Chapter 4
Staffing: Recruiting and Selection
Chapter Overview
Recruiting is the process of generating a pool of qualified applicants for organizational jobs. If
the number of available candidates equals the number of people to be hired, no real selection is
Key components of strategic recruiting are presented followed by a discussion of the importance
of training for recruiters and managers. The chapter then discusses the nature of labor markets
and three labor market components—the labor force population, applicant population, and
Based on the recruiting needs identified by HR planning, a number of strategic recruiting
decisions must be made by the employer. Some of the strategic decision areas explored in this
The topic of Internet recruiting is given specific attention. Internet based recruiting means
include making use of job boards, tapping professional/career web sites, and using the
The recruiting methods used to tap external and internal applicant sources are explored with
attention given to the relative benefits and limitations of each method. External recruiting
sources for job applicants are discussed. These include media sources, competitive sources,
The chapter concludes by discussing recruiting metrics. Areas covered include quantity/ quality
Chapter Outline
Recruiting is the process of generating a pool of qualified applicants for organizational jobs.
I. Recruiting
Recruiting is becoming more important, as labor markets evolve. Although recruiting can be
Although cost is certainly an issue, and some employers are quite concerned about cost per hire
II. Labor Markets
Labor markets are the supply pool from which employers attract employees. To understand
where recruiting takes place, one can think of the sources of employees as a funnel, in which the
A. Labor Market Components
The broadest labor market component is the labor force population, which is made up of all
individuals who are available for selection if all possible recruitment strategies are used. The
The applicant pool consists of all persons who are actually evaluated for selection. Many
factors can affect the size of the applicant pool, including the reputation of the organization
B. Unemployment Rates and Labor Markets
When the unemployment rate is high in a given market, many people are looking for jobs.
Labor markets can be viewed in several ways to provide information that is useful for
C. Industry and Occupational Labor Markets
Labor markets can be classified by industry and occupation. For example, the biggest
increases in U.S. jobs until the year 2016 are going to be in the positions of registered nurses,
D. Educational and Technical Labor Markets
Another way to look at labor markets is by considering the education and technical
qualifications that define the people being recruited. Employers may need individuals with
E. Geographic Labor Markets
One common way to classify labor markets is based on geographic location. Markets can be
local, area or regional, national, or international. Local and area labor markets vary
F. Global Labor Markets
The migration of U.S. work overseas has been controversial. While many decry the loss of
III. Strategic Recruiting Decisions
When there are economic declines in certain geographic areas and occupations, many talented
A. Recruiting Presence and Image
Recruiting efforts may be viewed as either continuous or intensive. Continuous efforts to
recruit offer the advantage of keeping the employer in the recruiting market. For example,
Intensive recruiting may take the form of a vigorous recruiting campaign aimed at hiring a
given number of employees, usually within a short period of time. Sometimes such efforts are
The employment brand or image of an organization is the view both employees and
B. Regular versus Flexible Staffing
Another strategic decision affects how much recruiting will be done to fill staffing needs with
regular full-time and part-time employees. Decisions as to who should be recruited hinge on
Flexible staffing uses workers who are not traditional employees. Using flexible staffing
arrangements allows an employer to avoid some of the cost of full-time benefits such as
Temporary Workers
Employers who use temporary employees can hire their own temporary staff members or
Some employers hire temporary workers as a way for individuals to move into fulltime,
regular employment. Better-performing workers may move to regular positions when these
Independent contractors are used in many areas, including building maintenance,
security, advertising, and others. One major reason for the use of independent contractors is
C. Recruiting Source Choices: Internal versus External
Most employers combine the use of internal and external recruiting sources. Both promoting
Organizations that face rapidly changing competitive environments and conditions may need
to place a heavier emphasis on external sources in addition to developing internal sources. A
possible strategy might be to promote from within if a qualified applicant exists and to go to
IV. Internet Recruiting
The growth in the Internet has led both employers and employees to use Internet recruiting tools.
Internet links, company web sites, tweets, and other types of Internet/Web-based usages have
Numerous Internet job boards, such as Monster, Yahoo!, and HotJobs provide places for
employers to post jobs or search for candidates. However, many of the individuals accessing
Many professional associations have employment sections at their websites. As illustration, for
HR jobs, see the Society for Human Resource Management site, www.shrm.org, or World at
Work, www.worldatwork.org.
Despite the popularity of job boards and association job sites, many employers have learned that
their own company websites can be very effective and efficient when recruiting candidates.
Employers include employment and career information on their organizational websites under
headings such as “Employment” or “Careers.” This is the place where recruiting (both internal
and external) is often conducted. On many of these sites, job seekers are encouraged to e-mail
A. Recruiting and Internet Social Networking
Many people initially use the social media more than job board sites to look for a job. Social
media networks often include people who work together as well as past personal contacts and
B. Legal Issues in Internet Recruiting
With Internet recruiting expanding, new and different concerns have arisen. Several of these
issues have ethical and moral as well as legal implications. The following examples illustrate
some of these concerns:
When companies use screening software to avoid looking at the thousands of résumés
they receive, are rejections really based on the qualifications needed for the job?
How can a person’s protected-category and other information be collected and analyzed
for reports?
Are too many individuals in protected categories being excluded from the later phases
of the Internet recruiting process using unlawful information?
Which applicants really want jobs? If someone has accessed a job board and sent an e-
mail asking an employer about a job opening, does the person actually want to be an
applicant?
What are the implications of Internet recruiting in terms of confidentiality and privacy?
C. Advantages of Internet Recruiting
Employers have found many advantages to using Internet recruiting. A primary one is that
many employers have saved money using Internet recruiting versus other recruiting methods
Internet recruiting also can save time. Applicants can respond quickly to job postings by
sending electronic responses, rather than using snail mail. Recruiters can respond more
D. Disadvantages of Internet Recruiting
Because of broader exposure, Internet recruiting often creates additional work for HR staff
members and others internally. More online job postings must be sent; many more résumés
must be reviewed; more social media need to be dealt with; and expensive specialized
Another issue with Internet recruiting is that some applicants may have limited Internet
V. Other External Recruiting Sources
External recruiting is part of effective HR staffing.
A. Media Sources
Media sources such as newspapers, magazines, television, radio, and billboards typically have
been widely used in external recruiting. Some firms have sent direct mail using purchased
lists of individuals in certain fields or industries. Internet usage has led to media sources being
Recruiting patterns differ depending on company and location; for instance, filling jobs at
B. Competitive Recruiting Sources
Other sources for recruiting include professional and trade associations, trade publications,
and competitors. Many professional societies and trade associations publish newsletters or
C. Employment Agencies
Employment agencies, both public and private, are a recruiting source. Every state in the
United States has its own state-sponsored employment agency. These agencies operate branch
Private employment agencies operate in most cities. For a fee collected from either the
employee or the employer, these agencies do some preliminary screening and put employers
The size of the fees and the aggressiveness with which some firms pursue candidates for
D. Labor Unions
Labor unions may be a useful source of certain types of workers. For example, in electrical
and construction industries, unions traditionally have supplied workers to employers. A labor
In some instances, labor unions can control or influence recruiting and staffing activity. An
organization with a strong union may have less flexibility than a nonunion company in
E. Job Fairs and Creative Recruiting
Employers in various labor markets needing to fill a large number of jobs quickly have used
job fairs and special recruiting events. Job fairs have been held by economic development
Drive-through job fairs at shopping malls have been used by employers in many communities.
F. Educational Institutions and Recruiting
College and university students are a significant source of entry-level professional and
technical employees. Most universities maintain career placement offices in which employers
Since college/university recruiting can be expensive and require significant time and effort,
For many employers, a desirable grade point average (GPA) is a key criterion for evaluating
job candidates during on-campus interviews. Attending elite universities can also enhance the
attractiveness of a candidate, but evidence suggests that, in the long run, there is little
High schools and vocational/technical schools may be valuable source of new employees for
some organizations. Many schools have a centralized guidance or placement office.
VI. Internal Recruiting Methods
Filling openings internally may add motivation for employees to stay and grow in the
organization rather than pursuing career opportunities elsewhere. The most common internal
HR information technology systems allow HR staff to maintain background and knowledge,
skills, and abilities (KSA) information on employees. As openings arise, HR can access
The major means for recruiting current employees for other jobs within the organization is job
posting, a system in which the employer provides notices of job openings and employees
A reliable source of people to fill vacancies is composed of acquaintances, friends, and family
members of current employees. Current employees can acquaint potential applicants with the
advantages of a job with the company, furnish e-mails and other means of introduction, and
Former employees and applicants represent another source for recruitment. Both groups offer a
time-saving advantage because something is already known about them. Seeking them out as