Recruitment strategies

Recruitment strategies 

Websites

If you have ever had to look for a job, you know there are numerous websites to help you do that. From the HR perspective, there are many options to place an ad, most of which are inexpensive. The downside to this method is the immense number of resumes you may receive from these websites, all of which may or may not be qualified. Many organizations, to combat this, implement software that searches for keywords in resumes, which can help combat this problem.  Some examples of websites might include the following:

·         Your own company website

·         Yahoo HotJobs

·         Monster

·         CareerBuilder

·         JobCentral

Social Media

Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, YouTube, and MySpace are excellent places to obtain a media presence to attract a variety of workers. In 2007, Sodexo, which provides services such as food service and facilities management, started using social media to help spread the word about their company culture. Since then, they have saved $300,000 on traditional recruiting methods (Sodexo, 2011). Sodexo’s fifty recruiters share updates on Twitter about their excellent company culture. Use of this media has driven traffic to the careers page on Sodexo’s website, from 52,000 to 181,000.

The goal of using social media as a recruiting tool is to create a buzz about your organization, share stories of successful employees, and tout an interesting culture. Even smaller companies can utilize this technology by posting job openings as their status updates. This technique is relatively inexpensive, but there are some things to consider. For example, tweeting about a job opening might spark interest in some candidates, but the trick is to show your personality as an employer early on. According to Bruce Morton of Allegis Group Services, using social media is about getting engaged and having conversations with people before they’re even thinking about you as an employer (Lindow, 2011). Debbie Fisher, an HR manager for a large advertising agency, Campbell Mithun, says that while tweeting may be a good way to recruit people who can be open about their job hunt, using tools such as LinkedIn might be a better way to obtain more seasoned candidates who cannot be open about their search for a new job, because of their current employment situation. She says that LinkedIn has given people permission to put their résumé online without fear of retribution from current employers.

Creativity with a social media campaign also counts. Campbell Mithun hired thirteen interns over the summer using a unique twist on social media. They asked interested candidates to submit thirteen tweets over thirteen days and chose the interns based on their creativity.

Many organizations, including Zappos (Video 4.4), use YouTube videos to promote the company. Within the videos is a link that directs viewers to the company’s website to apply for a position in the company.

Facebook allows free job postings in Facebook Marketplace, and the company Facebook page can also be used as a recruiting tool. Some organizations decide to use Facebook ads, which are paid on a “per click” or per impression (how many people potentially see the ad) basis. Facebook ad technology allows specific regions and Facebook keywords to be targeted (Black, 2011). Some individuals even use their personal Facebook page to post status updates listing job opportunities and asking people to respond privately if they are interested.

Events

Many organizations, such as Microsoft, hold events annually to allow people to network and learn about new technologies. Microsoft’s Professional Developer Conference (PDC), usually held in July, hosts thousands of web developers and other professionals looking to update their skills and meet new people.

Some organizations, such as Choice Career Fairs, host job fairs all over the country; participating in this type of job fair may be an excellent way to meet a large variety of candidates. Other events may not be specifically for recruiting, but attending these events may allow you to meet people who could possibly fill a position or future position. For example, in the world of fashion, Fashion Group International (FGI) hosts events internationally on a weekly basis, which may allow the opportunity to meet qualified candidates.

Special/Specific Interest Groups (SIGs)

Special/specific interest groups (SIGs), which may require membership of individuals, focus on specific topics for members. Often SIGs will have areas for job posting, or a variety of discussion boards where jobs can be posted. For example, the Women in Project Management SIG provide news on project management and also has a place for job advertisements. Other examples of SIGs might include the following:

·         Oracle Developer SIG

·         African American Medical Librarians Alliance SIG

·         American Marketing Association Global Marketing SIG

·         Special Interest Group for Accounting Information Systems (SIG-ASYS)

·         Junior Lawyer SIG

Recruiting using SIGs can be a great way to target a specific group of people who are trained in a specific area or who have a certain specialty.

Referrals

Most recruiting plans include asking current employees, “Who do you know?” The quality of referred applicants is usually high, since most people would not recommend someone they thought incapable of doing the job. E-mailing a job opening to current employees and offering incentives to refer a friend can be a quick way of recruiting individuals. Due to the success of most formalized referral programs, it is suggested that a program be part of the overall HRM strategic plan and recruitment strategy. However, be wary of using referrals as the only method for recruitment, as this can lead to lack of diversity in a workplace. Nepotism means a preference for hiring relatives of current employees, which can also lead to lack of diversity and management issues in the workplace.

For example, the University of Washington offers $1,200 any time a current employee successfully refers a friend to work at their medical centers. Usually, most incentives require the new employee to be hired and stay a specified period of time. Some examples of incentives that can be used to refer a friend might include the following:

·         A gift card to the employee

·         A financial incentive

·         Raffles for most referrals

These types of programs are called employee referral programs (ERPs)and tend to generate one of the highest returns on investment per hire (Lefkow, 2002). To make an ERP program effective, some key components should be put into place:

·         Communicate the program to existing employees

·         Track the success of the program using metrics of successful hires

·         Be aware of the administrative aspect and the time it takes to implement the    program effectively

·         Set measurable goals up front for a specialized program

Accenture recently won the ERE Media Award for one of the most innovative ERPs. Its program has increased new hires from referrals from 14 percent to 32 percent, and employee awareness of the program jumped from just 20 percent to 99 percent (Sullivan, 2009). The uniqueness of their program lies with the reward the employee receives. Instead of offering personal financial compensation, Accenture makes a donation to the charity of the employee’s choice, such as a local elementary school. Their program also seeks to decrease casual referrals, so the employee is asked to fill out an online form to explain the skills of the individual they are referring. The company has also developed a website where current employees can go to track the progress of referrals. In addition, employee referral applications are flagged online and fast-tracked through the process—in fact, every referral is acted upon. As you can see, Accenture has made their ERP a success through the use of strategic planning in the recruitment process.

Table 4.1 Advantages and Disadvantages of Recruiting Methods

Recruitment Method	Advantages	Disadvantages
Outside recruiters, executive search firms, and temporary employment agencies	Can be time saving	Expensive
		Less control over final candidates to be interviewed
Campus recruiting/educational institutions	Can hire people to grow with the organization	Time consuming
	Plentiful source of talent	Only appropriate for certain types of experience levels
Professional organizations and associations	Industry specific	May be a fee to place an ad
	Networking	May be time-consuming to network
Websites/Internet recruiting	Diversity friendly	Could be too broad
	Low cost	Be prepared to deal with hundreds of résumés
	Quick
Social media	Inexpensive	Time consuming
		Overwhelming response
Events	Access to specific target markets of candidates	Can be expensive
		May not be the right target market
SIG	Industry specific	Research required for specific SIGS tied to jobs
Referrals	Higher quality people	Concern for lack of diversity
	Retention	Nepotism
Unsolicited résumés and applications	Inexpensive, especially with time-saving keyword résumé search software	Time consuming
Internet and/or traditional advertisements	Can target a specific audience	Can be expensive
Employee leasing	For smaller organizations, it means someone does not have to administer compensation and benefits, as this is handled by leasing company	Possible costs
	Can be a good alternative to temporary employment if the job is permanent	Less control of who interviews for the position
		Builds relationship with the union