What Skills and Qualities Employers in the Town Of Mullingar are looking for When Recruiting Job-Seekers?

By

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I am most thankful to my family colleagues and instructor for providing me assistance and guidance throughout the tenure of this research project. This research would not have been completed without their undue support.

DECLARATION

I declare that this study has not been published previously and represents my own work based on the secondary and the primary research analysis.

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to determine the skills and qualities that the employees seek in the job seekers in the town of Mullingar. The intent of this study is to determine and compare the views of the employers about the qualities or characteristics needed for entry into the workplace in the town of Mullingar. The employer perceptions on what qualities are important in obtaining a job are important to assure that these views align with reality in the market place. The results of the study will also be important to college of business instructors so that they will be able to assist students in appropriately identifying those work characteristics that are truly important to obtaining a position. The study conducted interview with the HR managers of the selected organizations and it was found that the focus of the managers is mostly on the strong interpersonal and work management skills. Personality of the candidates also account as being imperative on selection the employees. The generic qualities that organizations seek from their prospective employees include communication, interpersonal, and teamwork skills; cognitive skills, motivation; willingness and enthusiasm.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTII

DECLARATIONIII

ABSTRACTIV

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION1

1.1 Background1

1.2 Purpose of the Study2

1.3 Problem Statement3

1.4 Research Question4

1.5 Purpose, Rationale, and Significance of the Study4

1.6 Theoretical View of Organizational Recruitment4

1.6.1 Person-Job Fit Theory4

1.6.2 Person-Organization Fit Theory5

1.6.3 Social Identity Theory7

1.7 Organization of the Study8

1.8 Contents of the Chapters8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW10

2.1 Purpose of the Literature Review10

2.2 Main Source of Literature Review10

2.3 Skills and employment background in the town of Mullingar11

2.4 Personality Theories11

2.5 Big Five Personality12

2.6 Ability to fit in the Organizational Culture13

2.7 Organizational and Employee Fit14

2.8 Recruiting Talented Employees16

2.9 Summary of the Studies on Qualities Organizations Need and Seek from Employees19

2.10 Summary23

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY26

3.1 Research Methodology26

3.2 Rationale for Selecting the Methodology26

3.3 Sampling27

3.4 Variables28

3.4.1 Dependant Variable28

3.4.2 Independent Variable28

3.5 Data Collection Procedure28

3.5.1 Recording Data29

3.5.2 Developing Transcripts29

3.5.3 Coding Interview Responses29

3.5.4 Interpreting the Results30

3.6 Data Analysis Procedures30

3.7 Ethical Consideration32

3.8 Validity32

3.9 Reliability33

3.10 Limitations33

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS35

4.1 Education-Specific or Industry/Job-Specific Qualities Sought by Employers35

4.2 Generic Qualities Sought by Employers36

4.3 Communication, Interpersonal, and Teamwork Skills37

4.4 Cognitive Skills38

4.5 Motivation, Willingness and Enthusiasm38

4.6 Data/Information and Technology-Related Skills39

4.7 Time Management and Ability to Work under Pressure39

4.8 Leadership Skills39

4.9 Personality and Character39

4.10 Previous Work or Internship Experience40

4.11 Other Generic Qualities40

4.12 Summary41

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION43

5.1 The Trend of Hiring High Performing Individuals in Mullingar43

5.2 Relations of the Study with the Scholarly Work43

5.2.1 Specific Qualities Sought by Employers as Reflectors of Generic Qualities43

5.2.2 Successful recruitment Strategies to Identify High Performing Candidates45

5.3 Implications of the Findings46

5.4 Conclusion48

REFERENCES50

APPENDIX58

Research Questions58

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background

Recruitment is defined as the process of attracting individuals in sufficient number ...