Process applications

 Is the administrative machine ready to respond to applications? Is job documentation for candidates prepared?

 Log applications/CVs. Compare each with personnel profile

 Follow-up on references/security clearances

 Decide on/organize recruitment programme. Who, when (meetings, appointments), where (on-site, off-site).

 Short-list and invite candidates to selection activity

 Courteous rejections of candidates

6

Carry out selection programme

 Organize candidate accommodation, Cook's tour and arrangements for testing

 Brief reception staff.

 Finalize selector briefing /training and interviewer preparation/strategy

 Implement selection programme: conduct interviews, exercises, tests

 Review candidate data and make selection

7

Make job offer(s) and finalize contract

 Advise unsuccessful candidates of rejection or stand-by

 Process job acceptances

 Complete reference investigations

 Confirm terms and conditions of employment

 Confirm arrangements for job start

8

Evaluate effectiveness of

 Recruitment process and methods. Validity, reliability and utility?

 The recruitment service - internal or external agency. Were all the costs necessary?

 The selection decisions. Is the new employee really suitable? If not how was the selection process at fault?

Recruitment and Job Analysis

Recruiters obviously need to comprehend job requirements fully thus methods of job analysis are needed.

 Job analysis and exit interview can confirm the nature and contribution of the job role, which may often turn out to be more complex than originally thought. Information from job analysis, and sources such as exit interviews, can help to restructure the job and resolve potential difficulties;

 Scope and authority

 Job demands (over load, under load),choices and constraints  Ambiguities and uncertainty

 Complexity and technical challenge

 Incompatibility (person-job-organization)  Conflict and stress

We can identify needs for supervisory support and developmental opportunity etc. Job re-design is an organizational re-structuring activity.

 A job description can be prepared - what needs to be done in the job - a definition of the main responsibilities and tasks/priorities. This is useful for recruiters and applicants.

 Once we understand the job we can specify the attributes (education, skills, experience, and competencies) required of a person who is likely to do the job successfully - a person profile - modelling those candidates most likely to be successful in the job.

Job analysis generates

 Job prospectus information needed by applicants.

 We will generate a recruitment campaign that will attract suitable candidates (inclusive of job advertising).

 Better understanding of how applications received must be handled /processed to evaluate candidates (candidate-to-candidate and candidate-to-job) and produce an initial short-list to invite for interview.

 Better information so that selection decisions as objectively as possible. It is known to be prone to unhelpful subjectivity, stereotyping and premature judgments. The soundness of decisions can be readily undermined by the perceptions, attitudes and values, arrogance and ignorance (vis a vis the job) of selectors.

 A better understanding of what selection methods – interviews, tests etc might serve as valid, reliable and useful (utility) tests for different types of jobs/staff.

must be relevant /valid for performance of the job in question otherwise forms of discrimination may creep in running counter to equal opportunities statutes.

The Discrimination Trap

Without proper definition of job requirements, performance criteria and competences required, recruiters might fall into the trap of selecting on the basis of false assumptions. Managers involved in recruitment can be very smug. They think they understand the job and its requirements but too frequently apply stereotypical views about "the ideal candidate". Sometimes they haven't even thought of a candidate profile at all but merely go on some personal whim of their own.

The outcome may be that a poor fit between the job and the capacity of a new starter. They may be too good for the job, not capable of doing it or simply the job is ill suited to their needs and interests. It is not uncommon for someone to start work and leave within the first week saying "this is not the job I expected". We must not forget that recruitment and selection involves discriminating between people

(applicants). But is the discrimination fair - ethically and at law (not

necessarily the same thing!). Recruiters have social responsibilities in relation to (equal opportunities) and see also equal opportunities questionnaire

 Behave prejudicially (often we are blind to our own behavior)

 Simply make false assumptions about job requirements. We may apply invalid, irrelevant criteria which applicants from, say, female or particular ethnic groups, are less able to satisfy.

Recruitment and Information Processing

Data processing is costly. Processing applications and dealing with applicants involves a lot of work. It is no wonder that busy line managers need a recruitment service section to co-ordinate the burden for them.

Processing Applications::

We can decide to receive applications for vacancies in a number

of ways each with good and bad points.

Completion of a standard application form - likely to have a covering letter

Submitting a curriculum vitae with a covering letter

On spec. Telephone applications leading to invitations to an interview

On spec. Inquiries where applicants turn up at the workplace or to a recruitment centre (job shop) adjacent to it

Application via an agency - where the candidate may already be on the agency's books

Head-hunting by an agency - candidates may again be on the agency's books

Internal vacancy notification - circulated or put on notice boards across the company. Internal candidates may apply.

Some applications may not seem like applications - no application form will be filled in! If we are recruiting from a network, for a senior management post say, we may not even use an application form. We would merely invite the candidate in to dine with us. We have to persuade them to give up a good job and join our venture. The interview becomes a "mutually beneficial discussion"

In other situations a telephone contact may be the appropriate initial interview e.g. when advertising for a telesales person. Poor applicants can be tested immediately. However for most jobs an initial meeting with the candidate is essential at which spoken, presentational and practical skills can be tested.

The application form as a test::

The application form requires ability to fill it in. It is a test of hand writing, literacy and meticulousness. The content must be composed. Questions may be asked which require an explanatory narrative.

Even for manual work situations the recruiter must know that the candidate has filled out the application form personally and not a third party (their mum or spouse). If another unknown person has completed it - what additional test will the recruiter use to ascertain if the candidate

can read and write? Is this a job requirement e.g. for health and safety purposes?

A Recruitment Information System::

Processing applications involves data capture, storage, processing (updating, sorting, ranking, evaluating, verifying against reference data such as the job criteria, summarizing), outputting results into the next processing stage and communicating results to various system users and back to candidates.

We will be involved in:

A job file

Creating a job file containing all job information . Copies of some of the contents of be sent to candidates in an applicant's pack. This file will contain the job analysis documents, details of anticipated terms and conditions of employment etc. Copies of job advertisements etc. Information may be stored relating to numbers of applications from different sources and other costs associated with filling the vacancy. We may use such data to evaluate the effectiveness of the recruitment campaign.

An applicant file and the life history of an