic preparation for the meeting is needed. Thus, the efficiency of sales representatives in sales calls and meeting will increase; while they still be effective in their results. quality of their communication without the need to relay on the coach all the time. 2 other in. They will also gain adaptability to situations and will need little to no preparation to communicate orally with customers, in sales calls or in meetings. Proposed Training – What training is needed? 2. Customer service: Effective Dealing with customer complaint. Business Need Solved – How will the training help the company Time Line How will training occur and what resources will be needed All sales, representatives no matter how experienced they are should be constantly trained on customer service because there are always new methods and approaches to deal with customers; especially since the nature of relationships with customers and their preference are always on constant change. The program will aim to enhance the level of customer service skills of all sales representatives at Techno-ware in order to increase their effectiveness in dealing with customer complaint; which will lead to customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. Thus, This training program will help the company to gain a competitive advantage in Bahraini software industry in terms of th quality of services. Duration: from 1st of October to the 15th Training method: class of November 2013 room instruction. Resources needed: The Days: This course will take place in the classes will take place in a span of 6 weeks as a series of offsite well-equipped class room workshops in each Monday 2 a.m- 4 that contains projector, a p.m board and other education necessities. Each workshop will run for 2 hours so the The training course will be content can be fully explored and at the using the class room same time, not drag the session for too instruction method where long; so that trainees do not get tired or the company will hire an frustrated. The time will be afternoon expert in customer service because so it does not run late until night to act as the instructor and to not exhaust trainees. Furthermore, the this training program will days of class will be in the middle of the take place in a class room. week were trainers are still not exhausted The course will educate the by their activities and has relatively just trainees on how to deal finished their weekend. with different type of customers’ personalities, The workshops will take place in the how to understand and working days because asking trainees to analyze customers’ take classes in their off days, even with complaint, how to be giving them compensation, will effective and efficient in demotivate them and make them less dealing with these 3 Expected outcome – immediate and long term Feedback: To ensure the course benefits toward the trainees. One month after the training program, feedback will be taken from their sales manager to analyze their performance after the program. Feedback will also be taken from customers to prove if the sales representatives have benefited from the techniques they have learnt; which will evidence from the level of customer satisfaction. Immediately after the course: all trainees are expected to be fully capable in satisfying all of their customers by dealing with all receptive for the training. Finally a 6weeks is a suitable time for the whole course as it is enough for the trainees to learn all the points that is covered by the course without rushing information or causing information overload for trainees. 4 complaint, how to achieve customer satisfaction in order to make sure the customers are satisfied. In each class, the instructor will start with giving presentation about a topic. He will then use case studies and videos to make the trainees further understand the topic. The instructor will also have an open discussion in the class room and manage Q and A sessions to answer trainees' questions in each class. More importantly, the instructor will use role-plays to enable the trainees to practice what they have learnt in each class in real life situations that they might encounter during their dealings with customers. This method is suitable for the training topic because it cover both the theoretical part of complaints the customers have; both effectively and efficiently to ensure optimal satisfaction. Long term: On the long run, the trainees should, after experience, be able to use the method they have learnt in the training program to create new customized procedures to be undertaken by the company as procedures to dealing with customers. customer service and dealing with customer complaint, and at the same time with role-plays the trainees can put the theory into practice in situations that simulated real-life possible situation with the customers. 5 6 Attachment 1: About the Company Techno-ware is a medium-sized Bahraini software company, and is one of the most well-known software providers in Bahrain. Techno-ware was created by seven original members, the partners, who share the risk of liabilities and contributed in the capital, thus it is considered to be a partnership type of organizations. It is well-known for its quality software solution that address troublesome business issues that many companies suffer from, in today’s world. Techno-ware develops software in many fields including accounting, sales, marketing and Human resources management. Techno-ware aims to be the software industry leader in the Arabian Gulf, by consistently providing stateof-the-art software to solve business customers’ most daring problems and making technology important assets to them, thus empowering and enhancing customers’ performance. The original concept of the company was created by CEO Mr. Ahmed Ali in 2007. He was a newly graduated, accounting student. During his first job, he noticed that the company he was working for had many issues in the accounting department that can easily be solved with information technology software. However, that company did not pay huge emphasize on IT and thus had to spend huge amount of money to solve their problems. This, however, sparked an idea with Mr. Ali’s mind, which was to provide effective software with relatively low prices to other companies. So, he proposed this idea to his friends from IT, marketing and finance majors. Mr.Ali and his friends partnered together to create what it now known Techno-ware. While the beginnings were humble, the business soon prospered and gained attention from Bahraini companies due to the high quality, effective results and cost-effectiveness of the software provided. In 2011, Techno-ware gained exposure outside of Bahrain as it was listed as one of “IEEE Software Magazine” top Arabic software companies of that year. Soon enough, the company started to grow and expand, and more employees joined the family evolving the company and making it the household name it currently is. Techno-ware is currently located in Tobli, Bahrain and as of 2013 it is the home of 95 employees of the finest specialists in the Software industry 22 Attachment 2: JOB DESCRIPTION Job Title Sales representative Location Techno-ware Headquarters, Avenue: 1867 Road:1241 block :664 Tobli, Kingdome of Bahrain Type Full time Purpose of Position to prompt Techno-ware products and deal with customers in order to persuade them to purchase the product and satisfy them, while creating relationship with them to maintain a healthy sales status and good customer base for the company. At the same time, producing reports and supporting the development of the product. Reports to Sales Manager (Mr Mohammed Hassan) Responsible for staff? Number of staff: No Main Tasks 1) Make effective and formal business visits to existing and new customers on frequent-basis, and pursued them to purchase the software. 2) Make effective sales calls on regular basis. to schedule sales meetings with customers. 3) Inform current and potential customers effectively, by using various sales approaches, about new software and updates whenever one or both become available. 4) Prepare informative and professional sales proposals and presentations by utilizing suitable computer application such as Microsoft PowerPoint and word at least three day prior to the sales meeting. 5) Conduct effective Follow up with customers, one month after the sales process has been finalized as per with the sales department guidelines, through formal meetings, calls and emails. 1 6) Reply to customers’ inquiries sufficiently, as soon as they send one, through emails, phone calls, meetings or any other form of communication. 7) Build and maintain strong relationships with customers at alltime according to the sales department’ customers code of conduct, by Attending various business events such as business parties, Trade Shows and Conferences in regular basis. 8) Design sufficient and effective training sessions for customers, upon their requested, as per with their instructions. 9) Produce, within a team of 5 other sales representatives, detailed sales performance reports by analysing the sales data, on biannual basis. 10) Attend, and effectively participate in group training sessions and seminars when requested by the sales manager. 11) Submit an accurate personal expense report on the end of each month to the finance department, by applying the standardized the format undertaken by the company. 12) Provide research-based recommendations about the specification and development of the software to the company when new opportunities arise in the market. 13) Monitor competitors’ activities in the market precisely, all the time, in terms of their products, prices or initiatives and update the management of any major activity. 14) Keep an accurate record of customers’ information, at all times, by using automated computing systems such as excel. 2 Attachment 3: PERSON SPECIFICATION Qualifications Essential Desirable A university degree in sales and marketing. 1) Courses certificate in Sales such as the sales and marketing Management (ISMM) Level 1 or 2 awards in Basic Sales Skills, or its equivalent. 2) A formal certificate in English language for business purposes. Knowledge / Experience Essential Desirable Experience: Experience : Six-month experience in working as a sales representative in an information technologybased company. Knowledge: 1) Literacy in English language including the knowledge of sentence structure, verb tense and spelling for business use. - 2 years’ or more experience in working as a sales representative in an information technology-based company. Experience in trading and dealing with international and GCC region clients 2) Literacy in Arabic language and its proper Knowledge: usage for business purposes. 1) Literacy in foreign languages other than 3) Excellent mathematical and numerical English and Arabic. knowledge. 2) Knowledge of the different local and 4) Knowledge about the most common international trading problems faced by companies such as habits. inaccuracy in bookkeeping, or inefficiency in employees’ performance tracking. 3) Knowledge about the different software developed by technoware. 22 Skills Essential Desirable 1) Effective communication skills that include, clarity of speech, active listening, reading comprehension, written communication skills, oral comprehension and expression. 1) Motivation skills, to motive others employees to perform. 2) Active learning skills 2) Effective time organization skills. management and 3) Effective problem solving skills. to absorb information from different resources. 3) Decision making skills 4) Effective Goal setting skills 5) Teamwork skills to work effectively and efficiently with others 6) Excellent interpersonal and Social perceptiveness skills that allow for effective dealing with others and creating relationships. 7) Customer service and sales skills that includes the prospecting, negotiation, persuasion, questioning, rapport building, and closing skills. Abilities/ Attributes Essential 1) Well groomed, professional appearance. 2) Confident, Charismatic, polite and has a friendly personality. 3) Composed, and able to control emotions while dealing with different type of individuals of other employees and customers. 1 Desirable 1) Ability to manage one’s own personal development. 2) Able to have a clear view for the big “picture” while at the same time 4) Adaptability to different situations. 5) Presentence and tenacity to meet the goals. have a attention details. high to 6) High level of creative thinking and ability to think outside of the traditional standard when dealing with customers. 7) Initiative, and is a first starter 8) High level of sense of duty, reliability, and trustworthiness and accountably. Equipment/tools required: Desktops Computer and laptops, projectors, Fax machine, telephones and mobiles, transportation vehicles(cars) and office stationary Other requirements: 1) Must have a valid driving license. 2) Must be based and currently living in Bahrain. 3) Must have a valid passport, and is able to travel outside Bahrain. 2