Staffing Organizations

Chapter 5:
External Recruitment

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 Learning Objectives for Chapter 5
• Engage in strategic recruitment planning activities
• Understand the difference between open and targeted
recruitment
• Create a persuasive communication message
• Learn about a variety of recruitment media
• Recognize how applicant reactions influence the effectiveness
of a recruiting plan
• Utilize a variety of recruitment sources
• Evaluate recruiting based on established metrics

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 External Recruitment 1
Strategic Recruitment Planning

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 Planning, Communicating, and Implementing
Strategic Recruiting

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 Defining Strategic Recruiting Goals 1
Goal 1: The Right Types of Applicants
• Identify needs via organizational compentency and job
requirements analysis
• What types of applicants are most likely to have the
required KSAOs?
• Match recruitment messaging to culture, values, and job-
spanning competencies

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 Defining Strategic Recruiting Goals 2
Goal 2: The Right Number of Applicants
• Based on planning process
• Expanding versus contracting demand
• Selectivity of the system
• Most applicants to be rejected requires extensive recruiting
• Most applicants able to be hired requires less extensive
recruiting
• Labor market and competition for workers

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 Defining Strategic Recruiting Goals 3
• Goal 3: Applicants at the Right Time
• Immediate needs versus long-term needs
• Time-to-hire
• Degree of focus on a few specific applicants versus sorting
through a large number of applicants

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 Open Versus Targeted Recruiting
Technique Advantages Best When
Open Advertising position • Ensures that a • Large numbers
with a message diverse set of of applicants are
appealing to a wide applicants are required
variety of job seekers in contacted and • Pre-entry
a variety of media considered qualifications
outlets that will reach are not as
the highest possible important
audience
Targeted Focusing advertising • Narrows the pool of • The organization
and recruiting efforts by potential applicants, needs specific
tailoring message allowing the skill sets that are
content to attract organization to in short supply
segments of the labor concentrate efforts • Hiring for high-
market with specific on the most leverage
KSAOs or demographic qualified positions
characteristics • Facilitates a more
personal approach
to each applicant

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 Recruitment Planning: Administrative Issues
• Incorporating external recruitment agency
• Facilitate use of software platforms for applicant tracking
• Advertising expertise
• Allows organization to focus on core competency in
messaging and developing relationships
• Specifying timing (applicants at the right time)
• Firm deadlines or “always taking applications”
• Evaluating selection process timing
• Recruitment budge and return on investment

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 Example Recruitment Budget
• Should recruitment
expenses be charged to
HR or to the business
unit using HR services?
• Most organizations
charge the HR
department, possibly to
encourage each business
unit to use the
recruitment services of
the HR group
• May result in the
business unit users not
being concerned about
minimizing costs.

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 Discussion Question 1
• List and briefly describe each of the administrative
issues that needs to be addressed in the planning
stage of external recruiting.

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 External
Recruitment
Applicant Reactions 2

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 Applicant Reactions 1
• Job and organization characteristics
• The most important attraction features
• Job characteristics
• Wages
• Opportunity for growth and development
• Interesting characteristics
• Organization characteristics
• Prestige
• Reputation for treating employees well

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 Applicant Reactions 2
• Reactions to recruiters
• Influence of recruiter vs. job characteristics
• Influence of recruiter on attitudes and behaviors
• Demographics of recruiters
• Influential recruiter behaviors
• Warmth and knowledge of the job
• Reactions to recruitment process
• Relationship of screening devices to job
• Delay times in recruitment process
• Funding of recruitment process
• Credibility of recruiter during recruitment process

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 Consideration Related to Recruiters: Selection
• Desirable characteristics of recruiters
• Strong interpersonal skills
• Knowledge about company, jobs,
and career-related issues
• Technology skills
• Enthusiasm
• Various sources of recruiters
• HR professionals
• Line managers
• Employees

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 Diversity and Inclusion
• Advertisements should depict diversity, especially
among those in positions of authority
• Advertising in publications targeted at women and
minorities
• Target older workers by flexible schedules, health
and pension benefits, and part-time opportunities

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 Discussion Questions 2
• List 10 sources of applicants that organizations turn
to when recruiting. For each source, identify needs
specific to the source, as well as pros and cons of
using the source for recruitment.

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 External Recruitment 3
Communication

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 Comparing Choice of Messages
Information Applicant Potential Best For
Conveyed Reactions Drawback
Branded An appealing Positive view of the Overly positive Tight labor markets
description is organization, message may result in or higher-value jobs
developed based on increased intention employee
marketing principles, to apply for jobs, dissatisfaction after
emphasizing unique and better prehire hire
features of the information about
organization benefits of the job
Targeted Advertising themes Better fit between May dissuade Specific KSAOs, or
are designed to a application message applicants who aren’t seeking a specific
attract a specific set and specific interested in work type of applicant
of employees applicant groups attributes featured in
the message from
applying
Realistic Both positive and Some applicants The best potential Loose labor markets
negative aspects of a self-select out; applicants may be or when turnover is
job and organization those who remain more likely to leave costly
are described will have a better
understanding of
the job and will be
less likely to leave

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 Example Messages
Branded Example focus: Tech savvy financial services company

Example message: Our organization lives on the cutting edge. We

have been developing new methods for meeting client needs,
including the most fully featured app-based portfolio management
tools on the market. Employees will be part of a culture known for
rewarding creativity, initiative, and innovation.
Targeted Example focus: Recruiting new college graduates

Example message: We provide the perfect place to start your

career. Our training and development programs offer a world of
opportunities to try out a variety of roles and functions, building
out your skill set with each new assignment.
Realistic Example job requirement: Frequent travel

Example message: While working in this organization provides

opportunities to do a variety of tasks, it does require extensive
travel. New hires can expect to be on the road for at least one
week per month, and sometimes more.

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 Comparing Communication Media
Media Type Reach Richness Interactivity Credibility

Advertisements High Medium Low Low

Table divided into five columns summarizes
comparing communication media. The column
Recruitment Brochures Medium High Low Low
headers are marked from left to right as: Media
type, reach, richness, interactivity, and
Organizational Websites Medium High Medium Low
credibility.
Videoconferencing Low High High Medium

Direct Contact Low High High Medium

W o r d o f M o u t h a n d Medium High High High

Social Media

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 Communication Media

• Reach describes how many individuals can learn about a job

through the method of delivery.
• High: A source that can be seen by nearly anyone across many
platforms
• Low: A source that needs to be sought out and can be accessed by
only a few individuals
• Richness describes how media allow for a variety of methods
for conveying messages
• Interactive media sources can be customized to each respondent’s
specific needs
• Crediblity describes how messages are seen as honest,
accurate, and thorough
• High: Messages from employees and friends
• Low: Messages just from corporate offices

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 Discussion Questions 3
• What are the advantages of conveying a realistic
recruitment message as opposed to portraying the
job in a way that the organization thinks that job
applicants want to hear?
• In designing the communication message to be used
in external recruiting, what kinds of information
should be included?

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 External Recruitment 4
Applicant Sourcing

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 Applicant Sourcing
• Individual recruiting sources
• Target individual job seekers, direct from the organization and its
representatives
• Applicant initiated, general employment websites, niche employment
websites

• Social recruiting sources

• Rely on relationships that employees have with current employees or
those who would endorse the company
• Employee referrals, social networking sites, professional associations

• Organizational recruiting sources

• Access to a large number of similar applicants
• Colleges and placement offices, employment agencies, executive
search firms, social service agencies
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 Metrics for Evaluating Recruiting Methods
• Quantity
• Quality
• Cost
• Impact on HR Outcomes
• Employee satisfaction
• Job performance
• Diversity
• Retention

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 Discussion Questions 4
• What strategies are organizations using to ensure
that they attract women and underrepresented racial
ethnic groups?

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 External Recruitment 5
Legal Issues

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 Legal Issues
• Definition of job applicant
• Definition according to EEOC and OFCCP
• Importance of establishing written application policies
• Affirmative Action Programs
• Guidelines of OFCCP for recruitment actions
• Electronic recruitment
• Usage may create artificial barriers to employment
opportunities
• Job advertisements
• Fraud and misrepresentation

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 Ethical Issues in Staffing
• Issue 1
– Many organizations have adopted a targeted recruitment
strategy. For example, some organizations target workers
50 years of age and older in their recruitment efforts,
which includes advertising specifically in media outlets
frequented by older individuals. Other organizations target
recruitment messages at women, minorities, or those with
the desired skills. Do you think targeted recruitment
systems are fair? Why or why not?

• Issue 2
– Most organizations have in place job boards on their web
page where applicants can apply for jobs online. What
ethical obligations, if any, do you think organizations have
to individuals who apply for jobs online?
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 Planning, Communicating, and Implementing Strategic
Recruiting - Text Alternatives
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Define recruitment goals branch into:

Select open versus targeted approach and make organization and
administration decisions.
Select open versus targeted approach leads to considering potential applicant
reactions to recruitment methods, which leads to creating communication
message and select media, finally leading to implementation of recruitment
strategy and evaluating ongoing outcomes.

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 Example Recruitment Budget - Text Alternatives
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Administrative expenses:
Staff: 32,000
Supplies: 45,000
Equipment: 10,000
Total: 87,000 dollars.
Recruiter expenses:
Salaries: 240,000
Benefits: 96,000
Expenses: 150,000
Total: 486,000 dollars.
Candidate expenses:
Travel: 320,000
Lodging: 295,000
Fees: 50,000
Relocation: 150,000
Total: 815,000 dollars.
Total recruitment expenses:
87,000 plus 486,000 plus 815,000 equals 1,388,000 dollars.
Total cost per hire:
1,388,000 dollars over 500 new hires equals 2,776 dollars.

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