Jennifer Hill

PROPER WAYS TO SELECT AND RECRUIT EMPLOYEES

Employee Management ProcessThe first step in the employee management process is recruiting and selecting employees. To recruit employees effectively, store managers need to:

• Undertake a job analysis• Prepare a job description• Find potential applicants with the desired capabilities • Screen the best candidates to interview

Job Analysis

• The job analysis identifies essential activities to be performed by the employees. It is used to determine the qualifications of potential employees. Managers can obtain the information needed for a job analysis by observing employees presently doing the job and determining the characteristics of exceptional performers.

Job description

• A job description includes activities the employee needs to perform and the performance expectations expressed in quantitative terms. The job description is a guideline for recruiting, selecting, training and eventually evaluating employees.

Recruiting Minorities, Immigrants and Older Workers

• Retailers that aggressively pursue the growing number of Hispanic immigrant workers print application forms in English and Spanish. They also develop training programs for people who aren’t familiar with US business programs.

• Seniors are another attractive source for new recruits. Retailing appeals to seniors because of the flexible hours. Specifically targeting seniors would violate anti-discrimination laws, but retailers can advertise in publications that are typically read by seniors.

Partnering with Government Agencies

• Partnering with government agencies can help recruit the unemployed. The government agencies see numerous unemployed daily and can help match the possible employee with companies looking in the area.

Using Employees as Talent Scouts

• Retailers often ask their own employees if they know someone the retailer could hire, if they have recently encountered a particularly good salesperson when shopping another store, or if they know of a customer whom they believe would make a good employee. Many retailers provide incentives for such referrals by employees.

Using the Storefront Creatively

• Retailers are going beyond posting a simple “Help Wanted” sign. A more effective sign might read “ Thank you! Business is great. Because things are so good, we’re hiring additional staff. Please stop in to discuss career opportunities.”

Screening Applicants to Interview

• The screening process matches applicants’ qualifications with the job description. Many retailers use automated prescreening programs as a low-cost method to identify qualified candidates.

Application Forms

• Job application forms contain information about the applicant’s employment history, previous compensation, reasons for leaving his or her previous employment, education and training, personal health and references. This information enables the manager to determine whether the applicant has the minimum qualifications and also provides information useful when interviewing the applicant.

References and online checks• A good way to verify the information given on an application is to contact the applicant’s references or do an online check. Contacting references is helpful for collecting additional information from people who have worked with the applicant. In addition, store managers should check with former supervisors not listed as references and not rely solely on references from colleagues and friends. Due to potential legal problems, however, many companies have a policy of not commenting on prior employees. The internet has become an excellent source of information on prospective employees. A quick look at someone’s facebook entry can often reveal more about the person than a face-to-face interview.

Testing

• Intelligence, ability, personality and interest tests can provide insights about potential employees. Due to potential losses from theft, many retailers require applicants to take drug tests. Some retailers also use tests to assess applicants’ honest and ethics.

Realistic Job Preview• Turnover declines when applicants understand both the attractive and unattractive aspects of the job. Many retailers want their new hires to have previous retail experience. The have found that experience, even if the previous job was significantly different than the new opportunity, gives the applicant an appreciation for what a life in retailing is all about.

Selecting Applicants

• After screening applicants, the selection process typically involves a personal interview. Because the interview is usually the critical factor in the hiring decision, the store manager needs to be well prepared and have complete control over the interview.

Preparation for the Interview

• The objective of the interview is to gather relevant information, not simply ask a lot of questions. The most widely used interview technique, called the behavioral interview, asks candidates how they have handled actual situations they have encountered in the past, especially those situations requiring the skills outlined in the job description.

Managing the Interview• Here are some suggestions for questioning the applicant during the interview:• Encourage long responses by asking questions like “What do you know about our company?” rather than “How familiar are you with our company?”• Avoid asking questions that have multiple parts.• Avoid asking leading questions like “Are you prepared to provide good customer service?”• Be an active listener. Evaluate the information being presented and sort out the important comments from the unimportant ones. Some techniques for active listening include repeating or rephrasing information, summarizing the conversation and tolerating silences.

Legal Considerations and Hiring Store Employees

• Heightened social awareness and government regulations emphasize the need to avoid discriminating against hiring the handicapped, women, minorities and older workers. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, national origin, sex, or religion in company personnel practices. • Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) allows employees to

sue employers that violate the law. Several major retailers have been successfully sued because they discriminated in hiring and promoting minorities and women.• Discrimination arises when a member of a protected class is treated

differently from nonmembers of that class or when apparently neutral rule has an unjustified discriminatory effect (disparate impact).• Age Discrimination and Employment Act also makes it illegal to

discriminate in hiring and terminating people over the age of 40 years. • Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) opens up job opportunities for the

disabled by requiring employers to provide accommodating work environments.