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DIVERSITY - THE RECRUITER'S ROLE
The role of the recruiter in achieving a diverse work force.
TIME TO FILL
What is the norm and why is it so important?
RETENTION - THE LINK WITH RECRUITING
A good retention program is built upon the foundation of professional and objective recruiting.
CONDUCTING MEANINGFUL REFERENCE CHECKS
Reference checks can add value if done properly by job knowledgeable people.
ORIENTATION - THE CRITICAL FINAL STEP
The final step of the employment process - - and the first step toward retention.
In this global economy where labor shortages are forcing employers to see new workers
in creative and non-traditional ways, it is possible that most companies will finally begin
to realize the true value of having a diverse work force. As more and more men and women
from around the world step in to fill the gaps in the labor market, employers will reap
the benefits of diverse thinking in problem-solving and multicultural reach in marketing.
Generally speaking, most recruiters have seen this coming for many years, but some of our
employers haven't taken it seriously. But now is is an economic reality that cannot be denied.
Even so, there are still some companies who are stuck in the past, hanging on to personal
biases and preferences to the detriment of the survival of their very own businesses.
As recruiters, we may not be able to change their life-long prejudices or preferences,
but we can try to educate them about the realities of the labor market. Few managers
are likely to be persuaded by statistics. However, many managers may be swayed by the mere
presence of a particularly well-qualified diversity candidate on the short list of
finalists we present to them.
Since most of recruiters seldom hear a specific request for a diversity hire from our
client managers, it is up to us to take the initiative to identify sources and attract
these candidates for their consideration. In fact, we should be held accountable by our
managers and directors for including qualified diversity candidates on each slate of
candidates we submit for their hiring consideration.
Today, diversity recruiting requires more than good faith outreach. It requires creative
yet perennial programs that are relationship based to build credibility with targeted
organizations. Too many of us are connected only with SWE and NSBE. There are many other
organizations that are becoming increasingly accessible via the web.
Does your company have any visibility with organizations such as: The Urban
League (nul.org)? Women in Technology (witi.org)? Hispanic Professional Engineers
(shpe.org)?
Surf the web and you will find all kinds of new sites designed to meet the diversity
candidate's needs. Take a look at Diversitycareers.com, BlackCollegian.com and the
MinorityCareerNet.com.
Recently, the Minorities Job Bank (minorities-jb.com) burst upon the scene and is getting
rave reviews from all the web watchers. This site has separate village for African
Americans, Asian Americans, Hispanic Americans and Native Americans, as well as a Minority
Global Village for the various other non-traditional candidates.
And, don't forget the disabled, perhaps the most often overlooked resource. In addition to
all the local, state and non-profit organizations who assist people with disabilities but
a desire to work, there is Project ABLE which can be located at www.ssa.gov/odome/odderp/p_able.htm.
This is a national resume bank which provides employers an easily accessible applicant pool
of qualified, job-ready individuals who are very interested in working.
Recruiters seldom have the authority to make hiring decisions, but we can
influence the ultimate selections and the diversity of our employers work
force by the people we recruit and refer.
In these times of high demand and high turnover, employers are clamoring for their
recruiters to fill jobs faster. For many employers, every vacant position equates to
lost revenues, missed project deadlines, overburdened staff, increased dependence upon
contracting help, and higher recruiting expenditures.
It has been estimated that each position vacant for more than six weeks can cost the
organization three to ten times the salary for that position when you consider lost
opportunity costs and/or revenues, replacement and relocation costs, and training
and assimilation costs.
For the last ten years, the surveys conducted by the Employment Management Association
have consistently revealed the average time to fill to be between 42 and 45 days. Time
to fill is defined as the number of calendar days between the date the position was
approved for staffing and the date an offer was accepted.
We have studied over a hundred different employers and found that this average is
usually computed only on the basis of jobs which have been filled, not all standing
vacancies.
For many companies, the more accurate average time to fill is found to be in the
range of 60 to 90 days. Is it any wonder hiring managers are screaming for their jobs
to be filled faster?
This metric will continue to get a lot of attention from management as the labor
market gets even tighter.
The two top priorities most often listed by HR professionals today are recruitment
and retention. In several recent publications, business leaders have openly
acknowledged that the number one means for improving retention is more careful
selection in the hiring process. Perhaps then, recruitment and retention should
not be viewed as separate issues, but one single issue worthy of our top priority.
Time after time, surveys reveal people's reasons for keeping or leaving their jobs are
very similar. People either find their jobs satisfying or unsatisfying based upon their
role and perceived value in the organization, the respect, recognition and rewards they
receive, and the quality of the communications and relationships with others in the
organization.
We often fail to consider all of these factors when recruiting new workers for our companies.
Too frequently we become focused solely upon their technical or professional expertise and
overlook or discount their personal interests and attributes which often reveal the job
satisfiers the candidate is seeking. This can result in a forced fit which, in turn, leads
to an unhappy,, unsatisfied, unproductive worker who is highly likely to leave for some other,
more appropriate, job opportunity.
This is an avoidable problem. It does require all members of the selection team must
understand the job responsibilities and the interrelationships required with the rest of the
organization, clients and vendors.
Successful hiring and retention most often results from careful screening,assessment
and evaluation of candidates in the recruitment process. By using a complete
selection profile which includes the assessment of the candidate's job motivations,
the post-hire surprises can be minimized, if not eliminated.
Round pegs don't comfortably fit in square holes. Recruit for fit and fewer will quit.
Most employers today are still checking references the old fashioned way - - they ask a
recruiter or an administrator to call the references given by the applicant to ask predictable
questions and check off the blocks on a form most likely created in the 1980's or earlier.
The results are predictable. More than 99% of the time, the candidate is portrayed as a
water-walker. Seldom, if ever, is the selection decision changed by the information obtained
via reference checks.
In our overly litigious society, companies are making it difficult for supervisors to give
references on former workers. Also, since many companies have recognized their inability to
efficiently and effectively conduct reference checks, they are outsourcing this function to
third-party specialists. The results, however, are focused upon verification of work history,
salary, criminal records and other background facts. What is missing is the job performance
witness testimony that will add credibility to the candidate's own story, and, in turn, comfort
to the ultimate selection decision.
Organizations who value this first-person assessment have begun to institute a behavioral
interview approach with former supervisors and coworkers to obtain job-related examples of
demonstrated skills and behaviors. This requires the interviewer to begin with a description
of the job duties under consideration and what would be expected of the candidate to perform them
satisfactorily. This requires the interviewer to be fully job knowledgeable, making the hiring
manager the most appropriate person to conduct these interviews.
For example, if a person will be expected to make frequent client presentations to inform,
educate or sell, the former supervisor should be asked to give examples of when and how well
the former worker did this under his or her supervision. The person giving references is then
able to cite specific events or experiences in which he or she has witnessed the applicant
exhibiting, or failing to exhibit, the job-related skills and behaviors. The result should be
more factually based and less subjective and opinionated.
There is significant evidence in the annuals of most human resource departments
to show that the quality, content and timeliness of the new employee orientation
program has a high correlation to the retention of new employees during the
first few months of employment.
The recruitment of a new worker does not end on the first day of employment. In our current
high demand market place, new employees have been known to quit on the first day or within a
couple of weeks when their expectations are not met or management's promises are not kept.
Retention begins with the first day of employment. The primary responsibility lies with the direct
supervisor. He or she must take open and positive steps to ensure the new employee is properly
assimilated (introduced) into the organization. Early connections must be established to help this
person navigate (and survive) in the new organization.
Frequent (at least daily) contact is critical during the first couple of weeks to help the employee get
comfortable and begin to make contributions to the productivity of the unit.
Job satisfaction seldom is realized until the employee has been on board for three months or longer.
If the employee is not satisfied, he or she is not going to be very productive and, therefore, highly
susceptible to turnover.
Perhaps if managers understood the high costs of turnover, they would be more attentive to their
responsibilities for assimilating, nurturing, developing and retaining the new employees we recruit
for them. If managers would only manage . . .