unit 13 p1 p3 m1 m2 d1 d2 DONE

UNIT 13 P1- PASSED
Identify how two organisations plan recruitment using internal and external sources

Within the assignment I will be identifying how two businesses plan recruitment using both internal and external sources. The businesses I will be using are Tesco's and B&Q.

PUT INTO TABLE 

Recruiting is the act of assessing, judging and on boarding someone for a specific job. In the recruitment process, there is multiple stages that applicants have to go through. Tesco is an extremely successful supermarket. They are the longest chain of of supermarkets in the UK. They sell a variety of different products such as; food, clothing, furniture etc. B&Q is a DIY supply's and accessory store, which offer things such as kitchen appliances, paint, decorations, outdoor furniture etc. There are various reasons why vaccines within a business may occur, such as; the business had a fire, an employee passed away, the business is expanding, an employee retired, an employee got a new job, an employee is suffering from a long term sickness etc.

Tesco

Stage 1: Workforce Planning
This is when the future of a business gets analysed in terms of people. As Tesco is such a large business, this is crucial because otherwise their could be consequences that are bad for the business. Within Tesco, recruitment constantly needs to be done because there are plenty of roles to be taken. There are multiple stores within the UK and internationally, with a load of job vacancies in them. Employees may leave the business for any reasons, or people may move roles which will make space for vacancies. Employees may leave for a number of reasons such as; retirement, pregnancy, need higher wage, they get fired etc. Tesco frequently use a workforce plan in order to estimate the number of employees they need to recruit, including managerial and non-managerial positions.

Stage 2: The Planning Process
This is when Tesco carry our yearly planning. There are also quarterly reviews that take place in May, August and November. This is to ensure Tesco have enough time to prepare and meet the demands for new staff and it allows Tesco to meet their strategic objectives e.g. open new stores, maintain customer service standards. Tesco seek to fill all the vacancies they can within the business, because it is important to motivate staff to progress their careers. Tesco carry out something called 'talent planning' which encourages people to work their way up the business, to get a better role. Annual appraisal scheme happens, in which employees can apply for bigger roles. The employees identify the roles in which they would like to develop their careers with Tesco and the managers set our the technical skills. competencies and behaviours necessary for the specific roles, what training will be needed and how long it will take the person to be ready for the job. By doing this, it helps Tesco to achieve their aims and objectives as well as employees to achieve their personal and career goals.

Stage 5: Job Descriptions and Person specification 
These documents are important and crucial within the recruitment process, because they provide essential information. A job description includes the title of the job, who is responsible for them, and other information and a description of the roles and responsibilities within the role. Furthermore, a person specification is different to a job description, because it explains an individuals skills, attributes, hobbies, characteristics which are needed to be performed for a specific job role. Tesco keep these two documents together, so when an individual applies for a job role at Tesco, they will have to fill out these two together. They should include detailed amounts of information that will stand out to the interviewers and show that the individual is suitable for the job role they are applying for.

Stage 4: Skills and behaviours
Tesco want to meet their customers needs the best way they can, which is why Tesco have an organisational structure. Tesco need to employ people who have the right skills for each level of this structure. There is six levels within the structure, which gives a clear understanding for managing and controlling the business. Work level 1 is front line jobs which include working directly with the customers. Jobs they do is fill shelves with stock . Work level 2 is where a team of employees deal directly with customers, they obtain takes such as setting targets, managing resources etc. Work level 3 is in charge of running an operating unit such as planning, target setting and reporting. Work level 4 are in charge of supporting operating units and recommending strategic change. They analyse information and make decisions. Work level 5 are responsible for the performance of Tesco as a whole and they make major decisions and direct and lead others. Lastly, work level 6 create Tesco's purpose, values and goals. They are responsible for Tesco's performance and have a good overview of retailing and the ability to vision or the future. They lead the whole business as they are the top level within the organisation structure.

Stage 5: Attracting and Recruiting
It is really important to attract the right candidates to apply for the job role. Tesco advertise their job roles available through various types of advertisements. Examples of the types of advertisements they use are; flyers, local newspapers, shop windows, billboards etc. Tesco evaluate their internal talent plan in order to fill a vacancy. The internal talent plan is a process in which lists all the current employees, who are looking for a move, either at the same level or on a promotion. If there are no suitable people within the talent plan, then Tesco advertise the post internally on its intranet for two weeks. Additionally, Tesco advertise their job vacancies through their official website, www.tesco-careers.com. This is an opportunity for candidates to make applications online through their official website. The individuals that are chosen then have to perform an interview. After that, they will then need to visit the assessment centre for the last bit of the selection process. Candidates that want to work in a Tesco store that is local and based near them, they can go into one of Tesco's physical stores with their curriculum vitae.

Stage 6: Selection
This is the process of choosing the most suitable people from those that apply for a vacancy, whilst keeping to employment laws and regulations. Screening candidate is extremely essential in part of the selection process because it ensures that those selected for an interview are the most suited for the job and have the best fit for the job requirements. Tesco look closely at each candidates CV and analyse it throughly to ensure they suit the job vacancy. Any candidate who passes screening attends an assessment centre. In this assessment centre, candidates are given various exercise, including team-wroking activities or problem-sovlving exercises. These are problems they may have to deal with within day to day work at Tesco. Candidates that are approved after this stage are then eligible for a interview.

Stage 7: Screening
Screening is the chance for all the employers at Tesco to look through cautiously of all the individuals curriculum vitae's. They are looking for good CV's, one that is well written, and they are looking for an individual with appropriate previous experience, education or qualifications. By having screening in the recruitment and selection process, it allows interviewers to help match the right candidate to the suitable job role. On Tesco's website, they have a job match option, which allows individuals to be able to find out what is the most appropriate job role for them. This is really useful if you are interested to work within Tesco, but you do not know what job role is appropriate for you.

Stage 8: Assessment Centre's
The candidates that pass the screening stage, will then go onto the assessment centre. The centres are run into one of Tesco's physical stores and are run by Tesco's managers. These are put on in order to help deliver excellency and constancy within the selection process, therefore candidates will have to prove that they can do every day problem solving activities. The candidates will have to do various tasks such as, working in a team to solve a problem. They are given problems that could potentially occur at work. Candidates which pass this stage, will then go onto having an interview with the employers from Tesco. When candidates get to this stage they are seen as being appropriate enough to have a job within Tesco.

Stage 9: Conclusion
When discussing internal and external advertising, I personally feel that external advertising is the most suitable option to use within Tesco. Although, it is really expensive compared to internal marketing. Due to Tesco being a massively successful business, they have the money to use for external advertising which is a positive thing. This means that they will have a higher chance in receiving job applications from more people, because more people will be aware of the job vacancies available. Also, by using external advertising, it is making it a lot easier for people to find the jobs, because they are in a lot of more common places, not in one place. 

Internal advertising:
This is a cheaper alternative way that Tesco can do their advertising, in a effective and efficient way. This is because the job vacancies are only advertised to the staff within Tesco. This is good because the staff are already familiar with Tesco as a business, and the individual job roles that they offer. It could encourage staff to want to work harder in order to have a better job, or get the chance to get a promotion/bonus. The whole internal process is really quick, because they already have all the employees details and informations as well as the knowledge about how the business runs. The employers know the individuals strengths and weaknesses and how they perform in their current position, which will make it easier for them to decide whether to relocate employees or keep them in their current position. Internal advertising could be done by using emails, notice boards, social media sites, flyers, through the post etc. They could also use their official website www.tesco.com.

Although, there could be people who are really suitable for the job roles, who desperately want the job. They are restricted from getting this job because its only advertised to existing employees. There are only so much knowledge they can bring to the business, along with strengths and ideas. This means that people who are not within Tesco already, have been except from getting the chance to get a specific job at Tesco, which is unfair because they may have all the right skills, qualifications, passion etc to fit the specific job role, but it wouldn't be given to them because they are not within Tesco.

External advertising:
Even though external advertising is a lot more costly than internal advertising, it allows Tesco's to attract new employees form outside of the business. These people could have the right passion, qualifications, skills etc for the specific job roles. This means that the recruitment and selection process will be longer than if they were using internal advertising, but this is because there will be more applicants. External advertising would be put in newspaper articles, newspapers, job centres, online etc. Tesco don't use head consultants or head hunters because this isn't suitable for the type of business they are.

It will be longer because of all the documents that are included within the recruitment and selection process. They are need to be prepared well in order to appeal to the employers and all them to move onto the next stage of the selection process. Additionally  external recruitment is more expensive than internal recruitment due to the fact that the advertising for the job roles have to be done on a mass scale. Also, there are plenty of interviews that have to be carried out which cost to take place. Just because its a more expensive method, doesn't mean its the most effective, due to the fact that it could be hard to find the suitable candidates for the appropriate jobs available. 

Scottish Power

Stage 1: Introduction
ScottishPower need to select and recruit the most appropriate staff for their business, which is done by using a selective process. They are a successful business, therefore they need employees to fill up their job vacancies to maintain their professionalism and success. They are a power producing business, which provide power throughout the United Kingdom. They are part of Ibefrola Group, which are a worldwide energy business that focus on certain aspects. These include: Energy Networks/UK - providing a secure and growing network to supply energy across the UK, energy Retail/UK - one of the UK's top suppliers of gas and electricity selling to 5.2 million UK customers, energy Wholesale/UK - trading large quantities of energy and supplying energy in bulk to the UK market.

Stage 2: Career Opportunities
ScottishPower offer a variety of different job roles to the public. They vary from educational to uneducational jobs, which is really helpful because it appeals and applied to more people. This has been done in order to enhance the employbability of younger people. This is called "employer of choice" which is exclusive to ScottishPower, in order to find the right possible staff.

Stage 3: Human Resources
They have a separate deparmtnet within their business for human resources. They focus on all the different things in the recruitment and selection process. The have the responsibility of finding the most testable candidates for the job vacancies available for them. Their are constantly new vacancies within ScottishPower, which means they are constantly looking for suitable candidates to fill those spaces. They like to offer a more relaxed, optimistic approach on their recruitment and selection process for the candidates. This is to give the candidates the most comfortable experience they could have when applying for a job role. Also, ScottishPower have to abide by all the laws and regulations and cannot discriminate anyone due to their sexuality gender, race, age, disability etc. 

Stage 4: Recruitment

In SocttishPower, they have two levels within the recruitment process. One of them is apprenticeships and the other is graduate programmes. On their website, all the information is provided where candidates can access this easily. This is useful for candidates because they can find out all the information and details about the two different levels before applying for a job role. It makes it a lot easier for candidates, which will lead them to giving ScottishPower a good reputation. It allows candidates to check whether or not they have the rights skills, qualifications, attributes etc to fit the job roles, before applying and wasting your's and their time.

Apprenticeships have different level courses that candidates can choose from. They let you earn a normal wage, whilst working and gaining skills that you will need for the future in a job. They allows candidates to obtain new skills, experience and qualifications that can help them getting another job. Level two apprenticeships equalise to 5 GCSE's at at C or higher. Furthermore, level three equalise's to 2 A Level's at a C or higher. The apprenticeships run from around three or four years, depending on which level you choose. After the apprenticeship finishes, they are invited by the business to sit written and practical exams to enable them to see if they are suitable for the job. They will then attend an interview which is done before the final exam. 

Graudate programmes are only available for candidates which obtain a degree at university level. They run for around two years and is personalised appropriately for every individual. It is based on your ambitions, what the requirements are for the business etc. Every candidate must show how enthusiastic and motivated they are of wanting the job. When ScottishPower decide which candidates are the most appropriate candidates for the job, they will then invite them back for a session which takes place within one of their assessment centres. They will then have to take part in a group task, a personal presentation, psychometric exams and at the end, attend an interview based on their ability in the tasks.

Stage 5: Skills and competencies
ScottishPower believe that an individuals effort and performance helps the businesses visions and activities to achieve them. As a business, they have produced a framework which shows employees, how they need to behave in certain situations and what is expected of them when carrying out tasks within their job roles. There is three main parts to what an employee must have: An ability to plan ahead, they should be creative, strategic and always alter orientation. The second thing is that they have to have the capability to work with other people. They should build relationships with the customers, by using good communication. They need to possess leadership skills in order to work in a team. Lastly, they should deliver to the customer, which means they will deliver their results. ScottishPower set guidelines, to use as part of a continuing performance appraisals to determine whether an employee is exceeding in their specific job role or not. Below are the guidelines ScottishPower set for their employees.

Stage 6: Selection
The selection process enables applicants the chance to show themselves in a unique and different way. They can do this by making their application distinctive and standing out from the other applicants. By making your applicant clear and distinctive, it gives you a better chance of getting the job because you are showing that your are not like everyone else, you have something else to offer. If the application is effective and attracts the employer, then this means the employer will invite them back fro an interview, where they will go through the job role they have got and the reasoning behind why they were chosen for it. Through this process, the candidates are allowed to express to ScottishPower what key skills they have, for example they could be really good at working in a team and leading the team. This is unique for ScottishPower when they recruit individuals, because it gives them a chance to show the candidates what they are looking for, and to see if they have it. Selection is recognising people who have specific individual qualities and skills. Obtaining them means that ScottishPower will reach their aims and objectives successfully. Also, it puts ScottishPower in more of an advantage compared to their other competitors.

Stage 7: Conclusion
Overall, there are a load of different stages and processes within ScottishPower's recruitment and selection process. Individuals can be employed through an apprenticeship, or through a graduate programme. If this recruitment and selection process isn't done appropriately and effectively, then it could mean the business has a high chance of losing out on a lot of money, as well as it resulting in problems for the business. Hiring the suitable candidates for the specific job roles will mean that ScottishPower will be able to succeed their aims and objectives and be successful. Having a well written, thorough job description is extremely important when going for a job at ScottishPower, because its your chance to stoa out from the other candidates, and it allows you to show your individual skills and capabilities. 

Internal advertising
This is usually quite cheap and does not take up a lot of time. This is because all the staff are already familiar and know all the staff within the business. This could make the employees more motivated to work if they relocate, or switch around. This could mean they receive various bonuses or promotions, which is a huge benefit of using internal advertising. Moreover, ScottishPower are aware of all their employees strengths and weaknesses which makes it a lot easier for them to move people, or keep them in their same job position if that is their strength. This speeds up the recruitment and selection process majorly.

However, their are downfalls to using internal advertising such as; the number of applicants are limited. There will be no new ideas or opinions brought to the business, due to their being no new staff. This may mean the business will not grow as much as it should be. Internal advertising can happen in multiple ways such as; emails, post on the internet, website, flyers, notice boards etc. All these methods will attract people within the business for the certain job roles they are looking for.

External advertising
Recruiting people from outside of ScottishPower means that

DONT INCLUDE UNLESS MISS SAYS TO!!!!!

Internal sources
Internal recruitment is when you recruit someone who is already within the business to take on a different job. If the business is unable to find someone to fit the vacancy, then they will result to external recruitment.

The advantages of using internal recruitment is that it is cheaper for Tesco's. Also, it is easier because they do not have to go through the effort of the whole recruitment process because they will already have every employee's documents already. The employees with Tesco's are already familiar with the all the procedures, which means they will require less training. This saves Tesco money, which they could put towards something else in the business. Tesco will know all the strengths and the weaknesses of every employee which doesn't require them a lot of effort.

Although, there are also many limitations which consist's of internal recruitment limiting the number of potential candidates. Tesco will be limited to accessing new ideas because the employees will have the same unoriginal ideas. They will not be bringing anything new to the business which could be a negative for the businesses growth and success.

External sources
External recruitment is when you recruit employees from outside the business, who aren't already working within the business. This is chosen if Tesco or B&Q decide that there is not a good enough employee already in their business, so they need to recruit someone new.

The advantages of using eternal recruitment is that having a new person come into the business will mean they are enthusiastic and will bring new ideas and something new to the business. Compared to previous employees that may have lost their motivation, they will have loads of motivation because they are new to the business.

Additionally, there are a few disadvantages to using external recruitment. One of them is that it is expensive to recruit new employees because there are a lot of different stages within the recruitment process. It can be very time consuming because they will have to go through loads of people to find the right person for the job. When the right person is found for the business, they will require training as they do not have experience within the business which is expensive and wastes time when they could be working.

UNIT 13 P3- PASSED

Prepare the documents used in selection and recruitment activities

Job Description

Title: Receptionist

Reports to: Manager

Location: Sussex, Midlands

Job Summary: 

Looking for someone to fulfil the job vacancy for a receptionist at Purple Peach Co. They need to be approachable, friendly and punctual looking to exceed in giving customers advice and helping with enquiries on a daily basis. They need excellent organisation and communication skills. They will need to answer direct phone calls on a regular basis, and greet callers using professional language and positivity, maintaining a high profile of knowledge.

Date: 18/01/2016

Receptionist duties and responsibilities:

• Administrative work
• Deliver customers and callers advice
• Answer phone calls efficiently and positively 
• Mail and package delivery 
• Data entry
• Manage and file documents
• Organise and tidy paper work

Requirements:

• Proven working experience in an office or something similar
• Had experience with Microsoft Office Suite
• Professional appearance
• Ability to organize  and multitask

Person Specification

Job Title: Receptionist

This candidate needs to be able to demonstrate the following core competencies to a high level and use these to the full in their work. This is more important than having a great deal of direct experience of the job content, and we will be looking for all the following requirements in a candidate during the selection process, if you are short-listed.

Essential:

• GCSE in English Language 
• Customer focus
• Ability to use computers and its software
• Experience of office work
• Communication skills
• Ability to work unsupervised

Additional job requirements:

• GCSE in Math’s 
• GCSE in ICT
• Experience in a data base software job

Experience:

• Experience of greeting guests and visitors and making them feel welcome
• Experience of basic ICT duties and office skills
• Ability to promote a positive image of the business
• Approachable with interpersonal skills

General Intelligence:  Above average

Physical Requirements: 

• Good hearing 
• Understandable speech
• Good health record
• No serious sight impairment
• Pleasant appearance

Interests: No required interests

Job Advert

UNIT 13 M1- PASSED

Compare the purposes of the different documents used in the selection and recruitment process of a given organisation

Within this assignment I will be comparing the purposes of the different used within the selection and recruitment process of Tesco.

Job Description- The purpose of a job description is to mainly ensure you are picking the right candidate for your chosen vacancies available. These should be well-written and very carefully thought out as this is the basic of all recruiting and selection processes. A job description is an impression of what that business is like as it states what it requires you will get a bit of an insight into what working at that business feels like.

Person Specification- The purpose of a job specification is to show the candidates a list of qualifications, previous experience, skills, knowledge and other aspects that they should have to be appropriate for this chosen job. This is the basic piece of information that is used when advertising the vacancies for the jobs available. An example of a job specification for Tesco’s is that; you should be approachable, you should have previous work working with customers, you should have a C or above in Maths GCSE or A-Level, you should be able to work quick and efficiently when told to do something.

Job Advert- This is as a paid advertisement which is in a newspaper or another place where vacancies are placed. The advertisement is designed to attract people to see the job advert and want to apply for the job available. It is designed to attract suitable qualified candidate for a job. An effective advert reduces the time businesses spend interviewing unsuitable candidates by providing a precise statement of job requirements.

Application Form- The purpose of an application form is to find out information that unnecessarily wouldn’t be included in a CV. There also used to make a first impression such as checking spelling, punctuation and grammar. Schools and businesses use them to ask previous criminal questions and employment history to check there is no criminal records. They cover references from people with high authority, educational history, employment history, personal details.

CV- The purpose of a CV is to give a summary of your academic qualifications, aspirations, hobbies, previous experience and various other important information recruiters look for. Your CV should impress the recruiters as this is your first impression and it should be unique and specific to make you stand out from the many identical CV’s employees see. However, a CV is also useful to help you understand your strengths and weaknesses in your skills. 

Cover Letter- The purpose of a cover letter is to give an extra chance to show the recruiter’s how your qualifications will make you suitable and why you should get this job. A cover letter should be particular to you and explain in difference to your CV one or two of your most monumental experiences or achievements.

Comparisons

A person specification and a CV is very similar as a person specification is more about yourself explaining your qualifications,  previous experience, skills, knowledge and other aspects that are appropriate to have for this chosen job. Likewise, a CV includes a summary of academic qualifications, achievements, previous experience, hobbies, and various other aspects of information. A person specification and a CV are both used to show individuals traits, skills and various other things. This helps the interviewer a great deal because the person will only write applicable and compatible information because they would have read the job description and have written stuff that was required.

A cover letter and a CV are alike in many ways because they both give you a chance to show employers everything you have to offer. They both give you a chance to show your qualifications, skills and achievements to prove they are right for the vacancy.  Although, they are very different as a cover letter is an additional document which are only used by some candidates. Both a Cover letter and a CV include a good majority of the same information in both of these application forms. They are both also used to shortlist and they both benefit and support each other, they are like bread and butter, it isn’t essential to have them together but it would benefit you a massive amount and improve the other one. These documents are very helpful and convenient when recruiting employees.

A CV and a cover letter are very similar in some ways however, they have their differences because a CV is detailed and a cover letter is more brief and short. One of their differences is that a cover letter includes general details about the person such as contact name, name of the candidate, work experience etc. A CV should be more detailed than the cover letter because the cover letter complements the CV which is a detailed report explaining a person’s aspirations, previous experiences etc. 

A job description and a person specification are similar as both are currently up to date and help give employees guidelines. They are to ensure you pick the right candidate for the job. However they are different because a job description is what the job vacancy will be like whereas a person specification is a list of a person’s qualifications, achievements. A job description and a person specification are both needed when looking for a job, they both include details about what the job is going to offer and although the person specification is from the person looking for a job, it still includes the qualities and skills the job their applying for is looking for. Furthermore, they are both very specific pieces of information as they clearly state what’s necessary and only write relevant and to the point information in them which makes them very useful when it comes to an interview and you can go along the job description and say have u meet this criteria and you can clearly see on the persons specification if they have matched that requirement or not, this makes it a lot easier for employees when recruiting.

UNIT 13 M2- PASSED

Analyse the contribution to the selection process in a given situation

Within this assignment I will be analysing the contribution I had in the selection process within a given situation.

I prepared far ahead of my interview for a sales assistant to make sure I stood out and knew what I was talking about. I had a confident manner in my knowledge which benefited me as when I got asked questions by the interviewer I was prepared and on the bull and knew off by heart my answers for the questions I was asked. I practised several possible questions which the interviewer may ask me, as this allowed me to be more confident on the day of the interview. Also, I ensured I arrived at the location of the interview promptly on the morning of the interview to be at ease and make sure I am not in a rush. From previous experience, I have had experience with interacting with customers which made it a bit easier for me to engage with the interviewer. I found preparing for my interview not as stressful as I thought as I didn’t realise I had the skills I had and I acknowledged this when I was writing out my CV and cover letter. My CV and cover letter helped me during my interview because the recruiter referred to various skills, hobbies and qualifications I had and asked me to expand on them which I did. Before my interview I had researched information about sales assistant vacancies and what they are looking for and what qualities and qualifications they should have and my qualities and qualifications.

Before the interview started, I shook the interviewers hand to show a level of professionalism and respect. Not every candidate does this, which means that I would have stood out. This also creates a positive first impression which is extremely important because it stays with the interviewer. The preparation I gathered before my interview really helped me to stay at ease with the questions the interviewer was asking me, because I had gone over some of the answers I would respond with beforehand. This allowed me to stay calm and professional because I wasn't nervous as I had throughly prepared. As I was early to the interview, this made me less nervous as well because I was able to control the situation and set a good first impression by being on time.

The comments I received from the interviewers were that I was calm and collective during my interview which is positive. They also said I maintained eye contact with them which is a very important skill to obtain. This benefitted my because I was able to look determined when I answered questions. I was able to back up my original points that I made and show evidence for them. From my experience in an interview I have learnt to practise my confidence level to make sure my speech is clear and persistent. For my upcoming interviews I will ensure I dress more appropriately and more professional so that my interviews will judge me on their first impressions. During the interview, In my opinion I feel I was respectful and polite to my interviewer as I really wanted to show them I was determined to get the job. 

However, there were definitely areas for development. One of them was that I was extremely nervous as I found it hard to deliver my words clearly and elegantly. My pronunciation of words throughout my interview were not great and next time I should be much clearer when I am pronouncing my words, because this will make it easier for the recruiter to understand me and it will make me sound more professional. I can work on my speech because when I'm nervous I mumble and the interviewer ay find it hard to hear me and they may think I am saying something completely different to what I actually am saying, which could reduce my chance of getting the job. Additionally, interviewers judge on how the candidates sound, act and look which is why I will work on improving my tone by speaking louder and clearer to show I am confident and know what I am talking about. By speaking like this, interviewers will have an insight to the communication skills I possess, which is important because they will be able to see that I can communicate efficiently.

If I was to have the interview again, I would dress more appropriately because the interviewers judge candidates upon their appearance and on first impressions. What I wore was not an appropriate interview outfit as I saw other candidates in skirts, whereas I wore jeans, which were seen as too casual even though it was a reasonably formal outfit. Therefore, I would wear a skirt with a smart top instead of a jumper and jeans to give a level of professionalism. Another aspect I would improve if I did the interview again, was that I would ensure that I provided more detailed and in-depth answers to the questions I got asked. This would've impressed the interviewer because it shows that I have a lot of knowledge and I have researched about this job. I would research more into the different laws that apply within the business. For the next interview, I need to ensure I show the interviewer I am interested in the job and the business by showing an interest and bit of knowledge into the business. 

Overall, the interview was a pleasant and useful experience in which I have learnt a lot from. I have identified the areas in which I need to develop and work on ready for the new interview I obtain, in order to make it a better chance of me securing the job.

UNIT 13 D1- PASSED

Evaluate the usefulness of the documents in the interview pack for a given organisation, in facilitating the interview process

Within this assignment I will be evaluating the usefulness of the documents that are in the interview pack for Topshop.

Cover Letter
This is a letter or an email which is sent along side a job application. It is a brief introduction to give a first impression on the employer. The candidate should research into the specific job role and the business before writing a cover letter, in order to maintain as much knowledge as possible and to be as accurate as can be. By having a cover letter, it is more appealing and encouraging for an employer because it shows an extra piece of willingness towards the business. One error or mistake within a cover letter will be found by an employer because it is extremely common amongst young applicants, as the do not double check their work or they copy someone else. When a candidate shows an employer they have made an extra effort, they have a higher chance of securing that job vacancy than candidates who haven't written a cover letter. A cover letter is useful because it gives candidates a chance to show their personality to an employer before they meet them. You want the person reading your cover letter to want to meet you because you are interesting and effective. It is basically your selling agent because its supposed to sell you in your best form to the employer which is why a cover letter is so useful in securing that job for you. Compared to a resume, it can be in detail, and is not limited to a specific amount of writing which means you can write more in it. Although, cover letters can come across as quite generic, which is why candidates must mention specific qualifications and achievements as well as any particular reasons you feel you would be a good fit for the position. A cover letter is important in the recruiting process because it includes an extra list of accomplishments and each cover letter should be made suited to the job you’re applying for. It is useful because it helps the employer explain things that they can’t explain on their CV, because a CV is a more formal type of document to use. By tailoring the cover letter to the job you are applying for, shows your enthusiasm for that job, which will make you look better and allow you to stand a better chance at getting the job. This type of recruiting process is useful as it gives you an extra chance to show off your accomplishments. This could be improved by including other skills you have accomplished e.g. completed an ICT course.

Curriculum Vitae
This is a brief account of a candidates qualifications, previous occupations, education. It is often sent alongside a job application to show bit about you. It provides a summary and is usually around two or three pages, depending on how much experience a person has. The CV will be your first impression on an employer because its a direct reflection of who you are. Within the interview process, CV's are useful because they allow an employer to judge whether or not you have the appropriate skills, qualifications and experience for the job. A CV is formatted in a way which allows a candidate to share their experience and accomplishments, which shows a lot about a person. CV's are useful because they can constantly be updated, which is positive because as your career grows, you will have more information to put on it. References, meaning people you have worked with, should also be included into your CV because employers like to call up and speak to people you have previously worked for. Employers mainly just want to find the information they are looking for, therefore if they receive an extremely long, detailed CV then the will probably get bored and put it at the bottom of the pile. As a CV is so detailed, its difficult to hide any gaps within your education or work using a structured CV format. Employers see many CV’s a day and they will just glance past each one, you need to make your CV stand out, be unique and attract the employer which will make you different and most likely get picked. This type of document is useful within the recruiting process, as it states clearly an individual’s skills, qualities, qualifications and various other good things. This could be improved by having a set template to write all the CV’s in to make this easier for recruiters to look through.

Application Form
This is a template for employers to use when giving to candidates in order to fill out with previous positions held, education and contact information. They are usually submitted online which is extremely useful because millions of people can have access to them and it is a lot easier than being e.g. in a physical store. They are useful for the business because it makes it easier for them to compare the skills and experience of all candidates, this can be hard especially because there can be a lot of candidates. They allow for candidates to be easily accessible by giving their contact numbers. However, application forms can be time consuming and quite difficult to design. This can put candidates off them which means they may lose out on a specific job they were looking at. They can be improved by cutting down the amount of information they have to include within it, because this extra information can be carried out in an interview or a phone call. Recruiters do not spend long at all looking through application forms, which is why you need to make yours specific, unique and interesting. This document is useful within the recruiting process, as it gives the candidates a chance to stand out and be individual from all the other candidates who are also applying for the same job role. Furthermore, employers use application forms to prove that they are using taxpayer’s money efficiently in recruitment matters.  Other employers use application forms to find out information that otherwise wouldn’t be volunteered to put on a CV. Also, employers check to see if candidates have used correct and suitable spelling, punctuation and grammar. 

UNIT 13 D2- PASSED

Evaluate the experience of planning and participating in the recruitment and selection process

Within this assignment I will be evaluating the experience of planning and participating in the recruitment and selection process. 

Before we participated in our interviews, we had to create and bring along documents into the interview, such as; a CV, a cover letter, and other documents that should be included within an application pack. By having these documents in my interview with me, it helped me to stoa dour and score points with the interviewer. It allowed the interview to look at the documents and ask about some of the information on it, which allowed me to elaborate and sell myself to them. It make me look organised and enthusiastic about the job because I was well prepared with all the documents.

Preparing for an interview is handy and very convenient, this is because you will be in good shape when the interview comes around. You should go into an interview feeling extremely confident, and having all the knowledge and answers to potential questions they could ask you. This is done by doing preparation, which I ensured I undertook. I gave off an excellent first impression, which is extremely important when trying to impress an interviewer. Having had previous experience in interviews, I was able to let some of the usually pre interview nerves go. I feel this had a huge impact on my interview, as I knew what to expect and was used to the style of interviews. I was able to know what happens within an interview, and how the interviewer will conduct themselves. Although, not every business conduct their interviews the same, but they are very similar. 

I composed a set of questions in which I would like to ask the interview at the end of the interview. I came up with 8 questions I had in mind, that I felt would make me look really interested in the business and the job role specifically which was really beneficial. In the actual interview, I only got round to asking 3 of my questions due to the time, however I didnt want to bombard the interviewer with too many questions, although I got my point across about being interested in the business therefore this was successful. By assembling a set of questions, it made it a lot easier to seem interested, because otherwise I wouldn't have been able to think off questions to ask the interviewer on the spot, due to the pressure of the interview. By not asking the interviewer any questions it could seem like you are not that bothered and don't really want to engage with him, which is why it was important I properly prepared my questions for the interviewer in advance.

I personally feel the recruitment planning process could be improved by having two or three interviewers, as this means there will be more opinions and different views on each applicant. This would've given me a higher chance to get the job, because its not just based on one person's opinion. Another problem that happened during the interview was that, the interviewer had to leave to get a glass of water in the middle of the interview. This was bad and unprofessional, he should have had a glass of water with him in the room, because it delayed the interview and wasted time when I could have been persuading him why I was good for the job role. 

I personally think I was dressed inappropriately, because I was too casual for the job I was applying for. Compared to the other 3 candidates who were also waiting for their interview for the job role, I was the least formal dressed out of them. Two of them were women, who were wearing a shirt and a skirt, with low heels. The other candidate was a man, who was wearing a suit. Therefore, I believe that next time I should dress more formally for an interview, depending on the type of business. By dressing suitably, it makes an excellent first impression on the interviewer which is a huge deal when trying for a job role. I will dress accordingly to the type of business, in order to suit the atmosphere of it, and I will dress respectfully to show I am fit for the job role. 

The advice that I have for individuals going for an interview, is that preparation is crucial and I highly recommend spending quality time preparing for it, because there is a huge difference between an interview where a candidate has prepeared and planned for it, to a candidate who has not done any preparation. The things that are important to remember for the interview are that, you should be yourself, don't make up any lies because its extremely obvious to interviewers if you are lying and you cannot promote false skills for example, that you have. If you make up any lies, their are sever consequences 

In conclusion, I believe the interview was a success, which was due to my preparation. Although, there were a few downfalls which I have taken into consideration in advance for my next interview. I think permeation is extremely essential and crucial in securing a spot within the business. For the future interviews that I have, I will ensure I fully prepare well in advance in order to give myself the best chance possibly of getting the job I applied for.