A Critique Of Recruitment Processes In The Information Technology Sector And Other Related Topics

· Demonstrates effort in self reflection

· Outlines the different types of interviews

· Explains the main interview processes used in their discipline

· Explains if/how psychometric testing is used

· Includes suggestions for preparation

This is the interview you participated in as part of the course learning tasks. Internal students (in class) and distance students (via Skype)

· Completed according to template instructions

· Displays considerable effort in analysis of performance

· Acknowledges own strengths and weaknesses with interviews

· Provides strategies for future improvement

· Addresses all issues on the feedback sheet

· Discusses own MBTI type with respect to previous employment experiences 

· Explains areas of agreement and disagreement with own MBTI working style

· Is appropriately referenced in-text and includes a reference list 

(1) Post graduate study and

(2) international experience

· Discusses different types of PG study and their importance with respect to your discipline area and career aspirations 

· Outlines the advantages and/or disadvantages of international experience with respect to your discipline area and career aspirations 

· Is appropriately referenced in-text and includes a reference list 

· Displays understanding of professional and ethical behaviours

· Relates discussion to own discipline area

· Demonstrates research on scandals in the discipline

· Discusses the effect upon your own career of unethical behaviour

Critique of recruitment processes used in the information technology sector

Self-reflection

The IT software organizations have their own recruitment process. This process varies from professional, technical, to managerial jobs. It is important to know realistic information about the organization in order to get the job, and stay in the organization. Also, they tend to use employee referrals, and they find it effective. So the job candidate has to prepare a list of trusted referrals to support his position in the new job (Rajani, et al.  2016). IT software companies use effective ways of recruiting, and they offer the necessary training to enhance the skills of the new employees.

Interviews could take different types according to the organizational choice. I expect to face four types of interviews during the selection process according to University of Cape Town (2011), as follows:

• Screening:Large organizations usually have a long recruitment process, they offer an initial interview to decide whether the candidate is suitable for the vacancy, and could proceed to the second stage.
• Telephone:It could be done through telephone, video, or Skype in the early stage of selection. It is similar to the face to face interview, and should be handled in a professional way.
• One on one:This process involves interviewing different people within the organization, including, the director or the line manager. It usually takes place in small organizations.
• Panel:This method involves a number of people gathered for the interview, they have a coordinator, and each one of them has a list of questions to ask the candidate.
• Explanation of the main interview processes used in information technology sector

The hiring manager asks about three main issues when interviewing for an IT job. The main interview process could be explained according to Doyle (2017), as follows:   

• Questions about the candidate, and the technical skills:Include questions about specific technical details, concerning, skills, education, certificate, tools, and languages of experience.
• Questions about the Job, and the organization:Include questions describing skills qualifying for the job, as managerial skills, production process, daily activities, and key competencies.
• Technical questions:Concerning the main duties, and responsibilities of the job in specific to make sure that the job best fits the candidate.
• Explanation of how psychometric testing is used

The psychometric test often done by the interviewer in the final stage of the interview process. It is called the 'behavioural interview', as the interviewer likes to test certain competencies, and assess different aspects of the candidate's personality, and abilities. He asks about the candidate behaviour in various situations, and giving examples of how he could deal with challenging situations (University of Cape Town 2011). Accordingly, the interviewer can predict the candidate behaviour, and skills in the future.

In order to be well prepared for the interview, the information technology developer has to know the requirements of the IT software companies, and the certain conditions that dominate the organization, as the academic records, work experience, and the socioeconomic conditions (Saxena 2011). Accordingly, the candidate can prepare himself for the required qualifications, be ready to match his credentials to the job requirements, and to be ready to discuss how the job could match his personal requirements.

Discussion of my own MBTI type with respect to previous employment experiences

The personality traits of the IT professionals are different from other occupations (Lounsbury et al. 2014). The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), is based on the theory of Jung, which argues that a personal behavior is based on four cognitive functions, represented in thinking, feeling, sensation, and intuition. People are classified either extravert or introvert, each type has an impact on the job profile (Varona et al. 2012). Links are established between the organization, and the employees' competencies through the job profile. Regarding the ICT sector, there are six profile families, represented in business management, development, design, technical management, service, and operations, and support (Ribaud & Saliou 2015). The current software engineering landscape requires that the employee skills should exactly match the requested talent, and experience. The right person should be placed in the right job.

I have to be aware of my personality, I have the hard skills required for the software developer as programming, design, and analysis, but the IT companies desire soft skills as well. Software development should know how to communicate in a written or oral way, for me, I lack these soft skills. I am an introvert person regarding my attitude. Jung's typology (1971), classified individuals according to their mental functions to either sensing – intuition or thinking – feeling. I represent the second type of the mental function, as I am directed by thinking. According to the fourth parameter of the MBTI, which determines the dominant function of the personality, I am a judging person (James et al. 2014). The interview can reveal the personality character, and the specific requirements for the job. I had the result of my MBTI type, and traits.

Different types of interviews

In order to explain the areas of agreement and disagreement with my own MBTI working style as a software developer, it is important to discuss each trait in details to show the degree of matching my MBTI. According to Varona et al. (2012), the four traits, could be discussed as follows:

• Extroverts and introverts: Extroverts are people who focus on people, objects, and prefer to communicate verbally, which contradicts my personality and the job requirements. But introverts, are the opposite of the previous pattern, as they concentrate on their internal ideas, and emotions. This pattern represents my type of communication and the trait required by the job.
• Sensing and intuitive:Sensing tend to depend on their sense to judge the events, which contradicts my personality, and the job requirements. But intuitive focus on complex interactions, and new possibilities, which matches my personality.
• Feeling and thinking:Feeling tend to refer to values to judge the events, which matches my personality to some extent. But the thinking people, make judgements according to conclusions, which represents my personality.
• Perceiving and judging:Perceiving demonstrates flexibility, but the judging people demonstrate structure, and organization, which represent my traits.

Accordingly, my MBTI type, and trait reflect the requirements of the job as a software developer, which strengthen my position in my field of expertise.

Types of PG study and their importance with respect toinformation technology:

Regional approaches to the relationship between development, and the quality of postgraduate education is changing. Some approaches focus on the quality assurance of the education process, while the others focus on the increasing number of postgraduate students to improve the quality of research, and development (University of Oxford 2015). IT is considered among the fastest growing industries in the world. It has many diversified fields, also it has a possibility of finding work in different industries. The postgraduate studies in IT provide opportunities for the student to be creative, develop personal skills, and branch into other areas. Each postgraduate program in IT focuses on a specific area of expertise, it is possible to narrow the focus of choice within each major area. The postgraduate of IT is more likely to find jobs, as it is ranked among the top five best careers.   

The master degree in IT, primarily offers courses of theoretical learning, and practical projects as part of the course work. Research based courses are also available in the form of research project or thesis. The course fees vary depending on the length of study, and the location. Research grants are also available. It is also available to mix between personal skills, as design, and the experience in the IT programming. Universities known for art can offer unique opportunities (Post Grad 2017). As a software developer, start-up companies seeking to develop their own brands, often hire IT developers, to promote their products and services digitally.

Universities encourage students to undertake research placements, and international experiences. This could take the form of summer courses for research students. For example, the Imperial College London has established an annual collaborative professional skills development summer program with partner universities in different world countries, as Singapore, and Hong Kong. Also, professional on the job training programs could be established with consultancy projects in different world countries to excel the students' skills. The European LERU Doctoral offers summer school to help doctoral students to develop their personal, and professional skills beyond their research. It offers training on essential enterprise skills as, leadership, government, and academia through the best ways of communicating academic research (University of Oxford 2015).

Studying IT abroad has many advantages, according to Big Choice Group (2017), as follows:

• IT can create solutions to problem in every field, accordingly studying postgraduate courses abroad offers the opportunity to learn within different contexts, and gain different practices.  
• The possibility of undertaking an independent project with businesses, and experts in the IT field.
• Development of specific skills, as mathematics, innovation, and independent thinking in relation to IT.
• It offers challenging climate of competition between students from different backgrounds to complete complex tasks, as well as being prepared to adapt to fast-paced nature of the IT industry, and the research consultancy.  
• IT developers who have the opportunity to study abroad and gain diversified professional experience are in high demand in the web sector as well as across all businesses that rely on IT.

Professional and ethical behaviours

The IT professionals have their code of ethics to help them to handle the moral problems that may occur due to their work. Acting ethically evolves as a result of choosing between right, and wrong, as our choice affects our ethics. According to Kimppa (2014), IT professional ethical issues could be discussed as follows:

• Authority, and responsibility: Knowledge represents the power of the IT professional, it should be used with wisdom.
• Knowledge, and experience: They should be constantly developed, learn about new regulations regarding personal privacy, and share their knowledge. They have to understand that confidential information of their clients should not be revealed to gain the trust of their clients.
• Attitude: Professionals should consider that their work has meaning through others, and make their decisions according to this perception.  
• Communications: Professionals should document their communications with the clients, and inform them with the required actions. The clients should be aware of necessary information either good or bad.

Suggestions for preparation

Ethical decisions are reasoned, and principled process. According to Stoodly (2009), ethical decision making should consider moral perceptions, discernment, resolution, and analytical thinking, knowledge of duties, and responsibilities, and actions.

Scandals in the field of IT are many, we can consider the "Smartest guys in the cell" scandal. Enron the US innovative company, its executives used to cheat investors through Enron offshore firms that were trash containers. Enron could hide its losses by shifting them to these dummy firms. The company's top executives were accused of stealing investors' money and most of them were jailed. The other scandal is "Sony rootkit", as the company loaded a rootkit the copy- protection software to 100 CD titles. These copies were very harmful to PCs as they generate worms, and Trojans. Sony BMG recalled the infected CDs and lawsuits were filed against the company by the states of New York, Texas, and California (Sandoval 2010). There are many other scandals concerning IT companies that are treated by law.

IT professionals face many security concerns, as external environmental threats, and internal espionage. Security concerns by organizations act as drivers for growth, and hiring of IT professionals. The dishonest activities by IT professionals can have a negative impact on them, and the organization as well. Security breaches may occur due to attacks from hackers outside the organization's firewall or by the hands of the IT employees. The consequences of these attacks may lead to profits, efficiency losses, delaying services, and shut down operation.

IT has a social impact, IT is responsible for the term "developed nations" in relation to the internet technologies. IT professionals help the industrial countries to maintain high standards of living and manage growth. On the other hand the emerging countries depend on the IT professionals to lift their citizens out of the poverty (Page 2011). Unethical practices in the IT industry can harm the governments, and businesses as people will not be able to trust them. It is very important to maintain ethical activities, and establish trust with organizations, and clients as well succeed in the career of IT.

References

Big Choice Group 2017, Degree guide, viewed 20 Oct. 2017, <https://www.studyoverseas.com>.

Doyle, A 2017, Information technology (IT) job interview questions, viewed 20 Oct. 2017, <www.thebalance.com>.

James, K, Sendall, P, Ceccucci, W, Peslak, A & Hunsinger, S 2014, 'Does personality play role in computer information systems course performance?', Issues in Information Systems, vol 15, no. 2, pp. 383-392.

Kimppa, K 2014, 'Code of ethics for information technology professionals', Finnish Information Processing Association - Ethics workgroup.

Lounsbury, J, Sundstrom, E, Levy, J & Gibson, L 2014, 'Distinctive personality traits of information technology professionals', Computer and Information Science, vol 7, no. 3, pp. 39-48.

Page, D 2011, What Negative Impact Does Unethical Behavior Have in Information Technology?, viewed 20 Oct. 2017, <https://smallbusiness.chron.com>.

Post Grad 2017, Postgraduate programs in IT and computing, viewed 20 Oct. 2017, <www.postgrad.com>.

Rajani, N, Bhargavi, V & Parvathi, A 2016, 'Recruitment practices in it sector: A comparative analysis of select Indian & Mnc companies', International Journal of Scintific & Technology Research , vol 5, no. 4, pp. 257-267.

Ribaud, V & Saliou, P 2015, 'Relating ICT competencies with personality types', Springer International Publishing, Turkey.

Sandoval, G 2010, The 10 biggest tech scandals of the decade, viewed 20 Oct. 2017, <https://www.techrepublic.com>.

Saxena, B 2011, 'Effective recruitment and selection system for the IT software industry in India', Algeria.

Stoodly, I 2009, 'IT professionals' experience of ethic and its implications for IT education', Quensland University of Technology, Australia.

University of Cape Town 2011, 'Interviews', South Africa.

University of Oxford 2015, 'International trends in higher education', UK.

Varona, D, Fernando, L, Pinero, Y & Raza, A 2012, 'Evolution of software engineers’ personality profile', ACM SIGSOFT Software Engineering Notes, vol 37, no. 1, pp. 1-5.

Yilmaz, M, Connor, R & Clarke, P 2014, 'An exploration of individual personality types in software development', University of Southampton.