Introduction:

Recruitment and selection are perceived as essential contributors to the efficiency of an organization. These processes enable an organization to acquire a workforce that can function according to its objectives and they are also accounted as the significant activities pertaining to human resource management (Dickmann, Brewster & Sparrow, 2016). 

Therefore critical analysis of recruitment and selection processes of real-world organizations with respect to relevant HRM theory and literature could be essential contributors to the identification of plausible insights into further research. The following report establishes a critique of Google’s employee recruitment video along with a depiction of the challenges that could be posed for Google as a recruiter. 

Google’s identity:

Established in 1996 as a project by computer science engineers Larry Paige and Sergey Brin, Google has become the world’s largest search engine with a major dominance of the IT market (Google, 2017). Google was formed as a privately owned company with a formidable example of employee-centric benefits and policies. 

The organization has progressed a long way from the initial days of a university project to a billion-dollar organization. However, the organization has sustained a creative work environment with distinct employee incentives and opportunities for growth. The identity of Google is based on the entrepreneurial or innovative spirit of its founders who have always vouched for searching for doing different things. As an organization, Google has consistently expanded its products and services from simple web search to image search, blogs, document sharing, and product searches which facilitated it a considerable competitive advantage. 

Furthermore, the reputation of Google as a highly valued brand since 2006 serves as a profound indicator of its image as an organization (Google, 2017). The observation of HRM strategies in the engineering department would be a vital source for apprehending the key messages about Google as an employer. 

The capabilities of Google are derived from its workforce and the organization ensures to maintain a formidable reputation as an employer in order to acquire human resources which are competent. The emphasis of Google’s identity as an employer has been also identified with the opportunities for mentoring employees to accomplish higher professional growth. Google offers a distinct workplace environment with quick results for innovative ideas. Employees at Google are assured about recognition of their ideas thus setting a prolific example of a participative work environment. 

Employees are mentored by senior managers which sets a platform for employees to train themselves in specific tasks and acquire results. Furthermore, employees are motivated by the fact that they are working for a product that makes a big impact owing to the user base of millions of people. Google also facilitates a 20 percent rule for its employees which is characterized by 20 percent of the working time of employees allocated to them for working on their own projects. 

As an employer, Google validates its support for innovation through the 20 percent rule and outcomes suggest that employees have contributed more to the product development of Google as well as their own product ideas utilizing their 20 percent time (Google, 2017). Discussions such as Ted talks are also reflective of the opportunities for employees to improve their skill sets as well as become aware of contemporary trends in the industry. 

Family care and Maternity facilities are also indicative of the company’s representation as a start-up company. Based on their principles, they require employees to have high energy levels, an understanding of product space, commitment to the organization’s culture, and product development. A critical review of these practices of Google as an employer would serve as a profound impression of the HRM framework of the organization and the potential challenges that it can face in its recruitment and selection process (Google, 2017). 

Effectiveness of Google’s recruitment video:

The references to the prediction of potential job performance are noted in the recruitment and selection process. Learning the effectiveness of different resources in attracting competent candidates could be a potential influence on the HRM strategy of the organization. Recruitment and selection have been favorably associated with the improvement in worker performance and inducing positive outcomes for the organization. It can be assumed that employees would less likely engage with the concept of employee centered benefits. 

On the contrary, it has been observed from research studies that the improvement in utilization of employee selection methods based on reliability, fairness, and validity could contribute to the improvement of workplace efficiency (Google interns’ first week, 2017). Literature has depicted formal attention to the formulation of a pool of candidates for the job; utilize particular selection techniques needed to identify suitable job candidates as well as identification of candidates for offering the job. Practically, Google has been considered as one of the most selective companies in its recruitment process and the characteristics of its selectiveness are vested in the search for candidates with the zeal for innovation as well as contribute to the product space of the organization. 

The HR approach of the organization assumes that the video of Google recruitment could be depicted as a source of conveying the benefits of employment at the organization (Google interns’ first week, 2017). On one hand, the video could be perceived by potential job candidates as job advertisements. It communicates the opportunities and facilities provided by the organization to its employees which could generate interest among potential candidates to apply for jobs. Such techniques are liable for increasing the number of potential applicants which increases the variability of choices for recruitment and selection (Google interns’ first week, 2017). 

Furthermore, the organization could identify the relevance of candidates for other functional domains of the organization other than the posts for which they have applied. It is also noticed that the video also sets a tone about the work environment which is a formidable attraction for any candidate. Therefore, it can be concluded that the video serves as a viable complement in the recruitment and selection process of Google.

The critical reflection on Google’s recruitment policy could be reviewed in the context of competency-based recruitment and selection. Competency has been broadly associated with four principal elements in an individual which include knowledge, personal attributes, skill, and behavior. The competency-based recruitment and selection process is characterized by ten different stages. 

The stages are associated with the identification of job recruitment and HR needs, completing job documentation, determining selection criteria, completing competency assessments, verifying candidate qualification, and finalizing the selection. The method could be accountable for certain advantages such as identifying different sources of backup for different positions, minimal training time, and higher performance levels of management (Hamilton, Mitchell & Mangan, 2014). 

Furthermore, it is imperatively observed in HR literature that competency has to be managed effectively in order to acquire substantially beneficial outcomes in the long run. The outcomes of competency management are largely directed towards the development and improvement of human capital in an organization alongside the precise assignment of job roles and varying competencies according to organizational objectives (Edgar et al., 2015). 

The application of competency-based recruitment and selection could be assumed as reasonable contributors to the requirements of Google for acquiring candidates with reasonable skills and motivation for working in the organization. However, the challenges that could be observed in the recruitment process of Google would have to be considered in order to provide recommendations.

Challenges of the recruitment strategy:

The concerns for acquiring an innovative workforce could also lead to a condition of excessiveness as a result of which potential candidates with technical qualifications and comprehensive knowledge of conventional information can be rejected from the workforce. Furthermore, candidates are more likely to perceive the complexities owing to medium channels for communication and access (Hamilton, Mitchell & Mangan, 2014). 

The recruitment process followed by Google is characterized by the use of sources in its external recruitment that are observed on the website and the limited outreach to educational institutions. This factor could be assumed as a formidable challenge that can be faced by the process to deliver outcomes. 

The dependence of the recruitment process of Google on emphasizing employee-centric benefits could not be amiable for every potential candidate (Kuntze & Matulich, 2010). For example, the amenities provided in the workplace such as food and recreational facilities could not appeal to various individuals while they could be motivated by monetary incentives. Therefore the lack of a prominent system for needs appraisal of potential candidates could lead to notable ambiguities in the later stages of employee selection (Martin-Rios, Pougnet & Nogareda, 2017).

Another profound limitation that could be faced by the recruitment process of Google is the comprehensiveness of the process and its emphasis on competency. The reliance of the process on on-job tests and structured interviews could be assumed as critical influences on certain candidates who could perform explicitly in later job assignments (Li & Rees, 2016). While the factors of pressure could impact the performance of candidates in an on-job test, they could exhibit potential outcomes in the long-term operations of the organization. Therefore, the enterprise faces considerable risks of losing competent candidates in the process.

Conclusion:

The report facilitated a review of Google’s recruitment and selection practices alongside an impression of the role of a recruitment video as a source for attracting potential candidates. The review of literature pertaining to the competency framework of recruitment and selection with respect to the recruitment process of Google and the challenges for the process also serves as the essential highlights of the report.       

References

Dickmann, M., Brewster, C., & Sparrow, P. (Eds.). (2016). International Human Resource Management: Contemporary HR Issues in Europe. Routledge.

 

Edgar, F., Geare, A., Halhjem, M., Reese, K., & Thoresen, C. (2015). Well-being and performance: Measurement issues for HRM research. The International Journal of Human Resource Management, 26(15), 1983-1994.

 

Google. (2017). Google.com. Retrieved 3 August 2017, from https://www.google.com/intl/en/about/

Google interns’ first week. (2017). YouTube. Retrieved 3 August 2017, from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9No-FiEInLA

Hamilton, L., Mitchell, L., & Mangan, A. (Eds.). (2014). Contemporary Issues in Management. Edward Elgar Publishing.

 

Kuntze, R., & Matulich, E. (2010). Google: Searching for value. Journal of Case Research in Business and Economics, 2, 1.

 

Li, S., & Rees, C. J. (2016). 11 HRM in small and medium-sized enterprises in China. Development Manage

Martin-Rios, C., Pougnet, S., & Nogareda, A. M. (2017). Teaching HRM in contemporary hospitality management: a case study drawing on HR analytics and big data analysis. Journal of Teaching in Travel & Tourism, 17(1), 34-54.