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

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other occupations such as youth work can require very different training andprofessional backgrounds in different countries. A number of employers in boththe public and private sector were aware of incidences in which immigrantjob seekers were considered to be unsuitable for a position although theirqualifications would have been acceptable in their own country. Despite this, thedevelopment of job descriptions was not seen as an area that presented barriersfor immigrants or that needed to be addressed.3.2.2 Eligibility CriteriaWithin the more formal recruitment processes implemented mainly by largecompanies and public sector organisations, eligibility criteria for assessingapplications were drawn up and communicated to potential applicants. Inless formal scenarios, particularly in small companies where cold calling waswelcomed, eligibility criteria frequently remained implicit in that they were notformally communicated to applicants. Regardless of these differences betweenformal and less formal approaches, the criteria were considered to relate toattributes that were essential for undertaking the work required.Although employers perceive that the eligibility criteria are an essential reflectionof what is required by the job, defining eligibility criteria is also useful forpreliminary screening, particularly where large volumes of applications can beexpected: one company, for example, had received 25,000 applications last yearand consequently strict reference to formal eligibility criteria was a vital first stepin rendering these into more manageable numbers (see below). In contrast, oneemployer in a skills starved sector described the eligibility criteria for work in hiscompany as “hands and experience”.Among the most common criteria for determining eligibility were:• Qualifications: Not all employers used a minimum level of qualification aspart of their eligibility criteria (for example, only forty per cent ofthose surveyed did so). But amongst those consulted with that did usequalifications, these were frequently determined by the requirements ofthe relevant professional bodies. In other instances, the extent to whichthe qualification criteria are actually necessary to do the job or reflectedother considerations such as established precedent or the need to havea basis for preliminary screening is not clear. Although given the pointnoted above about large volume applications, it is likely that the latter is afactor. Outside of those contexts in which professional qualifications arerequired, all organisations had broadened the educational qualificationcriteria to include the Irish standard (usually Leaving Certificate)48Issues and Challenges in the Recruitment and Selection of Immigrant Workers in Ireland
or ‘equivalent’. This was seen by many employers as eliminatingqualification barriers for foreign applicants and in some instances thechange had been made explicitly to facilitate immigrant applicants.Where the qualification criteria were used as a screening mechanism,this frequently occurred in the early stages of the recruitment process.In a number of instances however, the educational qualifications ofcandidates are not validated until the latter stages of the recruitmentprocess when vetting is taking place. This can lead to anomalies whereimmigrants (and non-immigrants) inadvertently and inappropriatelysucceed in the earlier stages of the process before problems with theirqualifications become evident.• Proficiency in English: This requirement was very common as part ofthe eligibility criteria and where included, it was perceived to be essentialfor the role that successful applicants would have complete proficiencyin English. Many of the employers consulted with in both the public andprivate sectors were of the view that it would be impossible for someoneto work in their organisation (or sometimes in their profession) withoutexcellent language and communication skills. However, a small numberof employers did not require English language proficiency on the part oftheir employees and for these, this was not a criterion: in most of thesecases it appears that if there were a number of other employees fromthe same language group as a candidate with limited English, the lattercould be accommodated in the workplace. In general, it appears from theconsultations that English either matters hugely and a very high level ofproficiency is required, or it does not matter at all or at least not at theinitial stages of employment. The experience of employers who recruitedcandidates with limited English is that they developed proficiency in avery brief period of time and some employers facilitated this by providingor paying for language classes for immigrant employees.• Previous Experience in Ireland: Among the employers consulted with,the requirement to have experience in Ireland or familiarity with theIrish system did not feature within the eligibility criteria to any greatextent, although a very small number of companies noted that incertain occupations within their overall workforce, familiarity with andexperience of the Irish system was essential. This appeared to have asmuch to do with the development of business or professional networksas with the actual technical requirements. Most employers indicated thatif an immigrant job seeker had relevant experience in their own or someother country, this would be taken into account and would enhance theirlikelihood of success. The proportion of those surveyed indicating thatthey required Irish experience and / or references was somewhat higher49
Page 2: 2Issues and Challenges in the Recru
Page 7: Chapter 1Exploring the Recruitment
Page 10 and 11: persecution. Economic migrants enco
Page 12 and 13: • The third group is the so-calle
Page 14 and 15: • Green Cards, which have replace
Page 16 and 17: Employment Services (LES) although
Page 18 and 19: Unemployment is not the only issue
Page 20 and 21: Overall, both official statistics a
Page 22 and 23: issues from the perspective of thes
Page 24 and 25: and facilitate integration and, equ
Page 26 and 27: Chapter 2Looking for work in Irelan
Page 28 and 29: and longer term aspirations with th
Page 30 and 31: In terms of public sector 6 employm
Page 32 and 33: immigrant communities have come to
Page 34 and 35: on courses they do not want to do a
Page 36 and 37: 2.6.1 Communication issuesAmong the
Page 38 and 39: • There was also the view that Ir
Page 40 and 41: • Freedom of movement for the cit
Page 42 and 43: • what they see as the reluctance
Page 44 and 45: are employed. By the end of the sec
Page 46 and 47: large organisations are more likely
Page 50 and 51: at 24 per cent (and just 22 per cen
Page 52 and 53: Other mechanisms to recruit foreign
Page 54 and 55: In large volume recruitment campaig
Page 56 and 57: Innovation in the use of testsIrish
Page 58 and 59: 3.2.7 VettingThe vetting of candida
Page 60 and 61: that considered foreign workers to
Page 62 and 63: Chapter 4Conclusions and Discussion
Page 64 and 65: of recruitment should be more integ
Page 66 and 67: Table 4.1:Divergent views of Employ
Page 68 and 69: Perceive written andlanguage based
Page 70 and 71: as either a basis for determining e
Page 72 and 73: It is reasonable to assume that in
Page 74 and 75: Of more specific relevance to the c
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
Page 84: Public Appointments ServiceChapter

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