Sonali Bank Intern Report 1
Sonali Bank Intern Report 1
Sonali Bank Intern Report 1
Supervisor
Khadiza Rahman
Senior Lecturer
Sir,
With due respect, I state that, I have completed the internship report named “Recruitment and
Selection Process of Sonali Bank Limited”. I consider myself lucky for getting the chance of
submitting the internship report which I have been assigned by you as a part of my internship
program at Sonali Bank Limited.
I have found the study to be quite interesting, beneficial & insightful. I have tried my level best
to fulfill all the requirements to make my internship report according to your expectation.
Without the sincere co-operation and proper guidance of you, it was not possible for me to
prepare the report.
So, I would like to request you to accept my internship report that is enclosed with this
application for your kind consideration.
Sincerely yours
………………………………..
A.F.M Ashraful Islam
ID. 05517221
BBA (55th Batch)
Department of Business Administration
Stamford University Bangladesh
II
Certificate from the Supervisor
------------------------------------------
Khadiza Rahman
Senior Lecturer
Department Business Administration
Stamford University Bangladesh
III
Student Declaration
I also declare that this proper is the outcome of my sole work and prepare for academic
purpose which a part of BBA and paper may not be used in the market or business
purpose.
IV
Preface
Internship in BBA program is a scope of gathering practical knowledge
on corporate environment by engaging in an organization for a certain
period. This report is the result of a descriptive research that is
conducted during the internship period in Sonali Bank Limited.
V
Acknowledgement
VI
……….…………………….
A.F.M Ashrful Islam
Executive Summary
National Bank of Pakistan was the largest commercial bank in the then
East Pakistan. After liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, this bank along
with two smaller banks, Premier Bank and Bank of Bahawalpur were
merged into Sonali Bank. The bank was nationalized under the
Government order P.O.26, 1972.This bank was transformed into a
Public Limited Company under 100% ownership of Government and
started functioning as Sonali Bank Limited on 15 November, 2007.
VII
magazine, annual reports, journals, books and some other relevant
sources.
VIII
Table of Contents
Particulars
Page Number
Letter of Transmittal ii
Certificate from the Supervisor iii
Student Declaration iv
Preface v
Acknowledgement vi
Executive Summary vii
IX
3.5 General Recruitment and Selection Process in Bangladesh 17
X
5.10 Selection Process of Sonali Bank Limited 46
5.11 Sonali Bank Limited Training Institute 49
References 58
XI
Chapter 1
Introductory Part
1.1 Introduction
Banking is known as the backbone of the national economy. Banks play an important
role in the business sector & promoting industrialization & economic development of
the country. Banks provide necessary funds for the executing various program underway
in the process of economic development. All sorts of economy & financial activities
revolve around the bank. As the industry produces goods & commodities, bank creates
& controls money market & promotes formation of capital.
Basically, Bank collects deposit from the customers at a lower rate of interest & lends it
to the borrowers at a higher rate of interest considering the cost of fund. The difference
amount indicates the operating profit for a bank.
Banks provide different services, credits to the customers. The customer comes from all
walks of life, from a small business to a multi-national corporation having its business
activities all around the worlds. The bank has to satisfy the requirements of different
customers belonging to various social groups. The banking business has therefore
become complex & requires specialized skills. It functions as an agent for bringing about
economic, industrial growth, & prosperity of the country. As a result different types of
bank with various services have come in to existence to suit specific requirements.
The recruitment and selection processes of an organization are two of its most
important HR activities. The basic purpose of recruiting is to ensure a sufficient pool of
applicants from which the most qualified individuals will be selected. Effective recruiting
is important because sufficient number of qualified applicants is needed to ensure that
selection will be successfully accomplished.
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1.2 Origin of the Report
3
1.4 Methodology
The study requires a systematic procedure from selection of the topic to preparation of
the final report. To perform the study, the data sources were to be identified and
collected, to be classified, analyzed, interpreted and presented in a systematic manner
and key points were to be found out. The overall process of methodology has been given
as below:
• Primary: The primary information collected through face to face interview,
observation, and by participation in the recruitment and selection process.
Both primary and secondary data sources will be used to generate this report. Primary
data sources are scheduled survey, informal discussion with professionals and
observation while working in different desks. The secondary data sources are different
published reports, manuals of Sonali Bank Limited.
1. Primary sources: Primary data were collected through telephone and direct
communication.
2. Secondary sources: Following were the secondary sources of data.
a) Annual report of Sonali Bank Ltd.
b) Different published articles published by Sonali Bank Ltd.
c) Website of Sonali Bank Ltd.
d) Different other articles and magazines.
4
Data Processing and Analysis Plan:
Various procedures were applied on the data to get useful information. Data processing
involves various processes, including:
Data summarization
Data aggregation
Data validation
Data tabulation
Statistical analysis
1.6 Limitations
Lack of Information: As management systems and all employees are not clearly
disclosed in a separate title in the annual reports, there is lack of sufficient
information for analysis. For this reason it is difficult to analyze current situation
of these reporting.
Confidentiality of data: confidentiality of data is another important barrier that
was faced during the preparation of this study. Every organization has their own
secrecy that is not revealed to others. While collecting data on Sonali Bank
limited, employees did not disclose enough information for the sake of
confidentiality of the organization.
Inexperience: Furthermore, I carried out such an internship program for the first
time. So, inexperience is one of the main factors that constituted the limitation of
the study.
Time limitation: the time was not sufficient for such a study. The time period of
the study is very short as I had only thirty-five days in my hand to work as an
intern in SBL which was not enough to have a practical experience about HRD
activities.
5
Non-discloser: I have also information limitations because the people I have
interviewed they did not disclose information as I needed. Moreover, they
skipped much information technically like- internal and external recruitment
budgeting process.
Unavailability of adequate resources: Adequate book, publication and journals
were not available.
Even I could not accumulate all the available information. However, I have tried my best
to prepare my internship report as good as possible within these limitations.
6
Chapter 2
The bank is the life blood of modern economy. A bank is a financial intermediary and
money creator that create money by lending money to a borrower, thereby creating a
corresponding deposit on the bank's balance sheet. In other words, an establishment
authorized by a government to accept deposits, pay interest, clear checks, make loans,
act as an intermediary in financial transactions, and provide other financial services to
its customers.
“Bank is an office or an institution for the keeping, lending and exchanging of money.”
-Professor Chambers
“Bank is an institution, the principal task of which is to collect the utilized money of the
people and to lend it to others.”
-R. P. Kent
Banking in its modern sense evolved in the 14th century in the rich cities of Renaissance
Italy but in many ways was a continuation of ideas and concepts of credit and lending
that had its roots in the ancient world.
Banking in its modern sense evolved in the 14th century in the rich cities of Renaissance
Italy but in many ways was a continuation of ideas and concepts of credit and lending
that had its roots in the ancient world. Due to their importance in the financial system
and influence on national economies, banks are highly regulated in most countries. Most
nations have institutionalized a system known as fractional reserve banking, central
banking, under which banks hold liquid assets equal to only a portion of their current
liabilities. In addition to other regulations intended to ensure liquidity, banks are
generally subject to minimum capital requirements based on an international set of
capital standards, known as the Basel Accords.
8
2.2 Objectives of Bank
Bank has various objectives as per other financial organizations. But banking
organization view point is exceptional than others. The objectives of bank can be viewed
from three different perspectives:
9
iv. Control of Money Market: Bank by its various products help in controlling money
market (supply of money in the market) and guards against the economy to be
inflated.
v. Creation of Employment: Bank to fulfill its human resource requirements and
create a large employment opportunities.
vi. Counseling in Financial Matters: Banks sometimes put up effective suggestions to
Government in financial matters from their part
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2.3 Types of Bank
After the independence, the banking industry in Bangladesh started its journey with 6
nationalized commercialized banks, 2 State owned specialized banks and 3 Foreign
Banks. In the 1980s the banking industry achieved a significant expansion with the
entrance of private banks. Now, banks in Bangladesh are primarily of two types:
I. Scheduled Banks: The banks which get licenses to operate under the Bank Company
Act, 1991 (Amended in 2003) are termed as Scheduled Banks. Following are some
examples of Scheduled Banks in Bangladesh.
Rupali Bank Limited
Sonali Bank Limited
Dutch Bangla Bank Limited
Jamuna Bank Limited
II. Non-Scheduled Banks: The banks which are established for special and definite
objective and operate under the acts that are enacted for meeting up those objectives,
are termed as Non-Scheduled Banks. These banks cannot perform all functions of
scheduled banks. Following are some examples of Non-Scheduled Banks
Most of the banks in Bangladesh are privately owned. Only few banks are owned by the
government. Banks can be also divided according to the ownership in the following two
ways:
I. State Owned Bank: State-owned banks are banks that are owned by the government in
which they operate. Following are some examples of state owned banks in Bangladesh.
II. Private Commercial Banks: Privately owned financial institution which (1) accepts
demand and time deposits, (2) makes loans to individuals and organizations, and
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(3) provides services such as international banking, trade financing etc. These banks are
formed on private initiative and have the motive of earning profit. Following are some
Private Commercial Banks in Bangladesh.
The focus of banking is varied. There are various types of banks. The necessity for the
variety among these banks is because each bank is specialized in their own field. Each
bank has its own principles and policies. The vast classification of banks can be shown in
the following diagram.
Classification of
Banks
4. Merchant Bank
4. Autonomous Banks
5. Import-Export Bank
6. Mortgage Bank
7. Industrial Bank
8. Mixed Bank
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2.4 Role of Bank in the Economy of Bangladesh
Banking is a very vital part of an economy and plays very significant contribution towards
socio-economic development of a country. This sector is considered to be like the life
blood the economy as well. As one of the most important components of the financial
system it forms the core of the money market and plays very pivotal role in mobilizing
resources for productive investments in a country which in turn contributes to economic
development.
The efficiency of this sector is very important for overall development of the country.
Bank has various influences and plays the following roles in the economy of Bangladesh.
Supply of Capital
Increase of Investment
Help in the Home Trades of Our Country
Help in the Foreign Trades
Industrial Development of Our Country
Agricultural Development
Credit Control
Creation of Credit or Deposit
Increase in the GDP
Increase of Government Revenue
Implementation of Economic Policies of Government
Handling the Foreign Exchange
Developing Living Status
The bank is the nerve center of modern business and it is no different for our country.
For a developing country like Bangladesh the importance of bank is beyond description
for the economic growth and overall development of this country.
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Chapter 3
Literature Review
3.1 Definition of Recruitment
According to Robins, “The ideal recruitment effort will attract a large no of qualified
applicants who will take the job if it is offered. A good recruiting program should attract
the qualified & not attract the unqualified. This dual objective will minimize the cost of
processing unqualified candidates.”
i) Planned: The employment needs arising from changes in organization and retirement
policy.
iii) Unexpected: Resignation, deaths, accidents, illness give rise to unexpected needs.
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3.3 Sources of Recruitment
Every organization has the option of choosing the candidates for its recruitment
processes from two kinds of sources. They are
1. Internal Sources
2. External Sources
1. Internal Sources
The sources within the organization itself to fill a position are known as the internal
sources of recruitment. In the following ways internal recruitment is done.
I) Promotion
II) Recommendation of employed personnel
III) Recommendation of trade union
2. External Sources
Recruiting candidates from all the other sources are known as the external sources of
recruitment. In addition to looking internally for candidates, it is customary for
organizations to open up recruiting efforts to the external community. Following are
some external recruitment ways.
I) Advertisement
II) Employment agencies
III) Vocational training institute
IV) Educational institutions
V) Unsolicited applicants
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Selection is the second stage of the recruitment and selection process. It may be defined
as the process of choosing the best candidate from a number of applicants. There is
always an element of prediction in selection, making an informed estimate as to which
of the various applicants is most suitable for the job being filled.
According to Dale Yoder, “Selection is the process by which candidates for employment
are divided into two classes; those who are to be offered employment and those who are
not.”
DeCenzo & Robbins said “Selection activities follow a standard pattern, beginning with
an initial screening interview and concluding with the final employment decision.”
Generally, recruitment and selection means selecting employees from external sources.
However, most of the organizations in Bangladesh follow the same process of selecting
and recruiting employees. They are as follows.
i) Collecting Departmental Requisition: This is the first step of the recruitment process.
After getting requisition from the departmental heads, top management assesses the
proposal and if it is seen reasonable and acceptable top management directs the HR
department for recruitment.
ii) Determination of Sources: After getting the requisition the HR department decides
from where to collect the employees according to the nature of the vacant post and
required qualification. There are two sources of employees; external & internal.
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iii) Inviting Applicants: After the assessment of requisition proposal of vacant job, the
next step of recruitment is attracting applicants for vacant job through advertisement.
The advertisement includes name of position, nature of work, qualities required for the
job etc.
ii) Written Test: If selected in the primary selection applicants get call for written test. In
the written test the following things are tested.
a) Efficiency
b) Intelligence
c) Aptitude
d) Personality
iii) Taking Interview: If applicants pass the written test they are then called for an
interview. Sometimes these interviews are taken before the written test. Though these
interviews are taken for a short time, selectors can know a lot about an applicant’s
intelligence, knowledge, personality etc. in this short time.
iv) Primary Selection: Those who pass the viva voce are primarily selected. In this case,
candidates are selected based on both written exam and interview.
v) Enquiry of Personal History: The selectors then enquire for the personal history of a
candidate. This includes checking permanent address, previous work place, educational
institutes etc.
vi) Medical Test: In this case the physical ability and fitness are tested of a candidate.
Here things like strength, stamina, diseases etc are tested.
3. Final Selection
This is decision making stage. The information furnished by the applicant and gathered
by the organization is evaluated. If the information is favorable, a job offer is made; if the
information is unfavorable, no job offer is extended. The tentative job offer is subject to
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a physical examination and a background investigation. If the candidate successfully
completes these two final hurdles, a final job offer is made.
Collecting Departmental
Requisition
Inviting Applicants
Receiving Application
Written Test
Primary Selection
Medical Test
Job Offer
Steps after Selection of
Employee
Posting
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Figure: General recruitment and selection process of an organization.
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Chapter 4
Company Profile
4.1 Overview of the Bank
Soon after independence of the country Sonali Bank emerged as the largest and leading
Nationalized Commercial Bank by proclamation of the Banks' Nationalization Order 1972
(Presidential Order-26) liquidating the then National Bank of Pakistan, Premier Bank and
Bank of Bhwalpur. As a fully state owned institution, the bank had been discharging its
nation-building responsibilities by undertaking government entrusted different socio-
economic schemes as well as money market activities of its own volition, covering all
spheres of the economy.
The bank has been converted to a Public Limited Company with 100% ownership of the
government and started functioning as Sonali Bank Limited from November 15 2007
taking over all assets, liabilities and business of Sonali Bank. After corporatization, the
management of the bank has been given required autonomy to make the bank
competitive & to run its business effectively.
The corporate head quarter of the bank is located at Motijheel, Dhaka, Bangladesh, and
the main commercial center of the capital. It has eight GM offices in 6 Divisional
Headquarters and 26 Principal Offices and 32 Regional Offices. The principal office is
headed by DGM and each department is headed by AGM.
Principal office Headquarter has the jurisdiction over the entire area of a district. The
regional offices are under the control of the principle office. Regional heads exercise
control and supervision over all the branches within their jurisdictions and keep the
head of the principal office informed.
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4.2 Corporate profile of Sonali Bank:
Vision
Socially committed leading banking institution with global presence.
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Mission
Dedicated to extend a whole range of quality products that support divergent needs of
people aiming at enriching their lives, creating value for the stakeholders and
contributing towards socio-economic development of the country.
4.4 Organogram
The Board of Directors is the top of Management in the organogram which is constituted
in teams of the Bangladesh Bank’s Nationalization Order 1972. Management hierarchy
of Sonali Bank is given blow:
Board of Directors
Managing Director
General Manager
Principal Officer
Senior Officer
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Officer
Figure: Organogram of Sonali Bank limited.
Sonali Bank is the largest nationalized commercial bank of Bangladesh. It has 1212
branches throughout the country. It has also two overseas branches. The Head Office of
the bank is located at the Motijheel commercial are, Dhaka. The Divisions are headed by
the DGMs and the departments are by AGMs. There are also many sections under every
department in the Head Office. A DGM is the chief of the Principal office and an AGM
usually runs a regional office. Principal offices are the local points of the bank’s
administrative zone in the districts. The regional offices are under control and
supervision of principal offices. The offices are situated at Thana level within the
districts. The corporate branches are nearly equivalent to the GM office and usually
headed by the DGMs. They provide all the banking services such as general banking,
loans & advances etc.
Head Office
GM Office
Principal Office
Regional Office
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Branch Office
25
Mr. A.K.M Kamrul Islam, FCA, Director •Sonali Bank Limited
FCS
As per Bangladesh Bank’s mandatory requirement vide BRPD Circular no. 06 dated 5 July,
2006, credit rating of Sonali Bank Ltd. was done by The Alpha Credit Rating Ltd. on the
audited balance sheet as on 31-12-2016 and other related information. The rating of
that report is as under.
Long-Term Ratings
Rating Definition
AAA An institution rated AAA has an exceptionally strong capacity to meet
its financial commitments.
A- An institution rated A- has adequate capacity to meet its financial
commitments.
Short-Term Ratings
Rating Definition
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ST-1 An institution rated ST-1 has superior capacity to meet its financial
commitments in a timely manner.
ST-2 An institution rated ST-2 has adequate capacity to meet its financial
commitments in a timely manner.
Sonali Bank Limited is the largest state owned leading commercial bank in Bangladesh. It
provides the following services.
Core Services
Corporate Service Trade Finance Investment
Project Finance Loan Syndication Government Treasury
Function
International Trade
Remittance Rural and Micro credit
Other Services
Government A.T.M. Card Ancillary Services
Treasury Bonds
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Locker Service Utility Bills Merchant Banking
Collection
Sonali Bank Limited has started Islamic Banking Activities in consideration with the
increasing demand & expectation of religious Muslims. It is completely based on Islamic
Shariah. A high profiled Shariah supervisory committee consists of reputed Islamic
scholars, Economists & Bankers, has been working for proper & fair Islamic Banking
activities.
The objective s of Islamic Banking are as follows.
To facilitate the online Shariah based banking at the door step of the religious
Muslims.
To establish an excellent Islamic Banking System by direct participation in sincere
& public welfare Banking, ensuring a proper & developed financial Management,
based on Islamic Shariah.
To bring dynamism in Islamic banking by utilizing the well versed experience &
good will of Sonali Bank Limited.
To encourage the savings following direct Investment.
To create more employment facilities by inspiring project Investment.
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29
Chapter 5
To know the future demand of human resources, the HR division of Sonali Bank Limited
usually provides all the other divisions and branches with a general form at the
beginning of the year. From the information collected from these forms, the HR division
gets an estimate of the human resource requirement for the year. No long term human
resource forecasting is done in SBL.
The recruitment goals of Sonali Bank Limited are to attract and retain highly qualified
human resources who will perform best in their respective areas. The bank not only tries
to attract well qualified candidates but also tries to identify and recruit people who are
really interested to work in the bank for an acceptable period of time.
Having good people in a team gives a competitive advantage to a business. Employing
the right person for the role will positively influence the performance and productivity of
the work team as a whole. Selecting the wrong person can result in lower performance,
higher operating costs reduced morale and increased turnover among other staff
members.
The only way to get good people on a team is to attract applicants through a well
thought out recruitment process and then finding the best person for the role using
sound selection techniques. The recruitment and selection process also provides a
window into a business for job seekers. A professional approach to these processes
reflects positively on the farm business.
Two types of recruitment are in practice in Sonali Bank Limited. They are as follows.
Yearly recruitment: This is done each year, according to the HR plan.
Need-based recruitments: This is done when there is a sudden vacancy.
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5.3 Recruitment Sources and Methods of Sonali Bank Limited
Usually, Sonali Bank Limited promotes its employees to fill vacancies. External
recruitment is also done for various kinds of empty post and beginning level job. The
external sources of recruitment are
Universities.
Other organizations.
Unsolicited applicants.
The HR Division will need to take a decision regarding the source of external recruiting
considering variables like –
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5.4 Required Recruitment Qualifications of a Candidate in Sonali Bank Ltd.
I. Basic Qualification
Following are the basic qualifications that a candidate must have.
In-depth Interview Necessary innate ability, ambition, loyalty and interaction skills
Personal Judgment Overall competence and ability to fit into the job position and
the organization.
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5.5 The Selection and Recruitment Policies of Sonali Bank Limited
MTs are the high potential fresh graduates/post graduates to be recruited in the
bank management cadre service within policy.
MTs are the future leaders to move up to different leadership positions with
gaining of experience & competence.
MTs are usually the FAST TRACKER – planned development, nursing and
counseling for career growth is to be critically administered.
At certain a stage, there will be natural turnover of MTs and some will leave if
blocked in the structure, then, bank will plan replacement with new MTs.
MT’s career progression and development will be closely monitored and ensure
growth in the succession ladder up to future TOP leadership positions in banking.
MTs recruited in core banking cadre, at times will be considered for other
support service functions as required.
Operation jobs are normally confined between TA and SO(Senior Officer) job
grade in the operation cadre service. Employees with mediocre potential are the
target group for recruitment.
However, not more than 15% of the total population will be considered for next
promotion from SO to PO or from PO to EO level at any given point of time.
(I) Operation Jobs - ranging from TA to PO/EO level where employees will be limited in
terms of potential.
(II) Executive Jobs - starting normally with potential ‘Probationary Officer’ with requisite
job requirement & competence fresh from the recognized & listed Universities. MT at
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times will be recruited sourced through the recruitment process in the ‘Core Banking
Services Cadre’ within policy.
Executive jobs will also be manned through recruitment from the market,
candidates having required professional experience, competence & background
as well as through internal transfer of professionals from the ‘Core banking Cadre
Service’ depending on the availability of resources.
Inter-transfer both in executive and operation jobs would be considered.
Normally no transfer from BSSC to CBCS would be considered. However,
executives having core banking professional competence may be transferred to
CBCS in the event positions are available in job grade ladder and the bank
management considers it fit and appropriate to do so in the interest of business.
High potential executives may move up to SEVP level / functional heads in BSSC.
Given the Banking Cadre Services structure as above, for Sonali Bank, recruitment
should be made in the following three Categories:
I. Trainee Assistant
II. Management Trainee
III. Experienced Officers
Recruitment processes on the basis of these categories are described in the following
readings.
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5.6 Recruitment of Trainee Assistant
Trainee Assistant (TA) for operation jobs as defined earlier shall be recruited either:
Every candidate who applies in response to the press advertisement shall have to
appear at a written test & appear before the Selection Committee for an interview.
Candidates who are selected by head hunting will have to appear before the
Selection committee for evaluation.
Candidates must not be over 30 years of age and should have minimum 8 points
based on educational qualification & no 3rd class/division in any examination.
The candidate should also have minimum computer knowledge on the following:
Operating System: Windows.
Word Processing: MS Word.
Spread Sheet: MS Excel.
Typing speed: 40 words per minute.
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Verbal communication
Appearance
Spoken English (moderate)
Attitude
Etiquette & mannerism
Family background & need
Willingness to stay longer in routine operation job /cash
Interview evaluation sheet in respect of each candidate will be in place considering all
the factors above and will be put on record.
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5.7 Recruitment of Management Trainee
The candidates for the post of Management Trainee must not be over 30 years of
age on the date of application.
The candidates must have at least two first divisions in their academic feat in
public examination. No 3rd Class/Division.
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will be placed as senior officers and the post graduates will be placed as principal
officers after two years of probation.
b) Recruitment from the Interns: They will be recruited based on their performance
during internship period, evaluation report of their supervising officials and performance
in the interview with the Selection Committee. However in no case more than fifty
30
percent of the interns will be eligible for appointment. Interns selected under this
criterion should join within one month of completion of his course.
An internee who has completed his internee more than six months ago will not be
eligible under this criterion. The appointment will be made according to requirement on
the basis of a panel to be prepared in order of merit by the Interview Committee and
after approval of the authority.
While interviewing the candidates for final selection, due weight should be given on the
educational background, professional excellence and technical skill in the appropriate
field.
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5.8 Recruitment of Probationary Officers
The following are the salient features in the recruitment process for Probationary
Officers:
(a) Direct entrants in the “Officer” Job Grade are termed as the “Probationary
Officers”, specially meant for the “Banking Support Services Cadre” (BSSC).
(b) Probationary Officers are the people of strong potential with their post-
graduation in various disciplines who will be recruited from the bank’s listed
universities only. There are usually the consistent “VG (Very Good) & E
(Excellent)” performers who after entry as probationary officers will gradually
succeed in executive jobs in BSSC and ultimately move to leadership positions
through proven track record of performance on the job with gaining of
experience & competence.
(c) Sourcing of the candidates will be done through campus contact with all listed
universities/institutions. The process is summarized below for clarification.
ii. Written Test – 60 marks: Eligible short listed candidates will appear for a
written test. The subject matter of the test should be general
knowledge, arithmetic, English, economics/banking, as maybe decided
by the management from time to time. For this purpose, Sonali Bank
Limited will organize written tests with its own resources or may take
the help of outside experts, e.g., IBA, BIBM or any other suitable agency
for setting the questions, supervising the examination work and scoring
the scripts. A candidate must secure minimum 36 out of 60 (60%) in the
written test to be eligible for viva/interview for the post of Probationary
Officer within policy.
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iv. A four-member interview committee consisting of the concerned
functional heads, DMD and Head of HR Division will conduct the face to
face interview/viva for final selection of Probationary Officers. The MD
will finally examine the recommendations; if he wishes, he may
personally meet the candidates and accordingly may approve or
disapprove recommendations for appointment.
Interview evaluation sheet in respect of each candidate will be in place
considering all relevant factors and record will be maintained for
reference.
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5.9 Recruitment of Experienced Executives/Officials
Sonali Bank will pay attention to develop its own manpower through training process. It
must, however, need quality human resources to run its operations and expansion
program through continuous training and development strategy. Recruitment of
experienced Bankers from other banks will however, continue till the time MT process is
geared up in core banking leadership positions.
The cases of selected candidates will be placed before the competent authority for
approval. There will be no probation period for experienced Officers/Executives, who
join from other Banks, if their services were confirmed by their earlier employers.
There will be a separate “Job Profile Manual” for the bank to be maintained and
followed for recruitments. Experienced Officials from the market meeting the bank’s job
profile will be recruited within policy.
In case of candidates having high potential, not more than one job grade up in the job
grade ladder will be considered.
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The following table shows the recruitment criteria for Executives/Officials summarized
on the basis of the post and required experiences, qualifications etc.
35
position in any scheduled position in any scheduled Bank
Bank & minimum length of & minimum length of service 10
service 12 years. years.
9. SEO 3 years as PO or equivalent 2 years as PO or equivalent
position in any scheduled position in any scheduled Bank
Bank & minimum length of & minimum length of service 8
service 10 years. years.
10. EO 3 years as SO or equivalent 2 years as SO or equivalent
position in any scheduled position in any scheduled Bank
Bank & minimum length of & minimum length of service 6
service 8 years. years.
11. PO 4 years as Officer in any 3 years as Officer in any
scheduled Bank & minimum scheduled Bank & minimum
length of service 6 years. length of service 5 years
12. SO 3 years as Officer in any 2 years as Officer in any
scheduled Bank & minimum scheduled Bank & minimum
length of service 4 years. length of service 3 years.
13. Officer 2 years as Junior Officer in any 2 years as Junior Officer in any
Scheduled Bank & minimum Scheduled Bank & minimum
length of service 3 years. length of service 3 years.
14. JO Minimum 2 years as Assistant Minimum 2 years as Assistant
Officer in any Scheduled officer in any Scheduled Bank.
Bank.
15. AO Direct recruit. Direct recruit.
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5.10 Selection Process of Sonali Bank Limited:
Selection is the part which carries an extra weight for any organization because the
organizational performance, cost issues regarding recruitment and selection, and legal
obligations depends on it. Realizing the importance of careful selection Sonali Bank
Limited practices a well-organized selection process for all type of employees but the
process varies for different positions. Focusing on the selection process for the
management trainee/ External/Internal candidates of Sonali Bank Limited, the
summarized selection process of the organization is explained below:
1. Receipt of Application
Once the recruitment process is completed, this is the first selection hurdle to join SBL.
Candidates either send their CVs in application for a specific vacancy, or they send
unsolicited CVs for any suitable position. The HR division collects job applications against
each job vacancy. In case of newspaper advertisements, the applicants are given at least
3 weeks to apply. After a specific period, each and every job is closed for applying.
3. Informing Candidates
After short listing of the CV and choosing the suitable candidates, HR division inform the
candidate over phone about written test (Entry level) or interview (upper-level). For
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written tests, the bank issues admit cards through courier services seven to ten days
prior to the exam.
The test question contains math based and analysis based questions where processing
information from data and forming relationship ability among the clues of given problem
are required to answer them. The exam committee checks the answer scripts. According
to the top marks candidates are invited for interviews.
5. Interview
Candidates who qualify in the written test are called for an interview. The candidates are
informed about the interview time, date and venue. The interview board consists of the
MD, DMDs and the Head of HR. Even in the selection of fresh graduates for TA or MT
positions, those top level and executive level managers are present. Usually only one
interview is conducted for selecting a candidate for a position. But in case of recruiting
experienced bankers, more than one interview is conducted if required.
In case of evaluating a candidate, the following competencies are evaluated.
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Planning & organizing skills.
Commitment/ Loyalty: Dedication towards jobs and organization.
Customer Satisfaction Ability.
6. Reference Check
When a candidate is selected for the job, his or her given reference has been checked by
HR. The candidate must give at least two references. If the candidate is fresh, then he or
she has to have one reference from his educational institute. But if the candidate was
previously employed, must have one reference from last organization, preferably the
supervisor. Subject to satisfactory response will get job offer.
7. Job Offer
After the interview is conducted and the interviewees are evaluated, the management
committee decides who is to be selected and who is to be rejected. After this final
decision, an ‘Offer Letter’ is made for each selected candidate. Once the candidates
accept this offer, they are given the ‘Appointment Letter’. The candidates that are
rejected are not informed.
An approval needs to be taken from the MD for all permanent position and temporary
position and the approval is given by Deputy Director of HR. If a candidate successfully
reaches the final stage then candidates are given a job offer. Individuals joining as MTO
have a probation period of twelve months.
8. Medical Test:
After the appointment letters are printed, the candidates are given one month for
joining. First, the candidates have to go through physical examinations. If the result of
these physical examinations is satisfactory, then the candidate is eligible to join the bank.
To measure the applicant’s health and fitness for the job effort they investigate following
test:
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Blood Checking (Blood grouping, Hepatitis-B, Blood Sugar)
ECG
There is one college named Sonali Bank Staff College situated at Uttara Model Town and
five training institutes of Sonali Bank Limited in the Chittagong, Khulna, Mymensingh,
Rajshahi and Bogra district. All the year, the staffs of SBL train-up here and complete
different types of banking related courses. Among these training institutes, the largest is
Sonali Bank Staff College (SBSC). The members of the SBSC are: a principal, assistant
general managers, senior faculty members and faculty members.
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Chapter 6
For several years, Sonali Bank Limited is facing difficulties to employ appropriate
personnel for it. There are many reasons behind the challenges which are described
below.
1. Conventional Recruitment and Selection Method
The main problem of the recruitment and selection process is that the process itself is
very old. Compared with some private commercial banks, it is clearly visible that the
conventional recruitment and selection process are no longer effective in the modern
time. For example, taking ‘hard copies’ for CVs and less use of IT in the process makes it
more time consuming compared to some other private banks. Other problems in the
conventional method are
Manual CV evaluation.
Traditional written examination.
Delay in publishing result.
Ineffective communication system etc.
2. Time Consuming
The recruitment and selection process is very much time consuming. To get
recommendation from division or to sort out application, to call for a written test or for
an interview it takes much more time than most of the private commercial banks. Again,
the main reason behind this is the conventional process that Sonali Bank Limited follows
for recruitment and selection. Also, inefficient personnel conducting the whole task
make it worse.
3. Political Influence
As politics is the main problem for many industrial sectors in Bangladesh, it is no
different in the banking sector. Especially in the government banks it is in a critical
situation. Political influence over the bank and its selection and recruitment process
make it difficult to select the right personnel. Because of it, well qualified people are left
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out and less qualified people are getting selected. It has been a major issue for the bank
and it also seems to become worse day by day. If this problem continues to prevail over
the bank, it cannot fix its other problems.
4. Less Use of Technology
As this has been the problem with most of the government institutions Sonali Bank
Limited is no different. The less use of technology on the selection process makes it
more time consuming and less effective. Also it makes the whole recruitment and
selection process prone to fault. As the whole banking industry, especially the private
banks, are opting with latest technology, Sonali Bank Limited must adopt with latest
technology to keep pace with other banks.
Another point to note is that many of its employees are not familiar with many
technologies. Also it does not have a proper communication system. Sending paper
documents in various departments make it more difficult and time consuming.
5. Corruption in Promotion
For internal recruitment promotion is one of the ways. But many times promotion is
given on the basis of ‘good relation’ with the upper level employees and not on the base
of performance. Thus many effective and deserving employees lose motivation and
focus on his relation with superiors instead of performance.
Above were the main problems regarding the recruitment and selection process of
Sonali Bank Limited. Apart from those problems there are some more problems which
make the process less effective. Some of those problems are summarized below.
Sonali Bank Limited’s HR planning can be made more effective if it is revised more
often according to the change in this fast moving industry.
There is no feedback system established to find out the efficiency of the system
and correct its drawbacks.
No study is conducted to justify the effectiveness of the recruitment tests.
Regret letters are not sent to the candidates who are not selected after joining of
the finally selected candidates.
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SBL does not always check references properly, which may lead to a grave
problem for the organization.
Chapter 7
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7.1 Recommendations to Deal with the Problems
The success of a commercial bank depends largely in the quality of service rendered to
the clients. Quality of service depends on the competence and the quality of the
employees of the organization. Therefore, the authority of SBL has to be careful in
recruiting the right person for each job.
Sonali Bank follows the conventional Selection and Recruitment process system. To have
a sound and bold selection and recruitment process it must overcome its faults in the
process. The bank should try to arrange more training programs for their officials.
Following are some recommendations for the betterment of its selection and
recruitment process.
1. Technological Advancements
Sonali Bank Limited has to be more technologically advanced with its selection and
recruitment process. More efficient personnel should be used in the process. The
amount of paper work must be reduced and the internal communication system can be
digitalized. By using technology more often it can make the process faster. To keep pace
with its competitors it must have a sound selection process.
To do so, the HR department must communicate their needs with upper level and
allocate the necessary resources. There has to be some time saving and cost effective
way for proper recruitment ways and the increase in the use of technology can be a
great help in this regard.
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minimum 5 months and maximum 6 months in case of MTO / TO/ TCO placement.
Therefore, when the selection take place Sonali Bank Ltd loses more qualified candidate
because within this time most of the candidates join in another organizations. So, the
ultimate result does not become fruitful.
So from this prospect, Sonali Bank Limited has to complete the entire process as early as
possible in order to grab the qualified employees before entering elsewhere. Short
duration of recruitment and selection procedure would not only increase the HRM’s
efficiency, by employing qualified employees but also increase the organization’s
effectiveness.
If this problem is not dealt immediately this problem will rise and bring on more
problems. Delay will make it tough to reduce those problems. Workers will not work
properly and the efficiency will get worse.
The top management should also be honest about the internal recruitment. They should
focus on the performance of an employee and not his ‘relationship’. It will be the right
thing to do as the right employee will get promotion. It will also lead to more job
satisfaction.
Sometimes applicants who are referred by the top level management gets more favor
form the recruiting board. It is not fair because the organization may overlook the
qualified employees who are really fit for the organization. In case of selection process
nepotism should be strictly forbidden. Afterward, this malpractice has been continuing
in many selection programs.
So from this prospect, for the welfare of Sonali Bank Limited, nepotism has to be
stopped and the management bodies have to give more emphasis on conducting a fair
recruitment and selection program.
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4.Proper Budgeting
There is no proper guideline in The Sonali Bank Limited regarding the recruitment
budget. In the beginning of fiscal year, a certain amount of budget is disbursed to
resource planning unit on basis of assumption but whether the budget is reasonable or
not; it is not verified. If the recruitment budget covers the cost, it is all right. But when
the budget is not sufficient, in that case, the resource planning unit has to ask for
additional amount of money through a formal application with proper reasons which
delays the overall recruitment and selection process.
From this prospect, there should be proper budget for recruitment and selection
purpose so that the recruitment and selection process is not hampered any way. If
possible, the Managing director may discuss with recruitment manager about the
amount of budget when it is disbursed.
All these above mentioned recommendation can make the recruitment and selection
procedures more effective and efficient.
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7.2 Conclusion
Human Resource Management always acts to bring out potentials, to develop quality
and to also meet all the demand of the work force. The study of the recruitment and
selection process of Sonali Bank Limited revealed that employees are the most valuable
resources for the progress of the organization. For the development of these valuable
resources there are many factors involved. In this regard “Recruitment and Selection
Process” play the most important role. To increase the productivity of an organization
effective & dynamic recruitment and selection procedure is essential.
The success of a commercial bank depends largely in the quality of service rendered to
the clients. Quality of service depends on the competence and the quality of the
employees of the organization. Therefore, the authority of SBL has to be careful in
recruiting the right person for each job. As has been seen, the recruitment and selection
process of Sonali Bank Limited has rooms for improvement. The policy and process
should be revised. So although the process they have been adopting so far has been
somewhat effective, to adapt to the changing times, the process should be revised and
developed.
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References
Books and Journals
Annual Report, Sonali Bank Limited, 2015
Caruth, Donald L., and Gail D. Handlogten. Staffing the Contemporary Organization:
A Guide to Planning, Recruiting, and Selecting for Human Resource Professionals.
2nd ed. Praeger Publishers, 1997.
Websites
http://www.sonalibank.com.bd/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sonali_Bank
http://www.bangladesh-bank.org/
http://bankbankerbanking-bd.com/index.php/banking/
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