Introduction to Recruitment

Introduction to Recruitment

• Recruitment is the most critical human resource function for organizational survival and success
• Recruitment involves practices and activities to identify and attract potential employees
• A recent development focuses on how individuals become applicants
• The applicant perspective is a two-way relationship between the organization and the applicant
• Recruitment activities should enhance applicant interest and increase the probability of accepting a job offer

External Environment Impact on Recruitment

• Recruiters used to advertise a job vacancy, then select and offer the job to appropriate candidates.
• The external environment's impacts on recruitment include the economy, labor markets & supply of skilled job applicants, challenges of social and demographic change, and employment legislation

The Economy and Hiring Activities

• Hiring activities are affected by positive and negative economic impacts.
• Challenges include the global credit crunch and recessions.
• High unemployment leads to lower job creation.
• Cautionary behavior impacts recruitment.
• McJobs are low-skilled/low-paid, while MacJobs are high-skilled/high-paid

Labour Markets and Skill Supply

• Economic conditions affect how difficult it is for employers to fill job vacancies
• For applicants, there are fewer jobs and more competition
• Labour mobility is associated with migration.
• The level of educational attainment affects skill supply

Demographic and Social Change

• A diverse workforce has been observed
• The UK labor force has different size and compositions
• Age discrimination must be considered
• Job candidates' changing priorities include holiday entitlement, location, flexible working, culture and environment
• Generational values of candidates such as 'Generation Y' (born between 1977-2000)
• Shifting social values place higher importance on value products, customer service skills and expertise

Employment Legislation and Discrimination

• EU and UN legislation against discrimination is relevant for recruitment
• Legal action and employment tribunals are key
• Anti-discrimination law prevents discrimination based on sex, race, disability, sexual orientation, religion, belief, and age
• Discrimination is illegal unless there is a 'genuine occupational qualification'
• Types of discrimination include direct, indirect, association, and perception

Affirmative Action and Equal Opportunity

• Positive discrimination or affirmative action ensures equal access to opportunity
• Monitoring ethnicity, gender, age, and disability is considered good practice
• Equal opportunity policies are more common in the public sector, large workplaces, and HR specialist organizations
• Regulations ensure standards for employment of specific groups

Summary of External Environment Impact

• Economy affects skill needs and supply,
• Labor market influences the composition of the applicant pool
• Social change shapes recruitment strategy
• Legislation impacts the equity and fairness of processes
• Legislation affects the degree of selectivity possible, as well as monitoring and targeting applicants

Organisational Factors in Recruitment

• Skill shortages are impacted by geographical location, industry section, technological development stage
• Large organizations are more likely to recruit regularly, use diverse sources, have dedicated HR, adopt diversity policies, and derive strategy from wider priorities
• Recruitment strategies are strategically driven in larger companies
• Outsourcing and devolution of HRM involves business partners, shared administrative services and centres of expertise
• Recruitment Process Outsourcing (RPO) via CIPD Recruitment, Retention and Turnover survey

Impact of Organisational Factors

• Sector, location, growth, HR strategy, and size impact recruitment
• Frequency of recruitment, positions to be filled (short-term/long-term, skill level)
• Global market for recruits may have an effect
• Strategic goals influence recruitment
• Formalisation of procedures may have consequences
• Benefits packages and opportunities are influenced
• Consider entry requirements
• The responsibility for recruitment lies with the line manager, HR partnering, outsourcing or ad hoc

Sourcing Staff

• Staff can be employed externally or internally
• High skills and knowledge result in internal promotions/transfers and a committed workforce
• Jobs performed at a lower skill level are externalized via short-term employment.
• Disadvantages to short-term employment include under-investment, skills shortages, and lower pay
• There is a distinction between core and peripheral workers

Pre-recruitment Activities and Job Descriptions

• Job analysis is a purposeful, systematic process for collecting information
• Job analysis defines what is required to perform the job successfully
• Job analysis techniques have been put forward
• Current job descriptions should reflect product markets and organizational strategies and not be static or too narrow

Person Specifications and Competency Frameworks

• Person specifications are derived from job descriptions and list personal qualities required to perform the job
• Person specifications identify worker-based attributes such as knowledge, skill, ability, and personality
• These factors are the Management Charter Initiative (1990) and key performance indicators

Impact on Recruitment (The Job)

• Current and future job demands impact the need for a person specification
• Changes to competency will occur as a result of core/periphery job types
• ‘Future orientation’ of job analysis
• Effort in targeting applicant groups

Internet Recruitment

• UK Jobcentre is popular for 'viral recruitment', especially for 'Generation Y'
• Social networking allows advantages and disadvantages
• Employers can fill vacancies quicker and have easier administration while also receiving more applications from competitors
• Applicants have easier access to job networks
• Internet recruitment excludes the unemployed or less IT-literate groups
• Agencies and headhunters fill temporary vacancies in administrative and professional posts

Agencies, Headhunters and Labour Costs

• Agencies and headhunters can use cold calling
• Employers can decrease short-term labor costs by using these methods
• Employees may have lower levels of commitment and greater job insecurity

Considerations of Applicant Perceptions

• Referrals result in a better fit for the company
• Referrals allow a better understanding of the business and tacit knowledge
• Referrals may perpetuate existing social networks and working practices
• Networks offer internships and placements
• Networks establish employee satisfaction and commitment while increasing retention rates
• Recruiters are an applicant's first impression and influence decisions
• Incentives are used, however, these are less likely to result in long-term attachment

Employer Branding as a Strategy

• Branding is a competitive attraction strategy
• Internal image and external image is communicated
• Graduate recruitment and perceptions about business sectors
• Companies are competing to be a ‘best company to work for’

Applicant Perspective

• It's a social process where applicants have as much power as the organization
• Perceptions of potential applicants are important
• Companies need to attract, maintain and convince applicants because qualified applicants expect job offers
• Applicants should view the organisation as a positive place to work
• It's important to consider how candidate views are formed, and how these inform decisions