Assessment 11: Restructuring at Bluechip Finance - HR Advisor Role

This assignment focuses on the HR Advisor role within the context of restructuring at Bluechip Finance. It begins with a detailed job description outlining the responsibilities, required skills, and qualifications for the position. The assignment then explores the rationale behind an effective attraction approach and advertisement strategy, including the use of specialist HR journals and agencies, and the incorporation of key information such as salary details and company benefits. A person specification is also provided, detailing the essential and desirable competencies, knowledge, experience, and skills required for the role. The assignment includes a selection criteria and shortlisting matrix, evaluating candidates based on skills, knowledge, and experience, along with a detailed scoring system. Finally, the document includes a personal statement outlining the collaborative process of creating these documents and the methodologies applied in the candidate selection, shortlisting matrix, and interview plan development.

Assessment 11 – Restructuring at Bluechip Finance
Part 2- Managing the Resourcing Campaign- Part A
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JOB DESCRIPTION
Job title: HR Advisor
Responsible to: HR Manager
Responsible for: None
Overall Purpose/Objectives of Role:
To provide a customer focused HR service offering professional advice and support on all
aspects of people management to staff and managers fully supporting current employment law
and best practice.
To give maximum support to the relevant candidates about varied sort of activities that are
related to HR like communicating policies to relevant candidates. Along with this, keeping track
record of employee’s absenteeism and performance measurement of employees (Costen,
2012). Developing strategies for retention of employees at the workplace.
Ensure all HR policies, procedures and all line managers and employees adhere to processes,
preventing/addressing any noncompliance as appropriate.
The Role:
x Provide first line advice on day to day HR issues and service requests, ensuring
customer’s expectations have been met.
x Support employees and managers and work to improve and maintain employee
engagement.
x Manage Disciplinary and Grievance issues by coaching and supporting managers.
x Work closely with and support managers with Absence and Performance Management.
x Provide support on all Project and Change Management activities (McGraw, 2011).
x Provide advice and assistance on Policies and Procedures.
x Advise managers on Recruitment and Selection strategies. x Negotiate terms and
conditions of employment with staff.
x Update and maintain the HR Information System data.
x Write and present information briefings on a range of HR related topics including
Employee Relations (Guide to data protection, 2017).
x Advise Managers on Staff Development and issues related to Workplace and Employee
lifecycle.
x Contributing to the continuous improvement of HR systems and practice.
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PERSON SPECIFICATION
Competencies Essentials & Desirables
Knowledge x Strong understanding of varied provision that are related to
different laws like employment law etc (E)
x Knowledge of relevant HR policies (E)
x Good working knowledge of HR systems (E)
x Must have past years of experience in preparing and executing
policies that are related to employing individuals at the
workplace (D) (Ofori and Aryeetey, 2011).
Experience x Proven generalist HR experience (E)
x Experience of dealing with senior/challenging individuals (E)
x Experience of working in a fast paced and high volume
environment (E)
x A level of CIPD study or relevant experience (E)
x Previous experience of working in generalist role at advisory
level (D)
Skills x Must be proficient in both oral and non-oral communication (E)
x Excellent attention to detail and records information accurately
(E)
x Confident in advising managers on all aspects of people
management and development (E)
x Ability to build rapport with key personnel (E)
x Excellent organisation skills, including the ability to manage
and prioritise workloads (E) (Cabellero and Walker, 2010)
x Must be able to make use of MS packages in proper manner (E)
x Ability to prepare and present reports to director level (D)
All Employees must comply with the Companies Equal Opportunities and Dignity at
Work Policy
These lists are not exhaustive and the job holder may be required to undertake other
reasonable duties from time to time. The Company reserves the right to revise this job
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description and person specification when necessary, following consultation with the
post holder.
Rationale for Agreed Attraction Approach and Advertisement
In my opinion I think we should advertise the role of HR Advisor in specialist HR Journals like
Personnel Today, ExpertHR, Recruit as it will target the right candidates with essential HR
experience, another medium which I would also consider recruiting through are specialist HR
agencies like Hays etc to attract the most eligible caliber of candidates with HR experience.
The bold title highlights the role of the HR Advisor we aim to advertise and we have also included
all the key information, which needs to be advertised like salary details, Job type, Reference
Number, Closing Date and additional benefits like Staff Travel to attract the right candidates to
show the company cares and looks after their staff well. We have also advertised Equality and
Diversity line to avoid discrimination and to show how our company emphasizes on a diverse
workforce. In addition to this we have also added the Investors in People logo to demonstrate that
we are committed to developing our employees.
We have used a best professional format as per the key industry standards and have highlighted it
in colour to make to make it more attractive and stand and stand out amongst other the adverts in
green. The job re
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We require a delivery focused and confident HR Advisor with the ability to provide expert HR advice
and support to line managers and colleagues across the business.
We provide finance related problems solutions and are operating in industry for more than 35 years in
the industry. We are innovative and believe in catering needs of the stakeholders that are important
part of our business. Thus, clients are highly satisfied from our services (Ash, Hodge and Connell,
2013).
x Offer full, generalist HR delivery providing first line advice on day to day HR issues.
x Improve employee engagement.
x Involvement with various HR based projects.
x Work closely with and support managers with absence and performance management.
x Advising on HR policies and procedures.
x Advising on recruitment and selection strategies.
Successful applicant will have the following attributes:
 Full/part CIPD qualified or 2 years of relevant HR experience, with at least 1 year in an advisory
role.
 Must possess knowledge of advanced software’s of Microsoft and other firms.
 Must have good communication skills and should be able to communicate with stakeholder in better
way and in effective manner.
 Strong communication skills (Timming, 2015).
 Candidate must have knowledge of employment law in respect to
HR.
 Working experience in financial sector will be added advantage.
This role offers a generous salary to the employees and along with this varied other benefits will be
provided to the employees. In this regard flexible holidays will be offered to the customers and
insurance as well as health benefits will also be given to the employees of the organization.
Selection Criteria & Shortlisting Matrix
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Responsibilities include:
Benefits include:
To Apply:

Scoring Criteria:
Score Resul
t Score Resul
t Score Resul
t Score Resul
t
Essential Criteria
Skills
Excellent interpersonal, written and
verbal communication skills
3
Knowledge
Strong understanding and knowledge
of relevant HR policies and
employment law
2
Experience
Experience of working in a fast paced
and high volume environment
1
Essential Total
Desirable Criteria
Experience
Previous experience of working in a
generalist role at advisory level
3
Skills
Proficient in the use of MS Office
applications, email and internet
2
Knowledge
Experience in the development and
implementation of employment
policies and procedures
1
Desirable Total
Overall Total
Comments
Fully Meets: 2 Meets in Part: 1 Does Not Meet: 0
6
Weighting
Candidate 1
Candidate 2
Candidate 3
Candidate 4

Selection Criteria & Shortlisting Matrix
Scoring Criteria:
Score Resul
t Score Resul
t Score Resul
t Score Resul
t
Essential Criteria
Skills
Excellent interpersonal, written and
verbal communication skills
3 1 3 2 6 2 6 2 6
Knowledge
Strong understanding and knowledge
of relevant HR policies and
employment law
2 1 2 1 2 1 2 1 2
Experience
Experience of working in a fast paced
and high volume environment
1 2 2 2 2 2 2 1 1
Essential Total 7 10 10 9
Desirable Criteria
Experience
Previous experience of working in a
generalist role at advisory level
3 0 0 1 3 0 0 0 0
Skills
Proficient in the use of MS Office
applications, email and internet
2 2 4 2 4 2 4 2 4
Knowledge
Experience in the development and
implementation of employment
policies and procedures
1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 1
Desirable Total 4 7 4 5
Overall Total 11 17 14 14
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Weighting
Kaur
Kuljit
Niburska
Anna
Steve Duffy
Pottle
Jennifer

Comments
Previous roles
predominantly
administration
based
Customer facing
& managerial
roles
Communicatio
n at all levels
Understand &
implementatio
n of policies –
not necessarily
HR related
Fully Meets: 2 Meets in Part: 1 Does Not Meet: 0
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My Personal Statement for Allocation of Work
Job Description/Person Specification/ Job Advertisement
I started by creating a Job Description, Advert and Person specification and sent these documents
to Sarah and asked her for feedback and to make relevant changes as necessary. Sarah had
created her documents and then we reviewed them and Sarah then compiled important
information from her and my documents and created rough drafts of the documents and then sent
them to me to review. I further added some more points in the Job description to fit the criteria of 8
points, as well as reviewed the Person Specification and split the Skills, Knowledge and
Experience by segregating it down to Essentials and Desirables to make it look more clear and
concise. I then sent the documents to Sarah to review. Sarah then collated our information and
compiled it together to design and create an attractive Advert fit for purpose as per the criteria
including all the features under AIDA and sent it to me to review. I further made some changes in
the Advert and also added a few important bits of important information in the advert to make it fit
for purpose and sent it to Sarah to review. We both then jointly discussed and approved on all the
final points and the formats of all the 3 documents together and then created them accordingly to
fit the criteria required.
Selection Criteria/Shortlisting Matrix
Sarah and myself had already discussed and completed this activity in the workshop. We started
by reviewing the CV’s of all the job applicants and then discussed about the most important
competencies required by the ideal candidate to perform the role in terms of Skills, Knowledge and
Experience. We both then discussed and came up with a rough draft of shortlisting matrix and
scoring criteria. We further also reviewed each of the candidate CV’s together and scored them
against our essential shortlisting criteria which S
kills
Excellent interpersonal, written and verbal communication skills
Knowledge
Strong understanding and knowledge of relevant HR policies and employment law
Experience
Experience of working in a fast paced and high volume environment
and then came up with the joint conclusion of as to which candidate had scored the highest marks
and was the best fit and the most ideal of the candidates to be interviewed. We both made a
decision that we wanted to interview Rebecca and our second choice to interview was Anna as
they both had closely matched our job criteria. We both then provided appropriate feedback to
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candidates regarding their CV’s. Sarah then created a rough draft of the shortlisting matrix that we
had jointly agreed on in the workshop and sent it to me to review and we both together agreed on
the final shortlisting matrix together.
Interview Plan/Assessment Matrix
Sarah and I had already discussed the draft and format of the interview plan together in the
workshop. We both then created our own set of competency based interview questions, which we
thought would help us to assess the suitability of the candidates to perform the role. I created a
draft of an interview plan and sent it to Sarah with my set of interview questions. Sarah then
complied all the information together and created a Interview Plan with her set of questions
and sent it to me to review. I reviewed the plan and added my questions in it and also made
the relevant changes and sent it to Sarah with my feedback. Sarah then collated all the
information and drafted the final interview plan, which we both reviewed and finalized the
format together. I then took the responsibility of drafting the Interview scoring assessment
matrix. I sent it Sarah to review who then provided her feedback and inputs and I then
compiled all the information that we both agreed on and created the final interview scoring
matrix. Sarah and I have both agreed to conduct the interview by splitting the work together.
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Interview Plan
Confirm who is to be present on the interviewing panel
Confirm availability of all those on the interviewing panel
Agree a date for the interviews to take place
Agree the format of the interviews i.e. competency based
Developing job description document in respect to which question will be
asked to interviewee in interview (Kumari, 2012).
Determining skills that an individuals must possess to do a job. Apart from this, abilities and
competencies that an individual must have is also determined before taking an interview.
Preparing a set of questions that will be asked in the interview to the interviewees in the interview to
make judgment about their knowledge and skills level.
x Book an appropriate meeting room for the interviews to be held
x Prepare an interview schedule
x Confirm details with candidate o Location o Date/Time o Expected duration of interview
o Indication of interview process i.e. panel interview/competency based o Confirm if
candidate required to bring documentation i.e. proof of qualifications o Check if candidate
has any special requirements o Confirm contact details for any queries and ask candidate
to confirm attendance
x Notify Reception/Security of interview dates, times and candidate names and who to notify on their
arrival
x Script the interview by preparing an outline for the opening, body, and closing.
x Arrange a pre-meeting between those on the interviewing panel to confirm the roles of each person
and the distribution of questions amongst the interviewers.
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Prior to Interview

Welcome
Priyali Ramnathkar
At the beginning of the interview, welcome the applicant and offer refreshments. Put candidate at ease
by asking questions such as how was your journey?
x Introduction of panel members and their roles o Introduce
colleague and fellow interviewer Sarah Jaz
Priyali Ramnathkar
x Thank candidate for attending today and outline the structure of the interview
o Competency based interview where we will ask a series of questions to help assess your
suitability to perform the critical tasks of the role
x Confirm that the interview will be approximately 20-30 minutes long.
x Advise that during the interview, panel members will take turns to ask questions and we will take
notes to ensure that all information is captured.
x Advise that there will be an opportunity at the end of the interview to ask any questions or add any
other comments, however if candidate has any questions or requires clarification during the
interview please do not hesitate to ask.
x Ask the candidate if they have any questions before you begin.
x Briefly outline the key aspects of the role. o We require a delivery
focused and confident HR Advisor
o Ability to provide expert HR advice and support to line managers and colleagues across
the business fully supporting current employment law and best practice.
ƒ People management
ƒ Policies and procedures, terms and conditions of employment
ƒ Absence and performance management
ƒ Learning and development,
ƒ Restructuring and recruitment and retention. o Ensure all HR policies &
procedures are adhered, preventing/addressing any noncompliance.
Interview Questions
Priyali Ramnathkar
Knowledge & Skills
Provide an example of when you have used effective communication skills or have adapted a
communication style to suit different people/situations?
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