RGC TRAINING COURSE MATERIALS
TRAINING REVIEWS
HOW TO MANAGE PEOPLE
MICHAEL ARMSTRONG
ISBN: 9780749452414
KOGAN PAGE & THE SUNDAY TIMES
‘Creating Success’ series www.koganpage.com Price: £8.99 July 2008
MANAGING THE PEOPLE BUSINESS
It is generally considered that the success of a company relies heavily on the performance of its human resources managers, who sometimes have a somewhat less than enthusiastic audience or any set of admirers!
Michael Armstrong’s practical guide to managing people quashes some of the myths about people management, and provides an invaluable insight into the main issues which arise for front-line management including: leadership; motivating people; team building; delegating; interviewing; managing performance; developing and rewarding people; managing change; and handling people problems.
Each of these key topics can be the subject of ‘management-style’ books but Armstrong gives up his secrets on people management in 12 definitive chapters, and some useful references which could be a bit more detailed and web friendly.
Armstrong concludes that people often leave their managers, and not their organisations, for many reasons mainly connected to relationships and career development. Whilst a business has progressive policies (often forced on it by government), the practical application is in the hands of both HR and line management to perform the difficult tasks. Armstrong succeeds in his aim of showing managers how to explain to staff what they are expected to do with their responsibilities. He covers the main actions that managers have to carry out to get things done through people very effectively, and the advice to frontline managers is well contained in this easy and practical guidebook.
The book will get you the best results but remember that to manage people, “managers have largely to do it themselves”. How right he is - we all know about the ‘buck-passers’! The distillation of Michael Armstrong’s knowledge and experience for managers has not really changed in the 30 years since I became a manager, and he gives us great advice on managing the people business which is very relevant for the technological challenges of today’s world.
SUCCESSFUL INTERVIEWING AND RECRUITMENT
ROB YEUNG
ISBN: 978-0-7494-5164-6
KOGAN PAGE www.koganpage.com Price: £8.99 July 2008
HOW TO INTERVIEW WELL…ON BOTH SIDES!
How often have you been to an interview only to find that it is a training session for an interview? Probably more times than you wish to recall … or actually realised! The ‘interviewing game’ is highly important and Dr Rob Yeung comes to the rescue of the inexperienced with helpful suggestions on the many proven techniques which leading organisations now use to find the right candidates, and spot what is going on…on both sides.
INTERVIEWS: WHAT A LOAD OF RUBBISH!
Characteristics of the good interviewer/interviewee attract a great deal of rubbish comment in the press, and in books, so it is refreshing to find Yeung’s treatment of what is a painful experience for most people.
Finding the right person and ensuring that the right buttons have been pressed is as difficult as anything one can do in working life. I had always thought ‘getting that job’ was about luck. Wrong! Yeung’s view is that it’s about preparation, and his final words cover ‘The 10 commandments’ at the conclusion of the book which candidates should note and memorise carefully.
There are 14 chapters covering the following issues:
• why learn to interview properly?
• structuring the interview
• developing your questioning skills
• avoiding poor questions
• honing your listening skills
• preparing to interview
• opening the interview
• competencies and example interview questions
• discussing money
• wrapping up the interview
• rating candidates and making a decision
• evaluating and improving the interview process
• creating useful interview documents
• final words
THE FUNNELLING AND STARS TECHNIQUES
Most people reading this review, which is designed primarily for my law trainees as a forensic technique, will recall their examinations and the techniques used to revise for law exams. “Funnelling” on page 26 is an excellent device and complimented by Yeung’s STARS acronym for the employer covering: situation, task, actions, result, summarise.
The importance of STARS is two way. As an interviewee you want it to be a two-way interview otherwise how are you going to work with these people! As an interviewer, you must structure what you want to ask.
It’s not quite like a cross-examination where I will develop points which arise from answers given, but I will have thoroughly prepared my questions in advance in the areas where there are issues between the parties but I have to be flexible if the evidence given does not ‘come up to proof’ as we put it.
But you have to ‘come up to proof’ in the interview thus avoiding poor questions (and poorly prepared questions) which are common errors.
YOU CAN ALWAYS DO BETTER
I came away from Dr Yeung’s work glad to have read something which confirmed my best and worst thoughts about technique. He is right to say that interviewing is a skill, but it is also one which can be meticulously learnt with proper preparation and care which Dr Yeung sets out in a most useful format here.
The step-by-step guide is a splendid collaboration with ‘the Sunday Times’ but remember that whichever side of the desk you sit on, you can always do better and Rob Yeung gives you the best current and contemporary analysis of how to interview and recruit in the internet age of employment finding, and his advice should be followed.