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Recruiting Staff

Every business, at some point in time, will have to recruit new staff. A vacancy may arise as a result of someone leaving a post - possibly moving on to a new job - or because they are retiring, or perhaps to have children, amongst other reasons. Vacancies may also arise because of the expansion of the business, with new posts created to meet the needs of the expansion.

One thing that must be considered when looking at recruitment is that it can be a costly operation. The planning, processing and selection process takes up many hours of time and resources and is not something that many businesses approach lightly. In addition, it is vital that the business gets the right person for the job; making the right choice is essential.

This resource will offer an overview of the recruitment process from the planning stage through to selection and then provide you with an opportunity to work through the process. The assessment for this unit is not just based on knowing how the process works but also in evaluating the effectiveness of this process. Many businesses do get their selection wrong - what lessons can be learnt in the process?

Planning for Recruitment

This resource is going to be based around applying for a job in the college/school that you are studying in. The idea of using this as the case is that it is something that you are familiar with, so will be able to understand more readily. It is also anticipated that you will be able to access the sort of details necessary to look at the process properly.

Assume that your current lecturer/teacher is planning to leave at the end of the term and that their position will need to be filled. You have 6 weeks remaining of the term to carry out all the planning, selection and appointment for the new post. This is important, as time may be relevant for more than one reason.

You will not only have to think about the drawing up of the relevant documentation and receiving the applications, but also sorting through the applications, arranging the interviews, confirming the appointment, giving the appointee the time to resign and completing the arrangements to hand over the position.

First stages

The first stage in the process is to make sure that the job required is made clear. There are two important documents that are likely to be part of this process - the job description and the person specification.

Job Description

Qualifications and skills may be important, but having the right personality and attitude to fit in with the organisation is also a vital aspect of good recruitment. The person specification can make these qualities clear. Copyright: Kavitha Shivan, from stock.xchng

The job description will have been drawn up based on an analysis of the job itself. This may have been discussed beforehand by various members of the department and senior managers. The job description will contain details of what the job entails. It would normally include the following information:

• Job title: for example, Senior lecturer in business studies.
• Department: for example, Faculty of Business and Management
• Hours of work: for example, 35 hours per week
• Responsible to: for example, Moses Kabba, Faculty Manager
• Responsible for: for example, two junior members of the faculty
• Scope of the post: for example, teaching on the BTEC and AS/A2 business programme and for managing the adult learning facility in the college.
• Responsibilities: for example, the post holder will contribute to the teaching of the BTEC Business programme throughout the college and be expected to teach AS/A2 business studies etc.

The job description gives the applicant details about what they would be expected to do and helps them to decide whether they have the skills, experience and qualifications to carry out the job. Applicants should therefore be able to demonstrate that they can do most of the tasks specified. The job description also gives the selection team a clear outline of what the job involves and helps them to match the skills of applicants with the job they are expecting them to do.

Person Specification

The person specification will provide the applicant with details about the sort of person that the organisation is seeking to fill the post. This will include details about the person's qualifications and skills, their communication skills, the experience they are expected to have and their ability to work as part of a team or individuality. Many organisations classify these in two groups - 'essential' and 'desirable'. The table below gives a brief example.

Advertising the Post

The next stage is to advertise the post. This may be done on a local, regional, national or even international basis depending on the type of job. The wider the post is advertised, the stronger the field of candidates, in all likelihood. There is a downside to this - if you get a strong candidate from the other end of the country, the cost of contributing to that person's relocation is likely to be higher.

A newspaper might be the obvious source of advertising for jobs, but not the only one! The Internet is now a major source of information for job hunters and job providers. Copyright: Helmut Gevert, from stock.xchng

The local press is obviously one source of such adverts, but many businesses will advertise in newspapers and magazines that are targeted at those interested in that business area - for example, in trade papers and magazines. In teaching, the Times Educational Supplement (TES) and the Guardian Education are two such examples.

Applications

Having placed the advert, you will have to wait some time to start receiving applications. There will normally be a closing date for the applications. What happens, though, if you receive a good application after the closing date? Once the applications start to come in, they will need to be acknowledged, with copies made and given to the members of staff who will be part of the selection team. You will already have had to consider how the selection process will be managed, with information given to candidates in the application pack - details about when the interviews will take place, what the format of the interviews will be and so on.

Once the closing date has been reached, the applications will have to be screened and a shortlist drawn up. Some firms will also draw up a 'long list'. A long list might be the top 10 candidates in terms of how far they meet the job description and person specification from all the applications. Those who do not meet the criteria laid down can safely be discarded.

Question: Will you let the unlucky applicants know that they have been unsuccessful?

Many organisations have their own application forms that they ask candidates to complete. Others will also ask for a written supporting statement where the candidate can outline how they meet the criteria and what they feel they can bring to the post. Many candidates may supply a curriculum vitae (CV) but some firms will not accept these if the proper application form has not been completed as well. The shortlist will be the group of applicants to be invited for interview. There is no set number that this could be but it is likely to be something between 4 and 6 people. The firm will have to send out letters to these people inviting them for interview. Assuming they accept (and that is not always the case), arrangements will have to be made to accommodate them if they are travelling from a distance. In addition, the candidates will have their expenses paid as well - more cost to add to the budget!

The Selection Process

The interview day/s itself is likely to consist of a number of parts. These will differ according to the organisation. Some firms, for example, will interview candidates on separate days so the prospective candidates never meet; schools and colleges tend to have the interviews all on the same day/s. The interview might last one or two (or sometimes even more) days and consist of a series of interviews, discussion sessions, presentations, written tasks, tests and sometimes a video session. The intention is to build up a picture of the candidate and decide whether they can do the job (which is highly likely if they have got this far) but also to see whether they can fit in with the organisation and work effectively with the rest of the people in the organisation.

Part of the selection process might involve having to make a presentation to a panel - what skills does this demonstrate and what do the panel learn as a result? Copyright: Tom Denham, from stock.xchng.

The interview is a two-way process. The candidate has a chance of finding out whether they like the feel of the place, whether they feel comfortable with the other staff, whether the job provides the sort of challenge and opportunities they are looking for and so on.

The working environment differs in many institutions and organisations - the interview is not only to find out if the candidate is suitable for the post but also whether the individual feels they could work in that environment. Copyright: Ophelia Cherry, from stock.xchng.

At the end of the process, the decision has to be made whom to appoint. Even if an agreement is reached, there can be problems. Sometimes people go away from the interview and reflect on the experience and decide that the job is not for them after all. So even if the appointment is made, there might be a period of waiting for the candidate to accept. After this, a written confirmation might be expected. The selection team therefore might have a rank order of whom they would most like to appoint, but have a reserve list if their preferred candidate turns down the offer.

The discussions about who to choose might be long and sometimes difficult. How does a selection panel arrive at its judgements to ensure the best candidate gets the job? Copyright: Carl Dwyer, from stock.xchng.