Fundamentals of Human

Resource Management
Eighth Edition

DeCenzo and Robbins

Chapter 6
Recruiting
Qualify suitable candidates in and
the unsuitable out
 Introduction
Recruiting
Once an organization identifies its
human resource needs through
employment planning, it can begin the
process of recruiting potential
candidates for actual or anticipated
organizational vacancies.
 Introduction
Recruiting brings together
those with jobs to fill and
those seeking jobs.
The process of discovering
potential job candidates.
 Recruiting Goals
To provide information that will attract a
significant pool of qualified candidates
and discourage unqualified ones from
applying.
 Recruiting Goals
Factors that affect recruiting efforts
Organizational size
Employment conditions in the area
Working conditions, salary and benefits
offered
Organizational growth or decline
 Recruiting Goals
Constraints on recruiting efforts
include:
Organization image
Job attractiveness
Internal organizational policies
Government influence, such as
discrimination laws
Recruiting costs
 Recruiting: A Global
Perspective
For some positions, the whole world is a
relevant labor market.
Home-country nationals are recruited
when an organization is searching for
someone with extensive company
experience to launch a very technical
product in a country where it has never
sold before.
 Recruiting: A Global
Perspective
Host-country nationals (HCNs) are
targeted as recruits when companies
want each foreign subsidiary to have its
own distinct national identity.
In some countries, laws control how
many expatriates a corporation can
send.
HCNs minimize potential problems with
language, family adjustment and hostile
political environments.
 Recruiting: A Global
Perspective
Recruiting regardless of
nationality may develop an
executive cadre with a truly
global perspective.
 Effective Recruiting (contd)
Advantages of centralizing recruitment
Strengthens employment brand
Ease in applying strategic principles
Reduces duplication of HR activiites
Reduces the cost of new HR technologies
Builds teams of HR experts
Provides for better measurement of HR
performance
Allows for the sharing of applicant pools
 Recruiting Yield Pyramid

Recruiting yield pyramid

The historical arithmetic relationships between recruitment
leads and invitees, invitees and interviews, interviews and
offers made, and offers made and offers accepted.
Figure 56
 Recruiting Sources
Sources should match the position to be
filled.
The Internet is providing many new
opportunities to recruit and causing
companies to revisit past recruiting practices.
Sources:
Internal Searches
Employee Referrals/
Recommendations
External Searches
Alternatives
 Recruiting Sources
The internal search
Organizations that promote
from within identify current
employees for job openings:
by having individuals offer for
jobs
by using their HR management
system
by utilizing employee referrals
 Source of Internal Search
Job posting
Publicizing an open job to employees
(often by literally posting it on bulletin
boards) and listing its attributes.
Rehiring former employees
Succession planning
 Recruiting Sources
The internal search
Advantages of promoting from within include
good public relations
morale building
encouragement of ambitious employees and
members of protected groups
availability of information on existing employee
performance
cost-savings
internal candidates knowledge of the organization
the opportunity to develop mid- and top-level
managers
Less training and orientation required
 Recruiting Sources
The internal search
Disadvantages include:
possible inferiority of internal candidates
infighting and morale problems
Time wasted interviewing inside candidates
who will not be considered
potential inbreeding
 Recruiting Sources
Employee referrals/recommendations
Current employees can be asked to
recommend recruits.
Advantages include:
the employees motivation to make a good
recommendation
the availability of accurate job information for the
recruit
Employee referrals tend to be more acceptable
applicants, to be more likely to accept an offer and
to have a higher survival rate.
 Recruiting Sources
Employee
referrals/recommendations
Disadvantages include:
the possibility of friendship
being confused with job
performance
the potential for nepotism
the potential for adverse impact
 Recruiting Sources
External searches
Advertisements: Must decide type and
location of ad, depending on job; decide
whether to focus on job (job description) or on
applicant (job specification).
Three factors influence the response rate:
identification of the organization
labor market conditions
the degree to which specific requirements are
listed.
Blind box ads dont identify the organization.
 Help
Wanted
Ad

Source: The Miami Herald, March 24, 2004, p. SF. Figure 57

 Recruiting Sources
External searches
Employment agencies:
Public or state employment services focus
on helping unemployed individuals with
lower skill levels to find jobs.
Private employment agencies provide
more comprehensive services and are
perceived to offer positions and applicants
of a higher caliber.
Fees may be paid by employer, employee or
both.
 Recruiting Sources
External searches
Employment agencies:
Management consulting, executive
search or headhunter firms specialize in
executive placement and hard-to-fill
positions.
Charge employers up to 35% of the first
year salary
Have nationwide contacts
Do thorough investigations of candidates
Outside Sources of Candidates
(contd)
Reasons for using a private employment agency:
When a firm doesnt have an HR department and is not
geared to doing recruiting and screening.
The firm has found it difficult in the past to generate a pool of
qualified applicants.
The firm must fill a particular opening quickly.
There is a perceived need to attract a greater number of
minority or female applicants.
The firm wants to reach currently employed individuals, who
might feel more comfortable dealing with agencies than with
competing companies.
The firm wants to cut down on the time its devoting to
recruiting.
Outside Sources of Candidates
(contd)
Avoiding problems with employment agencies:
Give the agency an accurate and complete job description.
Make sure tests, application blanks, and interviews are part
of the agencys selection process.
Periodically review data on candidates accepted or rejected
by your firm, and by the agency. Check on the effectiveness
and fairness of the agencys screening process.
Screen the agency. Check with other managers or HR
people to find out which agencies have been the most
effective at filling the sorts of positions needed to be filled.
Review the Internet and a few back issues of the Sunday
classified ads to discover the agencies that handle the
positions to be filled.
 Recruiting Sources
External searches
Schools, colleges, and
universities:
May provide entry-level or
experienced workers through
their placement services.
May also help companies
establish cooperative education
assignments and internships.
 Recruiting Sources
External searches
Professional organizations:
Publish rosters of vacancies
Placement services at meetings
Control the supply of prospective
applicants
Professional organizations also include
labor unions.
 Recruiting Sources
External searches
Unsolicited applicants (Walk-
ins): May provide a stockpile of
prospective applicants if there are
no current openings.
Cyberspace Recruiting: Nearly
four out of five companies use the
Internet to recruit employees.
Commercial job-posting services
continue to grow.
 Recruiting Sources
Recruitment alternatives
Temporary help services.
Temporary employees help organizations meet
short-term fluctuations in HRM needs.
Older workers can also provide high quality
temporary help.
Employee leasing.
Trained workers are employed by a leasing
company, which provides them to employers when
needed for a flat fee.
Typically remain with an organization for longer
periods of time.
 Recruiting Sources
Recruitment alternatives
Independent contractors
Do specific work either on or off the
companys premises.
Costs of regular employees (i.e. taxes and
benefits costs) are not incurred.
 Meeting the Organization
View getting a job as your job at the moment.
Preparing Your Resume
Use quality paper and easy to read type.
Proofread carefully.
Include volunteer experience.
Use typical job description phraseology.
Use a cover letter to highlight your greatest
strengths.
Dont forget about networking as an excellent
way of gaining access to an organization.
 Offshoring/Outsourcing White-Collar
and Other Jobs

Specific issues in outsourcing jobs abroad

Political and military instability
Likelihood of cultural misunderstandings
Customers security and privacy concerns
Foreign contracts, liability, and legal concerns
Special training of foreign employees
Costs associated with companies supplying
foreign workers
Outside Sources of Candidates
(contd)
Executive recruiters (headhunters)
Special employment agencies retained by employers to seek
out top-management talent for their clients.
Contingent-based recruiters collect a fee for their
services when a successful hire is completed.
Retained executive searchers are paid regardless of the
outcome of the recruitment process.
Internet technology and specialization trends are changing
how candidates are attracted and how searches are
conducted.
Outside Sources of Candidates
(contd)
Recruiting via the Internet
More firms and applicants are utilizing the Internet in the job
search process.
Advantages of Internet recruiting
Cost-effective way to publicize job openings
More applicants attracted over a longer period
Immediate applicant responses
Online prescreening of applicants
Links to other job search sites
Automation of applicant tracking and evaluation
 Selected Recruitment Web Sites

Source: HR Magazine, November 2003. Figure 59