TOC INDEX. Employee Recruitment and Selection A Feedlot Focus. Joanne McCormack. Take Home Message. What Should be Done in the Planning Stages?

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1 TOC INDEX AGRICULTURE, FOOD AND RURAL DEVELOPMENT Employee Recruitment and Selection A Feedlot Focus Joanne McCormack Take Home Message What Should be Done in the Planning Stages? To ensure that the right employee is hired, businesses need to take a planned approach to the recruitment and selection process. Recruitment of new staff does more than fill manpower shortages. It provides the business with the opportunity to revitalize its work force by bringing in people with new ideas and enthusiasm. Making the perfect match between the organization s needs and prospective candidates can be accomplished through: planning ahead; selecting an effective recruitment method to attract candidates; screening resumes and application forms ; interviewing and use of other selection tools tailored to the position; hiring using the appropriate employment relationship. Managers also need to be aware of the legalities and human rights issues that can arise during the recruitment and selection process. Develop or update the job description A job description identifies key information about a specific position within the organization. It provides prospective candidates with an understanding of the position s role and relative hierarchy in the organization. For the organization, job descriptions serve more purposes than recruitment. They provide a link between individual jobs and the business plan goals and objectives and describe how each job contributes to the big picture. They describe the differentiation between positions in the organization. They also link to the employee evaluation process and clarify to the employees what is expected from them. Job descriptions can be written in various formats and should include the following information: A summary of the job: A few lines that describe the main responsibilities of the job and the position the job reports to. Alberta Feedlot Management Guide 7I1:1

2 How to Find Suitable Candidates Specific roles: Jobs can be further described by outlining the results they are to achieve (results based job description) or groupings of related tasks (activities based job description). Knowledge, skills and abilities required: This section summarizes the educational background and the type of experience that is needed in order to fill the role as well as a list of the skills required of the position. Special requirements: Some positions require special qualifications such as a particular level of drivers licence; the ability to work unscheduled overtime; the ability to lift heavy objects, etc. Having an accurate job description as the basis for the recruitment process will not only provide a guideline for the selection process, it will also serve to inform prospective candidates about the job expectations and requirements. The information may also allow candidates to decide whether or not they are suited for the position. Attracting candidates through word of mouth is the least cost method. It may provide some assurances of a candidate s suitability given that they have been recommended through a personal contact. However, it does leave the question of whether the most suitable candidate has filled the position and this method may not be as reliable or time efficient. There are many ways to advertise job opportunities such as: advertisements in local media; postings at recruitment centres (e.g. Canadian Employment Centre); advertisements in trade related newsletters; and, career related sites on the Internet. These methods vary in cost and depending on the nature of the opportunity, one or a combination of methods may yield the best results. For specialized or management positions, use of recruitment agencies may also be an option to consider. Use the job description as the basis for writing the advertisement. The ad should include a summary of the job, the education and experience qualifications for the position including any special job related requirements, a contact name and address and a date that applications should be received by. Alberta Feedlot Management Guide 7I1:2

3 What to Look for in a Résumé How should the Interview Be Structured? Some companies will keep unsolicited resumes on file. This can be particularly useful if manpower is needed on very short notice. As individuals s interests and employment situations change, it is recommended that these files be purged every six months. Whether a résumé is received through a competition or just dropped off by an interested candidate, it needs to be thoroughly reviewed against the requirements of the position and organization. People spend a lot of time (and some even spend money) developing a résumé to catch an employers interest. One can easily be sidetracked by résumés stating abilities such as team worker; hard working; independent worker; decision maker, etc. However, the only statements of fact that can be drawn from a résumé are a candidate s level of education and years of related experience. By focusing in on these aspects and comparing against the education and experience required of the position, a determination can be made on which candidates most closely meet the job and organizational requirements. Once a suitable pool of candidates has been established, developing an interview plan is the next step. Using the job description as a guide, list the required skills, abilities, personality traits and knowledge. Then develop questions targeted to these areas. Avoid asking candidates closed questions (questions that can be responded to with a yes/no answer). Develop open ended questions to obtain the most information possible about a particular area. For example: Ability to keep records: Do ask: Describe the types of records you had to keep in your last position? Don t ask: Can you keep records? Ability to supervise staff: Do ask: How many employees have you supervised in the past? Describe a time when you had to provide constructive criticism to an employee Don t ask: Have you supervised staff? In addition to the questions targeted at the abilities, skills, and knowledge, some additional typical interview questions include: Alberta Feedlot Management Guide 7I1:3

4 Making the Offer of Employment Tell me about your most recent job - what did you like about it most/least? Why did you leave your last employment? Why are you interested in this opportunity? Can you work overtime on short notice? The interview is an opportunity to verify a candidates experience by asking questions about their past employment. Candidates should also be provided the opportunity to ask questions about the position, working conditions and expectations. An honest and candid response to these questions will allow candidates to determine whether or not the opportunity suits them. To close the interview, candidates should be thanked for their interest and time and informed when a decision will be made. It is also recommended that candidates be asked for two or three employment references. The most appropriate person to conduct the interview is the supervisor of the position. In addition, consideration should be given to including one or two other employees who would be working directly with the candidate to form a panel style interview. Other selection tools One of the most common selection tools in addition to an interview is reference checking. Employment related references can provide information on a candidates strengths, skills, abilities, quality of work, work ethic, interpersonal skills, motivation, and overall performance. You should ascertain why the employee left the organization; if they are eligible for rehire; and what were the candidate s lasting impressions. In addition to references, another selection tool is the use of pre-employment tests (e.g. keyboarding tests; knowledge of equipment/ livestock). It is important that these tests be valid predictors of performance and that the results are a reliable source to ascertain skill levels. Ideas for designing employment tests can be found in a book called Tests that Work by Odin Westgaard. Below is a checklist of information to include when making an offer of employment: salary rate - hourly, weekly, bi-weekly or monthly; preferred starting date; employment relationship - permanent; temporary; probationary; contract; on-call/as-required, etc.; Alberta Feedlot Management Guide 7I1:4

5 Human Rights Considerations Conclusion who, where and when to report to work; hours of work; other working conditions (eg. smoking policies; lunch breaks; etc.); relocation, housing or other related allowances that will be provided. When the candidate accepts a verbal offer, these employment terms should be written into an offer letter. A good practice is to have the candidate sign and return a copy of this letter to you indicating his acceptance and understanding of the offer. Throughout the recruitment and selection process, employers need to be aware of human rights legislation. In Alberta, the Human Rights, Citizenship and Multiculturalism Act, provides for protection from discrimination on the basis of race, religious beliefs, colour, gender, physical disability, mental disability, age, ancestry, place of origin, marital status, source of income or family status. While the Act does provide for bona fide occupational requirements, hiring processes including the wording of job postings, application forms, interview questions, selection of candidates, and rates of pay are all subject to this Act. Following a planned approach to the recruitment process ensures that candidates are selected on the basis of job requirements and that employees are hired to fill specific organizational needs. Hiring mistakes not only disrupt the work place, but can affect the organization s bottom line with employee turnover leading to manpower shortages during critical times, additional time required to train replacements and impacts on employee morale. Hiring based upon organizational needs and job requirements will ensure consideration of human rights while strengthening the final hiring decision. Alberta Feedlot Management Guide 7I1:5