Recruitment and Selection: Hiring the Right Person

Staffing Management • Myrna L. Gusdorf, MBA, SPHR • 2008

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Learning Objectives

• At the end of this module, students will understand the:> Methods used by organizations to recruit

and select employees.> Legal issues that affect recruitment and

selection.> HR’s role in the recruitment and selection

process.> Role of supervisors and peers in the

recruitment and selection of team members.

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Hiring the Right Person: Recruitment

• RECRUITMENT> The process of attracting individuals in sufficient

numbers with the right skills and at appropriate times to apply for open positions within the organization.

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Recruitment Issues

• Alternatives to recruitment:> Outsourcing.> Contingent labor.> Part-time employees.> Overtime.

• Costs of recruitment and selection:> Replacing supervisory, technical and management

personnel can cost from 50 percent of salary to several hundred percent of salary.

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Internal Environment

• Promotion from within:> Advantages:

• Promotion as a reward for good work.• Motivational tool for other employees.• Promoted employee gets up to speed

must faster in his or her new job. > Disadvantages:

• Must fill the position vacated by the promoted employee.

• Lack of new ideas and creativity that may come from a new person.

• Jealousy from those not promoted.

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Internal Environment

• Nepotism: Hiring relatives. > Does your organization have a policy on

nepotism?> May be discriminatory.> Must ensure individuals are not in

supervisory positions managing their own relatives.

> May create issues of favoritism.

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External Environment

• Labor market conditions:> Strong economy = difficulty hiring.> Weak economy = too many applicants.

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Discrimination Issues in Recruiting

• Civil Rights Act of 1964.• Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967.• Pregnancy Discrimination Act of 1975• Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.• Local regulations can add further protections

against discrimination.

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Internal Recruitment

• Job Posting: The process of announcing job openings to employees.> Job information must be made available to all

employees.> Ensure minority workers and disadvantaged

individuals are aware of job opportunities.> Employee cynicism occurs when there is not

“equal” opportunity for open positions.• Employee Referrals:

> Some believe this is the route to the best employees.

> Can perpetuate discriminatory hiring practices.

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External Recruitment

• Employment agencies.• Executive search firms.• In-house recruiters.• Local advertising:

> Newspaper.> Multimedia.

• Internships.• Job fairs.• College recruiting.• Walk-in candidates.

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Internet Recruiting

• Advantages:> Inexpensive.> Quick and easy to post announcement.> Responses arrive faster and in greater quantity.> Will generate a wider range of applicants.> Applicants can be screened by computer.> Some selection tests can be administered by

computer.> Automated applicant tracking.

• Disadvantages:> Ease of submission will result in a lot of applicants,

many whom are not qualified.> May take more HR time to sort through the greater

quantity of applicants.

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Recruitment for Diversity

• An ethnically diverse workforce enhances creativity and may facilitate expansion into global markets.

• Recruiting must generate applicants from a wide variety of individuals.

• Train recruiters to use objective standards.• Include pictures of minority and disabled

employees on recruitment flyers.• Make sure ads and interviews are bi-lingual.

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HR Dilemma: Employee Referrals

An organization starts an employee referral program to find employees for its assembly plant. The program is very effective, but no candidates from protected groups are referred or hired.

1. Could the organization be guilty of discrimination?

2. Should the organization abandon its referral program?

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The Employment Application

• Applications must include:> Applicant information.> Applicant signature certifying validity of information.> Statement of employment at will, if permitted.> Permission from the applicant for reference check.

• Avoid the following:> Discriminatory information.> Citizenship and Social Security data.> Information on past use of FMLA, ADA or Workers’

Compensation.> Disability information.> Past salary levels.> Birth date or education dates.> Driver’s license information, unless driving is a job

requirement.

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Screening Interview

• Usually conducted by telephone.• Not done in all organizations.• A few straight-forward questions.• Can eliminate those less qualified early in the

selection process.

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Selection Tests

• SELECTION TEST: Any instrument that is used to make a decision about a potential employee.(1)

• STANDARDIZATION: Uniformity of procedures and conditions related to administering tests.(2)

• RELIABILITY: The extent to which a selection test provides consistent results.(2)

• VALIDITY: The extent to which a test measures what it claims to measure.(2) Do higher test scores relate to higher success on the job?

(1) Myrna L. Gusdorf

(2) R. Wayne Mondy

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Kinds of Selection Tests

• Cognitive aptitude tests measure reasoning, vocabulary, verbal and numeric skills.

• Job knowledge tests measure knowledge regarding a particular job.

• Work sample tests allow candidates to demonstrate how they would work on the job.

• Psychomotor abilities tests assess the skill level of tasks required on the job.

• Personality tests assess traits and personal characteristics. They are used to determine if the applicant is the right fit for the organization.

• Vocational interests tests identify occupations in which the candidate is most interested.

• Honesty and integrity tests try to measure a candidate’s truthfulness .

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Interviewing Candidates

• Team or individual interviewer?• Structured or patterned interview:

> Pre-set questions asked of all candidates.• Nondirective interview:

> Minimum of questions, not planned in advance.> Open-ended questions; interviewer follows the

candidate’s lead. • Situational and problem-solving interview:

> Candidate describes how he or she would solve a problem.

• Behavioral interview:> Candidate describes how he or she responded to a

specific situation.

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Background Verification and Reference Checks

• The importance of checking:> 40 percent of applicants lie about work

histories and educational backgrounds.> 20 percent of applicants falsify credentials

and licenses.> 30 percent of applicants make

misrepresentations on their resumes.

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Legal Liability

• DEFAMATION: The act of harming the reputation of another by making a false statement to a third party.(1)

• NEGLIGENCE: The failure to exercise the standard of care that a reasonably prudent person would have exercised in the same situation.(1)

• [1] Garner, B. A. (Ed.). (1999). A handbook of basic law terms. St. Paul, MN: West Group.

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Legal Liability - Negligence

• NEGLIGENT REFERRAL: The legal risk incurred when a past employer fails to warn a potential employer of the inherent danger presented by a former employee.(1)

• NEGLIGENT HIRING: The liability incurred when failing to conduct a reasonable investigation of an applicant’s background and then assigns a potentially dangerous person to a position where he or she can inflict harm. .(1)

(1) Mondy, R. W. (2008). Human resource management (10th ed.). Prentice Hall, NJ: Pearson

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The Job Offer

• Making the job offer:> May be done by phone, letter or in person.> Make arrangements for further conditions:

• Physical exam and drug screen.

> Discuss salary and benefits:• Avoid quoting an annual salary.

> Realistic job preview,> Verify employment eligibility:

• I-9 form.

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HR Dilemma: I-9 Verification

A landscaping company requires all legal aliens to provide a permanent resident card at the point of hire. The company hires a worker and verifies that his permanent resident card is legal. Two weeks after starting the job, the company and the employee fill out the I-9 form for the employer’s files.

1. Is the company in violation of the Immigration Reform and Control Act?

2. What changes in procedures would you suggest to the company?

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Evaluating the Recruitment and Selection Process

• Cost:> Did you stay within your recruitment budget?

• Time:> How long did it take you to fill the position?

• Quality:> Were your applicants well qualified for the job?

• Longevity:> What about turnover? Do your new hires stay for the

long term?

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CONGRATULATIONS!

You have a new employee!