Getting the Right People
Recruitment
Develop selection criteria for the position
Based on the job description for the position, develop the criteria that will be used to screen resumes and select the best person for the job.
Consider the following:
- What skills are essential to the position?
- How will you ensure the new employee fits the culture of your organization?
- How will you make certain that your criteria are not discriminatory?
- How will you ensure that your criteria are specific, measurable and job-related?
Develop a checklist to guide the recruitment and selection process for your organization. See the HR Toolkit's Recruitment Checklist (DOC 3099KB) |
Choosing your methods of recruitment
When deciding what method of recruitment to use, think about where your employees currently come from. Do most of your current employees come from colleges or universities? Do they come from other voluntary and non-profit sector organizations? Do they come from your volunteer base? Assessing where potential applicants usually come from can help you choose the best methods of recruitment for the position.
A good recruitment plan includes a mix of recruitment strategies. |
Internal recruitment
Existing employees and volunteers have the opportunity to apply for a new job opening.
Considerations
- Rewards the employee/volunteer for past performance
- Gives the employee/volunteer an opportunity for career development
- Retains the organization's investment in the employee/volunteer
- Reduces the amount of time necessary to orient the person to the new position
- Reduces the costs of recruitment
- Provides a limited number of people to select from
- Reduces the opportunity for increasing diversity within your organization
Employee referrals
Employees recommend a person for the job opening.
Considerations
- The quality of employee referrals is usually high because employees usually only refer people that they are confident would be a good match for the position and organization
- People tend to recommend others with similar backgrounds - therefore it is important to ensure that the practice of employee referrals does not lead to a decrease in diversity within your organization
- People recruited by your staff usually have some understanding of the work of the organization
- There can be a tendency to feel that you must hire someone who is referred by an employee even if your assessment is that the person is not the best match
Relying on employee referrals may not provide a wide enough scope of prospective candidates and you may end up hiring more of the same type of employees with similar backgrounds and experiences rather than diversifying your workforce. |
Print advertisements
Posting the opportunity in a newspaper or professional journal.
Considerations
- You can reach a large audience in a specific area
- The content of the advertisement will impact on the number of applicants - if the ad is general you will most likely receive more applications but you may receive a significant number of applications from unqualified candidates
- May be expensive
Remember to target diverse networks and community agencies in order to develop a diverse workforce. See Diversity at Work for more information. |
Internet recruiting
Posting the opportunity on an internet job site, on your own website or on professional association websites.
Considerations
- Internet recruiting is cost effective
- One study has shown that 96% of people looking for jobs use the internet
- Internet job postings as available to potential candidates 24 hours a day
- You can minimize the number of unqualified candidates by directing people to more information on your organization's website
- The number of applications may be overwhelming
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Internships/field placements
Upon graduation, recruiting students who come to your organization as part of their education.
Considerations
- You will have a good understanding of the fit between the person and the organization, as well as their abilities
- The former student will have good knowledge of your organization and require less time to become productive
- Often first jobs are seen as stepping stone and people move on to new challenges after a relatively short period of time
Executive search firms
Hiring a private company that specializes in recruitment to find suitable candidates.
Considerations
- This is a very expensive method of recruitment
- Hiring professional recruiter does not guarantee a positive result
- The firm will do most of the preparation for the posting and the preliminary screening
- May be an appropriate recruitment method for the most senior positions
Unsolicited resumes
Individuals interest in working for your organization send in resumes.
Considerations
- The percentage of resumes with skills appropriate for your organization may be small
- How you treat unsolicited resumes may have an impact on the image of your organization - it is best to respond with courteous and frank information about whether or not the application will be kept for future reference
Other
- Broadcast emails to other voluntary and non-profit organizations
- Campus recruitment (especially with institutes that offer relevant social services courses)
- Outreach recruitment targeting a specific audience to fill a specific need
Initiate the recruitment process
Your job announcement should include:
- A brief description of your organization, its mission or purpose
- The title and a description of the position
- Duties and responsibilities
- Qualifications
- The supervising authority
- The salary and benefits attached to the position – specify the starting salary or salary range, or say the salary depends on experience.
- The application deadline
- Start date
- A request for references
- The format in which you would like to receive the information
- A contact name and address
- Your organization’s website address
Next Section: Selection & Hiring
