Effective Strategies for Recruiting Qualified Job Applicants

Business Communication Skills for Managers Module 15: Recruiting and Selecting New Employees

Why does recruiting matter?

Finding Qualified Job Applicants

Learning Outcomes: Finding Qualified Job Applicants 15.1 Describe effective strategies for recruiting qualified job applicants 15.1.1 Create a compelling job advertisement 15.1.2 Identify methods for finding qualified potential employees 15.1.3 Describe the laws designed to prevent bias and discrimination in hiring 15.1.4 Describe techniques to help screen a potential employee 15.1.5 Discuss the usefulness of creating additional assignments for potential candidates to complete

Writing a Job Advertisement What is a company brand? a quality or feature of something that evokes interest, liking, or desire In order to attract the best candidates, hiring managers need to clearly define their employment brand. Here are a few specific recommendations to help you do so: Clarify corporate culture understand market position set performance expectations Job Analysis: must know what job entails, done with help of Industrial and Organizational psychologists Task-oriented approach: how frequently task is performed, difficulty, importance Job specification: knowledge, skills, abilities are identified

Finding Potential Employees Job candidates search for jobs by managing points of contact, job boards, social media, and live events Advertising in newspapers and trade publications are effective, sites such as Indeed, Monster, CareerBuilder Consider candidates suggested by employees, work through head hunters What are three caveats to be aware of with regards to employee referral?

Bias and Protections in Hiring Equal opportunity should be a core company policy Equal employment is the law Unless membership in a group directly affects potential job performance, decision based on group membership is discriminatory. some jobs may require the employee to perform a physical task, such as lifting and carrying heavy objects; in such cases the physical capabilities of applicants may be considered. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) administers laws for the federal government

Practice Question 1 Which of the following statements BEST reflects the importance of diversity in terms of business performance? Seeking a diverse pool of candidates ________. a)reflects candidate preference and employee performance factors b)minimizes the risk of a discriminatory hiring complaint c)is good for company branding and public relations

Bias and Protections in Hiring (cont.) Note that there are numerous city, state, and federal restrictions You cannot ask employer marriage status, age, possible disabilities, race, or religion Equal Employment Opportunity Commission s (EEOC) mission is to stop unlawful employment discrimination and is responsible for many acts Avoiding discrimination is best thing to do from a Human Resource and risk prevention standpoint

Screening Applicants Objective is to filter out candidates who don t meet minimum requirements and/or who aren t a good fit Four techniques: 1. Evaluation by Association: use posting location 2. Application: use pre-screening questions 3. Assessment: assess of skills and aptitude 4. Screening Interview: confirm application, resume details, assess range of skills 5. External Verification: verify qualifications and check references

Portfolios, Practice Projects, Etc. Describe effective strategies for recruiting qualified job applicants

Discussion Read What Do You Think? Using Cutoff Scores to Determine Job Selection Freewrite your ideas for five minutes What do you think? When might universal cutoff scores make sense in a hiring decision? When might they eliminate otherwise potentially strong employees?

Interviewing

Learning Outcomes: Interviewing 15.2 Discuss the key elements of a successful interview 15.2.1 Identify who should be present at an interview 15.2.2 Discuss how to come up with effective questions for an interview 15.2.3 Discuss the process of effective phone interviews 15.2.4 Discuss the process of effective face-to-face interviews

Whos in an Interview? One-on-one interviews: HR representative or manager Series interview: HR representative, manager, representative from different teams within job Panel interview: several interviewers with candidate ask established questions, take notes, fill out evaluation form potential cons: sabotage, skewed results due to relationships

Asking Questions Should be relevant to position and environment, focus on job duties, skills, and qualifications Two Types of Interview Questions: Unstructured: unspecified questions, asked about goals or previous work experience Structured: same questions to every candidate, prepared in advance, standard rating system accurately compare two candidates interviews

Asking Questions (cont.) What you should ask about: Ask about knowledge, skills, and abilities Grit Rigor Impact Teamwork Curiosity Ownership Polish What you shouldn t ask about: Age Race Gender Religion Sexual orientation Politics

Phone Interviewing Second level of screening used to reduce pool of qualified candidates to manageable number Basic 5-step process: 1. Review job description and specifications 2. Prepare and validate a set of questions 3. Review submitted materials (application, cover letter) 4. Conduct interview: open, ask questions, close 5. Summarize interview

Face-to-Face Interviewing Final step in interview process helps you get to know candidate through personal interview How to Ace an Interview: 5 Tips from a Harvard Career Advisor Learn how to prepare for your next interview with these 5 tips from career services advisor Linda Spencer. Spencer discusses the following strategies in-depth so you can feel more confident throughout the interview process: 1. Do your research. 2. Practice your responses. 3. Make a good first impression. 4. Prepare for different types of interviews. 5. Determine next steps and follow through on them. Linda Spencer is the assistant director of the Office of Career Services at Harvard. Visit http://www.extension.harvard.edu/resources/career-academic-resource-center/career-services for more Career Services resources available to Harvard Extension School students. Effective techniques: Planning and preparation Understanding job Connecting with applicant Active listening

Activity Watch the Mock Interview video. Take notes of the following list of questions from the video. How do you answer the Tell me about yourself? question? What is the advice on how to answer the question on your greatest strengths? What do you say about your greatest weaknesses? What is the advice on why do you want to work here? What do you say when you re asked to address why the organization should hire you? What advice do you have that is not covered by the video?

Selecting a Candidate

Learning Outcomes: Selecting a Candidate 15.3 Identify the key steps in selecting a new employee 15.3.1 Discuss methods of selecting the best candidate 15.3.2 Describe how to complete a job offer

Selection Be aware of the potential for perception errors on both sides and for implicit/unconscious bias Blind spots can distort perceptions of candidates Be aware we may have too much faith into our ability to evaluate others Need important reasons for choosing one candidate: focus on job criteria seek evaluation input from others be aware of attempts to cater interviewer interests be aware of making conclusions Factor in perceptions and potential perception errors

The Job Offer Job offer usually includes information about salary, benefits Making the Offer: must have job title, department name, start date, hours of work, status, rate of pay, contingencies, leave benefits, eligibility, location, travel, statement Offer should be straightforward and give the candidate time to respond

Practice Question 2 A job offer should reflect good will and good business practices. To avoid future complications/litigation, the document should include all of the following EXCEPT: a)a statement such Welcome to the [company] family? b)an employee s employment status c)any offer contingencies

Quick Review Video Review for 'Good To Great by Jim Collins' Employee Engagement with http://callibrain.com This is video review for the book Good To Great by Jim Collins, produced by Callibrain, employee engagement through social collaboration and execution discipline. What are effective strategies for recruiting qualified job applicants? To buy the book click here - http://www.amazon.com/Good-Great-Companies-Leap-And-ebook/dp/B0058DRUV6/ref=sr_1_1?s=digital-textie=UTF8qid=1376678691sr=1-1keywords=good+to+great What are the key elements of a successful interview? What are the key steps in selecting a new employee?