Question

the subject of human resources management

Kinaxis is a software company headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, that sells to clients around the world. Its specialty is software for supply chain management – all the processes and relationships through which companies obtain supplies as needed and get their products to customers on time and at minimal cost. This is a sophisticated type of product, tailored to a company’s specific needs. Therefore, depends on salespeople who understands how businesses work, who listen carefully to identify needs, and who provide excellent customer service to maintain long-term business relationships. Recently, Bob Dolan, Vice President for sales at Kinaxis, needed to hire a sales team to serve clients in North America. The company had just one salesperson serving the continent, and Dolan wanted to add four more. He received about 100 resumes and wanted to select from these. He started by reviewing the resumes against job requirements and selected 20 candidates for a first round of interviews. The interview process helped Dolan cut the list of candidates in half, so he needed another way to narrow his options.

Dolan decided his next step would be personality testing. He hired a firm called Opus Productivity Solutions to administer a test called PDP ProScan to remaining 10 candidates. In addition, Dolan himself took the test and had his current sales rep do the same. The existing salesperson was doing an excellent job, so the results of his test could help Dolan and Opus pinpoint the characteristics of someone likely to succeed in sales at Kinaxis. Based an analysis of all the results, Opus created a benchmark of traits associated with success in the job. Representatives from Opus also discussed the test results with each candidate, giving each one a chance to disagree with the scores. No one did. Dolan observed that all the candidates scored high in assertiveness and extroversion – not surprising for people in sales. In addition, two of them scored above the benchmark in conformity and below the benchmark in dominance. Those results suggested to Dolan that these candidates might be so eager to please that they would be quick to give in to whatever customers requested – a pattern that could become costly for the company.

Dolan eliminated those two candidates. That meant Dolan still had eight candidates to fill four positions. He asked each one to give him the names of major accounts he or she had signed up in the previous two years. Four candidates were able to come up with three or four large clients. Those were the candidates Dolan hired. Since then Dolan says his experience with personality testing has only reinforced his belief that this selection method helps Kinaxis identify the best candidates. For Example, one sales rep had scored low on “pace”, indicating that the individual might lack the patience needed for the slow cycles required to close a sale of a complex software system. Dolan hoped the issue could be overcome if he provided enough coaching, but in fact, the sales rep sometimes behaved impatiently, annoying prospects. After three years of trying to help him grow into the job, Dolan laid him off.

The company’s commitment to careful selection is expressed on its website: “As a growing and determined company, we’re always looking for people eager to push the limits each day of what’s possible”. Kinaxis was recently named one of Canada’s top employees for young people.

Discussion questions:

1. What selection methods did Bob Dolan use for hiring salespeople? Did he go about using these methods in the best order? What if anything, would you change about the order of the methods?

(at least 1 page)       

2. Given the information gathered from the selection methods, what process did Dolan use to make his selection decision? What improvements can you recommend to this process for decisions to hire sales reps in the future? (at least 1 page)       

please do not copy from the internet I needed unique ans

Answer 1

1. Bob Dolan uses a personality test for hiring salespeople in Kinaxis. I think he didn't use this personality test in the best way. Because he used this method just when the candidates were around 10 in number. This was not an effective move from his side, he should have used the personality test from the very beginning when he was starting the interview process may be when candidates were around 20 or more. So that it can turn out to be a more effective selection process because this way they will not skip the candidates who have a good personality and suitable for the sales representatives of Kinaxis.

2. This is what Bob Dolan did when he was recruiting a new sales representative team for Kinaxis. Dolan hoped to hire four representatives from a stack of about 100 resumes. Reviewing the resumes against job requirements and selected 20 candidates for the first round of interviews. After interviewing 20 candidates, he whittled the list down to 10 candidates and tapped Opus Productivity Solution to administer a test called PDP ProScan test. All the candidates scored as highly assertive and extroverted. But compared with the benchmark, two candidates scored too high in conformity and too low in dominance. To Dolan, that signaled that they might be too eager to please and more like to cave to a prospective customer, no matter the cost. He cut those two and subjected the remaining candidates to a lengthy reference check. He had them provide the names of major accounts that they had closed in the past 24 months. So, he ended up hiring the applicants who had been able to close at least three or four big accounts. Those were the process did Dolan use to make his selection decision.

Improvements that I can recommend to this process for decisions for hiring the sales representatives in the future are when the candidates gave the resumes, the one who reviews the resume can be from people outside the company. Like Opus people or may the people who know how to check the resumes effectively so that they can review the personality just by checking the resumes of the candidates.

The other recommendation is the step after interviewing the candidates can be to directly provide the names of major accounts from that direct process so the company can see a big effort and directly can see the performance of the candidates. From my recommendation, the company can lower the cost of providing the test or something that just costs for hiring people.