Authors:

Abstract

It has been generally observed that there is a gap in the empirical knowledge with regard to the experience requirements of key HRM jobs in terms of number of years and contents of experiences in the field of HRM in Sri Lanka. The research questions of this exploratory study are: What are the experiences needed or expected by the organizations which are operating in Sri Lanka for key HRM jobs in terms of number of years and contents? and Is it possible to develop a sort of illustration to understand experience requirements of key HRM jobs in Sri Lanka? Objectives of this study are to explore the experience requirements of key HRM jobs in terms of number of years and contents; and to develop an illustration of experience requirements of key HRM jobs in Sri Lanka. In order to achieve the objectives of this research, an exploratory study was conducted by using eight key HRM job related employment advertisements appeared in the Sunday Observer newspaper for the period of 5 years (2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2010). This study was longitudinal in time horizon. The unit of analysis of this study was HRM related job advertisement. The extent of the researchers’ interference in this study was minimal as there had not been any manipulation and control of variables. This study was carried out in a natural (non-contrived) environment where events occurred normally.

Mainly by using comprehensive and systematic content analysis along with descriptive statistics, results and findings were generated. The results of the study revealed that the experience requirement is one of the very important requirements in selecting people for key HRM jobs. At the same time it varies from job to job. When considering the experience requirements for the selected key HRM jobs, the findings revealed that mostly a minimum of 5-10 years experience at senior level (as a HR Manager/Head of HR Department) is needed experience for the post of HR Director. A minimum of 5 years experience is needed for the post of Head of HRM, Group HR Manager, HR Manager and Training Manager mostly. For HR Executive, HR Officer and Recruitment Manager a minimum of 2-3 years experience is expected by the organizations which are operating in Sri Lanka.

With regard to the contents (quality) of experiences, eight (08) key dimensions of experience were identified in addition to the number of years (quantity) such as general experience in HRM field, special experience in specific HRM area/function, scope of experience in HRM field (local or international), sector related experience, management level/position related experience, industry related experience, workforce/organisation size based experience and time preference based experience. Based on identified key dimensions of experiences, a model was developed from this exploratory study in order to provide an understanding about the experience requirements of selected key HRM jobs in Sri Lanka. The implications of these findings are useful to all stakeholders of HRM especially current and potential job seekers, organizations and HRM workforce developers in Sri Lanka.

DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.4038/sljhrm.v3i1.5094

Sri Lankan Journal of Human Resource Management Vol.3(1) 2012 pp.1-18

Keywords: Key HRM Jobs, Experience Requirements, Exploratory Study