Apple's Human Resource Management Case Study

Apple's Human Resource Management Case Study

Recruitment Approaches Best Suitable for Apple:

Apple's talent acquisition channels should aim to go beyond the traditional methods of making use of print advertisements and agencies and focus towards integration of newer and more broad-scoped methods of job boards and virtual social networks.

Making use of referrals and targeting the most innovative skill-set based individuals in the top-notch colleges is also an excellent method of tapping into potential quality human resource. Referrals are an excellent mode of attracting new employees while allowing the company the additional benefit of aligning the on-board talent and the talent needs. Typically the referrals method is so effective that more than 25% of new talent in a company comes through this channel. Apple caters to an industry that relies on rapid innovation and timely new product development, feeding on a plethora of creative ideas to meet the demands of its customers world-wide. Also the company has adopted a “secrecy” policy towards safeguarding the execution of its core projects and processes in an attempt to maintain its competitive advantage. As the referrals method helps build channels and as Apple struggles to maintain an autonomous control over its core processes, this method will help Apple “mine” the networks of the most apt candidates with the most befitting work histories and networks. The use of private recruiting agencies can help Apple in the acquisition of leadership positions and positions that require diverse or concentrated specialties. The costs associated with this channel are however high. Still, the use of this method is recommended because Apple enjoys the advantage of “name recognition” making the talent acquisition process more productive (Silzer and Dowell, 2009).

Recruiter Traits and Behaviors for Successful Recruiting Campaign

Recruiters can play an essential role in managing and affecting the job choices made by the applicants particularly in key positions. Specifically in relevance to the recruitment campaign for Apple, the need for trained recruiters who are informative and trustworthy is essential. The targeted talent for Apple consists of highly creative individuals who are more prone to be put-off by a recruitment process with an overt emphasis on the “selection” process. Therefore, Apple must deploy recruiters who are able to build and retain the interest of the candidates. Also, pertaining to the technical specifications of the jobs requiring high skills and creativity; Apple must make the decision between recruiters that are human resource specialists or experts at a particular job. For senior and supervisory positions, I recommend making use of both types of recruiters, as a team, in order to gauge the competency, commitment and devotion towards the proposed job. For executive levels, Apple may employ its experts as recruiters. Studies reveal that candidates associate higher credibility to recruiters that are experts at particular jobs as opposed to HR specialists. In relation to the industry Apple caters to; the technical competency of the recruiter is a key factor affecting its recruitment output.

Three Ways for Effective HR Planning

Environmental Scanning

The first and foremost need for ...