Recruitment and Selection

Dr Lesley Mearns

Introduction
Recruitment and Selection are linked
Both are directed towards obtaining suitably qualified employees Recruitment lays the foundations on which selection builds Both require different skills and expertise

ACAS
Recruiting people who are wrong for the organisation can lead to increased labour turnover Increased costs for the organisation, and lowering of morale in the existing workforce. Such people are likely to be discontented, unlikely to give of their best, and end up leaving voluntarily or involuntarily when their unsuitability becomes evident

Recruitment and Selection

(Bratton and Gold 2007:239)

Recruitment is the process of generating a pool of capable people to apply for employment to an organisation. Selection is the process by which managers and others use specific instruments to choose from a pool of applicants a person or persons more likely to succeed in the job(s), given management goals and legal requirements.

Recruitment Defined
(Hook and Foot 2002)

All activities direct towards locating

potential employees The attraction of applications from suitable applicants

Aims of Recruitment
To obtain a pool of suitable candidates for vacant posts To use and be seen to use a fair process To ensure that all recruitment activities contribute to company goals and a desirable company image To conduct recruitment activities in an efficient and cost-effective manner

Considerations of Recruitment
Legal Moral Business

Recruitment Policy
A statement of intent on behalf of the company
Outlines standards Overall goal of recruitment Equal opportunities statement Could give preference to suitably qualified internal applicants

Selection

to choose the best person for the job

Aims and Objectives of selection process Gather as much relevant information as possible Organise and evaluate the information Assess each candidate in order to:
Forecast performance on the job Give information to applicants to that they can decide

whether or not they wish to accept an offer of

employment

Collecting Information
Short listing from information on application forms and CVs Interview Tests Biographical/extended application form Assessment centre References

Interviewer Errors
The halo effect dress, physical attraction, handshake, confidence
Interviewers will make their minds up quickly and spend the rest of the interview trying to justify their choice

Snap Decisions
Make their minds up quickly and refuse to change them thus limiting the range of information available

Hiring People like oneself Stereotyping eg) Students are irresponsible, lazy and drink too much

Interviewer Errors
Making Assumptions
Women will bear the major responsibility for child care

Gathering Insufficient or Irrelevant information

Contrast Effect
Because other candidates are boring or in appropriate

then the next one is automatically ideal

Solution?
Structured Interviews
More than one interviewer Only trained people involved in interviews Allow sufficient time for interviews

Retention
The ability to keep, in particular talented employees Talent management Labour turnover is inevitable but it if is too high organisations could face a loss of corporate knowledge and failure to meet business objectives (CIPD 2008)

Retention
More than 30 services into and out of Birmingham were cancelled 22nd October 2012, following weeks of similar disruptions caused by staff shortages. The challenge is that it takes over 12 months to recruit and train a driver, yet we will lose drivers after three months if they choose to go elsewhere, Richard Brooks (London Midlands commercial director)

Retention
Voluntary turnover rates have declined perhaps due to the financial crisis Skill shortages still emerge even in a period of economic uncertainty Turnover rates vary industry, occupation, geographical location
highest levels are typically found in retailing, hotels, catering and leisure, call centres and among other lower paid private sector services groups

Retention
Problems arise when:
skills are scarce recruitment is expensive Where it takes time to fill a vacancy The more valuable the employees in question eg) where individuals have specialist skills or where they have developed strong relationships with customers the more damaging the resignation, particularly when they move on to work for competitors

Retention
In industries where it is relatively easy to identify and train new employees quickly and at a low cost, it is possible to sustain high quality levels of service provision despite having a high turnover rate eg) Mcdonalds Restaurants

Retention
Some employee turnover is good for the organisation eg) introducing new blood

Retention Problems
Causes:
Poor recruitment and selection both employee and employer Badly designed or non-existent induction programmes Expectations are not effectively managed eg) raised too high during the recruitment process but are not delivered

Action
CIPD:
Job previews be realistic Make line managers accountable Train and develop line managers and support them Career development and progression Consult employees Be flexible working hours, domestic considerations

Action
CIPD:
Avoid the development of a culture of 'presenteeism' Employees feel obliged to work longer hours in order to management. Job security Treat, and be seen to treat, employees fairly eg) perceived unfairness in the distribution of rewards Defend your organisation against headhunters

CIPD Talent Recruitment and Retention

http://podcasts.cipd.co.uk/resources/podcast s/CIPD-Talent-Strategies-Podcast-Episode24.mp3

Activity 2
In groups discuss different ways of learning
What motivates you to learn? How do others affect your learning/ability to learn? Is there a difference between group learning and individual learning?

Activity 3
Complete the learning styles questionnaire. Discuss your findings with your group
Are you surprised with the definition of your learning style? Explain your reasons What sort of learning techniques help you to learn? How will your learning style influence the type of employee you will be?