The Recruitment Process

Human
resource
planning

JOB

Job
analysis
information
JOB
REQUIREMENTS

OPENING
Specific
request of
managers

IDENTIFIED

SATISFACTORY
METHOD OF
RECRUITMENT

RECRUITS
MAKE FORMAL

Managers
comments

APPLICATION
INDUCEMENTS

EMPLOYER SOURCES
Walk-ins
Employee referrals
Advertising

REFERRAL SOURCES
Government Agencies
Employment Agencies
Search firms

OTHER INSTITUTIONS
Educational institutions
Professional associations
Labor organization
Government programs

MISCELLANEOUS
Temporary help firms
Departing employees

4-1

Recruitment
Locate applicants
Attract applicants

Recruitment Program Goals

Achieve cost efficiency

Attract highly qualified candidates
Help ensure employee retention
Comply with nondiscrimination laws
Create a more diverse workforce
4-2

Visible Cost of a New Hire

+ advertising
+ recruiter travel
+ candidate travel
+ sign-on bonuses
+ agency/search firm fees
+ recruiters salaries and benefits
+ managers time

Hidden Cost of a New Hire

the learning curve

loss of work team efficiency
work loss of outgoing employee
cost of a vacant position
4-3

Factors Influencing Applicant

Decisions
Alternative Job Opportunities

Recruitment
Activities

Attractiveness of
Company

Attractiveness of the Job

4-4

Recruitment Planning Steps

1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

Identify the job opening.

Decide how to fill the job opening.
Identify the target population.
Notify the target population.
Meet with the candidates.

4-5

Step 1: Identify the Job Opening

Are any new budgeted positions opening soon?
Is a contract under negotiation that may result in
the need for additional hires?
What is the amount of expected turnover in the
next several months?

Alternatives to Filling Job Openings

Overtime
Job elimination
Job redesign
4-6

Step 2: Decide How to Fill the Job Opening

Core vs. contingency personnel?
Internal vs. external recruiting?

Sources of Contingent Personnel

Labor lessors
Temporary employment agencies
Independent contractors

Contingent
Core
Personnel
Personnel

When to Use Contingent Personnel

When hard-to-find expertise required
When staffing new offices in geographic areas far
from main headquarters
4-7
When projects have high risk factors

Advantages of Using Contingent Personnel

Flexibility to control fixed employee costs

Relieves company of many of its HRM burdens
Cost savings
Job tryout for permanent positions

Disadvantages of Using Contingent Personnel

Contingent personnel may need considerable
orientation and training on company procedures.
Contingent employees may be less committed to
host organization.
4-8

Advantages of Internal Recruitment

Qualifications of internal candidates well known

Less expensive
Job openings can be filled more quickly
Less orientation and training required

Disadvantages of Internal Recruitment

Rejected candidates may become resentful.
Supervisory promotions may cause problems when friends
become subordinates.

When to Use External Recruitment

Need an outsider with new ideas and innovations
No qualified internal applicants

4-9

Step 3: Identify the Target Population

Specify worker requirements.

Decide whether to target certain segments of the
applicant population.

Step 4: Notify the Target Population

Limit the applicant pool to a manageable size.

Discourage unqualified applicants from applying.
Clearly state the job qualifications in the vacancy
notification.

Step 5: Meeting with the Candidates

Provide applicants with information about the job and the

company.
Provide specific rather than general information.

4-10

Methods of Internal Recruitment

Computerized career progression systems

Supervisor recommendations
Job posting
Career development systems

4-11

Computerized Career Progression Systems

Strengths
Candidates can be found
quickly
Can identify a broad
spectrum of candidates

Weaknesses
Limited to objective or
factual information

Supervisory Recommendations
Strengths
Popular with supervisors
Supervisors know
capabilities of potential
candidates

Weaknesses
Supervisor may be biased
Some qualified employees
may be overlooked
Courts have not been
favorable to this method
4-12

Job Posting
Strengths
Enhances likelihood of
surfacing qualified
candidates
Gives employees
responsibility for their own
careers
Enables employees to
leave bad situations

Weaknesses
May take longer to fill
positions
May encourage
supervisors to play
games
Employees may job hop
Rejected employees may
feel alienated
P r e s id e n t

Career Development Systems

Strengths
Encourages top
performers to stay
Ensures that someone is
ready to fill open positions

V ic e P r e s id e n t

V ic e P r e s id e n t

Weaknesses
Rejected applicants may
become demoralized
Selected applicants may
become demoralized if
positions dont open

V ic e P r e s id e n t

4-13

Methods of External Recruitment

Employee referrals

Applicant-initiated
recruitment

Help-wanted
advertisements

On-Line

organization

Campus
recruiting

Public employment
agencies
Private employment
agencies

Executive search
firms

4-14

Employee Referrals
Strengths
Employees make good
recruiters
Applicants tend to perform
better and stay longer

Weaknesses
May serve as barrier to
equal employment
opportunity

Applicant Initiated Recruitment

Strengths
Efficient
Low cost
Highly motivated
applicants

Weaknesses
Timing- may get applicants
when jobs are not
available

4-15

Help Wanted Advertisements

Strengths
Reach a large audience in
a relatively short period of
time
Helps ensure equal
opportunity

Weaknesses
Not as effective as other
methods
May produce too many
applicants

Public Employment Agencies

Strengths
Good for clerical and blue
collar jobs
Low cost
Can fill jobs quickly

Weaknesses
Motivational level of
applicants may be low

4-16

Private Employment Agencies

Strengths
Provide applicants for a
wide variety of jobs
Applicants may be more
motivated than those from
public employment agency
Useful when many
applicants to screen

Weaknesses
Hiring company usually
pays fee
Company relies upon
agency for quality and
legal compliance

Executive Search Firms

Strengths
Specialize in mid-and
senior-level managers
Can locate applicants not
actively seeking jobs

Weaknesses
Expensive
About half of searches
dont result in candidates
with desired qualifications
4-17

Campus Recruiting
Strengths
Useful for filling
specialized entry-level
jobs

Weaknesses
Costly
Time consuming

On-line Recruiting
Strengths
Fast
Large audience

Weaknesses
Expensive

4-18

Line Managers and Recruitment

Identify recruitment
needs.
Communicate
recruitment needs to
the HRM department.
Interact with
applicants.

The HR Department and Recruitment

Plan the recruitment process.
Implement the recruitment process.
Evaluate the recruitment process.
4-19

Dependency of Other HR Activities

to Selection
HUMAN RESOURCE
ACTIVITIES

INPUTS

Job Analysis

Human resource plans

SELECTION
PROCESS

Orientation
Training
Development
Career planning
Performance Evaluation
Compensation
Personnel Control

Recruits

4-20

Validity Defined
The appropriateness, meaningfulness, and
usefulness of selection inferences
The technical term for effectiveness

How to Achieve Selection Validity

Use job analysis to determine job qualifications.
Use selection methods that reliably and
accurately measure the needed qualifications.

4-21

Reliability Defined
Consistency of measurement
The degree of self-consistency among the scores earned by
an individual
When two people evaluating the same candidate provide
the same ratings
When the ratings of a candidate taken at two different times
are the same

How to Achieve Selection Reliability

Establish good rapport with candidates.

Ask questions that are clear.
Ask questions that are moderately difficult.
Administer several measures to assess each important
KSA.
4-22

Behavior Consistency Model

The best predictor of future behavior is past behavior
performed under similar circumstances.
The most effective selection procedures are those that
focus on the candidates past or present behavior in
situations that closely match those they will encounter on
the job.

How to Implement the Behavior Consistency Model

Thoroughly assess each applicants previous work
experience.
Evaluate each applicants past success on each behavior
relevant to the target job.
Use assessments that simulate actual job behaviors.
4-23

Approaches in Assessing and Documenting Validity

Content-oriented strategy
Criterion-related

Content-oriented Strategy

Job
Content

Selection
Program
Content

Demonstrate that the

selection devices were
chosen on the basis of an
acceptable job analysis.
Demonstrate that the
selection devices
measured a representative
sample of the KSAs
identified.
4-24

Criterion-Related Strategy
Predictor Scores
High
Medium
Low

Criterion Scores
High
Medium
Low

4-25

Predictive Validation Study

Time Period 1
(Collect predictor scores)

Time Period 2
(Collect criterion scores)

Collect applicant
data using new
selection instrument
but dont use to hire

Evaluate performance
of new hires

Hire applicants using

old selection procedure

Correlate predictor
scores with criterion
scores
4-26

Concurrent Validation Study

Time Period 1
Administer new selection
instrument to current
employees
Obtain performance evaluation
data on current employees
Correlate predictor
scores with criterion
scores
4-27

Stages in the Selection Process

Hiring Decision

STEP 8

Realistic Job Preview

STEP 7

Supervisory Interview
Medical Evaluation
Reference and Background Checks
Selection Interview
Employment Test
Preliminary Reception of Applicants

STEP 6
STEP 5
STEP 4
STEP 3
STEP 2
STEP 1

4-28

Stages in a Typical Employment Interview

Evaluation
Termination
Information exchange
Creation of rapport
Interviewer preparation
4-29

Question Formats in Selection Interviews

UNSTRUCTURED
Few in any planned questions. Questions are made up during
the interview.

STRUCTURED
A predetermined checklist of questions, usually asked of all
applicants.

MIXED
A combination of structured and unstructured questions, which
resembles what is usually done in practice.

BEHAVIORAL
Questions that are focused on an applicants past experiences.
Evaluation is on the solution and the approach of the applicant.

STRESS
A series of harsh, rapid fire questions intended to upset the
applicant.

4-30

Considerations in Designing a Structures Interview

Criterion Number 01: Motivation to Do the Job
What have you learned from each of your jobs?
What have you learned on other jobs that you think would be valuable on this one?
What do you know about our organization that makes you interested in working here?
What is your salary expectation? How did you arrive at this figure? Is it firm?
If you are offered this job, do you know that you will accept it? What other jobs are you
considering

Criterion Number 02: Adjustment (Emotional Stability, Self-Awareness, Ability

to Get Along with Other People as Part of a Team)
What do you think employees need the most from their supervisors?
Have you ever worked with people you dont like? How did you manage?
What are your strengths and weaknesses in terms of doing the job?
What drives you crazy about other people? What about you driving other people crazy?

Criterion Number 03: Ability to Handle Leadership

What do you want most from your supervisor?
What would you do if you have planned a/an (out-of-town planning workshop)
and instead you subordinates suggested a/an (company outing)?

4-31

Application Blanks

Determine whether minimum qualifications for job are

met.
Judge the presence or absence of certain job-related
attributes.

Background Investigation

Primarily used for screening applicants for positions of

trust or for special duty of care

Reference Check

Verify information provided by applicants

Get additional information about applicants which may
be predictive of future job performance

4-32

Realistic Job Preview

Include descriptive and
judgmental information.
Limit discussion of
negatives to issues that
have caused turnover in
the past.
Reflect the actual balance
of positive and negative
factors.

When to Use Realistic Job Previews

Turnover and associated costs are high.
There are negative factors unknown to the job applicants
that may affect their subsequent intentions to quit.
Qualified applicants are plentiful.
4-33

Line Managers and Employee Selection

Determine needed
competencies.
Assess job candidates.
Provide input into
selection decisions.
Make job offers.
Help ensure validity.

HRM Department and Employee Selection

Provide technical support.
Assist the manager.

4-34