Decisions, Decisions, Decisions…
During week 9, I had conducted three informational interviews with people who currently work in the same field I would like to one day work in, which is Public Relations or Communications. Among the three mentors, I was able to get in contact with Roxanne Ducas. She is the Director of Communications at Rubenstein Public Relations. Even though Ms. Ducas isn’t the primary person in charge of hiring employees, she does have a say in who gets hired and the hiring process in general. Gershon states that “[Hiring managers] rarely saw themselves as The Decider, but rather as one of many involved in making hiring decisions that were caught up in the politics of their workplace” (188). Ms. Ducas is considered to be “one of many involved” because of how vital her position is at Rubenstein Public Relations.
A little background history of Ms. Ducas’ job experiences.
- Corporate Communications Coordinator @ AECOM
- Public Relations and Marketing Intern @ LeSportsac
- Public Relations and Social Media Intern @ Social Media Delivered
- Promotional Staff @ Bacchus Coastal Marketing
When I asked Roxanne about how her current position as Director of Communications and her involvement in the hiring process, she explained how she isn’t the go-to person for the actual hiring of employees. However, she said she does have great influence on who gets through the hiring process because the prospective job candidates might one day work for her. One of the biggest challenges she faces when making position decisions is helping create the initial job description with the Human Resources and the actual hiring manager. It is one of the biggest challenges to her because “job descriptions set the standard of what qualities we’re looking for in a candidate”. Roxanne explains how job descriptions are not copy and paste or cookie cutter. She has high expectations of who she wants to work with and every position is always changing based on the company’s growth. For example, she tried to explain the idea that the previous person who holds a specific position has in many ways altered the vision of the position. With her staff and hiring managers, they are actively seeking someone who can better the role. According to Gershon, to ensure future success in a position, “HR can ensure employees are seen as potential resources for the future, so that a company hires a bundle of skills who can transform him- or herself ina. year or two for the future needs of the company” (199).
Another challenge for her is having to work with so many people. With her work experiences, she is used to it, but it never always comes easy. There are many layers and positions at Rubenstein Public Relations. Sometimes, it’s easy for your voice to get drained even with her position. She speaks specifically of the interview process when hiring because she views creating questions to ask candidates during interviews as very important. Candidates can pass the initial resume and cover letter stage, but personality and everything else comes through the interview stage. It’s important for her not to speak on the hiring managers because it is their main job to be in charge of hiring. Such conflict is also explained by Gershon, “Though workplaces are all unique, they do sometimes breed predictable conflicts, because there are so many moments in which doing your job well gets in the way of how someone else does their job” (189).
When it comes to making personal and financial decisions about the role, Roxanne states that it’s never solely her decision. She can have an opinion and it does have great influence, but she also has to take in consider the people she works for and the people she works with. Working hand in hand with the hiring managers, she does have a say in the job description, the interviews, and the actual candidate selection. Her biggest influence is probably in the job description and less in the interviews and the actual candidate selection. Roxanne does state that the hiring managers usually consult her when it comes to finalizing decisions about the role. In regards to the process for making financial decisions about the role, finances are usually consulted with people of higher position and with the finance/accounting department. When making financial decisions, Roxanne said she usually bases them on her department’s work/task requirements. If money needs to be allocated, she first consults with the accounting department and then eventually the vice president. It’s not in her power to make final financial decisions, even though she of courses wishes it was!
There was not much surprising information Roxanne provided. Most were things that were understandable and made sense. I was a little surprised at how the initial posting of the job description is very important to her. When I look at job descriptions, I know its importance, but I never thought about it as probably being the biggest part of the hiring process. I always believed it was the actual interviews. I can see how Roxanne would want the perfect job description. On a side note, one thing that I found interesting in our reading was how Gershon shared the signifance and challenges of job ads:
“ [Companies] are worried that job ads might reveal too much about their own business strategies or vulnerabilties. Whom a company needs to hire might indicate a new direction the company is going. Or the ad might indicate gaps in the company’s workforce that need to be filled, but the company doesn’t want to signal to its competitors that it doesn’t have people with the essential skills. In these instances, recruiters won’t post job ads. They will simply find likely candidates while flying under the radar” (193).
There were already a few things about making role and hiring decisions that I was familiar with. One, I already knew that it’s not solely the hiring manager who is responsible for screening and choosing a job candidate. Even though they make the final decisions and process the paperwork, it’s a team process. I also knew that making financial decisions is tricky. Unless you’re the President or Vice President of a company, then you can’t just demand for money or do any finances on your own. There are people that must be consulted at all times. I generally know this from my work experiences and background knowledge of the various departments of companies.
Related links:
