Human Resource Management: Recruitment and Selection

Loughborough Business School Lecture 2 - Human Resource Management: Recruitment and Selection in Practice

Overview of the Lecture

  • Course: BSB040: Human Resource Management

  • Lecturer: Nicholas Black

  • Institution: Loughborough University

Key Topics Covered

  1. Recruitment and Selection in Practice

    • Recruitment methods and organisational value

    • Content and predictor construction

    • Method and predictor methods

    • Key themes

Recent Workforce Activities (CIPD, 2024)

Data Represented by Occupational Group

  • Increased Recruitment (2024 survey)

    • Senior managers/directors: 30%

    • Total Respondents: 2,000; Private sector respondents: 2,000; Public sector respondents: 2,500; Non-profit: 1,800

  • Decreased Recruitment (2021 survey)

    • Senior managers/directors: 17%

    • Total Respondents: 3,000

  • Put Recruitment Activity on Hold (2020 survey)

    • Senior managers/directors: 21%

  • Made Redundancies (2015 survey)

    • Senior managers/directors: 17%

  • Use of External Services/Temporary Labour Changes:

    • Increased use (20% in 2011)

    • Decreased use (19% in 2011)

Employee Adjustments

  • [Increased Working Hours: 17% (2021)]

  • [Decreased Working Hours: 12% (2021)]

  • [Staff Redeployment to Different Roles: 31% (2021)]

  • [Increased Focus on Training: 37% (2017)]

  • [Increased Training Costs: 38% (2015)]

Recruitment Process

  1. Analyzing the Job

  2. Writing the Job Description and Personal Specification

  3. Deciding the Recruitment Method

  4. Deciding the Application Method

  5. Marketing the Job

Attracting Graduate Talent

  • Notable Applications:

    • Over 50,000 applications at PwC for 1,216 places (Ratio: ~36 applicants per place).

    • 32,450 applicants for civil service; only 1,245 hired.

Insight on the Graduate Job Market

  • Top 100 Graduate Employers

    • 2025 Graduate Vacancies:

    • Accountancy & Professional Services: £37,500 median starting salary, increased by 13.5%.

    • Public Sector: £30,300 median starting salary, increased by 4.2%.

    • Engineering & Industrial Companies: £30,900 median starting salary, increased by 21.0%.

  • Importance of employer branding and market perception.

Developing an Employer Brand

  • Pay as a significant motivator (Rynes, Gerhart & Minette, 2004).

  • Ethical and CSR initiatives can serve as recruitment strategies.

  • Marketing Examples:

    • Royal Marines Experience

    • Teach First: Highlighting leadership opportunities with significant organizational partnerships.

Carrying Out Promises in Recruitment

  • Examples from Disney’s training practices to illustrate organizational culture

  • Importance of fulfilling the expectations set during recruitment to avoid reputation damage.

Selection Methods

Frequency of Selection Methods (2013, 2015, 2017)

  • Competency-based interviews: 82% (2013), 77% (2015), 78% (2017)

  • Structured interviews, tests for specific skills, online tests, and personality questionnaires were also assessed.

Predictive Validity of Selection Methods

  • Various selection methods and their effectiveness in predicting job performance, summarized by their validity scores:

    • Perfect prediction (1.0) through to astrology/graphology (0.0).

Technology in Recruitment

  • Use of AI by large companies during recruitment processes.

  • Benefits include cost savings, global reach, and customizability.

  • Disadvantages: Flood of unqualified applicants, need for efficient screening methods.

Social Media and Cybervetting

  • Companies utilizing social media for background checks.

  • Benefits: Low-cost, extensive source of information.

  • Challenges: Potential bias and lack of standardization in information.

Conclusion

  • Emphasized strategic importance of recruitment and selection in organizations.

  • Highlighted awareness needed regarding each tool's advantages and disadvantages, alongside evolving trends like social media in recruitment processes.