IBM and KPMG Recruitment Practices

Introduction

In the modern corporate world, the success of organizations lies not just in pre-established goals and missions but also on the organizational workforce. Employees from an essential part of an organization, with their performance, code of conduct and responsibilities, contributing to the development of the company. As such, corporate management needs to undertake rigorous recruitment and selection practices to ensure that they acquire the requisite qualifications and capabilities that not only suit a specific job requirement but adds value to the organization.

These practices form one of the most essential roles of the human resource department and aim at recruiting and selecting the appropriate and most decent candidate for an available position. The process is categorized into internal and external recruitment, each with accrued benefits and disadvantages. Internal recruitment gives the available chances to assume higher employment roles within the organization leading to employee satisfaction, which translates into corporate success. On the other hand, the external recruitment process is more costly than internal recruitment but leads to a more diverse workforce. This paper analyses the imperative role of employee recruitment activities of IBM and KPMG and gives an insight into the importance and impacts of MBTI profiling in the recruitment procedures of the IBM Company.

Recruitment Activities in IBM and KPMG Companies

Both IBM and KPMG have adopted competency-based recruitment practices, which aim at recruiting the most appropriate candidate for every employment opportunity. The competency-based approach enables HR management to recruit the most suitable candidate who meets the specified traits of the available position best. Additionally, the process considers appropriate personal characteristics which would lead to efficient and superior performance when carrying out the duties one will be entitled. The competency-based approach insists on applicant competencies that are suitable for promoting and enhancing corporate success. Among these competencies, one may list team orientation, management and customer focus, communication abilities, people management, and problem-solving skills.

In both IBM and KPMG companies, the recruitment process starts with advertising available job opportunities, complemented with the job description and specification of personality characteristics. Job description, analysis, and personal specifications are identified after the case of recruitment is established, which may be after the resignation of one of the workers, dismissal, or increased workload. Job analysis determines the appropriateness of each job in organizational development, purposing to outline its purpose and the most relevant personality traits suitable for the position. IBM and KPMG utilize distinct methods to gather the data for job analysis, such as observation, interviews, and questionnaires. On the other hand, personal specifications outline human attributes, such as the required level of education and features of character seen as necessary for a particular vacancy. In KPMG, individual specifications are drawn up using Roger’s seven-point plan, whereas IBM adopts both Rodger’s seven-point plan and Fraser’s five-point plan. These frameworks are used to attract potential employees, with interested candidates applying using curriculum vitae, which is sent to the human resource department.

The attraction of applicants is succeeded by the reduction process, which aims at reducing the pool of applications received. The reduction process is performed both directly by using personal specifications criteria set during job description and indirectly through the pre-set recruitment activities. Among the processes involved in the reduction procedure, it is possible to include filtering screening, assessment of the curriculum vitae, and short-listing of successful applicants, who will be called for interview. The short-listing process allows reducing the number of applicants to a manageable size in relation to the organizational resources and listing candidates with the requisite competencies for the available job. The selection procedure follows afterward, continuing the entire recruitment process, which aims at selecting the most suitable applicants to assume the available vacancy. The selection process may be made systematic, but it remains highly subjective since it depends on the personal judgment of the interviewers. Other subjective qualities considered during the selection process in IBM and KPMG include type and level of the available vacancy, accuracy demanded, cost and time required, as well as the abilities of the managers. The selection process starts with ability or aptitude tests, which tests applicants’ verbal, abstract and logical reasoning, numeric and technical skills among other traits. These tests increase the quality of selection decisions and help in measuring attributes that are difficult to assess during interviews, thereby reducing the subjectivity of the selection process.

After aptitude tests, IBM and KPMG call successful applicants for group discussion rounds, which evaluate individual general knowledge and teamwork skills. Scores of the aptitude tests and group discussions are used to supplement the interview. Interviews at IBM and KPMG play two primary roles: identifying the most suitable applicant for the job and informing the successful candidate about the job and the organization. Interviews are undertaken by a panel of interviewers, who ask different questions to various applicants to determine their appropriateness for the job. The committee in charge of selection informs all interviewees, including those who are unsuccessful, regarding the results of the interview. The successful ones are offered the job and inducted into the workplace context in order to help them acclimatize as well as adjust to their jobs. Acceptance of the offered position by the successful applicant formalizes the employer-employee relationships with IBM and KPMG.

Myers-Briggs Type Indicator

Myers-Briggs type indicator (MBTI) is an imperative assessment that helps individuals gain insights about themselves and how they interact with others. The MBTI is essential in assisting individuals in the improvement of their communication skills and levels of learning and working. The appraisal provides a robust framework for building better relationships with others, harness innovations, drive positive changes, and achieve excellence. The appraisal is categorized into two forms, form M and form Q, which constitutes the two steps of MBTI self-appraisal. Type M comprises the first step of MBTI and identifies individuals’ four-letter personality types and provides fundamental knowledge on how individuals interact with each other and the world. This type of an MBTI framework is applied to handle a wide range of issues in personal and professional relations. The other step of MBTI is the type Q that delves beyond the four-letter structure of step M, uncovering various aspects which make each of them exceptional from others. These personalized insights are ideal for action planning, team building, and training. The MBTI appraisal is more popular than other appraisals since it is flexible in options and applicability, insightful and backed by excellent guidance and support through CPP’s global distributor network.

MBTI profile is necessary while working as a financial officer in IBM, where individuals’ analytical skills, theoretical knowledge in economics and forecasting skills are required. Financial officers in IBM company are required to display strong analytical skills in their operations, which are imperative in drawing relevant economic decisions from various events. Additionally, financial officers in IBM are expected to possess strong forecasting skills and have the requisite knowledge in interpreting statistical facts and figures, with a succinct command in mathematical jargons. My MBTI profile will assist in team development by easing communication amongst my team members. Moreover, it will help the company identify various strengths and weaknesses of the team, enabling it to create appropriate actions for improved performance. MBTI profile will assist in conflict management by improving personal skills in order to identify sources of conflicts, thereby allowing early interventions that prevent the occurrence of conflicts. Early conflicts interventions help to prevent disruption, disengagements, and underperformance leading to corporate success. What is more, the MBTI profile will assist the IBM HR management in managing job-related stress and build resilience, increasing employee productivity, which translates into corporate success. The appraisal helps in career switch and planning by guiding individuals on appropriate career choices based on personal traits.

My MBTI profile is an extrovert individual, who uses thoughts rather than feeling and judgment rather than perception. Additionally, I use intuition rather than sensing possibilities. I like imagining about various workplace opportunities, and how to achieve them using my inventive mind. My personal MBTI profile will assist the employer in determining whether I possess the requisite skills and experience required for the post. Furthermore, the MBTI profile will assist in identifying the levels of my enthusiasm and motivation, determining whether I am the right candidate befitting the vacancy, with respect to my attitude, personality and general style of work.

Part Two

I am writing to express my interest in the position of a Financial Analyst Intern, under the Finance Leadership Development Program (FLDP) as listed on your website. I am in my third year of study, undertaking a Bachelor’s degree in Economics. Additionally, I have high-level financial knowledge and skills, such as financial and strategic planning, managing profitability, quality management, budget development, and financial forecasting skills. This expertise and competencies have been sharpened over time, through my education and various on- and off-job training.

Appropriate training has imparted me with appropriate skill imperative in recruitment, selection counseling, training and monitoring appraisals, which are requisite in promoting corporate growth. I have the necessary financial and accounting knowledge, with relevant corporate finance competencies, which are fundamental to the success of the company. These financial and accounting skills are crucial to cash management skills, ability to manage financial functions as well as cash management techniques. Moreover, I possess adequate mathematical and computational skills gained through relevant training, and I am proficient in various accounting practices, policies, and regulations which are applicable to IBM Corporation. These knowledge and skills make me a better choice for the post of a financial analyst at IBM.

I am an honest and self-righteous individual, with uncompromising ethics and integrity standards. These features will enable me to develop and maintain confidence among all stakeholders. My obdurate ethical and integrity standards provide me an edge to follow throughout the appropriate financial and accounting practices, which will translate to corporate success. Additionally, I have an in-depth understanding of IBM operations, including its accounting procedures, giving me an edge to add value to the company through proper implementation of set accounting policies and practices. Through interaction with various corporate leaders, I have acquired the appropriate strategic vision and leadership skills, allowing me to demonstrate strong leadership within financial departments. What is more, I am an excellent team player, with requisite interpersonal skills, which enables me to interact and motivate others. My strong interpersonal skills enable a competitive attribute of interacting and communicating with fellow workers, sharing valuable information for corporate development. Apart from that, I have excellent verbal and writing communication skills, which are of great value in turnaround situations. In case my application will be confirmed, I will use my good communication skills to articulate financial information amongst all stakeholders since proper communication of financial information is an imperative aspect of promoting stakeholders’ satisfaction.

In addition, I have strong work ethics which will continue guiding all my operations as a financial analyst in IBM. I follow the principle of untarnished integrity with strict conformity to established professional standards of finance, such as honesty and accountability. Besides, I am willing to work extra hours, if needed, to complete the tremendous amounts of work relating to the role of a financial analyst. My strong work ethics will allow me to concentrate on all financial functions required for the considered application since financial information requires extreme attention to the tiniest details.

Being a strategic thinker, I will help the company to create and implement appropriate business plans, which will translate into extemporal performance. Also, I have excellent problem-solving abilities, which will be of great value in turnaround situations, as well as abrupt business uncertainties and changing business internal and external environments. My versatility to various uncertainties will be handy in steering IBM forward amidst unfavorable situations. Moreover, my reliability will ensure that I produce accurate and timely financial information even when working under intense workplace pressures and uncertainties. These traits, coupled with my in-depth knowledge of IBM operations, resource availability and financial complexities, will be critical in formulating a workable plan to secure the future of the company.

My strong financial foresight and forecasting skills will assist me to develop appropriate financial organizational strategies for IBM. I will develop these financial strategies after establishing critical measurements of current production, quality, and customer relation strategies, which forms the basis of corporate growth. This trait will be beneficial especially in foreseeing issues relating to financial management and addressing them to protect the company against possible loss. My economic foresight trait will allow me to form appropriate financial strategies and initiatives imperative in improving business performance.

Working for IBM Corporation appeals to me since it has an excellent reputation as an employer, and a company that adds value to employees through its excellent on- and off-job training packages. Your company produces high-quality goods, and I can contribute to this process with my various skills as outlined above.

I am available for interview and can be contacted at any time of the day using the contacts provided. I look forward to meeting you.