8/2/2019 Recruiting and Selection - Green Field

1/3

Recruiting and Selection: Keys to SuccessStuart Greenfield, Ph.D.

The aging of the public sector workforce will require organizations to develop newstrategies to maintain workforce quality, and one area that will require new practices will

be recruiting.

In the past, government agencies have not been very proactive in recruiting. A reason for

this was the influx of baby boomers in the 70s. With the departure of baby boomers andthe increased competition for highly qualified workers, government will need to adopt

policies and practices that will improve the ability of the public sector to compete for

human resources.

One of the principle functions of human resources is recruitment. In the private sector,

firms have had to adopt policies to ensure the best possible pool of applicants is available.A reason for this is that the market has forced companies to implement up-to-dateprocesses to succeed in a more competitive environment.

In the third edition ofPersonnel and Human Resource Management( 1987, WestGroup, Minneapolis/St. Paul), Randall Schuler described recruitment as the set of

activities and processes used to legally obtain a sufficient number of qualified people at

the right place and time so that the people and the organization can select each other in

their own best short and long term interests.

Recruitment is critical to an organization obtaining the best people who will be needed

for an organization to fulfill both its short and long term objectives effectively andefficiently. Without qualified staff, it would be very difficult to be effective and efficient.

Recruitment addresses one activity needed to achieve an exemplary workforce; beyond

recruiting having an effective selection procedure is also necessary.

Are there ways to improve the recruitment activity? Yes, there are a number of things that

should improve the recruiting process. Among these activities are: 1) improved branding,2) increased use of the Internet, 3) developing relationships with colleges, and 4) greater

use of internships or co-op programs. The selection process also requires the

development of improved processes and dissemination of how these revisions will impact

internal customers and reduce applicant cycle time.

All organizations, both public and private, would probably agree that the resource most

critical to success is people. Recognizing and publicizing an organizations image iscritical to attracting the most qualified candidates. Efforts to inform the public about the

work done by an agency are essential to developing ones brand. There are plenty of

examples of how an agency provided exemplary service to its customers in an efficientand effective way. Providing this information to the public will improve ones brand.

8/2/2019 Recruiting and Selection - Green Field

2/3

While all government operations make job openings available over the Internet, the

application process can be time consuming. Increasing the time required to applyincreases the cost to applicants and reduces the number of potential candidates.

Are there more efficient ways to use the Internet to reduce applicant time? Again, the

answer is yes. While most agencies list the positions available, an applicant usually mustread each posting to determine whether or not they have the qualifications required. Why

not use the Web and have potential applicants query a database for possible openings?This is no different from what Internet job search sites provide. Asking an applicant to

enter a few select characteristics would return a list of positions that might interest the

potential applicant.

An agency could also maintain a database of potential candidates. The database would

include basic information about a person, and that basic information could be matched

against new job listings. Those potential candidates who satisfied the requirements of thejob would then be notified. These actions could reduce job search costs and therefore lead

to a larger applicant pool.

Agencies should also make an effort to develop relationships with college placement

offices. While Internet jobs sites have changed how people find employment

opportunities, most students still have contact with their job placement offices.Developing a relationship with college placement directors and staff would make

students more aware of opportunities in government.

Given the educational requirements for most government positions, it would be beneficialto develop improved relationships with colleges and universities.

An effective way to bring students into government would be through either internshipsor a coop program; the former involves hiring students for the summer. The type of

positions would be paid and structured. By bringing in new talent, the agency would be

providing experience to potential full-time employees, as well as enhancing its brand.Using the coop program would involve a more structured program, as coop programs are

usually part of a students degree program and employment would need to be available

for multiple years. Ensuring students have a favorable experience would also helpenhance the organizations brand.

With the increased competition for skilled employees, the selection process remains one

of the most critical functions for human resource departments. Having staff with theabilities and skills required is essential for government agencies to operate effectively and

efficiently. In an era with low unemployment and increased demand for skilled workers,

developing a selection process that is more aligned with the current work environment iscritical. In the past, many government agencies were obligated to use a rule based

selection criteria, e.g., rule of three, or rule of five, where selection was restricted to

the top scores on a standardized test. To better adapt to the changing employmentsituation, most states have implemented less stringent candidate lists, allowing managers

greater flexibility.

8/2/2019 Recruiting and Selection - Green Field

3/3

In a survey of human resource practices among the states ( 2001, Public Administration

Review, Vol. 61, No. 5), Sally Coleman Selden, Patricia Wallace Ingraham and Willow

Jacobson found the plurality of states have implemented a meets minimum

requirements hiring list procedure. Along with an automated application system the

cycle time to produce an eligibility list has been reduced. In Career Mobility andBranding in the Civil Service: An Empirical Study, which was published in the Vol. 33,

No. 1 Spring 2003 issue ofPublic Personnel Management( 2003, IPMA-HR), Jack K.Ito found that reducing the timeliness of appointment has a positive impact on potential

applicants.

Given the labor market changes that public sector organizations will continue to face,

implementing more effective processes to recruit candidates and select the best and the

brightest will improve ones ability to meet ones organizations human resource needs.

By both promoting ones organization and reducing the cycle time required foremployment, the cost to recruit new staff will be reduced.

Stuart Greenfield holds a Ph.D. in economics from the University of Texas. He has

worked for three comptrollers of public accounts and other Texas state agencies. Since

retiring from the state in 2000, Greenfield has taught economics at Texas State

University and the University of Texas and has worked on various projects that interest

him, including researching the aging of the public sector workforce and its implications,

and a more efficient method to finance public education.