Recruitment
To Hiring
Finding Good Employee
Candidates
Excellent employees, with
the skills and capabilities you are looking for, seldom walk into
a business looking for a job. If you want good help, you will have
to search for it.
Recruiting employees will
depend on:
- the availability of
candidates in your area
- what the business can
afford to spend on searching and recruitment
- what resources are available
to you for assistance in recruitment
- The commonly used sources
for recruiting employees are:
- referrals from current
employees
- referrals from other
business owners or managers
- newspaper ads
- private employment placement
agencies
- North Dakota Job Service
- educational institutions
such as colleges or technical schools
- trade journals, which
sometimes run ads for specific technical candidates
Each of these sources varies
in cost and the quality of candidates it generates. If you want candidates
to be tested in various skills, employment placement agencies, North
Dakota Job Service and the placement office of some colleges and technical
schools will do the testing for you. They can also screen potential
applicants to match your needs.
Explore the resources available
to you. Ask other business owners and managers what sources they use
in your area and what their success has been. Remember, the sources
you use may be different depending on the type of position you are
trying to fill.
Selecting The Most Qualified
Individual For The Position
It is important to do your
homework on a job applicant before you decide to interview. This kind
of background information is commonly obtained by requesting a résumé,
or having the applicant complete an application form. Recall the skills
and knowledge needed for the position based on the job description.
You can make a point to list specific skills and background in a classified
ad or a listing with Job Service or an employment agency to attract
only the candidates with the background you need. Ask candidates to
enumerate their skills as they relate to the job in a cover letter.
Interviewing can be time consuming, so being clear in advance exactly
what kind of person you are looking for so you only see the ones with
the background and qualifications needed to do the job.
Before you decide to interview,
check the references the candidate has supplied to you, as well as
any past employers you may know. References have limits, especially
in today's legal environment because giving any evaluative information
(such as how well they performed or what problems they may have had
with the employee) can endanger them to potential law suits. References
may give you information regarding when, where and for how long they
were employed, and that helps you verify the experience of a candidate.
Résumés,
applications and references give you the background and experience
of a candidate. They don't tell you whether the person has the communication
skills, personality or initiative to do the job. That's where interviewing
is essential.
Interviewing
Interviewing provides an
opportunity for face to face communication to help you evaluate the
applicant beyond the resume or application. But interviews have limits.
- They are subjective.
You still may not have a complete and accurate assessment of a candidate's
skills.
- Applicants will show
only their best side. Most applicants who are interested in the
job, will work at selling themselves. This can be helpful. A candidate
who lacks enthusiasm during the interview, will likely lack enthusiasm
on the job.
- Interviews are subject
to legal restrictions. All questions asked of applicants, must be
relevant to the job for which the individual is applying.
Legal restrictions of
interviewing
In the interview, as well
as on the application form, there are restrictions on what you can
ask a potential employee.
The following is a general
guide. There may be other restrictions based on specific circumstances
of the job. If you are in doubt consult an advisor such as a human
resources consultant or your attorney.
Subject areas to avoid
discussing:
- Race or ethnic background.
Don't ask and don't comment.
- Religion. Don't ask
and don't comment.
- Sex. Don't ask about
gender on application forms. Don't make comments which may be prejudicial
about a particular gender, such as prejudgments of physical, mental
or emotional capabilities based on gender.
- Age. Don't ask, unless
a legal age is required for some aspect of the job or other legal
licensing procedures of the business. For example if an employee
must be 18 or older in order to be insured for driving the delivery
van of the business. Only ask, "Are you over 18 years of age?"
- Marital status. Don't
ask about marital status, numbers of children or a spouse.
- Disability. You may
ask if the person has the capability to perform the essential job
functions as they are outlined in the job description. Do not comment
on any apparent disability.
- Address.
You may ask:
- current address
- how long he/she has
lived there
- whether or not he/she
are citizens of the United States (some organizations require proof
of citizenship)
- if he/she are not citizens,
whether they have a legal right to remain permanently in the country
Don't push beyond these
points.
- Criminal record. You
may ask if an applicant has ever been convicted of a crime. You
may not ask if he or she has been arrested, nor can you deny employment
on the basis of a criminal record unless you can prove that such
a past record would damage your business.
Prepare For An Interview
Decide ahead of time what
questions you will ask and what skills you want the candidate to exhibit
during the interview. Document the questions you want to ask, and
also document the responses by the candidate.
One interview may not be
enough to make a final decision on a candidate. Interview again if
necessary. If at all possible, have others in the business, or advisors,
interview the candidate as well and give their perceptions.
"You're Hired!"
When you have made a decision
to offer a job to a candidate, if possible, set up a face-to-face
meeting. During this meeting, review with the candidate:
- mission and values of
the business
- job description
- expectations of the
position
- key policies of the
business
- salary and benefits
of the position
Then: offer the position
to the candidate.
Depending on the skill
level of the candidate and how valuable you believe he or she will
be for the business, you may need to negotiate some parts of the offer.
Decide before you offer the job what items may be negotiable. For
example, a valuable candidate may ask for more salary or moving expenses.
It should be clear in your own mind what the business can afford and
what is in the best interest of the business.
Getting Started
You have conducted a successful
search. You have done your homework. You have offered a job to a candidate.
It was accepted. Congratulations! But don't stop now. The future success
of the new employee begins with the first day on the job. Even the
most experienced new employee will need orientation and will have
questions about your business. Conscientious employees will always
have questions about the best way of doing things.
Day One - The first day
on the job should be an orientation which includes:
- tours and introductions
- review of policies and
procedures of the business
- employee options and
company benefits
- hours of work
- location of supplies
and equipment needed for the job
- training
The coaching and training
of employees does not end the first day. Ongoing training to increase
and improve skills is an investment which can give high returns for
your business. Encourage your employees to grow and increase their
capacity for learning. In the rapidly changing business world, even
the most experienced and highly educated employee - at every level
of the organization - will need to learn continually new ways of doing
things to help your business succeed. Encourage learning. Lead by
example.
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