Human Resource Management (Interviewing a HR Manager)

Posted: October 17th, 2013

Human Resource Management (Interviewing a HR Manager)

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Institution:

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Human Resource Management (Interviewing a HR Manager)

CAL STATE UNIVERSITY, LOS ANGELES

Company Information

I interviewed the director at Cal State University in Los Angeles. It is the largest university in the country, under the four-year system. The institution has twenty-three campuses spread across California, which hold more than four hundred thousand students and a faculty and staff of about forty-four thousand. The university has more than 2500 courses, covering many disciplines.

Managers Information

The institution’s director has varied roles and responsibilities. She oversees the workforce planning at the institution, is involved in the recruitment and selection process, handles employees’ development and training, and manages the institutions human resource development system. The human resource manager has certain qualities that enable her to handle her position well. She is patient with people, and understands that she deals with people of different personalities. She has to maintain confidentiality. Her job includes dealing with people’s sensitive matters, and she has to ensure that she maintains the employees’ trust.

General Human Resource Management

Human resource personnel must be proficient in different areas. They have to know how to handle people, as this constitutes a large part of their work. The human resource department in any institution covers areas such as recruitment and selection, compensation, benefits and rewards, solving the employees’ work related concerns, and any other area concerned with employee relation. Human resource managers should have administrative experience. They should know all the laws and policies concerning employees, such as labor laws. They should be aware of the policies that guide their industry. The human resource personnel should have thorough knowledge of the workings, procedures, and regulations of their organizations. The human resource department in organizations has a vital role to play during the recruitment and selection process. The human resource personnel assist in drafting the interview questions and they are part of the interview process.

Depending on the type of institution, and the reward system that the organization has established, the human resource personnel helps in negotiating the payment and salaries of the employees. They are involved in activities such as employee motivation. They come up with, and organize a system for rewarding the employees. They assist in organizational communication. They act as a liaison between the management and the employees. They ensure that they pass messages and other forms of communication from the management to the employees and vice versa.

Five Functions:

Planning

The institution has a system that assists in human resource planning. Every department is responsible for its own hiring needs. The departments have a budget, which helps them in meeting their needs. The institution has a hiring department, which comes up with the package and working conditions. The human resource department determines whether the duties listed fit with the position. They then determine the kind of person they want to fill the position, and the qualifications that the person needs.

Staffing

The human resource department undertakes several measures to attract and retain potential employees. The department describes the position of the vacancy. It then determines the length of the position; whether the position is temporary or permanent. This is essential because it prepares the candidates mentally by enabling them to know how long they will work at the university. The department posts the notice describing the position for fourteen days. The institution uses an online process to help with the applications. The hiring managers access the system and look for the most suitable candidates. They perform reference checks and other necessary checks, invite the candidate for the interview, make and negotiate the offer, and complete the hiring process. The fact that the institution gives the candidate a chance to negotiate their terms means that it is able to retain most of their staff since they work under the conditions they have agreed with the institution.

Development

The institution provides coaching and counseling services to the employees. This benefits the employees in the end. Coaching the employees gives them a chance to have mentors and learn from them. It is not necessarily concerned with the employees’ job description, but it involves the employees’ social and personal lives. Finding the right coaches and mentors is beneficial for the employees’ development.

Reward

The institution is a state university, and the state rewards the employees well. The employees have a good benefit and retirement package, medical and life insurance, and fee waivers for the employees. In addition, the institution rewards the employees for improved performance. It offers rewards such as special parking space, and it recognizes employees’ personal events such as birthdays, engagement and bridal showers. In addition, the institution recognizes different holidays and special events to reward and appreciate their employees.

Maintenance

The institution recognizes employees’ rights, and it follows the labor laws. It follows all the policies and procedures concerned with employees rights. It is especially keen on labor laws, harassment policies, and discrimination policies and procedures. The institution is in one of the most metropolitan states in the country. it deals with, and manages people from different backgrounds, and who have different personalities. Therefore, it has to ensure that it maintains fairness through all its processes. The institution is concerned with the employees’ welfare. It recognizes the importance of having healthy employees for better performance. It provides health and insurance covers for all the employees. The institution chooses to counsel the employees instead of terminating them, and this shows that it is concerned with their welfare.