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Unit 2 Recruitment

“There is always plenty of business, if you are smart enough to get it”

E.W. Howe (1853-1937), American writer

Starting up

1. Do you have work experience?

2. What do you know about recruitment?

3. Have you ever heard about the “headhunting” agencies?

4. What impression will you try to give in an application letter?

5. What questions are really difficult to answer?

6. What is necessary to do if the question does not apply to you?

7. Do you always tell the absolute truth in application letters?

8. What qualities and skills should a person have to get a good job?

Reading

Recruitment

The process of finding people for a particular job is recruitment. Someone who has been recruited is a recruit. The company employs them; they join the company. A company may recruit employees directly or use outside recruiters, recruiting agencies or employment agencies. Outside specialists called headhunters may be called on to headhunt people for every important job, persuading them to leave the organizations they already worked for. This process is called headhunting.

Recruitment is a key area within human resources. The process involves many decisions:

Should you hire a full-time employee on a permanent contract?

A full-time employee is likely to have a better skillset; more experience, more loyalty, and will have more control over their time. On the other hand, you’re taking your commitment to this individual, and you will have extra costs (e.g. paid vacation) to consider. Other options may include:

- fixed-term contracts.

- part-time employees (e.g. students, retirees, individuals with children).

- temporary help (“temps”, recruited through the agency).

- independent contractors and freelancers (who might work off your premises).

- reorganizing the department to allocate in a different way.

What job will the new employee do?

There can be certain job skills that the organization needs. If you’re replacing the existing employee, then an exit interview could help to clarify some of the issues. After analysis you may produce:

• A job description that gives job title, a summary of the job and a list of the main tasks or duties.

• A person specification that lists the knowledge, experience, qualifications and skills that would like a candidate to have. These are often divided into “essential” and “desirable specifications”.

How will you attract applicants?

Once you have a job opening, your thoughts are likely to be internal applicants. If you don’t offer opportunities to existing employees, they are likely to become demotivated and start looking elsewhere. But if you do need to recruit externally, then you can use a variety of electronic and print media such as an online posting on a jobs website, or a classified ad (or a display ad) in a newspaper. You can also use the services of a specialist employment agency, including headhunting firms for senior managers.

Another source of new recruits is referrals, i.e. suggestions made by colleagues, existing employees, etc. but beware: a workplace with too many friends results in a group that resists supervision, covers up for its members, socialize too much, ignores those not in a group, and causes problems if conflicts arise.

What kind of interview and selection process will there be?

You will begin by asking for and looking through CVs (BrE) or résumés (AmE), unless you have a special template or application form designed by the company. You will than draw up a shortlist of candidates and call these people for interview.

At the interview there are a number of stages that you will probably go through:

1. Begin by establishing rapport with the candidate. They will be nervous, and you want to put them at their ease so that they can answer questions properly. You can also check their ability to socialize and be friendly.

2. Outline the company background and where the job fits.

3. Encourage the candidate to talk about how their skills and experience are relevant. Ask open-ended questions and keen the interview moving and on track.

4. Close the interview and indicate to the candidate the next step and the timeframe.

5. Rate the candidate while they’re fresh in your mind. Keep a record.

After the interview, and depending on the job, there may be further tests. These can include practical tests (of manual skills or computing skills) and psychometric tests (e.g. problem-solving, decision-making, interpersonal skills). Some large companies have special assessment centers to do these tests.

Finally, before selecting the best candidate and making a job offer, you may want to do some background checks. At a minimum this involves calling former employers who were listed by the candidate as references.

Part 1. Applications

Reading

In different countries, different conventions apply to the process of job application and interview. In most parts of the world, it’s common to submit a laser-printed CV (curriculum vitae – British English) or résumé (American English). This contains all the unchanging information about you: your education, background and work experience. This usually accompanies a letter of application, which in some countries is expected to be handwritten, not word-processed. A supplementary information sheet containing information relevant to this particular job may also be required, though this is not used in some countries.

Many companies expect all your personal information to be entered on a standard application form. Unfortunately, no two application forms are alike and filling in each one may present unexpected difficulties. Some personnel departments believe that CV and application letter give a better impression of a candidate than a form.

Filling out the application.

Read the application carefully, follow the instructions, write neatly, and answer all the questions completely. Sometimes it is difficult to answer certain questions.

There are three kinds of questions that are difficult to answer:

1. Questions that do not apply (relate) to you.

2. Questions that you do not want to answer because you believe your answer will be misunderstood.

3. Illegal questions that you should not be asked.

Questions that do not apply to you are not really difficult to answer. All that you should do is to write “N.A” (Not Applicable) or make a short dash (-) in the answer space. For example, if a question asks about the validity period of your professional license and your occupation does not require a license, the question does not apply to you. If you make a short dash (-) in the answer space, the employer will know that you read the question, but it does not apply to you.

Questions that you do not want to answer because you believe your answer would be misunderstood are more difficult to answer. For example, consider a person who was discharged from a job but has an honest explanation that would be acceptable in a discussion with a prospective employer. However, the explanation is too long to write in the space provided on the application form. How should this person answer the question “Reason for leaving?” If this person writes, “I was fired”, that will probably end the possibility of his or her getting this job. If he or she doesn’t write the truthful answer, it could mean being discharged from the new job if the truth is found out. We suggest that this person write, “Will discuss during the interview”, as the answer to that question.

We have included some sample job application forms. Study those forms. Look at the kinds of information they ask you to provide. Make sure you have all of that information available. If you have never filled out a job application form, you should have some practice before you fill out a real one.

It's important for your job applications to be complete, correct (no errors) and accurate. Here is the information you will need to complete an application for employment and tips and suggestions for writing applications that make a great impression. Regardless of whether you complete an online job application or apply in-person, make sure you have all information you need ready before you apply for a job.