compare and contrast

Ok… Things are going good in my Human Resource Management class. I’m learning a lot! I had the chance to hold to interviews this last couple of weeks with two people involved with Human Resources. It was really interesting. I decided to post my paper on my blog so that you can read it. I hope you like it!
Hiring a teacher is a very important because being a teacher is a demanding and important job. Through teachers we are able to learn and expand our knowledge. Many may hold the job title of teacher, but the specifics of what a teacher will do changes depending on where they teach, who they teach and with what organization they teach. I had the opportunity of interviewing two individuals related to Human Resource Management. My purpose was to understand the similarities and differences that these two individuals have with hiring teachers for their organization. Hiring was important to both individuals but the specifics of hiring within their organization differed.
The first individual that I was able to interview was Sean O’Donnel. He is the recruitment and employment manager for Human Resources at Utah Valley University. He has had a lot of experience with interviewing candidates for different positions at UVU, including the hiring of teachers. The second individual I choose to interview also works with hiring teachers but not teachers that will be teaching at a university level. Keith Bradford was an employee at the Missionary Training Center for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. He no longer is employed at the MTC but worked closely with the hiring of teachers. The comparisons and contrasts between these two may already be evident. UVU is a public school with teachers who educate at a high level with specific subjects. Most of them have high academic credentials and a lot of experience in the subject they teach. Most teachers are full time with basic benefits and salaries. Teachers at the MTC are mostly students at Brigham Young University. They work part time with no benefits and are only allowed to teach for the maximum of three years. They are Returned Missionaries and have a lot of experience with the criteria of being a missionary. Many teachers teach a language that they learned in the MTC and used for a year and a half to two. He did ask that I would let all readers of this paper know that his opinions do not represent the opinion of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
The first question I asked these two individuals was about what they look for in the clothing of a candidate. I asked, “Does the type of clothing the candidate is wearing in an interview effect your decision?” Both of them responded “Yes!” O’Donnel explained to me that he looks for a level of dress that is appropriate to the level of position. He looks for something that is political savvy. A suit would be appropriate for a male teacher and a very nice dress or dress suit for a female teacher. Color of clothing is something that he doesn’t pay much attention to unless it is outlandish or obnoxious. Bradford explained that because teachers will be working with missionaries directly they must maintain the same standards as missionaries. Clothing that is conservative, wrinkle-free, professional, and traditional is what he looks for. The standards for missionaries and teachers are very detailed. He watched for hair length, jewelry, sock color, and nice polished shoes. I followed up with asking him, “What if a candidate is wearing a really nice button up shirt that is colored?” He said, “Then it’s a no go. It must be white.”
I wanted to know if they had a predetermined set of questions that they asked at every interview, or did they choose questions that were specific for each candidate. O’Donnell told me, “that he has a predetermined set of questions but there are always follow up questions that are different for each person.” He went on to say, “Sometimes I look at the resumes in advance and have some questions ready to ask about specific things there.” Bradford said something along the lines of, “It depends! I usually have some specific questions that I like to ask but then it depends on the person and what exactly I need to know.” I kind of got the feeling from Bradford that listening to what he feels in an interview is more important than what he thinks he should do before the interview has begun. So, we have a little bit of comparison and contrast here. One is more set in a way as the other goes by his feelings. But they both have at least some questions prepared beforehand.
I was curious, with the different type of organizations, to know what kind of interview they respectfully had. O’Donnell mentioned that, “Panel interviews are excellent.” At UVU they believe that all the teachers are like a community and through panel interviews where other teachers set on the panel, they hiring a peer. “It helps everyone have a say, and it’s like they are all the boss,” he said. Bradford told me that he has seen it both ways. Sometimes panel and other times one on one. He made it work with what ever was available to him.
I was able to find a list of skills that employers deem important to future candidates. In the list is; Communication skills, Interpersonal skills, Honesty/Integrity, Motivation/Initiative, and Strong work Ethic. I asked both O’Donnell and Bradford which one of these would be the most important to them. O’Donnell said that, “It is very difficult to assess honesty. Unless you catch the person in lie it’s very hard to rate their level of honesty. He drew on a white board a diagram to help me understand what attributes he looks for. He explained that ability to do the job is important, but along with that is the motivation to do it. He said he asks, “Why do you want this job?” If they say money, he knows they would do good at a commission biased job. If they say they want to help people, they would fit better with working on a team. By the time he had finished answering the question, he had hinted that all are crucial. That is basically what Bradford said. I figured Bradford said. He explained that communication and interpersonal skills are needed to spread the lesson the teacher has prepared. “Honesty is a must, motivation must be there, and you need a strong work ethic to get things done.” I think a comparison here is that they both value those attributes and look for them while interviewing.
I asked them about things other than the actual interview they take into consideration (Resumes, References, and Background Checks). O’Donnell said, “We use them all, It wouldn’t be complete without the use of all of them.” At the MTC they do not require to see a resume for teachers. They do however use references and do a back up check in a special kind of way. The MTC will send a letter of recommendation to the candidates Mission President and ask for their approval. The Background check that is done at the MTC is almost better worded as a worthiness check. All teachers at the MTC must be worthy of standards in the LDS faith. If a candidate gets a bad review from their mission president or they are not worthy to teach, they can not work at the MTC. Resumes are very important at UVU, but not at the MTC. Both UVU and the MTC find commonality in their use of background checks and References.
What are some absolute things teachers must have to teach at UVU? O’Donnell said that they look at teaching ability, service and scholarship. The right credentials and PHD are also important to work at UVU. Bradford showed me a paper that had a list of rules, expectations, and standards that an MTC teacher must hold. There were many things that a teacher must have or do. For example, the teacher must be a Returned Missionary, Student, and many other things including, like mentioned before, worthiness. There are a lot of contrasts in those two areas between the MTC and UVU.
It was very interesting to interview O’Donnell and Bradford. There are many similarities these two go through wile hiring for UVU or the MTC, but I think there are more contrasts. Someone with a PHD looking for a job as a teacher/professor wouldn’t want to mix up and interview with Bradford. A BYU student that is looking to teach missionaries wouldn’t want to mix it up and interview with O’Donnell. Two similar employees with Human Resources but two different hiring techniques.