Recruiting the Best Person for the Job
Our website will enthusiam the candidates demostrating our atmosphere.
We also use staffing companies.
Susana,
Both websites and staffing companies are good ways to recruit candidates for a particular position. How effective have you found them to be for you? Do you use different methods depending on the position? Sometimes networking through professional organizations can be very effective as well. It is a great way to recruit new employees and also a great way to find placement opportunities for students. Since few positions are actually advertised, it is important to establish a network to tap into when you have a recruiting need.
Pat
My school uses a variaty of techniques for recruitment, to include, but not limited to staffing agencies, billboards, News paper articles and Flyers. I think that the practices and procedures we use is a great source of information about our school. I always say that the best source of excellent information and positive feedback would be word of mouth.
Hi Miriam,
Welcome to my course. Those are excellent techniques for recruiting. From your list, the one I am not clear on is billboards. Are saying that you advertise open positions on an actual billboard or are you saying a bulletin board? Since few companies use the old fashioned "want ads" anymore, I agree that word of mouth or networking tend to be the most effective.
Pat
Recently with all the layoffs of different
companies we have gone through TEXAS WORKFORCE
COMMISSION. Also we promote from within whenever
a vacancy arises in management.
As for instructors we really have a steady pool
of applicants from which to call for interviews.
Another source is our East Campus; and
instructors referring other instructors.
Salma,
Welcome to the class.
It sounds like you have a steady supply of well qualified candidates. In today's economy that is probably quite common. In preparation for a time when that isn't the case, I would encourage you and your staff to do some professional networking through professional organizations, in particular. This can serve two purposes. One: to get you a pool of qualified candidates; and two: to establish contacts for possible career placement for your students.
Pat
90% of our recruiting is done by referrals from employees and business acquaintances. Our school is small scaled and as such it makes it more personal and productive. So far it has been working quite well as we have a very high retention rate of staff members, so i would recommend this method depending on the type of school you are running. If on the other hand you have more than one position,then you should consider placing ads, networking or job fairs as you will get a diversified group and you will be able to pick the ones you deem suitable for the position.
Clytie,
Welcome to the class. Great response. With so little advertising done these days for open positions, it is important to use other sources that will get you to those who are not only qualified but who would be a good organizational fit. Some companies will offer incentives for referrals, too. If morale is high, employees will proudly refer friends and family for open positions. In today's economy, those who are employed are reluctant to step out and apply for new positions for fear of retaliation from the current employer should he/she not be successful in the application.
Pat
In an attempt to hire the best possible candidates for our positions, we try to recruit from several different sources such as online ads, staffing agencies, etc. As also mentioned from other users, we usually find our best candidates from referrals or word of mouth. With all of our applicants, we follow an interview process that includes phone screening and on-site interview with 2 levels of managers. The last level of interviewing usually includes a brief "script test" with a manager. We find that we are able to rate the candidate's comfort level on the phone as this is a large portion of the job description.
We actually don't have to use recruiting techniques to employ instructors. We have resumes on hand of people who fit the qualifications, and we have very little turnover. When we need someone, it's not difficult to find someone to fit the bill, even from our former graduates. It's just a matter of finding the proper fit for the class involved. Former graduates make good instructors in our school because they usually know what's expected in the classroom. Otherwise, we choose from a group of former professionals from our particular field who have left the field due to relocation, burnout, helth, etc.
Hi Bridget. Welcome to the class. Are you still with Gibbs?
Good response to the question. Using a variety of sources for recruiting is key. Over time,you will identify those sources that bring you the best candidates and use them more frequently. Turnover is an expense for the company so you want to make sure you are getting the best qualified candidates so that turnover is reduced to a minimum.
Pat
Patricia,
You are fortunate that you have little or no need to recruit faculty. Congratulations on creating an environment where there is little turnover and, therefore, little need to recruit faculty. I am sure, though, that you must have a need to recruit for other positions within your institution. I know we always had high turnover in admissions as do most career colleges. As the economy shows some inprovement, we may again see employees jumping ship to seek greener pastures with another employer and they will cause a need to recruit. You are fortunate to have a ready source of candidates.
Pat
Dr. Patricia Kapper,
I have found that former graduates are the best resourse when hiring instructors. In addition our school uses staffing companies and the school website.
Marietta
Hi Marietta,
Graduates are always good candidates for filling vacant instructor slots. The only caution I would make on that practice is that you want to make sure that they have gotten some experience first which they can then bring into the classroom to share and that you recruit from places other than just your institution.
Pat
Hi Pat
They definitely need to go out into the real world and get there experience first. We require a two year minimum experience in the field prior to hiring. Then we like to start them as assistants to our senior instructors and that usually works real well.
Marietta
Marietta,
That is great! I have seen some schools where the student graduates and comes back immediately to teach. Accreditors are real uncomfortable with that. Then they also count that as a related placement which creates more issues for the school. You are doing it right. I especially like the idea of starting them out as assistants to senior instructors. Great job!
Pat
We have a few methods of recruiting but our strongest is mailing our graduate students for Instructors positions. Stating that we will trained them and start them as an assisant Instructor.
Most of our instructors are former graduates, while many have gone out to gain their experience in the real world to obtain further life skills. They come back to share their experiences. We also encourage promoting from within and allow our employees to enhance their careers.
We do advertising through a website and staffing agency. We also get alot of walk in applicants as well.
Diana,
Sorry about my delay in responding to your post. I have been in Orlando for the Career College Ass'n. Convention and Board of directors meeting since Saturday with limited access to e-mail.
I like the fact that you bring new instructors in as assistant instructors. That you gives you and them an opportunity to hone their teaching skills. Accreditors want to make certain that these grads first establish themselves in the industry and gain some experience which they can then share with their students before they take on the role as teacher/instructor.
In this economy it is rarely necessary to use (and pay) recruiters, especially when filling faculty positions.
Pat
