Managing People in Organizations |The Paul A Young Case
Introduction | The Paul A Young Case
Finding the right candidate or the individual with the required talent for the job is the biggest challenge faced by Human Resource departments worldwide. Small business cases are even more complex, even when the number of job seekers is very high (Ree, French, & Rayner, 2010). Talent management in this regard for businesses is a significant factor and equally challenging to manage and measure (Kehinde, 2012). Hiring suitable candidates for the job is as important for a business as any other part that contributes to the business’s overall strategy, irrespective of whatever the conditions of the business may be (Khatri, et.al., 2010).
Rossheim (2016) further explains businesses’ difficulties when hiring new individuals, especially small-level businesses or entrepreneurs. Ree, French, & Rayner (2010) also stress that small businesses or new entrepreneurs have to put in extra effort in order to attract potentially talented individuals. Rossheim (2016) defines the main challenges faced when hiring new talent as the tough competition from rival companies and bigger ones where more resources and better benefits packages win the hearts of several potential employees. Other challenges include finding the right applicants, as if the company cannot hire recruiters, the overall hiring process can be rather costly, selecting candidates based on efficiency (low pay, convenience, etc) rather than effectiveness, and having no prior experience related to the management of talent (Rossheim, 2016). Hall (2012) offers advice in the form of 7Cs, using which small and big businesses can hire great employees through employing different hiring mediums. These include looking for the following characteristics: Competent, Capable, Compatible, Commitment, Character, Culture, and Compensation.
Especially in the case of specialty industries, acquiring talent becomes even more of a challenge provided not many people are aware of the job description and requirements also, an industry that is in its initial stages of development itself does not have well-defined job descriptions making a selection and recruiting of new employees and even more testing affair (Johansson, 2017).
The Paul A. Young Case in Business
Paul A. Young’s business has created a mark of its own by establishing the chocolate business that made him a recognizable chocolatier in all of Britain. What’s unique in his business is that none of the employees working in his shops have acquired the skill of working with chocolate. What’s more, even Young is not a certified or experienced chocolatier by profession, rather, he was an experienced pastry chef before he pursued his dreams as a chocolatier. His passion, combined with his creativity, led his business to receive several awards, ultimately making his business one of the leading chocolate outlets on the globe. All preparations of chocolates are done in a pure artisan manner, by hand, after successfully experimenting with different flavors to introduce new tastes and past favorites. Also, since no preservatives, additives, and other such components are used, chocolates are prepared in batches daily.
It is evident that Paul requires individuals who are creative, innovative, and experimental employees, who preferably have the passion for being a chocolatier and having at least basic knowledge of handling it. Since Paul’s chocolates enjoy popularity all over the globe already, opening new shops in big cities demands, he hires creative, committed, and passionate individuals who are preferably experienced.
Creativity is the core of Paul’s business and what makes him stand above his rivals is the new combination and level of creativity put into all his new creations. Creative employees tend to generate new ideas and since more minds are always better than one, more and more new ideas can be generated which will ultimately contribute to the building up of the business (Andrews, 2015). Also, it is necessary that creativity is in alliance with the preferences and tastes of the market they are being catered to. Individuals who are creative and aware of the culture of the market they are operating in can offer better results (Andrews, 2015). Commitment is another quality required to be searched in new employees, as Paul’s business model requires a commitment to create new products that will demand more time, effort and teamwork to be put in order to derive expected results. Passion is another aspect Paul would like to look into. Even though Paul was not an experienced chocolatier when he started his business, his passion led him to success. Individuals who acquire these three skills can be trained appropriately for Paul’s business and can be an asset to the company.
How Paul Can Attract New Talent in Business
As far as educational or technical knowledge or expertise is concerned, chocolatiers do not have any specific degree or learning programs, so the closest experience that Paul would be looking for would be some experience as a pastry or confectionery chef, or at least some experience working in a professional kitchen, if not as a chocolatier. Since chocolatier is still no0t an established profession, not many professionals can be found to be hired, and thus settling for someone with lesser experience and hiring them as an apprentice is the only way to hire talent that can prove to be beneficial in the future, after substantial training. However, attracting the best talent to apply for the job is a complicated task, requiring several steps and methods to be used. According to Sharon (2015), every artisan has his style, financial possibilities, ambitions, expertise, and market knowledge. Based on these things, different steps are required to be taken to attract the right talent.
However, as Ree, French & Rayner (2010) suggest, the end result should be that all actions taken in attracting potential candidates should produce an appropriate number of candidates from which the right ones can be selected, staying within reasonable cost constraints. The different mediums that can be used for applications include recruiting agencies, which are the best source of attracting new talent. Online methods can be used, including online advertisements, job search databases, job networking sites, etc (Ree, French & Rayner, 2010).
Other press media, such as newspaper advertisements, is also a good option, whereas fresh graduates can be hired by campus recruitment (Ree, French, & Rayner, 2010). Paul’s main objective is to use methods that attract him to many potential future chocolatiers. As evident from the past history of the business, Paul selects potential candidates who he then trains in his shops, and since a majority of his workers, including himself, have perfected over time, with no formal experience being a chocolatier, he will be looking to hire apprentices, who over time will learn the traits of being a chocolatier and master the art of chocolate making (Macrae & Furnham, 2014).
Paul can place job adverts in newspapers and use social media and job networking sites to narrow down potential candidates for the job. You can use other digital tools to access candidates with specific criteria, such as pastry chef experience or experience working as a professional chef, etc (Prensky, 2001). To further shortlist candidates for his shops, he can interview candidates to learn more about and judge their background and the enthusiasm these applicants show towards the new job. He can also ask them to participate in a writing test, especially design, to check the interest of the individual in the job and to assess the level of creativity he or she possesses (Beechler & Woodward, 2009), as it is a major component and requirement of being a chocolatier apprentice in Paul’s shops.
Best Sources To Attract New Talent in Business | The Paul A Young Case
Social networking sites and social media are the best sources to reach out and attract potential future employees and those who have acquired the background and startup experience related to being a chocolatier. One reason for choosing social media to attract new applicants to apply for the job is the low cost associated with this medium, compared to traditional forms of advertisement in print or digital media (WSJ, 2017). Social media or other job search sites such as LinkedIn offer a good source of the talent pool to choose from, whereas your colleagues and peers can also suggest and recommend candidates they might have worked with or known, offering a somewhat guaranteed candidate at least to the level of commitment and experience he or she has (WSJ, 2017).
Another very beneficial source to attract potential new candidates is campus recruitment, where Paul can target pastry chef schools and graduates, who acquire the basic knowledge of the industry, are young and enthusiastic, and offer better chances of adapting to the requirements and culture (Al Ariss, Cascio & Paauwe, 2014) of Paul’s chocolate shops. Not only is campus recruitment a cost-effective method of hiring, they are less time-consuming and does not need too much effort to be put in. the selection ratio of campus recruitment is also high and since Paul require specialized individual for his shops, but campus recruitment can also be one best way to select from the best potential candidates. It is also a general finding that students tend to work with more loyalty and closeness in their first jobs, as they are new and enthusiastic about starting a professional life (Beechler & Woodward, 2009). Also, since campus recruitment activities are carried out every year, it is easier to access fresh talent regularly (Al Ariss, Cascio, & Paauwe, 2014). Additionally, recruiting agency services and networking sites can be used to select candidates for the job.
Making Paul’s Job Offer Exciting | The Paul A Young Case
Though a known name worldwide, Paul’s chocolate shop is still in its growing phase and will be considered a small business ready to expand. One benefit such businesses have is the flexibility to make their job offers more exciting and appealing for interested individuals. Like in any job, the pay scale matters a lot, and with Paul paying an attractive first salary to new trainees and apprentices, the job can be made attractive (Taylor, et.al., 2014).
An attractive salary; however, is not solely enough to attract new employees as there should be more fringe benefits added on to the list, such as training and growth opportunities, the flexibility of timings, family and entertainment-related incentives, health insurance, fixed annual holidays, etc (White & White, 2014). All these benefits tend to create an Employee Value Proposition (EVP) for the company, which helps attract and retain employees who prove to be an asset to a business over time (Nicole, 2016). The culture of a business goes a long way in establishing a positive image for it, as employees consider other benefits significantly as well and a mere salary package alone is not enough to attract the best talent and retain it (Andrew, 2014).
The Recruitment And Selection Process | The Paul A Young Case
Ree, French & Rayner (2010) define the recruitment and selection process as a filter stage where candidates that match the requirements of the job specifications are shortlisted based on their expertise and potential for success in a given job. According to CIPD (2015), interviews are the most common tool selectors use today. Tests are the most common form used to hunt for a specific talent, such as personality assessment tests, general ability, creativity-based tests, etc. Though Paul is hiring candidates that will be appointed in the future on his international shops to be opened shortly; however, he needs to hire local talent instead of internationally hiring them, as he needs to specifically train them and have them understand the culture of the business before he can appoint herm in his internationally located shops. Since being a chocolatier is a specialty job and no formal training institute for the profession is available, there is a strong need for an apprentice with some kind of professional experience or education to be selected who will be further trained for the kind of products that Paul’s chocolate shops are known for.
Thus, Paul will be selected keeping in mind the education or experience required (as a pastry chef or at least work experience in a professional kitchen). He will be screening candidates on creativity tests that will allow him a better picture of the level of creativity an individual will bring to the business. Reference checks should also be made to better understand a candidate’s potential. However, the basic selection form will be like Beechler & Woodward (2009) suggest using interviews. Also, since Paul is the main authority, he should be present in the interviews and remain a part of the final selection process. The level of interest and enthusiasm should also be checked utilizing interview questions and tests Natalie Glock is one example. She currently works in Paul’s shop, which explains that even though she without any background in pastry or professional cooking, she switched her career from a journalist to a chocolatier and is happily following Paul’s chocolate shop tradition, contributing as an asset to the company (Greig, 2015). Of course, Paul will require more professional individuals; however, after he has successfully trained his apprentices, they will benefit his shops irrespective of their backgrounds.
Talent Management in Business | The Paul A Young Case
Attracting, acquiring, hiring, and retaining employees are all part of the talent management functions that an organization regularly practices from its inception. Every business aims to hire and retain the best possible employees, using whose services the company can achieve a competitive edge over competitors.
What is required to be done in this perspective by Paul is aligning his business goals with the corporate strategy. It will allow him to single out the abilities that he requires in these employees, which can help him further expand his chocolate business. As a specialty industry business, several aspects need to be considered, such as creativity and innovativeness, as they are the core of business success and popularity in Paul’s case.
Conclusion | The Paul A Young Case
In this distinctive The Paul A Young Case, selecting candidates is more of an assessment of a person’s abilities than educational or experience-based attributes, as being a chocolatier does not require any specific qualification. Experience as a pastry chef would help and offer an added advantage; however, since Paul is an artisan and prepares all his products by hand, offering a unique personal touch, the experience of any kind will require a certain level of training to be correctly incorporated with Paul’s business. However, the rising competition in the chocolate industry demands that the right candidate be selected, especially when new shops in international markets are aimed, where chocolatiers are already working and are established, challenging them to require the best talent to be utilized.
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