Fundamentals of Human

Resource Management
Eighth Edition

DeCenzo and Robbins

Chapter 6
Recruiting

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 Introduction

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 Recruiting Goals

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 Recruiting Goals
• Factors that affect recruiting efforts
– Organizational size
– Employment conditions in the area
– Working conditions, salary and benefits
offered
– Organizational growth or decline

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 Recruiting Goals
• Constraints on recruiting efforts
include:
– Organization image
– Job attractiveness
– Internal organizational policies
– Government influence, such as
discrimination laws
– Recruiting costs

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 Recruiting Sources
The internal search
• Disadvantages include:
– possible inferiority of internal candidates
– infighting and morale problems
– potential inbreeding

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 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.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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.
Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins
 Effective Recruiting

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

 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.

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management 8e, DeCenzo and Robbins