Fundamentals of Human

Resource Management
Eighth Edition
DeCenzo and Robbins

Chapter 6
Recruiting

Fundamentals of Human Resource

Management 8e, DeCenzo and
Robbins
 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.
• Admitting only those applicants who are
likely to behave, acquire skills and show
attitudinal commitments in line with the
organization’s strategy.
• Right ones to admit
• Organization needs a way of differentiating
between applicants, avoiding the costs of
the wrong ones.
 Introduction
• Recruiting brings together
those with jobs to fill and
those seeking jobs.
 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.
• HCN’s 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.
 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 bid for
jobs
– by using their HR management
system
– by utilizing employee referrals
 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
 Recruiting Sources
The internal search
• Disadvantages include:
– possible inferiority of internal candidates
– infighting and morale problems
– potential inbreeding
 Recruiting Sources
Employee referrals/recommendations
• Current employees can be asked to
recommend recruits.
• Advantages include:
– the employee’s 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 don’t identify the organization.
 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
 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
company’s 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.
• Don’t forget about networking as an excellent
way of gaining access to an organization.