Issues and Challenges in the Recruitment and Selection of ...

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2.6.1 Communication issuesAmong the organisations surveyed, the lack of proficiency in English on the part ofimmigrants was cited as a major barrier to their employment in the private sectorand to an even greater extent in the public sector. As noted earlier, this includesa general lack of proficiency as well as limited technical or business vocabulary.Cultural differences in communication were also seen to present significantdifficulties although these were considered to be more problematic in the privatesector, where they presented a major barrier. For example, one LES intervieweenoted that while the social care sector is an important employer of immigrantworkers, the type of inter-personal communication required in this sector makes itvery difficult for some immigrants to find work, even when they have acquired theappropriate Irish qualifications.Issues around verbal and non-verbal communication were also frequentlycited by focus group participants as causing problems at interview stage. Inrelation to verbal communication, the greater formality of language during theinterview process could be difficult even for those with high levels of proficiencyin everyday English. In relation to non-verbal communication, cultural differencesin such issues as eye contact, hand shaking and general demeanor during theinterview process were frequently mentioned. Some people felt that in linewith the expected behaviour in their home country they may have appeared toodemonstrative or assertive at interview, whereas others felt, again in line withpractice in their own country, that they may have under-sold themselves due toa reluctance to appear to be boastful of previous achievements. In general, therewas a view that cultural subtleties are hugely significant during the interviewprocess and that immigrants often had a tougher job in convincing an interviewpanel that they were the best applicant.2.6.2 Assessment TestsThe use of psychometric or competency based tests, although not a widespreadexperience on the part of focus group participants, was also cited as a challenge.Participants felt that these tests could be culturally biased and that they provedmore difficult if one had to complete them through a language that was nottheir first language. Written competency and aptitude tests were consideredparticularly difficult by focus group participants due to the fact that they were notallowed additional time or any other concession to the fact they were not workingin their first language.36Issues and Challenges in the Recruitment and Selection of Immigrant Workers in Ireland
The requirement for immigrants from outside of the EU to undertake Englishlanguage tests, when frequently their level of English proficiency was higherthan that of EU nationals, was pointed out. Among organisations consulted with,English language testing, competence tests that were seen as culturally biasedand other written tests were all noted as presenting barriers to employment,particularly in the public sector.2.6.3 QualificationsThe issue of qualifications and having foreign qualifications recognized emergedas a very significant issue among all those consulted. The following are the mainpoints that emerged from the consultation with immigrant workers, their peer ledorganisations and labour market service providers:• A number of the organisations consulted with stated that there maysometimes be a genuine discrepancy between the qualificationrequirements of a job in Ireland and the valid qualifications held byimmigrants. For example, some immigrants hold industry specificqualifications at the level of engineer but their skills in the Irish contextare closer to those of a fitter.• More frequent however, are the difficulties and delays in havingqualifications recognised by the relevant professional bodies in Ireland.In some instances as noted earlier, these are so extreme as to direct theapplicant to lower skilled jobs, but many immigrants also stated they hadexperience of not getting a job offer because of the problems in havingtheir professional qualifications recognised. This view was corroboratedby the representative organisations surveyed, the vast majority of whichindicated that not having their qualifications recognised in Ireland, delaysin getting qualifications recognised and employers not understandingtheir qualifications were frequently major barriers to employment forimmigrants.• Formal recognition of qualifications by a professional body is onlyrequired in some instances. However, even when this was not required,immigrant job applicants believed that Irish employers frequently areunhappy to accept foreign or unfamiliar qualifications per se. Africansnoted particular difficulties getting their qualifications recognized ortranslated into the comparable Irish equivalent. The point was also madeby Chinese students that unless they had really strong grades from wellrecognized third level institutions, they stood very little chance of gettingany work whatsoever in Ireland.37
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Page 56 and 57: Innovation in the use of testsIrish
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Page 76 and 77: public sector employers) as well as
Page 78 and 79: BibliographyBarrett, A and Y McCart
Page 80: O’Connell, P and F McGinnity (200
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