Chapter 6: Recruiting
Reviewing Important Concepts
1. Explain how social media and other online sources are used to recruit candidates.
(LO 4)
Social media is one of the most effective recruiting tools next to employee referrals. Used
2. What are some challenges to effective recruiting? (LO 2)
Challenges include the image of the organization, attractiveness and nature of the job,
internal policies, government requirements, and the recruiting budget. The best candidate
might not be attracted to the organization. Company policies that prohibit hiring from the
outside and promote from within might exclude the best candidate. The recruiting budget
3. Present the advantages and disadvantages of promote from within policies. (LO 3)
Advantages of an internal search are that the person already knows the culture and the
organization. If the candidate is selected, he or she probably will accept the job.
Background investigations and other external hurdles have already been cleared by
4. Explain the advantages and disadvantages of the external recruitment alternatives.
(LO 4)
Employment agencies are effective, but most charge fees.
Executive search firms are also effective at recruiting, but also charge fees.
Educational institutions provide interns and entry-level workers.
5. Describe the differences one may encounter when recruiting globally. (LO 7)
First, companies need to define the target labor market. It may, indeed, be completely
global. Companies need to explore how they will approach host-county nationals,
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Chapter 6: Recruiting
expatriates, home-country nationals. Local labor laws may affect who the company can
and cannot hire, such as in the textbook example about African nations. Compensation
6. What services does your college career center offer to help you land a job when your
education is complete? (LO 8)
Evaluating Alternatives
7. When you suggest that your employer use Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to
advertise job openings for a new clinic because the medical staff necessary is in
short supply, the clinic director refuses, declaring “That’s just not the image we
want to present. Patients want to trust their healthcare providers. Besides, nurses
and medical technicians aren’t going to be looking on Facebook for a job.” How
much truth is there to his statement? Do you agree? Explain your choice of the best
combination of methods to recruit medical staff. (LO 1, 2, 4, 5 6)
8. “The only employer brand that matters is salary. If an employer pays a competitive
or slightly higher salary with competitive benefits, they’ll get the same applicants
everyone else does.” Evaluate the statement from an opposing and agreement point
of view. (LO 1, 2)
Opposing: Salary can be a hurdle in getting qualified candidates to apply, but without a
Research and Communication Skills
These activities require students to research a topic and report the findings to the instructor or the
class. They can be assigned to either individuals or groups and are designed to develop critical
thinking, research and presentation skills necessary for HR. Grading can be simplified by using
the grading rubric in chapter one.
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Activity Summaries
9. The “next big thing” changes rapidly in recruiting, but students are asked to identify
10. Three different online job-recruiting sites are researched and compared. The best are
11. State employment sites are compared to each other and to CareerBuilder and Monster.
Making a Difference: Service Learning Projects
Overview: Service Learning Projects provide students with opportunities to develop and
demonstrate HR skills and build a professional network that will assist in getting a job in HR.
The activities that relate to this chapter on Recruiting involve helping non-profits recruit
volunteers. A sample assignment with requirements and grading materials is available at the front
of the Instructor’s Manual and as a download from the text website.
Case Application 6 – A: Growing Problems At Outdoor Solutions
Rob Dow has problems recruiting and retaining good employees at his home services company
called Outdoor Solutions. When he asks an acquaintance at a local staffing company for tips on
finding good workers, she discovers that it isn’t just a recruiting problem. Branding, image and
his internal hiring practices all need attention. Students are asked to find solutions of their own.
Questions:
1. Explain factors that complicate the recruiting process at Outdoor Solutions. (LO 1,
2)
Rob thinks he knows his employment brand, but in reality, his employees are defining it
on social media, and it doesn’t put the company in a very good light, resulting in a poor
2. Suggest the best choices of internal and external recruiting methods to improve the
number and quality of applicants for Outdoor Solutions. Explain your choices. (LO
3, 4)
Internal: Employee referrals and promoting from within are good ideas, but employees
External: State employment agencies and job fairs would be good sources of applicants.
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Chapter 6: Recruiting
If local colleges had landscaping programs, they should be contacted. Passive candidates
may include current customers. If Outdoor Solutions has a website, including a careers
section could draw some interest. Social media could support the company and
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3. Research: Search several online sites for staffing issues for small businesses and
suggestions for better recruiting and retention. Explain the common concerns and
suggestions. Be sure to include your sources. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
Case Application 6 – B: Policing Paradise: How the Honolulu Police
Department Developed its Brand
The Honolulu Police Department was always fully staffed until a few years ago when
retirements, openings in other law enforcement agencies, and even the events of 9/11 reduced its
ranks. The organization conducted a massive recruitment campaign, built around the
family-style culture of the Department.
1. How could the Honolulu Police Department use other internal and external
recruitment methods to make recruiting more effective? (LO 3,4)
Some suggestions are:
In-house referrals from existing officers who may know others interested in a law
enforcement career.
2. How important is branding for law enforcement agencies? In what ways can an
effective employment brand benefit recruiting efforts?
By conducting their branding campaign, the Honolulu Police Department added to the
recruiting success because potential job candidates were able to discern the type of
working atmosphere and culture of the organization. This helped ensure that only
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3. Design a social media strategy to reach potential applicants for HPD. How will it
differ from the social media recruiting strategy of mainland law enforcement agencies?
(LO 5)
Students should examine the social media recruiting efforts of local and other law
4. Research: Take a look at the Honolulu Police Department Career Center at
www.honolulupd.org. Investigate their recruiting pages and videos. In what ways
does the content support the employment brand? What suggestions can you make to
improve their recruiting efforts? (LO 1, 2, 4, 5)
Student responses will be varied and HPD is certain to revise the career section of their
website. Students should be encouraged to look at other law enforcement web sites to
Online Case Application 6 – C: TEAM FUN
Questions:
1. Make a recruiting plan for TEAM FUN! Identify at least four principal recruiting sources
for the new store. Be sure to discuss the pros and cons of each of your suggestions. (LO
1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
2. Recommend to Tony which of the four sources should get top priority. Defend your
decision. (LO 1, 2, 3, 4, 5)
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