The Right Match Strategies for Realistic Recruitment and Selection Nancy S. Dickinson

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work NC Child Welfare Workers Say Intention to remain on the job is related significantly to: Accurate job portrayal Match between their skills and the job

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Agenda Recruitment Strategies Realistic Job Previews Competency-Based Selection

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Recruitment Standards for Supervisors in Child Welfare Pursue recruitment opportunities Participate in agency sponsored recruitment activities Maintain communication links with prospective candidates and present the agency in a positive light Coordinate and support filed placements and internships to attract qualified staff

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Realistic Recruitment Presents an accurate picture of the job and the organization Promotes a more informed decision by the applicant

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work How Realistic Recruitment Works Vaccination against unrealistic expectations Self-selection candidate makes a more informed choice Coping newcomer able to develop coping strategies Personal Commitment to the decision and the agency Wanous (1992)

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Research-based Recruiting Practices Recruitment source Job survival was 24% higher for employees recruited using inside sources than for employees using outside sources (Wanous, 1992, in a summary of 12 studies). Significantly more new hires who stayed 12 months had heard about the job from an inside source, compared with new hires who left (Larson, Lakin, & Bruininks, 1998).

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Promising Recruitment Practices Increased prehire knowledge associated with lower turnover (Williams, Labig, & Stone, 1993). Use of inside recruitment sources results in increased information about the job, improving the extent to which prehire expectations are met and improving job survival (Saks, 1994; Taylor, 1994; Zottoli & Wanous, 2000).

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Promising Recruitment Practices Using correlational research results—such as “desire to help”—to craft recruitment practices: Colorado Association of Community Centered Boards developed a statewide recruitment campaign to look for people who wanted to “make a difference in the lives of others” (Collins, 2000 as reported in Larson & Hewitt, 2005).

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Recruitment Strategies Link to agency’s mission and public image What specific values, vision, mission and history set this agency apart from others? What is important about this agency that would attract potential job applicants? What does this agency want to be known for, in comparison with other community agencies?

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Sample Advertisement CW Agency is a fast paced, supportive and stimulating place to work. We are looking for child welfare workers who desire challenging, meaningful work and welcome the opportunity to make a difference for families and children. If this describes you, consider applying for a public child welfare position at…. You’ll never be bored!

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work More Recruitment Strategies Expand outreach older workers, racial diversity, immigrants, international Expand strategies print, TV, internet Agency staff as recruiters Streamline the process

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Best Practices in Streamlining the Recruitment Process South Carolina Eliminated merit system Central job bank of position announcements Wisconsin Continuous recruitment practices Michigan and Delaware Pool of pre-screened and trained workers Federal government On-the-spot job offers to candidates with needed skills

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Recruitment Strategies Checklist Recruitment bonus for current employees Hiring bonus for new recruits Comprehensive and targeted marketing plan and materials TV and radio ads Website recruitment Marketing to nontraditional sources Presentations about careers in human services Open houses Volunteer programs

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Expand the Pool of Recruits Students High school and young college students Older workers Applicants of color Millenial/emergent workers

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Expand the Pool: Students Agency/university partnerships Internships: Paid and unpaid Classroom visits/guest lectures Service Learning Loan forgiveness

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Expand the Pool: Older Workers 1. 17% of 2010 workforce will be 55 and older (BLS) 2. Many want to continue working (Civic Ventures, 2005) 3. Reasons: be productive, health benefits, extra income, enhance well-being of others (Pynes, 2008) 4. Older workers stay longer (Rosenthal, McDowell & White, 1998)

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Strategies to Recruit/Retain Older Workers Targeted advertising (message & placement of ad) (Doverspike et al 2000) Job security and benefits, phased retirement plans Flexible/reduced schedules, part-time positions, telecommuting, job sharing

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Expand the Pool: Diversity Client population: By 2025, 32% of US population will be non-white (US Census Bureau, 2004) Workforce: More than half of new entrants to workforce in next 15 years will be non- white (Judy & D’Amico, 2007)

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Recruiting/Retaining a Diverse Workforce Leadership commitment (Pease & Associates, 2003) Feature diversity in recruitment materials (Doverspike et al, 2000) Deploy diverse recruitment teams ( New Haven, CT ) Develop a work environment that welcomes diversity ( El Paso County, CO ) Establish cultural competency as a qualification & award salary differential( Sacramento County, CA ) Internships for minorities representative of local area ( 426 funding )

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work What Emergent Workers Want 1. Variety in daily work & exciting experiences 2. Fun atmosphere, friendly people, caring about staff as individuals 3. Respect and seek their input 4. Game plan on how and when they will advance 5. Multiple training & development opportunities 6. Strong Leadership; Mentoring programs 7. A diverse workforce 8. Work/life balance (Grubb, 2008)

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Recruiting Millenials – Embrace Today’s Technology Distribute flash drives w/ company information Use text messaging to communicate w/ recruits Accept video resumes Create company Facebook and MySpace pages linked to your website Find a reason to be on YouTube Conduct webinars to promote your company Create blogs on your website Host luncheons w/ local colleges where you recruit (Grubb 2008)

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Expand Recruitment Strategies Comprehensive marketing campaign & materials Internet recruitment Print ads linked to internet TV and radio ads Open houses Volunteer programs Inside recruiting Recruitment bonuses

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Internet Recruitment Sites m

Realistic Job Previews Fewer unmet expectations= higher retention

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Research on Realistic Job Previews RJPs improved retention rates by 9%-17% (McEvoy & Cascio, 1985). RJPs increased retention of employees 12% for agencies with annual retention rates of 50% and 24% for those with rates of 20% (Premack & Wanous, 1985). RJPs delivered after a job offer has been made, but before decisions, are more effective in reducing turnover than earlier in the process (Phillips, 1998).

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Developing and Using RJPs Up-to-date and complete job description Positive and negative job characteristics What do you like best about your job? What is the hardest part about your job? What do you wish you had known about your job before you started working here? Select the most important topics and strategy to enable an informed decision

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work RJP Strategies Structured observation Meetings with current workers RJP video Photo album or scrapbook Booklet or brochure Web-based multimedia RJP Panel of agency staff Internships or volunteer opportunities

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work RJP Design Principles 1. Purpose of the RJP must be clear to the applicant 2. Must use credible information (real people and events; not actors and scripts; testimony from job incumbents rather than a discussion with supervisors) 3. Should include info about how current employees feel about their jobs 4. Positive and negative information should be balanced to reflect actual experiences 5. Should be presented before or at the time that a job offer is made.

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Impact of a Realistic Job Preview: University of Michigan Workers who saw the RJP were significantly more likely to: Indicate a commitment to remain in child welfare for five years Say that the application and selection process helped them cope with job pressures Say that the agency’s honesty made them feel more loyal, and Less likely to say they would “never have taken the job if they had known what it was like.”

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work NC Realistic Job Preview DVD On the Recruitment and Retention website

Child Welfare Worker Selection Attract the best, screen out less qualified

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Selection Standards for Supervisors in Child Welfare Know and comply with law and policy related to fair hiring processes Participate in selection interviews Select people who are able to demonstrate the competencies needed and whose values are consistent with the agency’s mission Justify and document hiring decisions using job-related criteria

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Competency-based Selection The better the fit between the requirements of the job and competencies of the jobholder… The higher job performance and retention will be.

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Search & Hiring Model To do this job In this organization Requires this person Job duties, reporting relationships Organizational structure, climate, staffing mix Skills, knowledge, competencies

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Best Practice in Screening Job related validity Objective focus on competencies Multiple assessments Consistent

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Validity of Research-based Selection Strategies (Hermelin & Robertson, 2001) Structured interviews: High Cognitive ability as assessed by standardized test: High Biographical data: Medium Personality and integrity tests: Medium Work sample tests or assessment centers: Low to medium Unstructured interviews: Low to medium The “big five” personality traits: Low

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Focus on Underlying Competencies KSs Attitudes & Values Motives & Traits

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Entry Level Competencies Predict long term success Difference between average and outstanding Most difficult to change

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Underlying Competencies Interpersonal Relations Adaptability Communication Skills Observation Skills Planning and Organizing Work Analytic Thinking Motivation Self Awareness/confidence Sense of Mission Teamwork

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Multiple Job Related Assessments Standard Interview Fact Finding Interview Written Exercise Reference Check

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Consistency: Structure TimeQuestionsOrder Opportunity Rating Criteria All Components

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Standard Interview Opinion Questions: thinking & self- awareness Past Behavior: past behavior predicts future performance Situational: future intentions Follow ups and probes

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Purpose of Standard Interview Not only looking for answers but also insights into the competencies Including: Thinking processes used What motivates the candidate to behave in certain ways Candidate’s self-awareness, including ability to reflect on and learn from experiences

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work Consistency in Rating Scoring guides: Examples of unacceptable, average and outstanding answers Use Subject Matter Experts to develop Rate competencies: Behaviors to Look for Consensus discussion (Bernotavicz, 2008)

Staying Power! Recruitment and Selection Toolkits Jordan Institute for Families, UNC Chapel Hill School of Social Work This Presentation Is brought to you by the R&R Project A part of the Jordan Institute for Families At the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Social Work Funded by grant #90CT0114/05 US DHHS Administration for Children and Families, Children’s Bureau