1.1.Title

Challenges of Recruitment and Selection Processes in Local Non-Government Organisation in Syria

1.2.Background

In the recent times, the business world is constantly changing and innovating itself due to various factors such as globalization and growth of competition across various sectors, therefore organisations, especially local non-governmental ones have to respond quickly to the requirements of the general public. Based on such situations, it has become a challenge for most of the non-government organisations to adopt such practices which would help them stand-out in the whole market. For example, a report published by Heydemann (2013) suggested that the competitiveness of the organisation is primarily dependent on the quality of the products or services which are being provided to the consumers which suggest that the genius brain is the main requirement to offer the best possible provisions to the consumers (Ayoubi, Alzarif and Khalifa, 2017). Based on this discussion, it is quite evident that the functionality of Human Resource Management has become a crucial function in any organisation regardless of whether it is a government or non-government firm, this is mainly because the employees help the organisations to be more productive, efficient and innovative in their working procedures and competitive. Therefore, having a well-defined recruitment and selection policy is of fundamental importance, which helps the organisation to effectively acquire the best fit for their vacant positions (Rane and Courty, 2020).

According to various research, is has been observed that recruitment and selection has been a major challenge for the countries that are developing and are faced by poverty, and Syria is one of those countries. For example, selection of an inappropriate candidate or rejecting the appropriate candidate can be one the biggest and costliest mistake that an organisation can make (Ibeh and Kasem, 2011). As a consequence of all the provided situation, it has become extremely important that if an organisation wants to grow then it needs to have the best possible practices of recruitment and selection, alongside dealing all the challenges associated with these Human Resource Management functions which will allow these organisations to be more efficient and effective when it comes to attracting the most the best possible manpower (Ayoubi, Alzarif and Khalifa, 2017). The effectiveness and importance of various recruitment and selection criteria of the candidates has been one of the major topics of research for the past 50 years, this is mainly because the interdependence on its various components is critically important. Three major elements can help local non-government organisations, especially in poor and developing countries to survive, which are Recruitment, Selection, and Retention. However, the procedure of finding the right candidate in a country like Syria has been one of the major challenges. The research conducted by Ibeh and Kasem (2011) highlighted the fact that the challenges of Recruitment and Selection in Syria are primarily due to a lack of systematic methods in these concepts.

Even though the process of recruitment and selection is an extremely complicated task at the end of the day, the people employed by the organisation dictate its reputation. The efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation are primarily based on the quality of the workforce which was obtained with the utilization of recruitment and selection practices or exercises. Kurdy (2006) highlighted the fact that the selection process is responsible to match the ability, knowledge, skills, and experience of the candidate with the job requirements of the organisation in a systematic, fair and legal manger. Additionally, Selvik (2013) suggests that the conceptuality of effective recruitment is of utmost importance to the success of the everyday functions of any organisation (Tattersall, 2014). Human Resource Management in the local non-government organisation of Syria suffers immensely due to lacking its human resource practices that can help them support their objectives.

Apart from the Traditional Human Resource problems, Syria has been under war since 2011 which was initiated from a protest against President Assad’s Regime. However, it ended up becoming a full-time war. In this war, the Syrian government is backed by Russia and Iran, and the opposing or anti-government is backed by the likes of the United States, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, and many other countries (Hussain and Sen, 2020). It is essential to note that these wars drain the monetary value of the company, as it is constantly investing in ammunition and other artilleries, which raises the cost of goods being sold in the country. During the war and COVID-19 pandemic the prices of essential food items incremented by 240 per cent between the end of 2019 and 2020 (Ekzayez et al., 2020). The situation in the country is getting worse as time progresses which is making the locals of Syria find a way out of the country to seek a better life for themselves which deprives the country of useful candidates. This is mainly because resourceful people get employed by better companies abroad, which allows these candidates to not only get a good well-paying job but also get out of the country that is facing such a terrible recession (Haddad, 2011).

1.3.Problem identification

The economic challenges that the country Syria is facing is quite formidable where the poverty in the country all-time high, the unemployment rate is incrementing at a drastic pace, the industrial production is completely stagnant and the condition of the infrastructure in the country is in a terrible condition which is mainly due to the wars and poor economy. Additionally, the electrical supply and telecommunication efficiency have also decreased over the past few years especially after the COVID-19 pandemic (Ekzayez et al., 2020). The current economy of Syria is extremely tight fix, the inflation is in triple digits and is further expected to increase. There are various studies that have been conducted in Syria which suggested the fact that there is high rate of unemployment, illiteracy and poverty which caused the top-notch candidates from the countries to move to other countries which have better to offer in terms of jobs and environment (Hussain and Sen, 2020). Acquiring the right people to occupy the right positions has been one of the major challenges for the human resource management of local non-governmental organizations in Syria. This study will be responsible for filling in the gaps with the identification of the challenges that the managers of these local non-governmental organizations face in their recruitment and selection process. It also highlights and recommends certain solutions which can be considered by these organisations to make these procedures much more efficient.

1.4.Research questions

Following are the research questions associated with this research

• What challenges are local non-government organisations facing in Syria in relation to recruitment and selection?
• What recommendations and solutions can the local organisations of Syria use for their betterment?
• What are the unethical practices that are taking place in the whole recruitment process?

1.5.Aims/objectives

The aim of this research is to study the challenges the human resource department of Sam Welfare, functioning in the Northeast region of Syria, is facing in its recruitment and selection of key personnel.

To achieve the dissertation aim, the following research objectives have been formulated:

• RO1 – To critique the recruitment and selection challenges and practices faced by Sam Welfare in the Northeast region of Syria
• RO2 – To highlight unethical practices taking place in Sam Welfare in its efforts to recruit and select key personnel
• RO3 – To critically evaluate possible solutions/recommendations to the challenges faced by the stated organisation, which are critically formed and business astute

1.6.Significance/ Scope

The study under consideration is extremely important because most of the researches that are conducted in the country Syria are solely directed towards the wars, economic recession and the poverty rates. However, there are non-existent researches that are targeted towards the challenges being faced by the non-governmental organisations which are functioning in the country, where most of such organisations have depleted due to improper practices or not knowing what to do. Having such research in place will help different local non-governmental organisations in the country to sustain themselves and survive in such a recession and under-war country. This research can also be utilized by companies working in other countries that are facing such challenges such as Yemen, Afghanistan, Palestine, and so on.

Chapter 2: Literature Review

2.1 Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment and selection are usually introduced as an intentional rational activity, consisting of specific sequentially-connected stages inside the procedure of resourcing employees, which itself might be found inside a broader HRM (Human Resource Management) technique. Noe, Hollen, and Gerhard (2006) differentiated both of these terms, simultaneously specifying an obvious connection between them in a subsequent manner: recruitment is the procedure for generating a group of competent individuals to apply for a job in a company. On the other hand, selection is the procedure by which administrators and other people utilise explicit instruments to select from a group of candidates, a person who is likely to prevail in the job, provided administration objectives as well as legal prerequisites. Bazana and Reddy (2021) propose that, even though these two processes are closely related, each needs a different scope of abilities and knowledge, and might be fulfilled by various employees. The recruitment process; however, is not typically the selection decision, that might be made by another agency. Hence, each process needs to be treated differently. Selection and recruitment create a crucial part of the important activities underlying HRM: to be specific, acquiring, developing, and rewarding employees. It usually forms a substantial part of the work done by HR (Human Resource) administrators or assigned experts inside work associations. Nonetheless, and significantly, selection and recruitment decisions are usually taken by non-professionals, by line supervisors. There is, thus, a significant sense wherein it is the duty of each manager, and where HR divisions exist, HR administrators may play a supporting advisory part to those individuals who will lead or in different ways work with the new employees.

Mahmood (2014) sees that the hypothesis supporting the practices of human resource management is that individuals are the association’s key resources and the performance of the organisation primarily relies upon them. Thus, in case a suitable scope of human resource approaches and procedures is created and executed successfully, then HR would have a significant effect on organisational performance. English (2002) also contends that the case of a relationship between HRM and performance depends on assertions. The first being that effectively deploying human resources, which helps to provide a strong base for companies to gain an upper hand. That is why the subsequent contention is effectively deploying HR relies upon the use of a distinct blend of techniques, or the utilisation of a compatible set of HR methods. Furthermore, De Cenzo and Robbins (2006) highlight that there is a conceivable case that HRM would be more efficient assuming it suits the business strategy of the organisation. External recruitment is costly as well as time-consuming, also external recruitment could demotivate existing workers and it could result in severe worker morale issues. There is also the risk of recruiting applicants who are not suitable for the job or company when compared with the obvious high potential shown during the selection procedure. As specified by Braun (1995), it stays the most used source of workers due to the combination and extent of potential workers that the association could access using one advert. He further contends that such workers bring in new cultures and are best utilised when an association attempts to solve a dysfunctional framework because of internal traditions. The Internet permits associations to contact a large number of applicants effectively and without any problem. Hundreds of applicants could visit a company’s website and apply. In a similar way, web-based hiring organisations work with associations to advertise new job positions and screen applicants. Even though job and organisation websites are turning out to be great recruiting tools, compared to conventional hiring techniques, like worker references, newspaper advertisements, etc. Predominantly, associations depend on internal job postings and worker references to hire applicants. Numerous organisations also post new job positions on the organisation website to draw in applicants. These are very simple; however, extremely powerful methods for identifying applicants both internally and outside of the organisation. Also, posting job openings internally is an outstanding technique to provide opportunities for workers to grow. Campus recruitment is a hiring technique strategy wherein an association visits various colleges and universities to hire students who have about to or have already graduated. At times, colleges could work with different recruiting agencies to recruit learners as interns and part-time workers.

2.1 Challenges of Recruitment and Selection Processes

To gain an upper hand, Banjoko (2013) contends that even though individuals have always been fundamental to associations, they have currently taken on an even more crucial part in helping an organisation gain an upper hand over its competitors. They emphasise the way that success progressively relies upon the association’s individual embodied skills, which consist of the abilities, knowledge, and expertise embedded in the company’s workers. According to Bazana and Reddy (2021), associations that can address this challenge are those that can get and use significant and scarce assets. HR fall into this classification of assets, especially in the case, they are efficiently deployed using suitable HR techniques. of the critical tasks for a company, thus, is effectively managing human resources. Banjoko (2013) discovered that a company’s success is profoundly impacted by the type of its HR, which thus, is impacted by the company’s HRM practices. Companies portray a picture to the local area and it decides the attractiveness of the organisation to competent workers. It might either be a possible obstacle or a huge advantage based on the capability of the HR team to efficiently promote its job openings. The subsequent aspect is the attractiveness of the job, which alludes to the description of the job. Any job that is deemed risky, stressful, low status, low-paying, or lacking in promotion possibility will not be able to attract the right candidates. Cost is also a significant element since hiring is costly to the association. Therefore, every organisation should evaluate the expenses associated with every proposed technique for hiring. The fourth problem is the recruitment objectives of the program which have to serve various needs. Nonetheless, the general reason ought to be to satisfy the definition referenced earlier. The last problem to be contemplated is the hiring philosophy which relies upon the significance of hiring technique, the profundity of responsibility in looking for and recruiting a diverse scope of workers, and the moral aspect of fairness in the hiring procedure.

Apparently, there are fewer qualified applicants accessible for associations to pick from. To start with, as the baby boom generation approaches retirement, less number of applicants are available in the job market. Secondly, the people who are accessible may lack the abilities associations are searching for. Therefore, it is hard for associations to recognise and finally, recruit possible competent applicants. When an association has found a good candidate for a job position and made a job offer, there is still no assurance that the applicant would accept the job offer. According to a study conducted by Bazana and Reddy (2021), when requested to specify the most widely recognised reasons why applicants decline a job offer, the majority of the research participants mentioned issues with pay (78 per cent). The associations that found it difficult to discover applicants with specialised skill sets were 68 per cent. Different reasons were: different organisations fighting for the same candidates (65 per cent), problems in looking for as well as identifying candidates (49 per cent), fewer competent candidates accessible (46 per cent), the selection procedure being unmanageable (38 per cent), inadequate number of HR employees (23 per cent), and different reasons (13 per cent). Nonetheless, this does not imply that applicants are interested just in pay. Past study has indicated that people who quit their jobs frequently do as such because of reasons other than cash.

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