Date : 02nd Feb 2023
MBA Executive 2nd Semester
Human Resource Management
S G COWEN
Recruitment & Selection Case Study
Prepared and Presented By:- Guided By :-
Cinni Patnaik – N032 Prof. Tanuja Agarwala
Manish Kumar – N048
Mudit Aggarwal – N051
Narendra Shah – N054
Noushad Ahamed – N060
Vipul Virmani – N094
Ques 1: Reflect upon your negative Hiring Experience What are the signs that
experience was not going well?
CASE 1
Experience at American Express
Hired 3+ Yrs of Experience candidate with great knowledge and skills
Candidate could not fit in organizational culture
Not aligned in team and group activities
CASE 2
Candidate cleared 2 rounds of interview without knowledge and skills
Case of favoritism and personal bias
Ques 2: What are the Key Decision Points used by Cowen in making hiring
decisions? Evaluate the hiring process used by the firm?
Rae’s Strategy PROS CONS
Promoting internal Motivating Current Ripple effect. No new
employees Employees talent
Top next 15 Universities More loyal employees Missing on top talent
Non Core Schools Cost saving candidates Quality of the candidate
Key Decision Points used in making hiring decisions are as follows
First, Selection of those candidates who were best qualified to make it through the Super
Saturday final Selection.
Second, identification of candidates who possessed the skills to succeed in day to day
operations.
Third, candidates to have personality to fit organization’s culture.
Lastly, Candidate’s potential to be a good long term banker.
Cont.
What are the Key Decision Points used by Cowen in making hiring decisions?
Evaluate the hiring process used by the firm?
On Campus Round Super Saturday
Potential bias from the school captains Informal and ineffective method of
due to personal preferences. selecting candidates based on the
presentations
Team captains are remunerated by year Decision makers were making the
end bonuses, however, there is a high decisions in accordance with the time that
potential of biasness in the pre evaluation may lead to the wrong choice of
Overall the selection process used by the firm is quite effective candidates.
in predicting which candidates
will enjoy long term success and fit with the organization’s long term strategic focus.
The Process utilizes individuals from different levels of the organization who bring in expertise
and experience to make most appropriate decisions.eg: Associates level employees conducted the
1st round interviews to assess the skills and senior bankers would assess the long term growth and
success of the candidate within the organization
The process provided checks and balances to minimize bias. Interviewers knew they would be
liable for quality of candidates they brought back for Super Saturday and their own reputation
was diminished if they wasted the time of senior bankers.
Ques3: Evaluate the criteria used by the firm in making hiring decisions ?
Hiring Criteria Emphasized on Bill Buchanan / Rae / Fennerbresque
stated
Culture Fit the firm could stretch “for personality and
for sparkle”
Entrepreneurial Skills “the type of person who does well here
doesn’t want to be told what to do. We want
the self‐starter.
Long Term Commitment Ferret out people who love emerging growth
& especially our creativity , energy and
Instead of competing with bigger firms in top Tiercommitment
Schools and getting
is why middle
a company of the
choses our class
students. SG Cowen focused in top 25 schools wherefirm they were on focusing on the next top 15
schools where could be a bigger player and attract more interest from top students.
The process moved from assessing hard skills to Soft skills . Junior & Senior Associates
conducted the first round of interviews to assess the practical, job‐related skills .Senior bankers
focused on accessing the intangible qualities i.e fit and personality. Also, it was rare to get CEO’s
attention during recruiting which stemmed from his desire to create a
Cont.
Cont. Evaluate the criteria used by the firm in making hiring decisions ?
unified culture and provide the support required.
However , no process can be full proof , few of the shortcomings included the process being too
exhaustive i.e. 5 half – hour sessions with short breaks , checks & balances did exist still there
was possibility of bias in selection & was not specific to competencies required for the firm .
Further the hiring process considered factors such as martial status , the type of language ,
personal attributes etc. which is not decisive in assessing the potential of the candidates.
Ques 4: Which two candidates would you select if you were a member of the
recruiting committee?
Natalya Godelwaska
PROS CONS
Hard Working and Committed Stiff and Uncomfortable during Small Talks
Speaks Several Languages Level of English – Impatient Coworkers
Great Academics Lack of Cultural Fit
Work Experience
Martin Street
PROS CONS
Adjusting and receptive to seniors’ orders No Business Experience
Ambitious Lack of problem solving and creativity
Confident Personality Uncertainty about grades
Presentation and Articulation Skills Involved in other selection process
Which two candidates would you select if you were a member of the recruiting
committee?
Ken Goldstein
PROS CONS
Valuable work experience Married and have kids
Excellent Recommendation Difficulty in taking feedback and orders from
seniors
Strong Social skills Commitment Issues
Highly committed and Loyal
Andy Sanchez
PROS CONS
Entrepreneurial Spirit Below average school result
Enthusiastic and social personality Conflict of Interest
Perfect Cultural Fit
Highly Ambitious
Which two candidates would you select if you were a member of the recruiting
committee?
Two selected candidates would be Natalya Godlewska and Andy Sanchez.
Natalya was a strong candidate all‐around. She was ambitious , hard working, and had the
personality and assertiveness to relate well with clients .The only negative comment from the
interviewers was about her English language skills and accent that may affect her ability to work
smoothly . This, in today’s world, is less of a concern .
Andy for his entrepreneurial skill, he started his own business during 1st year of college and
found early success as an entrepreneur. He was ready for new challenges, was enthusiast ,
personable ,was great in connecting with people and he kept himself abreast with the investment
banking deals etc. The only concern was his low grades which reflected that he invested time
into running his business to financially help his brothers and his own schooling.
