SHRM FOUNDATion’S EFFECTIVE PraCTICE GUIDELINES SERIES Recruiting and Attracting A GUIDE TO UNDERSTANDING Talent AND MANAGING THE RECRUITMENT PROCESS James A. Breaugh, Ph.D. Recruiting and Attracting Talent This publication is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information regarding the subject matter covered. Neither the publisher nor the author is engaged in rendering legal or other professional service. If legal advice or other expert assistance is required, the services of a competent, licensed professional should be sought. Any federal and state laws discussed in this book are subject to frequent revision and interpretation by amendments or judicial revisions that may significantly affect employer or employee rights and obligations. Readers are encouraged to seek legal counsel regarding specific policies and practices in their organizations. This book is published by the SHRM Foundation, an affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM©). The interpretations, conclusions and recommendations in this book are those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of the SHRM Foundation. ©2009 SHRM Foundation. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America. This publication may not be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in whole or in part, in any form or by any means, elec- tronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the SHRM Foundation, 1800 Duke Street, Alexandria, VA 22314. The SHRM Foundation is the 501(c)3 nonprofit affiliate of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM). The SHRM Foundation maximizes the impact of the HR profession on organizational decision-making and performance by promoting innovation, education, research and the use of research-based knowledge. The Foundation is governed by a volunteer board of directors, comprising distinguished HR aca- demic and practice leaders. Contributions to the SHRM Foundation are tax deductible. Visit the Foundation online at www.shrm.org/foundation. For more information, contact the SHRM Foundation at +1-703-535-6020. 09-0570 Table of Contents v Foreword Recruiting and Attracting vii Acknowledgments ix About the Author 1 Recruiting and Attracting Talent: A Guide to Understanding and Managing Talent the Recruitment Process 2 A Model of the Recruitment Process 5 The Job Applicant’s Perspective 9 Whom to Recruit? The Critical Issue of Targeted Recruitment 11 Recruitment Methods: How to Reach Targeted Employees 14 The Timing of Recruitment Actions 14 The Recruitment Message 16 Other Issues in Managing the Recruitment Function 21 Conclusions 23 References 29 Sources and Suggested Readings Foreword Dear Colleague: In 2004, the SHRM Foundation developed one of the best resources available for busy HR professionals like you. Recognizing that you have little time to keep up with results of academic research—and, let’s face it, some of it is challenging to wade through as well—we created the Effective Practice Guidelines series. This series integrates the latest research findings and expert opinion on how to conduct effective HR practice into a very accessible publication. The goal of the series is to help you in your role as an HR professional by letting you know which HR practices have been shown by research to be effective. With that goal in mind, the SHRM Foundation publishes new reports annually on different HR topics. Recent reports—all available online—include Developing Leadership Talent, Retaining Talent, Human Resource Strategy and Learning System Design. You are now reading the ninth report in the series: Recruiting and Attracting Talent. For each report, a subject matter expert is chosen to be the author. After the initial draft is written, the report is reviewed by both academics and practitioners to ensure that the material is research-based, comprehensive and presented in an easy-to-use format. We also include a “Sources and Suggested Readings” section as a convenient reference tool. Our vision for the SHRM Foundation is to “maximize the impact of the HR profession on organizational decision-making and performance by promoting innovation, education, research and the use of research- based knowledge.” The Foundation is also strategically focused on initiatives designed to help organizations maximize leadership talent. We are confident that the Effective Practice Guidelines series takes us one step closer to making our vision a reality. Feel free to let us know how we are doing! Mary A. Gowan, Ph.D. Chair, SHRM Foundation Research Applications Committee Dean and Professor of Business Administration Elon University v Acknowledgments The SHRM Foundation is grateful for the assistance of the following individuals in producing this report: CONTENT EDITOR Frederick P. Morgeson, Ph.D. Professor of Management Valade Research Scholar The Eli Broad Graduate School of Management Michigan State University REVIEWERS Alison E. Barber, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Management Michigan State University Timothy Brown, SPHR Director of Staffing Susquehanna International Group, LLP Martina S. McAndrew, SPHR Director, Strategic Recruitment Beers + Cutler Robert Rodriguez, Ph.D. Assistant Dean Kaplan University PROJECT MANAGER Beth M. McFarland, CAE Manager, Special Projects SHRM Foundation Major funding for the Effective Practice Guidelines series is provided by the HR Certification Institute and the Society for Human Resource Management. vii About the Author: James A. Breaugh James Breaugh received his Ph.D. in Industrial and Organizational Psychology from Ohio State University in 1977. He holds a joint faculty appointment at the University of Missouri-St. Louis in the College of Business Administration and in the Department of Psychology. He teaches primarily graduate-level human resource management courses. Since 1983, he has been head of the Management Area in the College. Over the years, Professor Breaugh has conducted research on the topics of employee recruitment, selection, work-family balance, turnover and job design. His articles have appeared in the Journal of Applied Psychology, Journal of Management, Organizational Research Methods, Personnel Psychology, Human Resource Management Review and Academy of Management Review. His research contributions have resulted in his being voted to fellowship status in three professional organizations. Among the organizations that Dr. Breaugh has consulted with are Anheuser-Busch, Monsanto Express Scripts, AT&T, Laclede Gas Company, Busch Entertainment Corporation, Farm Credit Banks, the Visiting Nurses Association and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. His consulting work has involved developing realistic job previews, creating selection systems, instituting 360-degree feedback programs, evaluating recruitment strategies, conducting attitude surveys and validating testing programs. ix The thoughtful development of a recruitment strategy is critical to maximizing the value of your recruitment activities. Recruiting and Attracting Talent Recruiting and Attracting Talent: A Guide to Understanding and Managing the Recruitment Process Hiring talented individuals is critical to an organization’s success. But in order to hire the most talented, you must first recruit them. Recruiting employees can be a challenging task. Even in a recession, it can be difficult to fill certain types of jobs,1 so recruiters have to make important decisions, including whom to target, what message to convey and how to staff recruitment efforts. If not done correctly, an organization’s recruitment efforts can produce job applicants who are unqualified, who lack diversity or who may decline job offers. These same applicants may be prone to turnover if hired. A poorly designed recruitment process can miss attractive job candidates—including those who work for competitors—because they never find out that a position is open. This report presents an effective model for the recruitment process. It offers specific recommendations based on peer-reviewed research and covers interrelated topics, including: • Identifying who should be recruited. • Reaching targeted individuals. • Determining the best timing for recruitment. • Designing a recruitment message. • Planning an organizational site visit. • Evaluating past recruitment efforts. • Managing the entire recruitment operation. In order to provide detailed coverage, this report focuses only on external recruitment. External recruitment includes the actions intended to bring a job opening to the attention of potential candidates outside the organization and to influence whether these candidates apply, maintain interest and, in the end, accept a job offer.2 Primary emphasis is on activities under the control of an HR department charged with recruiting new employees. 1 Recruiting and Attracting Talent Figure 1: A Model of the Employee Recruitment Process Establish Develop a Carry Out Evaluate Recruitment Recruitment Strategy Recruitment Activities Recruitment Results Objectives A MODEL OF THE In establishing recruitment objectives, department, you will have additional RECRUITMENT PROCESS HR professionals should make sure to information to improve the recruitment What does a model recruitment process seek input from others who may have process, and you will also develop allies look like? By carefully adhering to valuable insight to contribute. For who will support the actions taken by the steps outlined in Figure 1 and example, an HR manager in charge HR during the process. of employee selection