Recruitment and Selection (Chapter 5) No

Recruitment and Selection : 

1 Recruitment and Selection Chapter 4 1

Introduction : 

2 Introduction Human resource program must be able to identify, recruit and acquire qualified people able to develop new skills Success in acquiring and retaining needed HR in public sector depends on several factors Public sector personnel must develop recruitment and selection techniques that Take management point of view Are in conformance with merit principle, etc 2

Recruitment and Selection : 

3 Recruitment and Selection Recruitment in public sector refers to efforts to encourage people to apply Section refers to the decision to hire on basis of demonstrated merit Ineffective recruitment efforts leads to selection from a short list of qualified candidates that may be under-represented 3

Recruitment: Finding & Attracting Qualified Candidates : 

4 Recruitment: Finding & Attracting Qualified Candidates Three approached to overcoming government problems in recruiting Taking advantage of government’s potential to compete for minorities and women Reducing public employer’s dependence on outside sources Improving the image of public service 4

Recruitment of Women & Minorities : 

Recruitment of Women & Minorities Public sector has led the way in breaking down barriers Hudson Initiative recommended the development of recruitment programs geared to the changing demographics OPM work with federal agencies to identify job opportunities and institutions that offer training to prepare Hispanics qualify for jobs

Investment in Continuous Training : 

6 Investment in Continuous Training Rapid social and technological change New and different skills from outside the organization Add internal recruitment Upgrading and changing the skill profile Tuition reimbursement OPM initiatives designed to strengthen HR development efforts 6

Recruiting College Graduates : 

7 Recruiting College Graduates Demand for degrees will increase and will outweigh supply. OPM regional centers had information available on positions available within that region Career America Federal Job Opportunities Board (computer) Computerized job information kiosks World Wide Web – nationwide opportunities Problems for public sector 7

Public Sector Problems : 

Public Sector Problems It does not invest in campus recruitment. Often its limited and sporadic to be effective Students did not get enough information on jobs Felt that jobs were unavailable and that agencies did not value students as potential employees Placement offices had outdated information Believed that contacting government was frustrating and lengthy process

Federal Recruitment One-Stop Initiative : 

9 Federal Recruitment One-Stop Initiative Job seekers applied for positions & completed preliminary examinations on line Job seekers able to build web-based resumes and store them Provides application tips and tools (Spanish) Agencies are authorized to develop & operate their own website Many agencies still require applicants to mail, fax or email applications 9

Campus Visits and Presentations : 

10 Campus Visits and Presentations Direct contact remains an important recruitment strategy for certain positions Brochures, pre-recorded messages and recruiting video not effective Recruiting fair not likely to draw top candidates College placement centers now have contact person to call for information 10

Student Hiring Programs : 

11 Student Hiring Programs Student Educational Employment Program Offers federal employment opportunities Two components: Student Temporary Employment Program (STEP) & Student Career Experience Program (SCEP) Presidential Management Fellowship Program (Internships) Given challenging assignments: rotational responsibilities, mentoring, and attendance in development seminars 11

Changing the Image of Public Employment : 

12 Changing the Image of Public Employment Not a good image is held by applicants Many see government as an environment where its next to impossible to get things done Unlikely to use their full talents Infested with specialists in red tape Dreary working conditions Public employers need to come up with strategies to change such a view Information and education programs Building direct contacts with public service through internships and co-op programs Need to describe public service & its functions in positive terms 12

Administration of Recruitment : 

13 Administration of Recruitment Successful programs share certain characteristics Top level management must actively support & participate in planning, implementation and evaluation phases Recruitment activity should be decentralized so that line managers are directly involved and have considerable authority to carry out policy Line managers must be involved in design and implementation of strategies Recruiters must have necessary resources and technical support, be well trained and fully informed Appropriate media and technologies should be available for support

Selection: Methods, Issues & Problems : 

14 Selection: Methods, Issues & Problems The hallmark of the first reform movement was its focus on the methods used to select & determine promotions Traditional merit systems emphasize political neutrality and objectivity in the selection process Civil service selection procedures stress measuring a candidate’s ability to perform Tests may involve some combination of exams

Test Validity : 

15 Test Validity A valid test measures only what is intended to measure Tests must be reliable and consistent Reliability means that a person who takes a test twice will score about the same Validation methods Criterion related validity Construct validity Content validity

Criterion Related Validity : 

16 Criterion Related Validity Predictive – test scores of those hired are correlated with subsequent performance measures Concurrent – involves administering a proposed new test to an incumbent and comparing the score to their performance

Content Validity : 

17 Content Validity Established when the content of a test closely matches the content of a job Ask about knowledge actually acquired Attractive to employers Most commonly used method

Validity and EEO : 

18 Validity and EEO Selection tests should discriminate among job applicants only on basis of relative ability to perform the job In Griggs, the Supreme Court ruled that if a selection test had an adverse impact as to a protected area, and its validity has not been established, its use is unlawful

Uniform Guidelines : 

19 Uniform Guidelines Given great deference by the Courts The courts make final determinations about test validity requirements and whether or not employer has met them While seen as unsound, unclear and requiring excessive recordkeeping, efforts to change them has met strong opposition Meeting the full requirement of the guidelines is a challenge to public employers

Minimum Qualifications : 

20 Minimum Qualifications Purpose is to screen out not able to do job Key standard for minimum qualifications is that they are actually essential to job performance and not arbitrarily to deny job Minimum qualifications must be valid Trend is to remove requirements that cannot be validated and to add flexibility by allowing substitution up to a point, by adding “or any equivalent combination” Some requirements are a matter of law or social policy

Previous Training and Experience : 

21 Previous Training and Experience Maybe used in combination with written or oral examination to generate a more complete evaluation as to KSA Written tests may not exist or may be redundant as they passed other tests Evaluation of training and experience, plus an oral exam is a combination commonly found The evaluation is based on a thorough understanding of KSA (Job Element Method)

Written Tests : 

22 Written Tests Used extensively in public sector May be constructed or purchased Multiple choice tests are most common Written tests have problems associated with validity and adverse impact The MSPB found the OPM new written test to be an efficient and inexpensive way to hire a large number. However the GAO concluded that was not the case

GAO’s Position on ACWA : 

23 GAO’s Position on ACWA Applicants who lost interest in federal employment failed to respond Agencies were failing to meet AA goals Most applicants found their experience with the ACWA frustrating (85%) 50+ of respondents thought they had a good chance of getting a job after getting their score. The numbers show otherwise

Alternatives to ACWA : 

24 Alternatives to ACWA Candidates with 3.5+ GPA not required to take test Veterans able to be hired noncompetitively Temporary employees may be hired up to four years without OPM approval Positions may be filled through reassignment, transfers, reinstatements and promotions into ACWA positions without taking or passing the ACWA OPM has decided to make the process and standing on register optional

Performance Tests : 

Performance Tests Asks the applicant to perform essential tasks related to job performance By comparison, they yield very direct measures of how candidates performs on a series of job elements High face validity, job related fair & objective 25

Oral Examinations : 

Oral Examinations Interview – refers to meeting a hiring authority Oral examination – refers to a question and answer to measure qualifications Weight and influence assigned to the results will vary given the importance of the factors Used most extensively for higher level positions Must be well planned in terms of behaviors and responses to be observed, standards to be applied and procedure used Examiners should record their observations 26

The Group Oral Performance (Assessment) Test : 

The Group Oral Performance (Assessment) Test Candidates are assembled in small groups and a topic is assigned for discussion Candidates are evaluated as to their performance and interaction with other members Advocates argue that it shows how well candidates think on their feet Critics point out the oral is staged and the members may not behave normally Reliability & validity concerns 27

Background Investigations : 

Background Investigations Routine reference checks done by mail & telephone or by visit Most intensive & comprehensive are done for law enforcement Where sensitive or secrets are involved, loyalty and security checks are done Limited resources & time may impact 28

Probationary Period : 

Probationary Period Last stage of the screening process Tests alone may not actually screen out those lacking ability, motivation, or work habits needed Gives supervisors a chance to evaluate new employees & to approve satisfactory employees for permanent status Probationary employee usually do not have appeal rights Its not treated as part of selection process 29

List of Eligibles and Related Issues : 

List of Eligibles and Related Issues Applicants are ranked in order of their composite examination scores Names are certified from the list in order of their score from the list Two kinds of procedures using the list Register hiring uses standing lists Case examining produces a list 30

Rule of Three : 

Rule of Three May protect merit system & provide some discretion Advocates argue that more names would risk bias and partisanship Rule of three and merit based hiring Rule of three and veteran’s preference not in best interest of managers or candidates Recommended selection from an adequate number Suggested use of category 31

The Uneasy Relationship Between Competitiveness, Validity and EEO : 

The Uneasy Relationship Between Competitiveness, Validity and EEO The chronic complaint about merit systems is that they are slow PACE test had adverse effect on minorities Carter entered into a consent decree OPM had gone to great lengths to establish its validity Five constructs were too general Carter consent decree was modified by Reagan 32

Schedule B Authority : 

Schedule B Authority Applies to positions where it is not practical to hold competitive examination Agencies are allowed to hire people without competitive exams if no qualified internal candidates Reagan Administration ended PACE and returned to Schedule B No alternative written tests Reductions in federal hiring rates Cost of developing validated examinations 33

Schedule B : 

Schedule B Schedule B used to decentralize hiring Difficulty with protection, quality control of hiring practices, and access by applicants OPM ordered to stop using Schedule B OPM proposed the ACWA exams covering seven occupational categories The test was less than satisfactory Supplanted by a variety of decentralized recruitment & selection procedures OPM balanced flexibility and oversight/control 34

Conclusion : 

Conclusion The move toward deregulated & management centered HR approach responds to strong political pressures to reform public dissatisfaction with government performance management role that stresses flexibility and accountability for results Decentralization may not have adequate oversight 35