Human resources departments are responsible for filling the various necessary roles within the organization. Maintaining qualified individuals in these positions requires a series of complex tasks. Each of these tasks requires careful attention to detail and adherence to both corporate bylaws and equal opportunity guidelines.
When a hiring manager notifies the HR department that a vacancy has occurred and needs to be filled, it sets a process in motion. Generally, the hiring manager will review the position description, make any necessary changes and submit a requisition for talent to the human resources department. A manager within the HR department is assigned responsibility for overseeing the process from start to finish. This manager will take the necessary actions to complete all of the following steps.
Position Advertising and Screening Applicants
Carefully reviewing the position description, the HR manager may elect to first advertise only in-house. This practice reduces the expense of filling positions by dealing with only candidates who are already employees. Using applicant tracking systems, the HR manager will determine if a sufficient number of qualified candidates exists within the company. If so, the HR manager reviews applications and develops a list of the most qualified individuals. Otherwise, the manager will create a job listing and broadcast it according to HR procedures.
Interviewing and Hiring a Candidate
When a sufficiently large number of prospective applicants have been identified and screened, the HR manager proceeds to schedule interviews. This process may involve a series of interviews or panel-style interviews to streamline the process. Following interviews, the HR manager will generate a shortlist of the most qualified applicants and recommend them to the hiring manager. The next step will be to extend an offer to the top pick. If negotiations with that individual are successful the process is complete. If an agreement cannot be reached on the terms of employment with the best applicant, the process repeats with an offer to the next candidate on the list until an individual is hired.
One key element of smooth business operations is maintaining qualified employees to perform the roles within the organization. When employee attrition occurs, filling a vacancy quickly and at the lowest possible cost avoids slowdowns in the workflow. This is the main role that the human resources department fills in corporate organizations.