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Lecture Outline
Chapter 10: Recruitment and Selection in an Internet Context
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
After completing this chapter, you should be able to do the following:
❖ Understand the relationship between the Internet and organizational recruiting
objectives
INTRODUCTION
The focus of this chapter is to consider the impact of technology on the recruitment and selection
processes in organizations.
● In the recruitment section, we address the objectives of the recruitment process and
whether or not online recruitment is helping to achieve these objectives. The recruitment
objectives, which are based on the model of Breaugh and Starke (2000), include cost of
RECRUITMENT AND TECHNOLOGY
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Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
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● The goal of the recruitment function is to identify, attract, and hire the most qualified
people (Cascio, 2013). However, this task has become quite challenging because there is
The Impact of Online Recruitment on Recruitment Objectives
Research by Breaugh and Starke (2000) has identified a number of objectives for the recruitment
process, including (a) cost, (b) speed of filling job vacancies, (c) psychological contract
fulfillment, (d) satisfaction and retention rates, (e) quality and quantity of applicants, and (f)
diversity of applicants.
One important recruitment objective that organizations constantly strive for is to minimize the
Decision makers should examine the specifics of their recruitment situation and not just assume
that online recruitment saves money for all organizations. First, HR professionals need to
consider whether or not online recruitment is appropriate for their company. More specifically,
organizations need to plan how to process résumés and screen out those applicants who do not
possess the qualifications needed. Failure to think through the entire process may generate
greater administrative burdens for the HR department or departmental managers.
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Psychological contract fulfillment, employee satisfaction, and retention rates are three other
important goals of the recruitment process.
The psychological contract refers to the employees’ beliefs about the reciprocal obligations and
promises between them and their organizations. Not surprisingly, when employees believe that
Information that is provided by the applicant and by the recruiting company is a crucial part of
the recruitment process. Oftentimes, the recruitment process is rushed by the recruiters, who
want to complete the task of filling job openings. When a process is rushed, job seekers may find
incomplete or vague information regarding job openings and company expectations.
Furthermore, when job seekers receive sugarcoated information from recruiters that exaggerates
the opportunities and provides unrealistic expectations about the company, then the expectations
of employees are incongruent with those of the organization. Inaccurate, overly optimistic, or
vague information is something organizations need to minimize or avoid.
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Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
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organization to expand beyond the traditional job information and provide information about the
company philosophy, value systems, history, diversity, salary structure, and benefits.
Quantity of Applicants
Online recruitment is extremely convenient for applicants and is available to them 24 hours per
day and 7 days a week. It also allows them to fill out an online application or upload a résumé
for various positions in a matter of seconds. Although this convenience can be very beneficial, it
Overall, it is apparent that online recruitment may help organizations meet the objective of
increasing the number of job applicants. However, it is not clear whether the use of online
recruitment will help organizations attract high-quality applicants. If an organization is looking
for job applicants with particular skills (e.g., computer skills), then it may be able to find and
attract such applicants with online recruitment. However, the use of online recruitment may also
result in some dysfunctional consequences.
Attributes of Recruiting Website
● In general, the best website design is user-friendly, in that users can easily navigate and
browse through multiple webpages to find information.
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maintaining user interest within the site. To achieve this goal, organizations should
follow the “three–click” rule for users to locate information of interest.
● Content information refers to the degree to which the website hosts relevant information
that the user deems valuable and informative in nature. Providing information that the
user desires is another mechanism by which organizations can sustain user interest and
satisfaction with the website.
● The more customizable information an organization provides on its webpage, the more
likely an applicant will engage in appropriate self-selection behavior (to apply or not
apply for a job within the organization). In other words, if the website provides direct
feedback to applicants regarding their P-O or P-J fit, the online recruiting effort will
likely attract a more qualified applicant pool.
Recruitment Strategies and Social Networking
● The increasing popularity and use of social networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace
and LinkedIn now provide a unique method of allowing recruitment professionals to
source, contact, and screen both active and passive job candidates.
● The Society of HRM (SHRM) conducted a survey about the use of social networking
websites (SNWs) and recruitment (SHRM, 2008). The salient findings of this research
are as below:
● Social networking sites and online search engines are being used more frequently
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The Relationship of E-Recruitment and HRIS
The applicant’s information acquired through the company’s online recruitment can be funneled
into the company’s HRIS. The use of the HRIS in the recruitment process can make the process
more efficient and effective by having information readily available and usable at a moment’s
notice.
Online Recruitment Guidelines
Stone, Lukaszewski, and Isenhour (2005) offer the following research-based guidelines on the
effective design and use of online recruitment strategies:
● Online recruiting is more suitable for well-known firms with excellent employer
branding.
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SELECTION AND TECHNOLOGY
● This section focuses on tests and assessments of individual employees and candidates,
which are at the heart of the evaluation processes that enable organizations to manage
What Are Selection Tests and Assessments, and Why Are They Used?
Tests and assessments are job-related decision-making tools that provide information about
candidates, information that organizations can use in selection.
Selection procedures refer to any procedure used singly or in combination to make a
Why Is Assessment Important for HRIS?
When used for employee selection, assessments have value because they assist organizations in
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Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
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Technology Issues in Selection
The most common use of technology for selection systems is the use of computers to administer
and score tests. HRIS experts need to be aware of several general concerns about the computer
administration of selection procedures.
● First, if traditional paper-and-pencil assessments are computerized, does the computer
Equivalence Between Conventional and Computerized Assessments
● Organizations tend to assume that paper-and-pencil and computerized forms (versions) of
Bandwidth Versus Fidelity: How Closely Should We Simulate the Job?
● Technology has enabled organizations to create work sample simulations that represent
the job with high fidelity. Company leaders may want this because they believe that no
Correlation Between Assessment Scores and Job Performance
● However, an analysis of decades of assessment research has found that general cognitive
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Validity and Security Issues Created by Unproctored Online Testing
● Numerous consulting companies offer online tests. These tests may be administered in
the same way as paper-and-pencil or stand-alone computer tests, conducted in an office
Applying HRIS to Selection and Assessment
Selection systems are information management systems for organizational decision-making and
administration. Therefore, HRIS plays an important part in their development and use. One
● Test Access and Security: HR must decide how candidates will gain access to the test
(By permission? Will there be prescreening? Is testing open to anyone?) and how the test
content will be kept secure.
● Test Inventory and Administrative Privileges: The HRIS expert must consider how the
computerized tests will be purchased and inventoried (if accessed from a vendor) and
who should be assigned the right to work with particular types of test data. Will there be
multiple levels of access? Will individuals be able to delegate record-viewing rights to
others?
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Demonstrating the HRM’s Value With HRIS Selection Applications
The HRIS manager plays a key role in proving the value of a selection system through
knowledge of how to obtain and use the right data on individual and organizational outcomes
If a selection system produces a higher proportion of successful candidates (for instance, a 10%
increase in the number of new financial advisors who, once hired, can pass a government-
mandated licensure exam), then that system has clear value to the company. The same can be
There are many approaches to estimating utility, aside from an anecdotal approach (Does it seem
like more people are successful on the job now?).
● One of the simplest approaches is to conduct pre/post comparisons of measurable
CHAPTER SUMMARY
In summary, this chapter explained the intersection between the use of technology in the
selection process and the use of HRIS in organizations. This highlighted the need for HRIS
experts to understand how to use selection-related data in order to provide strategic information
Instructor Resource
Kavanagh and Johnson, Human Resource Information Systems: Basics, Applications, and Future Directions, 4e
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A second issue focused on in this chapter is the trade-off between fidelity and bandwidth. In
general, HRIS managers should keep in mind that, depending on the effort and expense one is
willing to expend on assessment development and installation, lower-fidelity simulations or
combinations of other types of assessments might be preferable.