values and vision of the organization. Many companies use a men-
toring system or ‘buddy’ for this purpose. These people explain the
way the company operates, how customers should be treated, where
things are and other useful information. They act as a support system
during those initial weeks and months of employment.
Formal socialization refers to training. To what extent it is under-
taken within the organization, and how good it is, impacts on orga-
nizational success. Service skills and technical skills need to be
taught and these need to be supported by supervisors, managers and
co-workers. Training should also not only be undertaken at induc-
tion – as it is in so many organizations – but on an on-going basis as
part of a staff development programme.^2 The Disney organization
and Nordstrom are both famous for their attention to acculturation
and training of their employees (see Case Studies 5.2 and 5.3).
Realistic previews of the job and organization are critical if new
employees are to become strongly linked to the job and the organi-
zation. Many companies are finding that a particularly effective
training approach is through in-house video training, which is able
to demonstrate the link between theory and reality. Training work-
shops are also effective in providing new recruits with the opportu-
nity to role play and become used to the requirements of the job.
First Direct provides each new employee with seven weeks of full-
time training before they are able to work with the public. Marriott
holds an eight-hour initial training seminar for all new employees
and for the next 90 days each new employee is then assigned a
‘buddy’, who serves as a mentor to help and support the new
recruit. Corporate universities are also becoming a popular method
for training and educating employees. McDonald’s Hamburger
University offers a range of courses which deal with topics such as
management skills, market evaluation and area supervision. These
courses enable McDonald’s to communicate the style and culture of
the company to employees. Unipart also has a university, which
provides new and existing employees with the opportunity to
develop and enhance their skills whilst the culture and values of the
company are reinforced and communicated to the employees.
Recruitment monitoring and evaluation
Recruitment monitoring and evaluation is essential if companies are
to determine how effective they are at recruitment. Wright and
The recruitment and internal market domains 311