Employee recruiting

People are the one resource that every organization needs to accomplish its mission successfully. How, when, and where to find these people; determination of appropriate COMPENSATION AND BENEFITS; and then securing their EMPLOYMENT constitute the essence of employee recruitment. Effective recruiting begins with HUMAN RESOURCES planning. This includes (but is not limited to) determining job tasks and duties; the education, skills, and experience required of the hired individuals; the level of responsibility for process, people, and product; and the market prices for specific talent. In implementing the organizational strategy, the need for certain employee talent becomes evident for success. In order for hiring to be effective, it must be tied to organizational goals and result in the desired performance (accomplishing the mission). The human resources that a company hires can provide the sustainable competitive advantage needed to win in the marketplace. No two individuals will bring to the organization identical abilities, experience, or skills, and what they bring will be unique for each and every company. For this reason alone, the recruiting process should be a top priority for all companies. Any and all parts of the process must adhere to all employment laws, including but not limited to the 1964 Civil Rights Act as amended, Age Discrimination Act, Pregnancy Act, and EQUAL PAY ACT. Many times the initial screening for employees involves reading or scanning résumés, which is done to get a preliminary idea of the person’s suitability for a position, Résumés, however, contain only the information that a candidate wants to reveal, and this is always presented in a most positive light. In contrast, a carefully designed application form tells an employer what he/she wants to know about the candidate. This consistency of information gathering allows better comparison of candidates and helps in the event of legal challenge to the final hire. Tests are used frequently by employers to measure candidates’ intangible dynamics as well as job-performance skills. These tests need to be both reliable and valid to be useful and to pass possible legal challenge. The available battery of tests is quite extensive, including paper-and-pencil integrity or honesty tests, personality tests, physical-ability tests, mental-ability tests, and jobknowledge tests. INTERVIEWING is a common screening step used in the hiring process. Because of cost considerations, a two-step process is often used. The first pass can be a phone call to screen candidates; this often includes asking behavioraltype questions to gain insight into the candidate’s work performance. The second step often consists of a series of face-to-face interviews that occur at the company with managers and those with whom the new hire would be working. A consistent set of questions should be employed and used for all candidates for the position, and the scores of raters should be checked for interrater reliability. Reference and background checks are another integral part of the recruiting process. Failure to do such checks can result in charges against an employer for negligent hiring if the new hire proves unfit or harms a third party. Both personal and work references are sources for candidate information. Again, specific and consistent questions need to be asked about all candidates to allow accurate comparison. A check of employment facts for verification of information given should also be done. Other types of background checks include credit, educational credentials, and criminal background. Drug tests are common today as a preliminary screen done early in the recruiting process. A complete medical examination, if required of all new hires, is completed after the offer of hire is extended. The offer then is made contingent upon passing the medical exam successfully. The list of possible sources for qualified candidates for a job opening is very extensive and includes the following: private employment agencies; public employment agencies; ADVERTISING venues such as newspaper, radio, and television; bulletin boards; professional publications; INTERNET employment sites; employee referral; recruitment from competitors; unsolicited applicants; current (inhouse) employees; and universities, colleges, and other educational institutions. Using as many of these sources as possible helps the organization find qualified candidates. Overall the employee recruitment process needs to be designed well and to be understood by all managers. Then its implementation can result in effective hiring. Leanne McGrath