WHO WANTS TO WORK FOR THE

GOVERNMENT?R E C R U I T M E N T I S S U E S W I T H I N T H E P U B L I C S E C T O R

B Y M A R S H A N O E L

WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT CURRENT GOVERNMENT RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES? EFFECTIVE OR NO?

WHY SHOULD WE CARE? Powerful forces are acting on government entities, such as:

Globalization Economic Competition Social & Political Upheavals Technological Change Threat of Terrorism Quickly changing labor market

The success of any government to respond effectively to these forces lay in its recruitment and retention abilities. (Lavigna & Hays, 2004)

PAST RESEARCH• According to a Lewis & Frank (2004) study on a 1989-1998 General

Social Survey, those most likely to prefer working in the public sector include:

1. Minorities2. Veterans3. Democrats4. Older Americans5. Women

Those less likely to prefer public employment:

1. Whites

2. Nonveterans

3. Republicans

4. Younger Americans

5. MenPast Methods of recruitment : News Papers, Professional recruitment agencies, online job banks ( Seldon & Orenstein, 2011)

RECRUITMENT TODAY

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ukmC6F0JvQw&nohtml5=False

MOST RECENT RESEARCH:E-RECRUITMENT• Seldon & Orenstein (2011) Study

– Pew internet & American Life Project (2002) reported 4 million Americans used the internet to search for a job.

– Corporate recruiters & governments concentrate efforts to expand online recruitment efforts. - Benefits to in-house online recruitment:

– Lower costs to recruit– Full sovereignty over what is placed on the recruitment website ( Greater control)

– All 50 states have some version of a centralized recruitment website– Results of the study show:

• Governments with more usable websites receive more applications per job openings.• Governments with higher quality content on their web receives fewer applicants per

job openings. – With rapid advancement of technology and software, government hiring websites will

become important to recruiting and have a significant impact on job seekers.

RECRUITMENT ISSUES• The Bureaucratic Process - (Lavigna & Hays, 2004)

– Involves arbitrary rules an regulations that restricts the choice for hiring managers and supervisors

– Unappealing and non-flexible hiring procedures– Lengthy screening process– Lack of transparency in the recruitment/application process

Other issues that further complicates the bureaucratic process of recruitment: • Budget limitations• negative public image• change in technology and economic conditions• strong competition from the private sector for

the best • and the brightest

RECRUITMENT ISSUES CONT’D

• Lack of attraction Lewis & Frank (2004)1. Governments having issue gaining young college graduates of diverse

races with the motivation and skills that governments desire.2. Possible Causal Factors: Pay, job security, attitudes towards public

service, job opportunities and demographic characteristics.3. Study Results :

1. Job security was a selling point for public employment, positive attitudes towards helping others impacted preference for government work, better-educated Americans and protected groups were likely to prefer public employment and those who think government pay more than the private sector also show preference for public employment.

RECRUITMENT ISSUES CONT’D• Lack of Attraction

Catanzaro, Moore & Timothy (2010) 1. Researchers suggest that organizational culture has an impact on attraction and recruitment

of job applicants. 2. Results show that both men and women reported stronger intentions and preferences to

pursuing jobs with supportive organizational cultures, even if the salary would be lower.1. Examples of supportive organizational cultures: the value of work-life balance, equity, supportive

and helpful interactions between employees, and collaborations with other employees. 3. Overall they conclude that by creating an organizational culture that focuses on

collaboration, teamwork, and balancing one’s career and family, organizations can maintain a competitive edge in recruiting, attracting, and retaining a diverse sample of highly-qualified job candidates.

RECRUITMENT ISSUES CONT’D• Problematic Recruitment Selection Practices ( Farhaim

& Stevens, 2000)–Subjective and inconsistent recruitment and

selection• Associated with lack of awareness of important

key procedural and equity issues.–E.g. Selections focused on interviews,

application forms and reference checks that are not well managed by managers and human resource personnel.

SOLUTIONS• Improve marketing of government jobs• Provide easier, friendlier, quicker and more transparent application process• Create a supportive organizational culture to attract the right applicants• Remove arbitrary rules and regulations that restrict hiring choices• Adopt flexible and appealing procedures• Screen applicants quickly• Use objective measures in recruiting & selection • Use technology wisely! create higher quality e-recruitment content. See

applicants as internet information consumers.

WHAT DO YOU THINK THE PUBLIC SECTOR CAN DO TO BETTER RECRUIT THE BEST OF TALENT OUT THERE?

Final Question

REFERENCESCatanzaro, D., Moore, H., & Marshall, T. R. (2010). The impact of organizational culture on attraction and recruitment of job applicants.Journal of Business and Psychology, 25(4), 649-662.Farnham, D., & Stevens, A. (2000). Developing and implementing competence-based recruitment and selection in a social services department: A case study of west sussex county council.The International Journal of Public Sector Management, 13(4), 369-382. Lavigna, R. J., & Hays, S. W. (2004). Recruitment and selection of public workers: An international compendium of modern trends and practices.Public Personnel Management, 33(3), 237-253.

Lewis, G. B., & Frank, S. A. (2002). Who wants to work for the government? Public Administration Review,62(4).

Selden, S., & Orenstein, J. (2011). Government E-recruiting web sites: The influence of e-recruitment content and usability on recruiting and hiring outcomes in US state governments. International Journal of Selection and Assessment, 19(1), 31-40.