EFFECTIVE RECRUITING

Transcription

1 HR TRAINING Background for the A. Introduction Finding the right people to work for your organization is one of a manager s or supervisor s most important responsibilities. Everything else training these people, keeping them satisfied, and finding opportunities for them to advance within the organization is easier if the right individuals are hired in the first place. However, attracting well-qualified job applicants today requires more than a welldesigned ad in the local newspaper. Employment discrimination laws, corporate websites, and increased competition for candidates who possess certain hot skills have changed the face of recruitment. The organization that doesn t place a high priority on finding the best people in the best way risks falling seriously behind in today s competitive economy. B. Applicable Regulations Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, Age Discrimination in Employment Act, Rehabilitation Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Pregnancy Discrimination Act C. Learning Objectives At the conclusion of this training, the trainees should: 1. Understand why good recruitment strategies and techniques are essential to a company s success and survival. 2. Be familiar with the recruiting tools that can be used to locate qualified people both within and outside the organization. 3. As a result, know what they must do to attract the right applicants to fill current and future job openings. At the Meeting Training Content A. Background If we can hire the right people, it gives our company a tremendous advantage. We can save money on training, improve morale and job satisfaction, increase productivity, and avoid turnover. As supervisors, you are the ones who are primarily responsible for attracting and hiring the individuals who end up working here. Yet, it s easy to get into a rut: You use the same recruiting sources year after year, advertise in the same publications, and never really stop to think if you re doing everything you can to attract the best candidates. Whether or not you re looking to fill an opening right now, there is no better time to reevaluate the recruitment tools and strategies that are available to you. 1 minute -1

2 HR HR TRAINING B. Pre-Training Quiz Use one or more of the questions that follow to help participants understand the importance of effective recruitment strategies. Briefly review their responses and the correct responses. The purpose is not to test or grade their knowledge, but to help them focus on this topic. 1. It s okay to state in an employment ad that only women need apply if the job had traditionally been filled by a woman. True or false? (Answer: False. Ads that impose restrictions based on gender have been found to be in violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964.) 2. There s no point in worrying about recruiting until you are faced with one or more job vacancies. True or false? (Answer: False. Recruitment should be an ongoing activity, so that you always have good candidates on tap.) 3. While online recruiting has become more popular in recent years, it should never be your only source of job applicants. True or false? (Answer: True. Remember that not every good applicant has access to a computer or is computer-literate. Online advertising of job openings should be used in conjunction with other recruitment strategies.) 4 minutes C. Employer Policy Your company s policy on recruitment may differ in some ways from the training points that follow. Skip or modify any training points that don t apply to you; be sure participants understand both the overall issues as well as your company s policy. 1. Hand out copies of your company s policy on recruiting and hiring. Briefly review its contents. 2. Summarize the importance of recruiting on a year-round basis, not just in an emergency or when job openings occur. 3. Ask for and respond to any questions. 3 minutes Training Content D. Main Points to Cover 1. Effective recruitment is the key to our success as an organization. Hiring the right people leads to higher retention rates, lower termination costs, and increased savings on additional hiring and training. Knowing how to recruit in a nondiscriminatory manner avoids unnecessary legal costs. Employees who are well suited to their jobs usually have higher morale and job satisfaction. When the right people are hired, the employees and the department are usually more productive. 12 minutes -2

3 HR TRAINING TRAINING 2. You cannot recruit effectively until you know what you re looking for. The best time to think about what kind of individual a particular job requires is before the current jobholder decides to leave. You should always have some good candidates in mind, either individuals who are already working for the organization or those you have come across in past recruiting efforts. If you develop good relationships with your state labor department, college placement offices, employment agencies, and search firms, they can keep a steady flow of good applicants channeled in your direction. Think about the background, experience, and inherent characteristics that are likely to equip an individual to perform a specific job successfully. Consider the most successful people you ve had in this job in the past and ask yourself what attributes were responsible for their success. In determining what qualities a job candidate should possess, make sure you are not looking, either directly or indirectly, for characteristics that might be viewed as discriminatory. (We will say more about discrimination later.) Ask existing employees who will be working with the newcomer what qualifications and characteristics they think are most essential to success in the job. 3. A wide array of recruitment sources is available to us. The first place to look is among the applications you already have on file. Applications should be kept on file or accessible by computer for precisely this reason. Keeping applications on file can also help you avoid charges of discrimination. Promoting a qualified candidate who is already working for the organization can mean reduced training time, increased productivity, and a boost in morale. Posting job openings on the company bulletin board can be a good way of encouraging women and minority employees to take advantage of promotional opportunities. Referrals from existing employees can pay off because the person making the referral often has good instincts about who will fit in with the company culture. For example, if your existing workforce is predominantly white, and your company is located in a racially diverse area, relying too heavily on word-ofmouth recruiting may result in discriminatory hiring patterns. Employment agencies can save time, but they usually charge a fee. Colleges and universities, including community colleges, usually have placement offices and can be a good source if you re trying to fill entry-level openings. Job fairs give you immediate access to applicants who are looking for immediate employment in a particular field. -3

4 HR TRAINING TRAINING If your company is large, you can hold your own job fair. You can also join forces with other companies in your area or industry to attract a larger pool of appropriate candidates. The Internet can be an effective recruiting tool. If your company s website has an employment section that describes available openings, you can effectively reach a large number of applicants at little or no cost. Jobseekers who are not computer literate or do not have access to a computer will not be attracted this way. 4. While advertising for job applicants is probably the most common approach, it must be handled in a nondiscriminatory manner. Ads may be seen as discriminatory if they: Imply that only applicants of a certain race or gender should apply. Imply that you re only interested in applicants of a certain age or marital status. Describe the type of person you re looking for, rather than the job you re trying to fill. Discourage applicants who suffer from a disability, but are otherwise qualified to handle the job. Express a preference for applicants who possess a characteristic that is not a BFOQ (bona fide occupational qualification). State in the ad that you are an equal opportunity employer. Try to use gender-neutral terms when describing the job opening. The same rules regarding discriminatory language in newspaper ads apply to online advertising. 5. It s a good idea to enlist the help of your current employees in the recruiting and hiring process. Ask them to: Recommend outstanding candidates who are currently employed elsewhere or whom they have met through professional associations, etc. Describe the recruitment sources that attracted them to your company. Help you review applications and résumés as they come in and earmark candidates who sound good. Sit in on hiring interviews and ask for their feedback afterward. E. Practical Exercises and Discussion Use one or more of the following to help participants understand the importance of effective recruiting and hiring: 10 minutes -4

5 HR TRAINING Distribute copies of a recent employment ad that appeared in your local newspaper (not necessarily one from your company). Then distribute copies of -25. Ask participants to evaluate the ad in light of the criteria listed on the handout. 2. Ask participants to talk about how they were recruited or what attracted them to the company. Then lead a group discussion on what recruitment techniques have been the most successful. 3. Describe a hypothetical job opening in your company and ask participants to form teams of two (or three) and collaborate on writing an employment ad for that job. Display the finished products and ask the rest of the group to evaluate them for accuracy, effectiveness, and nondiscriminatory language. 4. Distribute copies of -29 and ask participants to complete the Effective Recruiting and Hiring quiz. When they are done, discuss the responses. Training Content F. Summary 1. Effective recruitment techniques mean higher retention, better morale, and increased productivity, as well as saving money. 2. Don t wait until a job opening occurs before you start thinking about where to find good job applicants. 3. In determining what qualities and characteristics a good job candidate should possess, make sure you re not being discriminatory. 4. All job applications should be kept on file to save time and recruiting costs as well as to avoid charges of discriminatory hiring practices. 5. Job posting is a good way of encouraging women and minority employees already working for you to advance within the organization. 6. While online recruiting is low-cost and often effective, it should be combined with other recruitment tools. 7. Employment ads should never contain language that implies that people of a certain age, race, gender, or marital status should apply for the job. 8. Don t neglect your current employees as a source of referrals and feedback about the effectiveness of your recruiting efforts. 1 minute G. Wrap-up 1. Ask if there are any questions or further discussion. 2. Hand out evaluation forms. 3. Collect the completed forms. 4. Thank the trainees for their participation. 8 minutes -5

6 HR HR TRAINING TRAINING -25 Employment Ad Checklist Before You Place an Employment Ad in your local newspaper or a trade publication, evaluate it with the following questions in mind. A No answer indicates that you should rethink the ad before placing it. YES NO 1. Is the ad based on an updated job description? 2. Have you already posted the job internally? 3. Does the ad include the statement We are an equal opportunity employer? 4. Does the ad avoid any language that might indicate a preference for applicants of a certain age, race, national origin, or gender? 5. Does the ad avoid any language that might discourage someone from applying because of his/her marital status or plans to get pregnant? 6. Does the ad describe only skill requirements that are essential to the job description? 7. Does the ad focus on describing the demands of the job, rather than the type of person you re looking for? 8. Does the ad use gender-neutral terms like server instead of waiter or waitress? 9. Does the ad state accurately how much experience the candidate must have in order to perform the job successfully? 10. Does the ad include a photo of people who work for your company? If so, does it give the impression that the company employs a diverse workforce? -25

7 HR TRAINING -29 Effective Recruiting and Hiring Quiz Choose the best answers for the following: 1. Effective recruiting is important because it saves the company money. True False 2. Finding a good match between the job and the person hired to fill it means higher morale and job satisfaction down the line. True False 3. You can save a lot of wasted effort by waiting until a job opens up before you start recruiting. True False 4. Recruiting is more effective if you give some thought ahead of time to what qualifications and characteristics you d like the candidate to possess. True False 5. Going through applications that are already on file is usually a waste of time. True False Answers to the Effective Recruiting and Hiring Quiz: 6. Word-of-mouth recruiting is likely to attract applicants who are much like the employees you already have. True False 7. Online advertising through your company s website is unlikely to attract any job applicants. True False 8. It s a good idea to discourage married women from applying for a job that requires a great deal of travel away from home. True False 9. You cannot express a preference for candidates who possess physical strength if lifting heavy boxes is something that is only required occasionally. True False 10. Generally speaking, you don t have to worry as much about triggering discrimination complaints if you advertise online rather than in print. True False 7. False. Online recruiting is likely to attract a lot of applicants, but only those who know how to use a computer and have access to the Internet. 8. False. Doing so would be considered a violation of Title VII of the Civil Rights Act. 9. True. If physical strength is not a BFOQ for the job, don t mention it. 10. False. All employment advertising, electronic as well as printed, must be held to the same antidiscriminatory standards. 1. True. It saves money that might otherwise have to be spent on additional training, termination costs, and hiring a replacement. 2. True. It also means higher productivity. 3. False. If you are always recruiting, it will take less time to find the right person. 4. True. 5. False. It s a good place to start and if you get lucky, you ll find some good applicants without having to spend a lot of time pursuing other recruitment sources. 6. True. This can be a real problem if your workforce is predominantly white, male, and young, and you have made a commitment to diversity. -29