Recruiting, Selecting,

and Socializing
Employees
© 2001 by Prentice Hall
 Challenges
Understand the supply and demand of human
resources.
Weigh the advantages and disadvantages of internal
and external recruiting.
Distinguish among the major selection methods and
use the most legally defensible of them.
Make staffing decisions that minimize the hiring and
promotion of the wrong people.
Provide reasonable job expectations to new recruits.
Understand the legal constraints on the hiring
process.
 The Hiring Process
Recruitment

Selection

Socialization

Fig. 5-4 © 1998 by Prentice Hall

 Recruitment

Recruitment is the process of generating

a pool of qualified candidates for a
particular job. The firm must announce
the job’s availability to the market and
attract qualified candidates to apply. The
firm may seek applicants from inside the
organization, outside the organization, or
both.
 Selection
Selection is the process of making a
“hire” or “no hire” decision regarding
each applicant for a job. The process
typically involves determining the
characteristics required for effective job
performance and then measuring
applicants on those characteristics. The
characteristics required for effective job
performance are typically based on a job
analysis.
 Recruitment and Selection

The goal of the recruitment and selection

process is to hire the highest quality people,
at the right times, at optimal cost.

cost

speed quality
 Personnel Selection

The process through which organizations make

decisions about who will or will not be allowed
to join the organization.

Selection decisions also include transfers,

terminations, promotions, demotions, and
decisions about who gets training.
 Selection Steps
1) Link to organization strategy and objectives.
2) Job analysis --> job description --> job
specification.
3) Recruiting.
4) Choose selection tool/method.
5) Select from applicant pool.
6) Evaluate.
 Common Selection Process

Multiple hurdle model:
eliminating some
vs.
candidates at each stage
of the selection process.
Compensatory model: a
very high score on one
type of assessment can
make up for a low score
on another. All candidates
go through all selection
procedures.
Hiring for Teamwork: What
to Look For
Effective team members should be able to:
Recognize and resolve conflict
Participate and collaborate in problem solving
Communicate openly and supportively
Coordinate and synchronize activities
Effective team members usually have the
following personality characteristics:
Conscientiousness
Agreeableness
 Steps in search process

Define job

Selection
Source candidates Committee

Interview

Executive
Search Firm
Select

Integrate

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

Selection committee
 Roles and responsibilities
 Composition
 Decision-making
 Confidentiality
 Interviewing candidates
 Relationship with search firm
 Step 1: Define job

Define job

Selection
Source candidates Committee

Interview

Executive
Search Firm
Select

Integrate

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

Step 1: Define job
 Roles and responsibilities
 Ideal candidate
Experience and qualifications
Personal qualities
 Big issues next five years
 Performance expectations
 Compensation
 Creating Great Job
Descriptions
Objective:
Learn to gain consensus and clearly
document the desired critical skills for
each open position.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

 Great Job Descriptions

An effective job description helps everyone match the

candidate’s abilities and experience to the work that
needs be accomplished.

“It’s a lot of work but a good investment.”

 Great Job Descriptions

Describe the Work

Describes primary activities and tasks
Defines reporting relationships
Defines deliverables for the job

Describe the Person

Competencies (skills and abilities)
Education
Experience
Special requirements (style*)
 Describe the Work

Name three things a successful hire will

actually DO in 12 months.

Develop 10 billable national level accounts based

on relationships with customers, partners, or
suppliers.

Improve measurable customer service

performance by 20%.
 Describe the Person

What work-based competencies are essential

for successful performance in this job?

Fluency in specific programming languages

Project management skills

Accounting skills
 Describe the Person

What behavioral competencies are essential

for successful performance in this job?

Strong communication skills, emphasizing phone

presence and providing training/guidance to a
wide variety of audiences.

Outstanding customer service and problem solving

skills required.
 Describe the Person

Education
BA/BS Required

Experience
Project Management
Managing large teams
P&L Responsibility

Special Requirements
Travel
Long hours
 Step 2: Source candidates

Define job

Selection
Source candidates Committee

Interview

Executive
Search Firm
Select

Integrate

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

Step 2: Source candidates
 Advertisements (newspapers)
 On-line job boards
 Industry channels (CAMA, Municipal
World)
 Search firm databases
 Direct contact (headhunting)
 Step 3: Interview

Define job

Selection
Source candidates Committee

Interview

Executive
Search Firm
Select

Integrate

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

 Tell me about
Step 3: Interview yourself?

 Most critical step

 Common interviewing errors
 Interview structure/process
 Sample interview questions
10 most common interviewing errors
 Stereotyping
 Talking too much
 Forming (and keeping) first impressions
 Not taking notes
 Obtaining prior information about the
candidate
10 most common interviewing errors
 Blinded by a certain qualification (halo)
 Comparing candidates to one another
 Not preparing interview questions in
advance
 Accepting resume information at face value
 Leading the candidate
The interview format
 Introduction / icebreaker
 Set the agenda
 Question the resume
 Ask behaviourial questions
 Preview the job
 Answer candidate’s questions
 Advise the candidate on process
 Thank the candidate
 Length
Sample Interview Questions
 Behaviourial interviewing
Past performance is the best predictor
of future performance
 PAR
P What was the problem?
A What action did you take?
R What was the result?
The interviewer is seeking evidence
(through a specific example) of a
particular skill or trait in the candidate.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

 Step 4: Selection

Define job

Selection
Source candidates Committee

Interview

Executive
Search Firm
Select

Integrate

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

Step 4: Selecting the ‘best’ candidate
 Candidate rating sheet
 Reference checks
 Fit
 Letter of offer
 Steps in search process

Define job

Selection
Source candidates Committee

Interview

Executive
Search Firm
Select

Integrate

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

Executive search firms
 Role of search firm

 Why use one?

Save time
More and better candidates
Professional expertise

 How to select one?

Request For Proposal (RFP)
 Understanding requirements
 Suggested search process
 Related searches
 Consultants’ qualifications
 References
 Timeline
 Fees and expenses
 Guarantees
 Step 5: Integrate (post-hire)

Define job

Selection
Source candidates Committee

Interview

Executive
Search Firm
Select

Integrate

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

Step 5: Integration
 First year most critical
 Frequent performance discussions
 Use of executive coach
 Socialization
Socialization involves orienting new
employees in the organization and to the
units in which they will be working. It is
important that new employees become
familiar with the company’s policies,
procedures, and performance
expectations. Socialization can make the
difference between a new worker’s
feeling like an outsider and feeling like a
member of the team.
 Success
on-the-job

Technical Personal
skills qualities

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

Competency-Based Approach

Uses past behavior to predict future

behavior
Uses job’s key competencies
Evaluates behavior against target job
Requires applicant to focus on job-
related behavior
Uses planned questions
 Why Behavioral?

Increase quality of hire

Direct link to competencies
Use questions that effectively evaluate
performance
Assess candidates consistently
Develop Questions
“Tell me about a recent problem that
came up in your job for which old
solutions would not work. How were
you able to solve this problem?”
“Describe a situation where you were
successful in getting people to work
together effectively.”
“Summarize the key principles of adult
education and explain how to use them
in instructional design.”
Use the “STAR”
Situation or Task – the situation or
problem leading to the candidate’s
actions
Action – active attempts to effect
change or influence events
Result – the outcome of the candidate’s
actions
 Behavioral Questioning

Focus on “why, how, what” candidates

have learned from their experience
Use active listening skills to assess
candidate’s credibility genuineness
Q: Suppose you had many important
projects with rigid deadlines, but your
manager kept requesting various types
of paperwork, which you felt were
totally unnecessary. Furthermore, this
paperwork was going to cause you to
miss your deadlines. What would you
do?
High Benchmark = Present the conflict
to the manager. Suggest and discuss
alternatives.  Establish a mutually
acceptable plan of action. Communicate
frequently with the manager.
Medium Benchmark = Tell the manager
about the problem.
Low Benchmark = Do the best I can.
 Selecting the Candidate

Use High, Medium, Low scale

More significant behavior

More recent behavior
More related behavior
Make the Selection Decision

Relative importance of competencies

Quality/Quantity of behavioral
information
Consistency of behavior
Trainability
 Behavioral Interviewing
Objective:
Use behavioral interviewing skills to
assess candidate fit with critical job
skills and corporate culture.

© 2001 by Prentice Hall

 Behavioral Interviewing
a definition

Using open-ended questions to

efficiently discover relevant past behavior
(while managing our biases and putting
the candidate at ease.)
 Behavioral Interviewing

As a team, your job is to obtain answers to the

following questions about each candidate:

Can this person do the job?

Are they competent?

Will this person do the job?

Are they well motivated?

How is this person likely to fit into our

organization?
Are synergies present?
 Behavioral Interviewing
Essential Skills

Establishing rapport
Asking Useful Questions
Listening
Maintaining Continuity
Keeping Control
Representing the Company
 Behavioral Interviewing
Structuring the Interview

Welcome / Introductory Remarks

Obtaining information about the candidate to assess against

the job specification

Providing information to the candidate about the

organization and the job

Answering questions from the candidate

Closing the interview with an indication of the next step

 Behavioral Interviewing
a definition

Using open-ended questions to

efficiently discover relevant past behavior
(while managing our biases and putting
the candidate at ease.)
 Behavioral Interviewing
“Using open-ended questions…”

Tell me about a time when….

Would you describe for me….

Have you ever been in the situation…

Walk me through what you did when…

What was the result?

“ that efficiently discovers relevant past
behavior…”

Tell me about a time when you handled an

irate customer.

Describe your previous experience with load

balancing web servers

What happened when you gave difficult

feedback in a performance appraisal with a
direct report?
 Behavioral Interviewing
Asking Questions

Probing questions
Hypothetical questions
Behavioral event questions
Capability questions
Questions about motivation
Continuity questions
Play-back questions
Career questions
Focused work questions
Questions about outside interests
 Relevant Behavioral Interviewing
Questions
How would you solve customer problems in this environment?
becomes
Tell me about a time when you solved a problem for a customer by
going above and beyond the call of duty.

Have you ever lead customer service functions before?

becomes
Please describe your previous experience with leading a customer
service function.

What year did you graduate from college and start working in
training?
becomes
Tell me about a time you taught a customer something meaningful.