What Strengths and What Shortcomings Do You See in the Approach That Central Bank Is Taking to Fill This Position?

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Weakness 3 – Short listed candidates

The list of short listed candidates is unusual in terms of the type of individuals selected. Charlotte is the youngest candidate with an undergraduate degree followed by Scott who seems to be a bit more experienced and working towards an MBA and lastly there’s James, who is the oldest and has 26 years of experience with First Northern Bank. Smith was with Central Bank for 30 years and James is just shy of that figure with 26 years however would it make sense for the organization to hire someone in their 50’s after letting go of someone similar. It is important for the bank to do a proper assessment of the talent it is seeking. The short-listed individuals should be on the same platform in most aspects. It does depend on what the job requires but in a scenario, such as this one for the VP, Regional Sales role, it seems odd to have two completely different candidates (Charlotte and James).

Question 2: Which candidate would you choose for the position? Justify your answer, including an explanation for why you did not choose the other candidates.

I would choose Charlotte for the position of VP, Regional Sales. Charlotte is “currently viewed as one of Central Bank’s highest potential level 10s” and “retaining Webb was a priority for Central Bank.” (Case, Pg. 7) Her strengths relative to the role are in line with the job posting and if she was not hired it could potentially result in her seeking a position with the competition. It is mentioned about how she has voiced her disappointment about external recruitment for VP hires. Despite having minimal front line action, Charlotte has other strengths which are a great fit for the organization. Promoting within the bank will allow others to move forward as well. The bank will need to fill her position and could consider both internal and external recruiting. The cost of hiring an external Senior Director should be lower than hiring an external Vice President.

I would not hire Scott due to his tenure in any position not exceeding two years. It is important to hire an individual who truly becomes an integral part of the business and can be reliable. By hiring Scott, there would be uncertainty as to how long he would stay with the bank for. Regarding James, he has great experience with First Northern however due to the fact he must take time off for periodic medical visits and may not be able to adjust to Central’s culture, he may not be the best fit for the organization. Charlotte will have to go on maternity leave but it will be for a fixed period and she is already an internal employee which means she understands how the organization works.

Factors such as cost, orientation and employee morale change depending on whether Central Bank decides to do internal hiring versus external. By promoting Charlotte within the bank, costs are brought down along with minimal training as she will be familiar with the company system and culture. Employee morale will also increase, as individuals within the organization are promoted, causing others wanting to strive for better results and have increased motivation.

Reviewing exhibit 3 also helps with my decision as the responses provided by Charlotte are more concise and meaningful whereas some of Scott’s responses seem to be arrogant and James’ are not as strong. An example for Scott is, “I can’t say anything I’ve ever had to do was really that tough or difficult” and for James it’s, “the way we resolved it though was to hide the relationship, to the point where no one had any idea we were together.” Scott’s response can be questioned for arrogance as every individual has been through a point of dealing with a tough scenario especially in senior roles and for James, his response can be questioned for not being ethical? Is hiding something that is important for the bank to know, such as a relationship between two employees at the same branch, ethical?

Overall, I choose Charlotte as the successful candidate due to her experience with Central, her desire to move forward, her interview responses, her overall profile and most importantly her loyalty to Central Bank.

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References

Schwartz, M. S., & Copp, H. (2005). A Difficult Hiring Decision at Central Bank (Rep.).

Perry Atwal. Managing the Employment Relationship. 2016.