R ecruiting outstanding employees for your organization is critical to its future. As Tom Peter’s writes, today “Talent rules,” so you must be obsessed with attract- ing and retaining new talent.1 Successful recruiting to identify this talent determines the difference between success and failure of every organization. This task is never easy, quick, or inexpensive. Recruiting is an elaborate courtship process that entails multiple contacts between each recruit and members of your staff and may be fraught with interpersonal problems between complex human beings, each susceptible to bias and distortion. In spite of its problems, however, the interview will remain an essential component of the selection process because recruiters want to observe behaviors and probe into skills, attitudes, and abilities that reveal whether an applicant is an ideal fit for this position with this organization.2

A common, mistaken belief is that Human Resources (HR) personnel recruit new employees for organizations. In truth, HR personnel play minor roles in the recruit- ing process because it is far too important and complex to assign to a single element of any organization. You may have already taken part in recruiting activities while in college, and you definitely will after you graduate. Many of our students have returned to campus within a year of graduation to aid in recruiting talent for their organizations. They can identify readily with their alma mater and its students.

The objectives of this chapter are to introduce you to the fundamental principles of successful employee recruiting. These include locating high-quality applicants, pre- paring for the recruiting process, obtaining and reviewing information on applicants, structuring interviews, conducting interviews, and evaluating interviews. Learning and applying these principles will make you a valuable asset to your organization while enhancing the quality of your future colleagues.

Where to Find Talented Applicants

When commencing your search for new talent, consider your social and professional contacts, check your file of persons who have come to your attention in the field through its meetings and publications, visit college career centers, and attend fairs wherever they occur. A growing number of organizations are hiring from their internship programs because they have had extensive opportunity to observe and assess interns while they are on the job with opportunities to exhibit needed talents.

Recruiting is expensive and complex.

The Recruiting Interview

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When you take part in career or job fairs, be sure you set up attractive booths exhibiting promotional materials such as brochures, book bags, and pens to get your name and positions before a large number of potential employees. Select staff with excellent interpersonal skills who enjoy meeting young people and are trained to conduct on-the-spot interviews. Have application forms and sign-up sheets readily at hand, but be honest if you are not currently hiring at the moment. Make follow-up contacts with attendees who appear to be good fits for your organization.

Your organization might decide to hire a staffing firm (sometimes called placement agencies, employment agencies, or head hunters) to locate quality applicants and perhaps to conduct initial screening interviews. Select such firms carefully to determine their suc- cess rates and suitability for your organization and the position(s) you wish to fill. The American Staffing Association offers important guidelines for making the best choice, including shopping around, type of staffing help you need, impressions of your initial interactions with the firm, how the staffing firm selects its employees (screening, testing, and training), and how well the firm understands your organization and your needs.3

Kiosks designed to attract applicants are now common sights in retail stores. This enables them to establish and update their applicant databases whenever stores are open, some 24 hours a day, and to sort through applications to locate qualified appli- cants. If kiosks are inappropriate for your organization, there are numerous resume databases that provide the same services. Some of these are fee-based and some are free. Select the one that is most suitable for your organization and career field.

There are hundreds of Internet and electronic sources available to locate quality applicants. These include Web sites of colleges and universities, religious organiza- tions, senior citizen clubs, political parties, and special interest groups. Here are a few key sources:

• CareerBuilder.com • Kennedy’s The Directory of Executive and Professional Recruiters • Monster Jobs • Monster.com • Wall Street Journal Careers