Recruiting and Keeping the Right People

Making the wrong appointments can be a costly mistake, while good recruitment reaps huge benefits for any organisation. Yet many managers responsible for recruiting and inducting new staff are weak in this key area - and they know it.

These 20 activities cover every aspect of the recruitment process, from identifying the need to designing an induction programme and evaluating a recruitment decision. The pack also includes a ready-made session for exploring the role and skills of the successful recruiter.

Author: Susan Iacovou
Pages: 414
''OK to copy'' pages: 177

Contents
INITIAL BRIEFING

1. Why is a Structured Process important?
The cost of poor selection decisions
An activity to examine the cost of recruitment and to look at the impact of poor recruitment decisions. It considers how recruitment decisions can be affected by a recruiter''s preconceptions, and aims to ensure that participants understand why recruitment decisions need careful management and the application of key recruitment and selection skills.

2. What does a Structured Recruitment and Retention Process involve?
An introduction to the concepts and terminology
An introduction to the recruitment and retention process, giving participants the chance to find out about the concepts and terminology and to appreciate what is involved at each stage of the process. Participants will have the chance to try creating their own model, before being guided through the actual process and discovering the key questions to ask at each stage.

3. How do I measure up?
Your role as a recruiter
This provides an opportunity for participants to discuss their role as recruiters. Whether line managers, personnel officers or specialised recruiters, all participants need to understand the specific nature and importance of the recruitment role within the organisation. Recruiters require certain skills and characteristics and this activity gives participants a chance to see which of these they already possess and which they need to further develop.

CORE SKILLS

4. Do we need to recruit?
Stage 1: Identifying the need
An activity which looks at how to evaluate a gap in an organisation. Its aim is to encourage participants to evaluate critically the need for recruitment in light of the organisation''s aims and objectives and the skills of its existing employees.

5. What kind of Person do we need?
Stage 2: Putting together a job summary and person specification
A series of activities which look at how to define the ideal candidate by putting together an accurate ''job description'' and writing a detailed ''person specification''. Participants will be given an opportunity to devise an example of each document working from a case study exercise.

6. How will we get People interested?
Stage 3: Attracting candidates
An activity designed to examine the pros and cons of different recruitment options, including advertising, using recruitment consultants, using Job Centres, contacting educational institutions and head-hunting. Participants will have the opportunity to identify the most appropriate option for a variety of job roles.

7. Who shall we consider?
Stage 4: Putting together a shortlist
An activity designed to help participants select suitable candidates from a number of applications. Its aim is to familiarise participants with the use of the person specification as a means of remaining objective when shortlisting.

8. Which Selection Methods will we use?
Stage 5: Examining the recruitment options
This activity looks at a variety of selection methods available for dealing with shortlisted candidates - including interviewing, skill and personality testing, and assessment centres. Participants will be introduced to the strengths and weaknesses of the different methods and will examine their use for different types and levels of job.

9. What Information do Candidates need?
Stage 6: Producing an information pack
This activity looks at the need for organisations to sell themselves to potential employees. Participants are shown the value of putting together an information pack for candidates and are helped to identify the core components of such a pack.

10. Developing our Skills (1)
Stage 7: Interviewing skills
A series of activities looking in detail at the interview process. Participants will look at processes and techniques they should be using before, during and after an interview. They will then have the opportunity to develop their interview skills through a structured role-play.

11. Developing our Skills (2)
Stage 8: Using psychological tests
An activity which looks at the use of tests in recruitment. Participants will consider the conditions under which tests can be used, how to define an organisational policy on testing and the importance of training testers.

12. How do we choose the Right Person?
Stage 9: Making the selection
An activity on how to use the Candidate Assessment Form to determine who will be selected for a job. The aim will be to introduce participants to an objective system for candidate selection.

13. How can we help our New Employee get up and running?
Stage 10: Designing an induction programme
This activity focuses on planning the new job-holder''s introduction to the organisation, their department and their role. In particular, it emphasises the importance of providing new employees with a structured induction programme.

14. Did we get it right?
Stage 11: Evaluating the selection decision
This activity will help participants evaluate recruitment decisions and will focus on the importance of examining selection mistakes and implementing the lessons learnt.

SPECIALISED SKILLS

15. How will we sell the Job?
Putting together a job advert
An activity designed to help participants write focused and effective job advertisements.

16. How will we make sure the Selection Process is fair?
Equal Opportunities issues
This activity introduces participants to equal opportunities legislation and gives them an opportunity to consider its implications for the recruitment process.

17. How can we get the most from Employment Agencies?
Using employment agencies
An activity which looks at the pros and cons of using recruitment agencies and gives participants guidelines on building productive relationships with agency personnel.

18. How do you design a written Statement of Conditions?
Putting together a statement of terms and conditions
This activity looks at statements of terms and conditions and provides a practical exercise to familiarise participants with the key components of such statements.

19. How do you tell People they haven''t got the Job?
Giving feedback to unsuccessful candidates
An activity which enables participants to explore ways of structuring and carrying out feedback discussions with unsuccessful candidates.

20. How do you design a Recruitment Policy?
Developing a recruitment and retention policy
An activity designed to help participants develop an organisational or departmental Recruitment and Retention Policy which will enable their organisation to continue to attract good candidates.

414 pages, with 177 OK to copy pages