Recruitment solutions for Singapore SMEs in a highly volatile economy : development of a recruitment competency framework

Abstract

Small medium –sized enterprises (SMEs) are especially vulnerable to a highly volatile economy (Yeung, 1999; Naisbitt, 1995). In the highly volatile economy today, strategic recruitment at a SME could impact its survival. With effective recruitment, a SME could add graduates, who are valuable human resources, to its workforce, to build a sustainable competitive advantage. In the development of the recruitment competency framework, we incorporated both theory and practical considerations. With reference to seminal research work and input from SMEs’ management, a generic competency model is formulated. Structured interviewing is the medium of choice, in order to capture the behavioural traits associated with desired competencies. This model will provide an avenue for further studies to provide a more generalisable framework.