1. What are some of the possible reasons Scott did not seek or receive advice from her immediate supervisor? Regardless of the source from which employees are recruited-internally or externally-managers play a key role in expanding the talent pools of the firms"(p.200). There a couple of things that stand out in this case study. One, Scott has low self-esteem, putting herself down by feeling inferior because of “just” having a high school education and not some college. This lack of self-worth radiates negativity, the appearance of a lack of ambition and satisfaction with the current level of responsibility. Secondly, she does not seem to communicate well with her supervisors about training opportunities that would allow her to grow within the organization. But instead, takes it on herself to apply for positions clearly out of her comfort zone. This only confirms to her that the status quo cannot be changed and she has no chance to ever finding a better position. Then, she finally signs up for accounting classes to better her chances for a higher paying job, and misses the opportunity to use it as a selling point for her own ambitions. Scott did not set clear goals for herself when she applied for the different jobs offered through her company, instead the indiscriminately chose job opportunities that paid a better wage/salary than her current job. This demonstrates a lack of mentorship, direction and career development opportunities by her supervisors or managers. "Good managers listen to their employees' aspirations, act as coaches, identify their strengths and areas for improvement, and offer the continual feedback about their performance" (p. 200). The case study creates the impression that no one even took the time to assess her talents or discussed meaningful career planning as part of employee evaluations. Even if she seems to lack potential as perceived by her supervisors, without proper counseling and identifying her strengths and weaknesses, Scott does not know her own aptitude. 2. After reviewing the chapter, suggest all possible ways that Scott can prepare her-self for career advancement. One of the most important decisions for Scott is identifying future personal and professional goals and ambitions. She already knows how a mediocre job affects her economic status and job satisfaction. A first step in shaping her future, even done haphazardly, is enrolling in accounting classes. Scott needs to start looking at an in-depth self-evaluation to answer questions about desired income, career progression and even if changing organizations is a more advantageous career move. "A variety of resources are available to aid in the process of schooling a satisfying career path" (p. 233). She has to pick a career field she likes, find out the skills required and research educational institutions (community colleges, vocational schools) and training classes to teach her the necessary skills. Based on whatever revelation she uncovers, she has to funnel that into her job search, whether external or internal to her organization. Once she has direction it will be easier to pick and apply for job offers, instead of just applying randomly. It is imperative for her professional growth to insist on career and performance counseling. This will uncover her weaknesses and strengths. “Managers can help with the process by offering their subordinates continual feedback about their performance and provide them with self-assessment tools, training, and information about the organization and possible career paths within it” (p. 202). Another essential factor is finding the balance between personal and professional life. Case Study 2 (p. 284): Cleaning Up the Resu-Mess 1. What impact do you think résumé screening tools are having on HR departments? The economy is still in recovery mode and companies see increases in the number of applicants for positions they advertise. Screening tools provide a more efficient approach in selecting qualified applicants. Efficiency is expressed in saving resources like time and money. "Developing explicit evaluation criteria and a structured way to review resumes can help make the process less subjective" (p. 247). Scanning software can very quickly eliminate applications that do not meet the basic requirements of a position. HR personnel and managers have to develop, very carefully, what the criteria is and which words the software should search for. The better thought-out this process is, the better the results of pre-selection. This process can assist in improving and streamlining the resume management and hiring more qualified applicants. To narrow the field further companies use phone interviews. Employers can extract a lot more information and learn about the communication and listening skills of an applicant, level of education, experience and professionalism. HR personnel must develop a standardized questionnaire to ensure fairness for all applicants and eliminate, as much as possible, the personal biases. Video resumes are an option with some firms. Managers can get an impression on how well the applicants present themselves and how articulate they are. Again, HR has to prepare guidelines for a fair assessment. HR personnel has to constantly evaluate new resume tools against validity of results and whether or not they are a legal means to engage applicants. Application forms generated by the hiring company provide a methodical means of obtaining a variety of consistent information about the applicant as it relates to the company’s needs. 1. What competitive advantages do you see in using résumé screening tools? “The cost of one type of miss would be the direct and indirect expense of hiring an employee who turns out to be unsuccessful” (p. 243). Resume screening software, with its capability to filter resumes based on specific word searches, provides fast retrieval of essential information and they save time. It allows hiring managers to be ahead of the game and influence the ratio of expense and hiring a successful employee. Better information and process reliability captures applicant capabilities quicker. This could shorten the time for validation of potential applicants and fill vacancies sooner. 1. Do you see any drawbacks associated with them, and, if so, how might they be addressed? With the large amount of applications some organizations receive for their vacancy announcements, a person with all the right credentials and qualifications might not get the chance to interview because they don’t use the right key words for the software to pick up on. While telephonic pre-interviews are one way to measure an applicant’s aptitude, face-to-face might work better for some, including myself. I am much more comfortable talking to someone in person and observe their reaction to my comments. The observation really goes both ways, no matter if you are the applicant or the interviewer. Most job announcements are posted either on the company’s website or some other web based media. This invites a lot of people who really don’t fit the qualification criteria. Sometimes there seems to be a lack of a refined selection process, which results in an abundance of applications. HR really has to define the job requirement and description very detailed. A lot of knowledge into the job is necessary to pull this off.