Plan for Interviewing Candidates Including How Interviews Are to Be Managed, and Spell out the Criteria to Determine the Best Candidate

BUSN 250 Week 5 Paper

Christina Dadaian

Regent University

Abstract

This paper will demonstrate how to identify candidates and traits required for managers to be considered for international transfer, identify a plan for interviewing candidates including how interviews are to be managed, and spell out the criteria to determine the best candidate.

Objectives

        This company will soon be opening a construction plant in Sonora, Mexico to manufacture the very popular subcompact, the Chaperone. International assignments bring a unique set of challenges to the recruiters as well as the candidates. Since the new plant’s management will be transferred from various locations in the United States, it is critical that the criteria for selecting the manager who are going to be transferred are identified. It is also critical that there is an established strategy for interviewing and assessing which managerial candidates would be best suited for this new responsibility. The objective of this strategy document is to accomplish those critical factors in order to prepare the Sonora plant for success in its management and training.

Selection Criteria

        The most cost effective way to produce project success is to select the right person for the assignment to begin with (Bristol, 2014). Ideally, the selected employee’s skills, experience, background, and potential would align perfectly with the host location’s needs. It is essential to keep in mind that when the going gets tough (emphasis on the when) that the employee can cope with the added stress. Adjusting to a new culture, language, environment, and job surrounded by total strangers is going to be incredibly difficult. Perhaps the most important factor in choosing a candidate is that they understand the difficulty of the assignment, and are prepared for it. Some ways to identify a person who is prepared is to look for traits such as: patience, strong communication skills, emotional intelligence, open-mindedness, resourcefulness, adaptability, and sensitivity to cultural differences (Dessler, n.d.).

        Romans states that one should “rejoice in hope, be patient in tribulation, be constant in prayer” (Romans 12:12, English Standard Version). The ability to be patient in tribulation is an essential attribute to consider in selecting managers for the new plant. Anyone who has moved could probably share stresses and horror stories about the complications of the process. Moving to an entirely to country multiplies those struggles tenfold. Finding appropriate housing, enrolling children in school, shifting finances, obtaining registration cards, adjusting to cultural shocks, waiting on household goods to arrive, possibly learning a new language, and feeling out a new job all at once is a source of major stress. Those with little patience to draw on will find themselves and their family quickly overwhelmed (Bristol, 2014). Communication skills are vital to the success of the expat throughout the assignment, but especially once their move is complete. If there are significant issues, they need to be shared with home office. However, a lack of communication can leave the expat feeling as though they are simply out of sight and out of mind (Hamilton, 1990).

        Emotional intelligence and open-mindedness go hand-in-hand. While they are not exactly the same, the reasons behind require both traits are very similar. The person selected must be able to be a relationship-builder, since they are to balance the company’s need with the needs of the employees and their own needs. The success of the international assignment is contingent upon the manager’s ability to deal with their own transition along with team integration (Dessler, n.d.). They need to be receptive to a wide range of ideas and strategies to accomplish this. Resourcefulness and adaptability also go hand-in-hand. When things go wrong during the transition and initial phases, the expat needs to implement the resources around them to rectify the situation. These resources may be unfamiliar, but employees willing to build networks, learn about their new environment, and demonstrate responsibility will be more likely to succeed in these instances (Bristol, 2014).

Lastly, there is the criteria of the candidate’s sensitivity to cultural differences. The expat “is required to possess a certain degree of cultural toughness such as the ability to withstand cultural shock, past work experiences with diverse cultures, previous overseas travel history, knowledge of host country language” (Theo, 2013, p. 150). They must understand that the majority of people in their new work environment will come from a different background. A lack of knowledge on their new environment could lead them to do something considered strange, taboo, or even offensive. For example, Mexican culture puts family, even extended family, above all else, and considers helping family a responsivity. Americans will generally put their career ahead of having a family, and extended family is not often on the same level as immediate family (“Mexico”, 2016). Knowing this, one would not expect their Mexican employees to put their work ahead of their family time. An unwillingness to learn about, and abide by, the host country’s cultural practices could result in a divide between the manager and employees. Such a divide could impede productivity and cause a higher rate of turnover (Shibata, 2011).

Strategy for Interviewing

In order to select the right person for this international managerial role, senior management must have a guide to manage the interview process and determine the best candidate. Necessary characteristics have already been identified, but ensuring that a candidate has these characteristics is a battle in itself. It will require a qualified interviewer, careful planning of questions, and excellent discernment. After all, this decision will affect the chosen individual as much as it will affect the company. Just because one applies for the position does not mean they are qualified or prepared, and no favor is being done by choosing such a candidate.