Page 637 - Business Principles and Management

Unit 7

RECRUITING APPLICANTS
After the human resources department has received a request to fill a position and
reviewed the job description and specifications, it must identify applicants for the
opening. An effective recruitment process will result in a number of applicants
from which a well-qualified person can be selected. If the pool of qualified appli-
cants is too small, the chances of finding someone who is well qualified decreases.
If the pool is too large, the process of selecting the most qualified applicant takes
PHOTO: © GETTY IMAGES/PHOTODISC. department must be aware of those sources and use those most likely to yield
longer and adds to the company’s costs.
There are many sources of prospective employees. The human resources

qualified applicants. Some of the most commonly used sources of prospective
employees are current employees, unsolicited applications, employment agen-
cies, and other sources.

CURRENT EMPLOYEES Companies should make information about all job vacancies
available to everyone in the company and give current employees the first oppor-
tunity to apply. There are many reasons for using this source. The job may be a
promotion for some employees, which can serve as an incentive to work harder.
Why is it important to hire
If it is not a promotion, allowing an employee to change jobs may provide better
employees with the right skills
work hours, working conditions, or pay. The new job may be a better match for
for each job?
the employee’s interests and abilities. Placing a current employee in a job opening
is also good practice for companies that are anticipating employee cutbacks.
Current employees may also recommend people they know for open posi-
tions in the company. Employees will need specific information about job open-
ings and the procedures they should use to nominate people for openings. They
must also know that the people recommended will be treated fairly and in the
same way as other job applicants.

UNSOLICITED APPLICATIONS A business that has a reputation as a good employer is
likely to have people applying for jobs at all times. Most large companies take
applications regularly, even when they currently have no openings that fit the
applicants. As applications arrive, human resources screens them for minimum
qualifications and classifies them according to job categories in the company.
Then they maintain the applications in an active file for a period of time, such as
six months, and review them when openings occur.
Technology tip EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES Employment agencies are businesses that actively recruit,

evaluate, and help people prepare for and locate jobs. Many employment agencies
are private businesses and receive a fee from the applicant or from the employer
Many company Web sites when a successful placement is made. All states maintain an employment service
allow applicants to submit supported by state and federal taxes. Public employment offices are usually
their résumés as an e-mail located in several cities throughout each state. They offer testing services, job
attachment or by copying listings, and help in preparing applications and developing interviewing skills.
and pasting it into a résumé They work with businesses to publicize available jobs and identify qualified
submission form. Be careful candidates for job openings.
when using the copy-and-
paste feature if your résumé OTHER SOURCES Colleges and universities, career and technical schools, and an
has unique styles and for- increasing number of high schools have placement offices to assist graduates
matting. The formatting may in obtaining jobs. Businesses can use those offices to obtain lists of potential
be lost when it is submitted, employees and, in some cases, to obtain résumés and other information about
resulting in a résumé that the school’s graduates. The offices may provide assistance in scheduling inter-
does not look professional views with a number of applicants to help the recruiting business.
or may even be confusing Advertising is a common method of attracting job applicants. Companies fre-
to the receiver. quently advertise in local newspapers or on television or radio when they need a

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