Sourcing
In a full life-cycle recruiting
scenario, sourcing applicants or candidates means the recruiter has to
determine the best resources for identifying suitably qualified applicants.
Sources for applicants could range from online resume banks to university
campuses to technical school guidance offices. Sourcing candidates depends on
the type of job, position or title, as well as academic credentials or certifications.
For example, sourcing candidates for hourly, food service positions will be
quite different from the sourcing for legal professionals, such as paralegals
and secretaries. Advertisements for hourly food service positions might be most
effective at the place of employment, as in a "Help Wanted" sign
posted in the window for a casual diner, while sourcing for legal professionals
might be more effective on association websites, such as the American Bar
Association's career pages.
Screening
Screening applicants involves comparing
employment applications and resumes to the job description and job postings to
determine which applicants meet the requisite qualifications. However,
applicants whose materials don't contain the references to specific job qualifications
shouldn't be immediately discarded. There might be an omission on the
applicant's resume that the recruiter needs to clarify before screening them
out before the preliminary interview. For example, if an applicant's resume
indicates she anticipates receiving her college degree in May 2012 and the
recruiter screens resumes in June 2012, it would be prudent for the recruiter
to first confirm whether the applicant has her degree before screening out,
because it could be that the applicant has already received her degree and
thereby qualified for the job where a basic requirement is a college degree.
Interviews
Many employers conduct a series of
interviews before selecting a final candidate. The first interview might be a
preliminary phone interview where the recruiter spends 20 to 30 minutes talking
to the applicant about the basic job requirements and verifying his work
history. Assuming the applicant passes the first step in the interview process,
he's likely to become a candidate and is invited for a second-round interview.
Second-round interviews typically are face-to-face meetings with the recruiter,
a hiring manager or a panel of interviewers. Employers who conduct third-round
or final stage interviews may have candidates meet with the company's highest
level of leadership, especially for management positions. Alternatively, some
employers engage staff in determining whom they feel is best suited for the
organization's culture. It's not unusual for a candidate to meet with employees
who will be colleagues or direct reports.
Selection
After the candidate passes the second-
and possibly third-round interviews, it's time to make a decision. If there's
just one hiring manager responsible for selecting the best candidate, she often
will consult with the recruiter about the candidate's suitability from an HR
perspective, while the hiring manager shares her thoughts about job fit related
to culture and professional characteristics that appear in sync with the
company's expectations. This type of exchange between recruiters and hiring
managers is productive in some work environments where diverse opinions and
feedback are essential to the organization's culture.
Final Steps
Once a job offer is extended to the
candidate, the next and last steps in recruitment and selection are
process-intensive activities. The burden shifts back to the recruiter in
organizations that have dedicated HR staff. Recruiters are responsible for
verifying the candidate's previous employment, conducting a background check,
calling references for information that previous employers can't provide,
scheduling drug testing and obtaining documentation from the candidate that
substantiates he's eligible to work for a United States employer. In the event
the first-choice candidate doesn't pass the final steps, the hiring manager has
usually identified a second-choice candidate so that they don't have to begin
the recruitment and selection process from the initial phase.