Recruitment and Orientation

Office Administration
November 2021
Miss Townsend
Sources of job information
There are many ways to obtain
information about possible jobs and
vacancies. These are newspapers,
friends and relatives or personal contract
with companies and government
agencies. Other sources include trade
journals, employment agencies,
company newsletters and magazines.
Unsolicited letters
Another approach is to send out letters of
application to a number of companies.
These are called unsolicited letters of
application. It is important to ensure that
such letters are effectively worded and
neatly presented.
 Other sources of job information
Job information may also be sourced from:
⚫ Schools- Principals, Vice Principals,
teachers
⚫ School job placement services, job fairs
⚫ School Guidance Officers and Counsellors
⚫ Professional associations such as
Administrative Assistants Organisation and
other non-government organisation e.g.
Lions, Rotary, Red Cross.
 Factors to be considered when
seeking a position
The job search process should begin with
individuals asking a series of questions to
determine if they should apply for a job
with a company. These questions will be
based upon many factors that are worth
considering. These factors relate to:
Career interest
⚫ Would I like to work for the government
or private industry?
⚫ If private industry, would I like to work
for a large or small firm?
⚫ What sort of job am I looking for?
⚫ What are my career goals?
⚫ What are my plans for the next five
years?
The job description
A job description is a document that
indicates the duties, responsibilities,
required knowledge, skills, attitudes
and attributes of a person who holds a
position in an organisation.
Personal taste and job satisfaction
This indicates that the job must satisfy
personal desires and needs.
Some important questions are:
⚫ Is this the type of work desired?
⚫ What are the working hours?
⚫ Is shift-work required or is overtime
involved?
⚫ Are workers required to work on
weekends and on public holidays?
The skills and qualification required
to perform the job
Persons must compare the knowledge
levels, skills and qualifications that they
possess with that requested by the
organisation to determine if they are over or
under qualified for the job.
The salary level and benefits offered
The applicant will make comparisons with
other companies and jobs in the industry to
determine if the salary and benefits are fair
and in line with what is being offered in
similar organisations.
Location
Individuals should also consider the
company’s location, the commuting
distance to and from the workplace and the
mode of transport to be used-public or
private.
If public you must determine:
⚫ How is it to be accessed?
⚫ What is the distance to be travelled?
⚫ How safe is the route and its location?
The company’s size, image and
reputation
The applicant could find out about the size of
the company, the number of employees and its
policies and practices. Information on the
following will be helpful?
⚫ How does it treat its workers?
⚫ What management approaches are used?
⚫ What is the workplace environment like?
Possibilities for career advancement
Consider the opportunities for moving
upwards through the organisation and
having a long-term career or moving on
from this company to another to seek
promotional opportunities.
Prepare applicants for a job
Procedures for making applicant
When you decide that you are ready to
apply for a particular job, you may do so by
either:
⚫ completing an application from obtained
from the company’s Human Resource
Department
or
⚫ preparing personal data sheet or resume´
and writing a cover letter (of application)
Guide to completing application
forms
⚫ General information- this section requests
information such as name, address, telephone
numbers, email address, date of birth, age and
the position applied for.
⚫ Address- use home address or one where you
can easily be contacted, e.g. through a
telephone call or personal visit.
⚫ Education- list educational institutions
attended starting with the most recent, e.g. a
college attended 2010 should appear above
the school attended in 2009.
⚫ Work experience- this is a list of all
previous jobs, even if they were part-time or
very basic in nature. List them in
chronological order, starting with the most
recent job first.
 The curriculum vitae (CV)
A personal data sheet or résumé is also

referred to as a curriculum vitae (CV).

However, there are similarities and

differences between a résumé and a

curriculum vitae.
The résumé
The résumé summarises information about
the individual in a concise and legible
format. They may be prepared in two styles:
the chronological style and the functional
style.
⚫ The chronological style is the most popular
résumé format. It lists information year by
year with the most recent first. This style is
best used for applicants who posses a
variety of work experiences.
⚫ The functional résumé focuses on a
candidate’s skills rather than on a past work
experiences.
Whether you choose to format your résumé in the
chronological or functional style, the following
categories must be provided with relevant
information:
⚫ Personal details
⚫ Goals or objectives
⚫ Educational qualifications
⚫ Work experience
⚫ References
 Follow-up letters
As part of your job search process, it may be
necessary to write a follow-up letter if an
unsolicited application (resume and cover letter)
generates no response within a reasonable time-
approximately three months. The following up letter
serves the following purposes:
⚫ Informing of your continuing serious interest.
⚫ Highlight your qualifications and where necessary,
adding new information by submitting an updated
resume.
 Accepting or declining a job offer
When a job offer is being accepted or
declined, an appropriate letter should be
written to confirm and formalise the
information.
Other types of letters
⚫ Resigning from a job- after you have
worked in a position for a time, you may
wish to leave to leave for whatever reason.
You should leave the position in a manner
that demonstrates your professional conduct.
⚫ Application for leave- when you start
working in an organisation you will be
informed of your entitlement. These will
include vacation, sick and even bereavement
leave.
Preparing for a job interview
A job interview is the gateway to the world of
work, new experiences and opportunities for
responsibilities, an income, new acquaintances
and possibly friendships as well as work
experiences.
 Factors to be considered
An interviewee should focus on the following
elements as part of the preparation process:
⚫ Punctuality- plan to arrive fifteen (15)
minutes ahead of interview time.
⚫ Appearance- dress appropriately
⚫ Awareness of personality- attitude, e.g.
manners, deportment, poise, temperament,
sincerity, creativity, communication skills,
ability to think and respond quickly.
⚫ Evidence of preparedness, e.g. having
researched the organisation.
Selection of attire- first impressions are very
important. Pay attention to neat, simple
clothes and personal appearance- hair, shoes,
personal hygiene. This will suggest more
self-confidence. You should strive to portray
a well-groomed professional look.
 Interview preparation checklist
⚫ Face- minimal use of cosmetics e.g. make-up
(female)
⚫ Jewellery-simple, few items and coordinated
⚫ Hair- neat and well styled
⚫ Shoes- clean, polished and appropriate
⚫ Hands and nails- clean and well manicured
⚫
⚫ Personal hygiene- clean, no body odours, no
excessively scented lotions, colognes or
perfumes.
⚫ Clothing colour choice- muted tones to suit
your complexion.
⚫ Styles of clothing- conservative but
age-appropriate, length and fit should enable
ease of movement e.g. sitting, bending,
standing.
⚫ Professional attire- possibly a suit
Deportment
The interview process begins as you leave
your home. More specifically, within the
vicinity of the company and in the reception
area, there may be members of staff who are
observing and pre-interviewing candidates
as they arrive.
Candidate should:
⚫ Be aware of annoying mannerisms and
avoid them, e.g. tugging at clothes,
fidgeting with hair or twiddling fingers
⚫ Do not slouch in the chair but sit upright
with feet flat on the floor.
⚫ Allow the interviewer to complete
questions or statements before starting to
answer.
⚫ Do not chew gum or smoke.
⚫ Use a pleasing tone of voice and maintain
a positive mood.
⚫ Do not let your guard down and resort to
loud laughter, jokes and stories even if the
interviewer does so. Laugh at jokes,
without going to extremes.
⚫ Ask questions if invited to do so, but limit
them to one or two.
 Research on the organisation
As part of the preparation process, an
interviewee should conduct some research on the
company. Some areas of research will include:
⚫ The nature of the business e.g. manufacturing,
service
⚫ The size of its operation e.g. branches and their

location.

⚫ Its status and levels of profitability.

⚫ Its clientele, e.g. the public or a targeted

group-whether local or international.

⚫ Its organisational structure e.g. departments, goals,

mission.
The work environment
The world of work is very different from the
environment of school and college. There
are national labour laws that relate to work
and govern the relationship between
employers and employees.
Labour laws
The constitution of any country is usually
law that recognises and guarantees its
citizens certain basic human rights and
freedoms. These may include the right to
life, liberty and property, the right to
equality before the law and the right to
freedom of expression.
 The Industrial Relations Act
Some of the rights the IRA and similar laws in
other countries will provide for, include:
⚫ The right to freedom of association and
assembly- this means employees are allowed
to assemble or form a group, union or
association in order to promote a particular
objective.
⚫ The right to collective bargaining- this is
when a trade union takes on the role of
negotiating
salaries and working conditions on behalf of all the
workers it represents- i.e. ‘bargaining collectively’
with the employer on behalf of the workers.

⚫ The right to take industrial action- ‘industrial

action’ describes those actions that are taken by
members of trade unions in order to make a claim
or state a case for something (such as shorter
working hours or paid overtime) to their
employees.
 The International Labour
Organisation (ILO)
These include standards of conduct that must
be adhered to by a country and its people with
regard to the workplace. These standards
cover such topics as:
⚫ The employment relationships between
employers and employees
⚫ Trade union administration and governance.
⚫ Collective bargaining between trade unions and
employers
⚫ Statutory control of certain condition of
employment
⚫ Employment protection and severance pay.
⚫ Trade union recognition
⚫ regulation of industrial action
⚫ Dispute settlement
Culture of school vs. organisation
Schools are organisations that deliver
education and training. They nurture and
shelter students within a social environment.
The aim in this environment is to help
students develop- through learning
processes- knowledge, skills and attitudes.
The work organisation is a more demanding
environment that asks more of the
individual. Employees are required to align
their personal goals with that of the
company’s mission, vision and goals. They
provide services in exchange for wages or
salaries.
Confidentiality
This is central to trust between one person and
another. This trait is important in both on- and
off-the-job situations.
Keeping the company and its clients’
information confidential is very important and
many companies develop procedures to ensure
that such information is protected.
Confidentiality may be necessary in the
following work situations:
⚫ Information relating to customers’ or clients’
personal details or business records, e.g. age,
address, bank account details, salary or income.
⚫ Removing records from the office
⚫ Access to information from paper or computer
files
⚫ Telephones, the internet and voicemail
⚫ e-mail, faxes and photocopies
⚫ Discarded material in bins or left on
desks and unlocked drawers
⚫ Conversations inside and outside the
company’s premises.