HRM textbook

138 PART 2 RECRUITMENT, PLACEMENT, AND TALENT MANAGEMENT
1 List the steps in the recruitment
and selection process.
INTRODUCTION
Job analysis identifies the duties and human requirements for each of the company s
jobs. The next step is to decide which of these jobs you need to fill, and to recruit and
select employees for them. The traditional way to envision recruitment and selection is as
a series of hurdles (Figure 5-1):
1. Decide what positions to fill, through workforce/personnel planning and forecasting.
2. Build a pool of candidates for these jobs, by recruiting internal or external
candidates.
3. Have candidates complete application forms and perhaps undergo initial screening
interviews.
4. Use selection tools like tests, background investigations, and physical exams to
identify viable candidates.
5. Decide who to make an offer to, by having the supervisor and perhaps others
interview the candidates.
This chapter focuses on personnel planning and on recruiting employees.
Chapter 6 addresses tests, background checks, and physical exams. Chapter 7 focuses
on interviewing by far the most widely used selection technique.
2 Explain the main techniques
used in employment planning
and forecasting.
WORKFORCE PLANNING AND FORECASTING
Recruitment and selection ideally starts with workforce planning. After all, if you don t
know what your team s employment needs will be in the next few months, why should
you be hiring?
Workforce (or employment or personnel) planning is the process of deciding
what positions the firm will have to fill, and how to fill them. It embraces all future
positions, from maintenance clerk to CEO. However, most firms call the process of
deciding how to fill executive jobs succession planning.
Strategy and Workforce Planning
In either case, as at IBM (see page 137), employment planning should reflect the firm s
strategic plans. Thus plans to enter new businesses or reduce costs all influence the types
of positions you ll need to fill (or eliminate). Strategic issues are always crucial. In the
short term, there s not much employers can do to overcome recessions, housing
bubbles, or increases or decreases in consumer spending. However, the managers
should control their strategy. So, knowing that the firm plans, say, to expand abroad,
means making plans for ramping up hiring in the firm s international division. The
accompanying Strategic Context feature illustrates this.
FIGURE 5-1 Steps in
Recruitment and Selection
Process
Employment
planning and
forecasting
Recruiting:
Build a pool
of candidates
Candidates
Candidate
becomes
employee
Applicants
complete
application
forms
Use selection
tools like tests
to screen out
most applicants
Supervisors and
others interview final
candidates to make
final choice
The recruitment and selection process is a series of hurdles aimed at selecting the best candidate for the job.