Recruitment and Selection

What this topic is about

• Need for workforce planning

• The recruitment and selection process

• Advantages and disadvantages of recruitment methods

Reasons to Recruit Staff

• Business expansion due to– Increasing sales of existing products– Developing new products– Entering new markets

• Existing employees leave:– To work with competitors or other local employers– Due to factors such as retirement, sick leave, maternity

leave• Business needs employees with new skills• Business is relocating – and not all of existing

workforce want to move to new location

Changes in Employment Patterns

• The way we work is changing rapidly:– Increase in part-time working– Increases in numbers of single-parent families– More women seeking work– Ageing population– Greater emphasis on flexible working hours– Technology allows employees to communicate more

effectively whilst apart (“teleworking”)– People rarely stay in the same job for life

• Businesses need to understand and respond to these changes if they are to recruit staff of the right standard – and keep them!

Part-time Staff + Flexible Working

• Increased numbers of people in the UK are working part-time

• Advantages– Cheaper to employ as entitled to less benefits– More flexible workforce (easier to reduce labour hours

when sales fall or add hours when demand increases)– Wide range of potential recruits (e.g. working mothers who

want to restrict the number of hours they work)• Disadvantages

– Employees feel less loyal to business and therefore less motivated

– Harder for managers to control and coordinate workforce

What is Workforce Planning?

Workforce planning is about deciding how

many and what types of workers are required

Steps in Workforce Planning

• The workforce plan establishes what vacancies exist• Managers produce a job description and job

specification for each post• Job description

– Detailed explanation of the roles and responsibilities of the post advertised

– Most applicants will ask for this before applying for the job– Refers to the post available rather than the person

• Job specification– Sets out the kind of qualifications, skills, experience and personal

attributes a successful candidate should possess.– A vital tool in assessing the suitability of job applicants– Refers to the person rather than the post

Recruitment Methods

• Internal recruitment– Jobs given to staff already employed by business– Involves promotion and reorganisation

• External recruitment– Job centres– Job advertisements– Recruitment agencies (offline and online)– Headhunting– Personal recommendation

Internal Recruitment

• Advantages– Cheaper and quicker to recruit – People already familiar with business and how it operates– Provides opportunities for promotion with in business

• Disadvantages– Business already knows strengths and weaknesses of

candidates– Limits number of potential applicants– No new ideas can be introduced from outside– May cause resentment amongst candidates not appointed– Creates another vacancy which needs to be filled

External Recruitment

• Advantages– Outside people bring in new ideas – Larger pool of workers from which to find best

candidate– People have a wider range of experience

• Disadvantages– Longer process – More expensive process due to advertisements and

interviews required – Selection process may not be effective enough to

reveal best candidate

The Recruitment Process

Stages of Recruitment Process

• Preparation– Identifying what jobs need filling and what role and

specification of job is• Finding possible candidates

– Various methods (e.g. advertising) to encourage potential candidates to apply for job

• Selection– Interviews and other selection processes to choose best

person for job– Completing contractual employment of that person

• Induction– Introducing selected candidate to business

Job Description and Specification

• Job description– Detailed explanation of roles and responsibilities of

post advertised– Most applicants will ask for this before applying for job– Refers to post available rather than person

• Job specification– Drawn up by business– Sets out qualifications, skills, experience and personal

attributes a successful candidate should possess– Vital tool in assessing suitability of job applicants– Refers to person rather than post

Contents of a Job Description

• Job Title: this indicates the role/function that the job plays within an organisation, and the level of job within that function

• Reporting responsibilities: who is the immediate boss of the job holder?

• Subordinates: who reports directly TO the job holder?• Main purpose: what is involved in the job overall• Main tasks: description of the main activities to be

undertaken and what the job holder is expected to achieve

• Employment conditions (e.g. basis of payment; fringe benefits, holiday, period of notice, disciplinary)

Objectives of Recruitment Advertising

• Inform audience of potential candidates about opportunity

• Provide enough information to both inform and interest possible applicants

• Help “screen” or dissuade unsuitable applicants

• Obtain most number of suitably qualified applicants for post advertised

• Note – recruitment adverts can be published internally and externally

Placing a Job Advertisement

• Internal recruitment– Notice boards– Staff magazines & newsletters– Email

• External recruitment– Newspapers and magazines– Job centres– Employment agencies and “Head-

hunters”– Direct contacts (e.g. with employees

in a competitor business)– Internet recruitment websites

Role of a Recruitment Agency

• A recruitment agency works to provide a link between the employer and employee– Potential employees register with the agency and provide

personal details– Employers approach the agency for shortlists of potential

candidates• Recruitment agencies charge a fee for the service

– Main fee is to the employer– Usually a percentage of the employees wages and salary in the

first 6-12 months– Often an expensive option

• Some agencies specialise in particular employment areas– E.g. nursing, financial services, teacher recruitment

What to Consider When Advertising

• Type of job– Senior management jobs merit adverts in the national

newspapers and/or specialist management magazines– Many semi-skilled jobs need only be advertised locally to attract

sufficient good quality candidates• Cost of advertising

– National newspapers and television cost significantly more than local newspapers etc

• Readership and circulation– How many relevant people does the medium reach? – How frequently is the publication published?

• Frequency– How often does the business want to advertise the post?

A Good Job Advertisement

Accurate Describes the job and its requirements accurately

Short Not too long-winded; covers just the important ground

Honest Does not make claims about the job or the business that will later prove false to applicants

Positive Gives the potential applicant a positive feel about joining the business

RelevantProvides details that prospective applicants need to know at the application stage (e.g. is shift-working required; are there any qualifications required)

Contents of a Job Advertisement

• Details of the business (name, brand, location, business activities)

• Outline details of the job (title, main duties)

• Conditions (special factors affecting the job)

• Experience / qualifications required• Rewards (financial and non-

financial)• Application process (how should

applicants apply, how to; deadlines)

Contents of a job application form

• Personal details (name, nationality etc)

• Educational history & qualifications• Previous employment history

(periods, positions, roles, achievements…)

• Suitability and reasons for applying for job

• A chance for applicants to ‘sell themselves’

• Names of referees

Curriculum Vitae

• A written document• Often on one or two

sides of A4• Designed by the job

applicant• Covers similar ground as

job application

Advantages of a job application versus a CV

• Business can tailor questions and format to exact needs

• An application form forces candidates to answer same questions and provide information in a consistent format

• CV’s often come in many different formats, with key information either missing or presented in different ways

• Encourages the applicant to consider the specific needs of the employer – e.g. respond to questions relevant to the employer

• More likely to get up-to-date information from the applicant

Reasons for Rejecting Candidates at Application Form Stage

• May not meet standards set out in job specification– Wrong qualifications– Insufficient experience

• May not have completed application form to a satisfactory standard

• May be unlucky– Employer has set a limit on number of candidates

who progress through to interview stage

The Shortlist

• Long list = total pool of applicants• Shortlist = small number of suitable applicants that

meet the job criteria• Should ideally be drawn up by two people, acting

independently• Important not to only include “perfect” or “ideal

candidates”

Recruitment Interview

• Interview is a crucial part of the recruitment process• Chance for an employer to meet applicant face to face• Can obtain much more information on:

– What person is like– Whether they are suitable for job– Whether they will fit into the business

• Interview is also an important for the candidate– Obtain information about job– Assess the working culture of a possible new employer

• Recruitment interviewing is a hard skill – often it is done very poorly!

Information to Obtain During a Recruitment Interview

• By the employer:– Information that cannot be obtained on paper from a CV or

application form– Conversational ability- often known as people skills– Natural enthusiasm or manner of applicant– See how applicant reacts under pressure– Queries or extra details missing from CV or application form

• By the employee– Whether job or business is right for them– What is culture of company like – What are exact details of job that may be omitted from job

description

Selection Tests

• Formats– Aptitude tests– Intelligence tests– Personality tests

• Why used– Basic interview can be unreliable as applicants can

perform well at interview but not have qualities or skills needed for job

– Selection tests increase chances of choosing best applicant and so minimise high costs of recruiting wrong people

References

• What are references?– Written character statements from people who know the

applicant well– An important “safety check”– A chance to learn more about the strengths and

weaknesses of an applicant• Final check that all information given by

candidate is correct• Good honest reference from an independent

source can also reveal good or bad incidences from candidate’s past or particular traits that may have been missed

Test Your Understanding

http://www.tutor2u.net/business/quiz/recruitmenttraining/quiz.html

Recruitment and Selection