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Chapter 6Recruiting and Selecting Applicants

• The Labor Market• Determining Labor

Needs• Legal Aspects of

Recruiting and Selection• Recruiting• Selecting the Right

Person

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The Labor Market

• The supply of people looking for jobs

• The jobs available in the given area

• Many openings are predicted in the hospitality field

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The Hospitality Field

• Jobs include entry level, low-skill, minimum wage jobs, as well as certain jobs that require certain skills and abilities.

• Days and hours are irregular, scheduling patterns vary (split shifts, part time, and unusual hours).

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Sources of Workers

• Undergoing continuos changes with U.S. work force.

• The majority of new workers are women, minorities, and immigrants.

• Many people are looking for temporary work and have no interest in long term commitment.

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Sources of Workers

• If the job your looking to fill is above the lowest level the first step is to look inside your own operation.

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Major Sources of Workers

• People looking for

their first job.• Students.• Women.• “Moonlighters”.

• Unemployed.• People who just want to get away. • Aliens or immigrants.• Retired people.• Disabled.

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Characteristics of Your Labor Area• Know the labor market in and

out of your own industry- prevailing wages, unemployment rates, its makeup, competing enterprises.

• Know the demographics- ethnic groups, income levels, education levels, where the different groups live.

• Know about the community.

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Determining Labor Needs

• Defining Job Qualifications

• Forecasting Personnel Needs

• Training VS. Buying Skills

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Defining Job Qualification

• Job Specification- list the knowledge, skills and abilities, work experience, education and training.

• Do not discriminate in any way!!!

• Phrase (and think) in concrete terms what each job requires.

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Forecasting Personnel Needs• Anticipating your needs of

workers gives you more time to look for the right people.

• Use records of past sales, they might indicate past trends.

• Scheduling and downtime are key factors in forecasting your personnel needs.

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Scheduling

• Let your employees know that you value their opinion and take them seriously.

• Try to meet the needs of both- your employee and the company.

• Examine your schedule for efficiency of your needs and ways of organizing shifts to be more attractive to employees needs.

• Consider revamping.

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• Downtime:The length of time a position is vacant until a employee that can fully perform fills it.

• Forecast appropriately for downtime.

• If nessicary fill out a employment requisition form.

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Training VS. Buying Skills

• There is no security in hiring for experience

• You may have to pay more to break years of bad habits

• If you do hire for experience be sure to check references

• Training is expensive but likely to be less costly in the end

• You really do not have time not to train people

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Legal Aspects

• Equal employment opportunity means people should be treated equally in all employment matters.

• Equal Employment Opportunity Commission: Created by (and responsible for enforcing the employment related provisions of) the Civil Rights Act of 1964.

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Equal Employment Opportunity Laws

• Equal Pay Act of 1963• Civil Rights Act of 1964• Age Discrimination in Employment

Act of 1967• Pregnancy Discrimination Act of

1978• Immigration Reform and Control

Act• Americans with Disabilities Act• Family and Medical Leave Act of

1993

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Americans with Disabilities Act

• This act makes it unlawful to discriminate in employment matters against the estimated 43 million Americans with disabilities.

• Reasonable Accommodation:any change in a job or environment that will enable someone with a disability to perform essential job functions.

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EEO Laws and the Hiring Process• Job requirements must be related to the job.• Pre employment tests must be valid, reliable and

relevant.• Tests should be given to all applicants, scored under

the same bases, and administered under the same conditions.

• Avoid questions during interviews related to race, gender, age, marital status, religion, origin, appearance, and disabilities.

• Negligent Hiring refers to the failure of an employer to take reasonable safeguards when hiring employees.

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Recruiting- a form of marketing-

looking actively for people to fill jobs • Be appropriate- put your

message out in appropriate places.

• Be competitive- sell your job as well as others.

• Be constant- on the look out all the time.

• Use the Multiple Approach- don’t depend on a single resource.

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Internal Recruiting:

• Promoting from within.

• To let all employees know about a opening use a job posting.

• Employee referral programs may be used when you cannot find a current employee to fill the position.

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External Recruiting

• Seeking applicants from outside the operation.

• Again, avoid discrimination!• 2 types of advertising are

classified and displayed.• How to apply: Open or Blind.• Advertise in a major paper.• Some employers use radio or

television.• Advertise in your own

operation.

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Employment Agencies• Private Employment Agencies:

Normally charge a fee. Most often handle management and high skilled jobs.

• Temporary Agencies: Charge by the hour. Good for peak business periods.

• Job Service Centers: Free! Screen and provide applicants for entry level jobs.

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Direct Recruiting• Practiced primarily by large

organizations seeking management or top level culinary skills.

• Recruiters go where the job seekers are- colleges, job fairs, etc.

• Advantage- you may get better employees and you are creating a good image for the future.

• Additional sources- organizations involved with minorities, women, disabled, immigrants or other special groups.

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Evaluating Your Recruiting

• Learn what sources give you the best workers.

• Learn what the success rates are.

• Learn what the costs are.• Learn the tenure of people

from each source.• Also evaluate your own

recruiting efforts.

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Selecting the Right People

• The Application- “a fact finding sheet.”

• The Interview- Find a quiet place, look for two kinds of info. Hard data on skills and experience, and personal qualities. Some use a structured patterned interview.

• Evaluate immediately with a meaningful rating system.

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Evaluation• Can-do Factors: includes job knowledge,

past experience, and and education.• Will-do Factors: includes the applicants

willingness, desire, and attitude toward performing the job.

• Halo effect- or overgeneralization: Jumping to conclusions based on 1st impressions.

• Truth in Hiring:Telling the applicant the entire story about the job, including drawbacks.

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Testing

• Most hospitality enterprises do not use testing.• Skills tests measure specific skills• Aptitude test measure ability to learn.• Psychological tests measure personality traits.• Medical examinations measure physical fitness.• To use a test it must be reliable, valid, and relevant.• The Employee Polygraph Protection Act of 1988

prohibits the use of polygraphs in screening for job applicants.

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Reference Check• The final step helps to weed

out applicants• 1st verify substance- factual

info. about the applicant.• Then style- how they did in

previous jobs, how well the got along with others.

• IF YOU NEGLECT THE REFERENCE CHECK YOU RUN THE RISK OF HIRING A PROBLEMED WORKER!

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Making the Choice

• Don’t jump to hire someone you have previously known. Look at the big picture!

• Don’t hire too quickly.• Don’t rush to hire the applicant who

interviewed the best.• Don’t hire on intuition.• Don’t hire just because someone is

highly recommended.• When you make the offer do it in

writing, include all conditions.