Staffing Orgs. (Dell) Essays - American Brands, Dell, Employment

Staffing Orgs. (Dell) Dell's mission is to be the most successful computer company in the world at delivering the best customer experience in markets we serve. In doing so, Dell will meet customer expectations of: ? Highest quality ? Leading technology ? Competitive pricing ? Individual and company accountability ? Best-in-class service and support ? Flexible customization capability ? Superior corporate citizenship ? Financial stability -Dell Mission Statement Company background Dells vision of excellence through quality, innovation, pricing, accountability, service and support, customization, corporate citizenship and financial stability is clear. This mission statement is clear and easy to understand. Producing quality work that leads to the achievement of these lofty goals becomes much more complicated than writing a simple mission statement. One thing is clear, the core capabilities of any business stem from the employees that comprise it. With over 36,000 employees, Dell is a member of the rapidly changing and expanding computer technology industry. This industry had achieved enormous growth in the last decade. Dells stock rose 29,000 percent in the 1990s and as of the second quarter in 1999; Dell was tied for first place in the market. Dell faces stiff competition from technology giants such as IBM, Hewlett Packard, and Compaq. With such robust expansion in the technology industry and the economy, it is becoming increasing difficult for companies such as Dell, who experienced a 56 percent growth in workforce in 1999, to fill positions with quality applicants. Dell is currently seeking applicants for positions in sales, corporate finance, engineering, manufacturing, and most especially, information technology. Dell currently hires approximately 2000 employees a quarter. With such rapid growth and expansion the temptation surfaces to simply fill a position with a body. Unless you have a good process in place, you run t he risk of not always hiring the best people. There can be a tendency to say We need people so badly, a fresh body is better than no body, as summed up by Steve Price, vice president of human resources for Dells Public and Americas International Group. To avoid this scenario, Dell has created a web-based Organizational Human Resource Planning (OHRP) process. These processes help a business unit focus on and anticipate growth and staffing needs. In addition the OHRP process allows managers to do their own succession planning, identify key jobs, and formulate competency planning and employee development. The OHRP process also tries to pick out qualities new employees will need by analyzing the skills and qualities of current top performers. This program has been highly successful as Dells profitability increased 59 percent in the same period that the workforce grew by 56 percent. Analysis of current recruiting practices Dells rapid growth and expansion requires recruiting processes to seek out and retain large numbers of qualified applicants. Dell begins its on campus recruitment at selected schools in the fall. The on campus recruitment takes place primarily at schools in the midwest, (Big 10), and southeast, (ACC). Dell typically makes three on campus visits to selected schools and when possible spreads these visits out over the term of the recruitment process. First round interviews take place on campus and prospects are notified with 48 hours if they are selected for a second interview. All second round interviews are conducted at Dells headquarters in Austin, Texas. Prospects are typically notified within 48 hours if Dell intends to offer them a position. Applicants who attend schools where Dell does not conduct on campus recruiting may apply on Dells website. Applicants submit a cover letter and resume to the website. Resumes and cover letters are then entered into a database where they are lo oked over by a Dell recruiter. Acceptable applicants are then contacted via phone for and initial interview. Applicants will be notified within 48 hours if a second interview is requested. Again all second round interviews are conducted in Austin and applicants that Dell intends to hire are notified within 48 hours. Either recruiting specialists or rotational recruiters who come from specific departments, such as the IT department, generally conduct interviews. Specialists from specific departments are generally used in time of peak hiring demand. These specialists are able to use their knowledge and experience to give a unique prospective, as they are the ones