Recruiting instructors...
What is your most common way of recruiting applicants for instructor positions at your school and how can the method be improved?
We often utilize the internet to recruit applicants. Specifically, we have accounts with Career Builder (which features an ad both online and in the local newspaper), and, of course, Monster.com. We have had good luck with these mediums, depending on the job function. Notwithstanding the above, I believe there is always room for improvement. I really enjoyed your discussion of building an eye-catching ad and intend to utilize those tips in my next advertisement.
It is good to hear that these sites have worked for your orgsnization. Have you used any of their screening features to develop stronger candidates?
The management team pooled together to develop not only the application and subsequent forms, but also a very detailed behavior test for our strong candidates. The test allows us to narrow down our candidate list by determining key qualities/behaviors that we need our instructors to exhibit. The test has been a real success. Not only do we like having the information to pinpoint, but the instructors enjoy seeing their results too.
Hi Jamie
Thanks for letting us know how successful using these tools can be.
We currently rely on personal contact and our employee recommendations. Our instructors are employed in their fields and know the best people for each diploma area. For instance, our construction instructor has been in business for a number of years; has worked on many projects with other knowledgeable and highly skilled individuals . . . his reccommendations plus an anlysis of our needs (coupled with the State guidelines) result in recruiting the best people for each position. The same is true of our nursing instructors and our culinary arts instructors.
We will, however, follow all of the guidelines provided in this course when hiring people for newly developed courses.
Your strategy is strong and seems to have worked for you. As you go through the course, you will see that what you have done is something we strongly recommend.
Thanks for your reply Alessandra.
We have generally used the newspaper to recruit instructors but have had mixed results. It depends upon the position we are recruiting for since there have been instances where an add has produced no applicants and some have been very successful. Our thoughts are that it depends upon the particular medical speciality we need instructors for and also if competing schools in the local area are recruiting for similar positions. I have started asking current faculty to recommend potential instructors for certain positions and this recently resulted in hiring a new instructor. My strategy now is to look to current faculty for recommendations before going to the time and expense of newspaper adds.
Hi Maureen
Thanks for your comments. My experience had been similar to yours.
I've also used Craigslist (craigslist.org) as a step between referrals and more expensive ads. There is a cost involved but less than a daily newspaper. The results, I thought, were better than newspapers but worse than a referral from a good employee.
We have primarily used the newspaper to post openings. We also get a number of referrals from instructors currently teaching at the college. By far referral are the most beneficial.
Recruiting at my school is mostly done by advertisement. However, I have personally asked instructors to recommend instructors. That seems to be equally effective. The instructors can almost pre-interview prospective instructors by telling them what job qualifications are needed, and what the job is like.
My school uses a variety of sources for recruiting. We use professional organizations such as the American Culinary Federation, employment agencies, advisory board members, Pennsylvania Career Link, the internet, and referrals from current instructors and staff. We discontinued newspaper advertising. It just did not work out. The source we use for each opening depends on the field we are recruiting for.
Hi Lucinda
You use a lot of sources. That is one of the most effective ways to have a stream of good, qualified applicants.
Why do you think your ads in other media are successfull? Why do you think newspaper ads didn't work?
We use the local newspaper and the applicant is requred to respond via emal. The email is then directed to appropriate director or department. This works well.
Hi Kim
After going through the steps of the topic, "Recruiting Instructors" what do you think your school does well? It is sometimes difficult to get newspaper advertisements to work, so your experience could be helpful to schools having difficulty with newspaper advertising.
Thanks.
Our most commom way of recruiting is through our local newspapers. We have varied the newspaper ads by placing them under specific headings (relevant to the field) in the classifieds. For example, instead of placing an ad for a Medical Assisting instructor under "Education," we will place it under "Medical." Although this has increased our results, it is not enough. In the last six months, we have been forced to use other methods of recruitment for our "hard to fill" instructor positions. Some alternative methods we have used is Craig's List (internet based) as well as local Paralegal Associations and Bar Association newsletters (for legal instructors.)
One of our hardest instructor positions to fill is for our Pharmacy Technician program. In the areas in which our schools are located, Pharmacy Technicians are in high demand with plenty of employment opportunities. We receive very little response to newspaper ads in this field (regardless of what heading the ad is placed under in the newspaper.) Another alternative method we have used in this field is to fax out flyers (stating instructor openings with a number to call for more information) to local pharmacies in hopes of finding qualified instructors.
After going through this module, I believe our ads (for all of our methods) need some work. Currently, our ads contain the "deal breakers" (mainly the qualifications needed for the job) with very little "attention getters" or "motivators" to encourage the applicant to call.
Our ad is as specific as we can be about what classes we need to fill. We do ask for a resume. When I receive an email/resume from someone inquiring about the postion, I will generaly ask them at that time to email/fax college transcripts, providing the resume meets the basics. I will also email them an application for them to fill out and email or fax back. (resume's are often not detailed enough) Even thought the potential applicant believes themselves to be qualified, they may not be according to our college accrediation (ASCICS). After I receive those 2 documents I then decide to bring them in for a face to face or not . Saves time for both of us!
Hi Heather
You have been innovative in methods to get new instructors. I remember Pharmacy Technicians being difficult to find. It got to the point of
referrals either from current instructors or from the Advisory Board.
Thanks for your response.
We use a combination of methods. When you advertise in the local newspaper you automatically get put up on CareerBuilder. We find we do get better more easily sorted applicants from CareerBuilder then from the paper itself.
We also advertise in professional periodicals. This gives us a very focused approach based on the KSAO's but since we are a regional institution it does get diluted geographically.
We do track all of our recruitment efforts, and we are doing more and more on the web. But probably our best way of improving our recruitment is to work our own network better. The idea of an alumni newletter and looking to our alumni for references is one we will implement very soon.
Jeff
Thanks, Jeff. Referrals are an inexpensive and time-tested way to find quality applicants.
Whatever you can do to get applicant from this source will help your pool of applicants.
In the past, we've asked instructors about graduates that they thought had the academic skills and the personality to be an instructor. Of course, they need industry experience, but after a few years they can become valuable instructors.
