RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

Recruitment
 Searching for, and obtaining, potential job candidates in sufficient numbers and quality, and at the right cost, for the organisation to select the most appropriate people to fill its jobs. (Kramar et al 1996)

Purposes
Increase size of applicant pool at minimum cost Identify & prepare potential job applicants Increase success rate of selection process by reducing over/under qualified applicants Decrease early turnover of new hires Increase individual/organisational effectiveness

A Simplified Model of the Recruitment Process

Recruitment planning Estimated no. of contacts needed Job specifications Recruitment philosophy Internal vs External job filling Job vs Career orientation St-term vs long term orientation

Recruitment strategy development choosing reqd. applicant qualifications choosing recruitment sources and communication channels choosing inducements choosing the message : realism vs flypaper

Recruitment Activities Job posting Ads Other recruitment sources Follow up actions Record keeping

Screening / Selecting employees

Recruitment Evaluation No. of jobs filled ? Jobs filled in timely fashion ? Cost per job filled ?

Recruiting Yield Pyramid

50 100 150 200 1,200
New hires Offers made (2 : 1) Candidates interviewed (3 : 2) Candidates invited (4 : 3) Leads generated (6 : 1)

How to Recruit
Internal
Job Postings Newsletters Succession Planning eg. promotion

External
Advertising Employment Agencies Govt. employment exchange Private agencies Headhunters Campus Referrals / Word of Mouth / Unsolicited Applications Internet

Advantages of Internal Recruiting

Better assessment of key skills, knowledge and attitude Lower cost Motivator for good performance Hire at entry-level only entryFamiliarity with organisation Improved morale and security Can identify long-term interests long-

Disadvantages of Internal Recruiting

Inability to find appropriate people Morale problems Political in-fighting inNeed for strong T&D programs NonNon-induction of fresh ideas

Approaches for Attracting External Candidates

The main approaches to attracting applicants can be summarized as follows: WalkWalk-ins Employee referrals Advertising Websites Professional associations Educational associations Professional agencies E-recruitment (general recruitment agents/ companies own sites) Word-of-mouth Word-of

Advantages of External Recruiting

Introduces new ideas and knowledge Reduced need for training Larger skilled pool available

Disadvantages of External Recruiting

Problems of fit Morale problems for internals Adjustment period Relocation costs Decreased incentive value of promotions

Job Description
Job Title Relationships Purpose of jobs , overall objectives Specific responsibilities, duties Physical , economic conditions

Job Specification
Physical characteristics General intelligence Specific aptitudes Interests Dispositions Circumstances

Personnel specifications
Impact on other people Qualifications and experience Motivation Adjustments Innate abilities

Recruitment Evaluation
Measuring past recruitment can help predict:  Timeliness of recruitment  Budget needed  Methods that yield greatest number of best quality candidates  Assess performance of recruiters / consultants

Tips to write a good recruitment advertisement

The Company Define the employer Who are they? What have they achieved? What are their plans? What is their reputation / customer base? Investment/ signs of positive growth? The Role Define the position What is its purpose? What skills / abilities do they need? What are the targets? What are the opportunities for progression

Tips to write a good recruitment advertisement

The Candidate What kind of knowledge / skills / experience are they likely to have? What are they likely to have achieved? What type of personality/temperament will fit in to the culture? What qualities should they have? The Benefits Not everyone wants money Opportunities Broader role Training Career progression Overall benefits Including being with a market leader or innovator

SELECTION
Selection is the process of gathering information for the purposes of evaluating and deciding who should be hired, under legal guidelines, for the short and long term interests of the individual and the organisation.
(Schuler, Dowling, & Smart, 1992)

Selection: Principles
Underlying the process of selection and the choice of techniques are two key principles: principles: 1. Individual differences: differences: Attracting a wide choice of applicants will be of little use unless there is a way of measuring how people differ, i.e. intelligence, attitudes, social skills, psychological and physical characteristics, experience etc. etc. 2. Prediction: Prediction: A recognition of the way in which people differ must be extended to a prediction of performance in the workplace. workplace.

Steps in Selection Process

Screening of applications Tests Interviews Reference Checks Medical Examination

TESTS
Aptitude Mental Mechanical Achievement Job knowledge Work sample Personality Objective Projective Situational

Guidelines for the use of TESTS should supplement not substitute other methods are a screening device are not precise measures test conditions are important must be conducted/assessed by competent persons

Work Sample Tests

Advantages high reliability high content validity since work samples are a sample of the actual work performed on the job low adverse impact because of their relationship to the job, these tests are typically viewed more favorable by examinees than aptitude or personality tests difficult for applicants to fake job proficiency which helps to increase the relationship between score on the test and performance on the job Work Sample tests use equipment that is the same or substantially similar to the actual equipment used on the job Disadvantages costly to administer; often can only be administered to one applicant at a time although useful for jobs where tasks and duties can be completed in a short period of time, these tests have less ability to predict performance on jobs where tasks may take days or weeks to complete less able to measure aptitudes of an applicant thus restricting the test to measuring ability to perform the work sample and not more difficult tasks that may be encountered on the job

Personality Tests - for traits assessment

Advantages Disadvantages difficult to measure personality traits can result in lower turnover due if that may not be well defined applicants are selected for traits that are highly correlated with applicants training and experience employees who have high may have greater impact on job longevity within the organization performance than applicants personality can reveal more information responses by applicant may be about applicants abilities and altered by applicants desire to interests respond in a way they feel would result in their selection can identify interpersonal traits that may be needed for certain lack of diversity if all selected jobs applicants have same personality traits cost may be prohibitive for both the test and interpretation of results lack of evidence to support validity of use of personality tests

Psychometric Testing
Psychometric Testing OnOn-line testing, or e-assessment, is also used for eselection and other HR purposes. Benefits: Benefits: Online testing enables organizations to test at any time and anywhere in the world. It enables the quick processing of applicants. Drawback: Loss of control over the administration of the tests E-assessment

Types of Interviews
Unstructured / Non-directive NonStructured / Patterned Panel Group Stress Behavioural (BDI) Situational (SI) Assessment Centre Interviews using other media

Selection Interviews
Information elicited interviews have a specific focus, i.e. facts, subjective information, underlying attitudes. attitudes. Structure ranging from the completely structured to the unstructured. A compromise between the two unstructured. enables the interviewer to maintain control yet allowing the interviewee free expression. expression. Order and involvement the need to obtain different kinds of information may mean the involvement of more than one interviewer. Applicants may be interviewer. interviewed serially or in a panel. panel.

Selection Interviews
Interviewing Interviews are the most common selection tool. There is unsubstantiated confidence in the traditional interview. Unstructured Interviews No fixed question format or systematic scoring Shortcomings: Susceptible to distortion and interviewer bias Open to legal attack; legally indefensible if contested. Apparent but no real validity; may not be totally job-related joband possibly invasive of privacy. Highly inconsistent in application as selection tool. Lack of feedback to interviewers about selection errors.

Selection Interviews
Structured Interview A set of job-related questions with standardized answers. job Question types used in structured Interviews Hypothetical situations Job knowledge Job sample simulation

Behavioral Interviewing Posing detailed questions to candidates about their personal, specific behaviors in actual past job-related situations. job-

Behaviour Description Interview (BDI)

Assumption: Assumption: "Best predictor of future performance is past performance in similar circumstances. Overcomes excellence assumption "Experience equals excellence" (i.e. tasks have been performed well.) Requires candidate to give specific examples of how they performed job duties.

Example BDI: Middle Manager

Meetings & presentations are an important part of a Manager's job. Tell me about your most successful presentation to a management meeting.
What was the topic of the presentation? What were your objectives for the meeting? When did you start preparing for the meeting? What did you do to prepare? What was your role at the meeting?

Situational Interview (SI)

Hypothetical
Questions focus on what an applicant would do in a hypothetical situation. e.g. scenario

Why Situational Interviewing

Based on goal-setting theory which states goalthat intentions are related to behaviour Job Experts Develop Questions and sample GOOD, AVERAGE & POOR answers.

Assessment Centre
Assessment center is designed to yield information that can be used to make decisions concerning suitability for a job. job. They provide a fuller picture by combining a range of techniques. techniques. General methods used include group discussions, role plays and simulations, interviews and tests. tests. Candidates attending an assessment centre will be observed by assessors who should be trained to judge candidates performance against criteria contained within the competency framework. framework.

Multi Modality Approach

The principle of (diagnostic) measurement using several assessment approaches combined : Simulation approach Biographical approach Trait approach

Reliability and Validity

Reliability refers to the extent to which a selection technique achieves consistency in what it is measuring over repeated use. use. Validity refers to the extent to which a selection technique actually measures what it sets out to measure. measure.

Validity
Content validity Ability of the test to measure knowledge and skills needed to do the job.

Construct validity Ability of the test to measure underlying constructs, e.g. intelligence, motor skills, etc. Traits, e.g., sociability, musically inclined, conscientiousness, etc.

1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5

Perfect prediction

Meta-Analysis - What Works?

Work sample tests (0.54 corrected) General mental ability (0.53 corrected) Assessment centres (0.41)

0.4 0.3 0.2 0.1 0.0 -0.1

Biodata (0.37 corrected) Structured interviews (0.35) Personality tests (up to 0.33) Unstructured Individual Interviews (0.11) References Astrology (0.0) Graphology (0.0) Chance prediction

(Corrected = corrected for measurement error / range restriction)

Problems with Selection Interviews

The selection interview is a subjective process and prone to: bias stereotypes initial impressions memory capacity of interviewers

Costs of Poor Selection

Direct Costs
Re-advertising costs Re Panel time and effort HR staff time and effort

Hidden Costs
Reduced productivity Lost productivity whilst position vacant Time taken for new hire to become productive

Evaluating a Selection Program

ReliableReliable-must measure or predict behavior with a high degree of consistency. consistency. ValidValid-measures the degree to which inferences made from interviewing and reference checks are correct and accurate. accurate. Job related predictor

Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO)

In virtually all aspects of employment, it is unlawful to discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, religion, age, national origin, disability, or veteran status. status. Aimed at preventing future discrimination. discrimination. Affirmative Action Program (AAP) Actively seeking out, employing, and developing the talents of those groups traditionally discriminated against in employment in the past. past.

Implementing an Affirmative Action Program

Measures Employed in AAPs to Prevent Discrimination: Active recruitment of women and minorities. Elimination of prejudicial questions on employment application forms. Establishment of specific goals and timetables for minority hiring. Statistical validation of employment testing procedures

Toward Managing Diversity

From Affirmative Action to Managing Diversity The objective is to develop an appreciation of interpersonal differences and to create a dominant heterogeneous culture. culture. Accommodating The Needs of People with Disabilities Requires that employers to make reasonable accommodations to the needs of present and future employees with physical and mental disabilities. disabilities.

Staffing System Components

Applicant (Person) Organization (Job)

Recruitment (identification & attraction)

Selection (assessment & evaluation Employment (decision making & final match)

ORIENTATION or INDUCTION
a planned introduction of employees to their jobs, co-workers and the coorganisation

WHY INDUCTION
Reduce the cost and inconvenience of early leavers Increase commitment Socialization Accelerate progress up the learning curve

3 BASIC COMPONENTS
Company / Organisational Induction Departmental Induction Follow Up

CHOICES IN DESIGNING INDUCTION PROGRAMS

Formal or Informal Individual or Collective

PLACEMENT
The assignment or allocation of people to jobs in the organization

2 ways Placement can happen

Match 1 looking for an individual for a specific job Match 2 looking for a job to match an individual

Reading Assignment
Getting to yes with the right candidates. Lauren Bielski. American Bankers Association. ABA Journal. New York: Mar 2007. Vol.99,Iss. 3;pg.30 Recruitment and Retention of a Diverse workforce: Challenges and Opportunities. Valerie L Myers, Janice L Dreachslin. Journal of Healthcare Management. Chicago: Sep/Oct 2007. Vol. 52,Iss5; pg. 290 URL: http://proquest.umi.com/