HRM textbook

CHAPTER 5 PERSONNEL PLANNING AND RECRUITING 161
TABLE 5-1 Recruitment: Practical Applications for Managers
Recruitment Research Finding a
The recruitment source affects the characteristics of applicants
you attract.
Recruitment materials have a more positive impact if they contain
more specific information.
Organizational image influences applicants initial reactions.
Applicants with a greater number of job opportunities are more
attentive to early recruitment activities.
Realistic job previews that highlight both the advantages and the
disadvantages of the job reduce subsequent turnover.
Applicants will infer (perhaps erroneous) information about
the job and company if the information is not clearly provided
by the company.
Recruiter warmth has a large and positive effect on applicants
decisions to accept a job.
Recruitment source also has a significant effect
on reducing turnover.
Practical Applications for Managers
Use sources such as referrals from current employees that yield
applicants more likely to be better performers.
Provide applicants with information on aspects of the job that
are important to them, such as salary, location, and diversity.
Ensure all communications regarding an organization provide
a positive message regarding the attractiveness of the organization
as a place to work.
Ensure initial recruitment activities (e.g., Web site, brochure,
on-campus recruiting) are attractive to candidates.
Provide applicants with a realistic picture of the job and
organization, not just the positives.
Provide clear, specific, and complete information in recruitment
materials so that applicants do not make erroneous inferences about
the job or the employer.
Choose individuals who have contact with applicants for their
interpersonal skills.
Individuals recruited through personal recruitment sources such
as employee referral programs are less likely to terminate their
employment early.
a Selected research principles from M. S. Taylor and & C. J. Collins (2000), Strategic Recruitment. In C. L. Cooper & E. A. Locke. (Eds.) I/O
Psychology: Practice and Theory Book. Oxford: Blackwell.
Sources: Adapted from Ann Marie Ryan and Nancy Tippins, Attracting and Selecting: What Psychological Research Tells Us, Human Resource Management 43,
no. 4 (Winter 2004), p. 311; and Ingo Weller et al., Level and Time Effects of Recruitment Sources on Early Voluntary Turnover, Journal of Applied Psychology
94, no. 5 (2009), pp. 1146 1162 (1157). Reprinted by permission of Society for Human Resource Management via Copyright Clearance Center.
Evidenced-Based HR: Measuring Recruiting Effectiveness
Even small employers may spend tens of thousands of dollars per year recruiting
applicants, yet few firms assess their recruitment efforts effectiveness. Is it more costeffective
for us to advertise for applicants on the Web or in Sunday s paper? Should we
use this employment agency or that one? One survey found that only about 44% of the
279 firms surveyed made formal attempts to evaluate their recruitment efforts. 107 Such
inattention flies in the face of common sense. 108
In terms of what to measure, one question is How many applicants did we
generate through each of our recruitment sources? 109 Possible recruiting metrics
include new hire job performance, new hire failure rate, new hire turnover, training
success, and manager s satisfaction. 110
The problem is that more applicants is not always better. The employer needs
qualified, hirable applicants, not just applicants. An Internet ad may generate
thousands of applicants, many from so far away that there s no chance they re viable.
Even with computerized prescreening and tracking software, there are still more
applicants to correspond with and screen. 111
The applicant tracking system should help compare recruiting sources, but about
30% of them lack the necessary tools to effectively pinpoint source of hire. 112 And
realistically, the manager looking to hire five engineers probably won t be twice as
selective with 20,000 applicants as with 10,000. So, it is not just quantity but quality.
It s therefore wise to compare your recruiting sources with measures of how employees
from these sources did after about a year on the job. The accompanying HR as a Profit
Center illustrates the role human resources can play.