People with Human Resources experience, can you give me some ideas?
Asked by
kevbo (
25675)
April 20th, 2009
I’m going to apply for an HR Generalist job at our university. The application requires a writing sample that:
… should be a demonstration of your ability to create a report. The report can be on any HR related topic, such as a disciplinary document, recruitment and retention, or investigation findings.
Can you float some common topics, incidents, etc. for reports such as these? How long is a typical report (word count maybe)? Are there templates or formatting online or that you can suggest?
(Also, I should have somewhere a 8 or 12 page booklet that was originally meant to be an annual report but was subsequently used as a recruitment document for my former employer, which described all the programs and services and facts and figures. Could I use that? Regardless, I still need ideas in case I can’t find it.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks!
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3 Answers
No experience in HR activities here.
I’d probably try to gin up a single page report though. Three or four paragraphs. Short, concise sentences. Avoid overly subjective adjectives and keep it factual.
For a topic, I like positive things. I’d probably look at something like a justification for promotion or similar.
I don’t have any experience either, but check out some of these samples. it sounds more like they want you to create completed forms, not necessarily reports. The idea would be that they may have need to create new forms and just want to be sure you would be thorough in thinking through the steps for documenting the actions taken. Good Luck!
Recruitment reports from other schools:
http://www.hr.ucdavis.edu/Forms/All/MSO_Recruitment_Report/002
http://www.lanecc.edu/hr/documents/RecruitRpt.pdf
Or Disciplinary Reports:
http://www.hr.msu.edu/NR/rdonlyres/0540BCC4-B79B-4826-8B62-477870BA2848/0/nonAcademicDiscipline.pdf
http://www.gla.ac.uk/services/humanresources/policies/a-g/discipline/disciplinesupport/
5.6 Notification of outcome
In every case where disciplinary action is taken, the member of staff will be informed of:-
* The disciplinary action taken including the level of any warning given.
* The reasons why the disciplinary action was taken.
* The consequences of any further failure to adhere to acceptable standards of conduct. In cases where a final written warning is given it should be made clear that further formal disciplinary action may result in dismissal.
* The provision of any suitable support, counselling or corrective action required.
* The time period within which the warning given will be considered to have lapsed from the record of the member of staff in accordance with Section 6 of the Notes for Guidance.
* The fact that a record of warnings will be kept.
* The right of appeal, advising that this should be formally submitted in writing to the Director of Human Resources Department within five working days, and the right to representation at any future appeal hearing.
Receipt of disciplinary letters will be recorded, whether by counter-signature of the member of staff concerned, or recorded postal delivery.
I’d be wary of making up an incident, unless you have experience with such things. You could sound really foolish if you make up something that is pretty unlikely. I think you’d be better off submitting a report on a non-HR topic, if you don’t have any relevant reports. Then you need to explain why you want to jump into HR, too.
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