小型企业的招聘过程方法和问题外文翻译可编辑.docx

1、小型企业的招聘过程方法和问题外文翻译可编辑外文翻译原文：Recruitment in small firmsprocesses,methods and problemMarilyn CarrollAbstract The article summarises findings from recent case study research into recruitment in small firms. The research aims to ascertain whether small firms follow the procedures outlined in the prescri

2、ptive literature on recruitment, and to what extent they rely on informal recruitment methods. It finds little evidence of the adoption of the recommended systematic procedures and a high use of “tried and trusted” methods including word-of-mouth recruitment and the hiring of “known quantities”. The

3、 implications of this are examined. While these methods have certain advantages, they may also give rise to a number of problems. The study argues that the adoption of more formal procedures and methods could reduce staff turnover in small firms and its associated costs. However, it concludes that m

4、any small employers would remain unconvinced by the case for opening up recruitment channels, and may find their existing approaches more cost effective in the short term.IntroductionA considerable quantity of prescriptive literature is available to managers responsible for recruiting staff aimed at

5、 helping them to increase the chances of finding the right person for the job. Most of this advice, however, seems to be aimed at large organisations. Assumptions are made about the degree of formality which would normally characterise the recruitment process and the extent to which employers are li

6、kely to adopt systematic and proactive searches for new recruits. In contrast, relatively little material is available specifically for small firms. As Hendryet al.(1995, p. 14) note, “training and human resource management advice to smaller firms has been monotonous in its prescription of large-sca

7、le solutions”.Recruitment in the case study firmsAlthough some firms might be considered to be too small to offer opportunities for career progression or movement into a different type of work, there was a great deal of evidence of the operation of internal labour markets. Reasons given by the respo

8、ndents were “to motivate people”, “to encourage loyalty to the firm”, “better the devil you know”, or because a lower level vacancy would be easier to fill externally. In the hotel and catering sector and solicitors firms there was most scope for internal promotion. Hotels and catering sector manage

9、rs tried to identify people with aptitude and ability and promote them into a more senior or supervisory role when a vacancy arose. Those solicitors firms which took trainees said they liked to keep them on if possible after they qualified and there is a recognised career path to associate, salaried

10、 partner and equity partner. In the printing and road haulage sectors there were very few opportunities for promotion because of the nature of the work. However, printers sometimes had the opportunity to move on to operating a bigger machine and drivers to a larger vehicle. The nursing homes, howeve

11、r, found it most difficult to offer opportunities for career progression because, for a care assistant, this would mean leaving to undertake formal nurse training.Closed searches were among the most widely used recruitment methods in the case study firms. All had used recommendations from staff, 27

12、per cent had found staff through a network of contacts in the industry and 13 per cent had poached staff directly from competitors. One printing company had been able to fill all its vacancies by these methods since starting six years ago. Employing friends and family members of existing staff was e

13、specially common in the hotels and catering, road haulage and nursing home sectors. The view was expressed that people recruited in this way were more likely to “blend in” well. In the hotels and catering sector, especially for jobs which involve cash-handling, some knowledge of the background of th

14、e potential recruit was thought essential. However, a few employers expressed reservations about employing friends and family members because “if you fall out with one you lose two”. For solicitors the recruitment of fee-earners “through the network” was widespread including offering employment to s

15、olicitors who had worked for “the other side” in a case. The firms had ample opportunities to assess the capabilities of potential recruits, by observing how they performed in court, for example. Attitudes towards poaching staff varied. While some interviewees would poach staff without any reservati

16、ons, others regarded the practice as “unethical”. As the manager of an Indian restaurant put it, “it happens very often round here but I dont do it to other people because I dont like it happening to me”. Sometimes competent staff were “poached back” after leaving to work for another employer and, i

17、ndeed, the hiring of former employees was common, especially in the road haulage industry, where drivers often moved around from one company to another. In all sectors, apart from road haulage where drivers have to be at least 21 to train, some firms recruited direct from local educational establish

18、ments. Typical reasons for using closed searches included the belief that an existing member of staff is unlikely to recommend someone unsuitable, the preference for a “known quantity”, and valuing someone who would “fit in”. Only two of the interviewees (solicitors) expressed reservations about inf

19、ormal, word of mouth recruitment because of the equal opportunities implications, and because it was thought preferable to consider “the whole field”.Responsive recruitment methods were also widely used. Over half looked at former applications again if a similar vacancy arose. Similarly, over half w

20、ould offer work to casual callers who contacted the firm either by telephone or in person, provided there was a vacancy and the person was suitable; 70 per cent kept a register of interested applicants or a file of CVs. To some extent, this approach is rather less proactive than the others, relying

21、on a pool of potential recruits who had happened to contact the firm. On the other hand, it could be argued that these individuals utilised their initiative in seeking work, and might be all the more attractive to employers because of this.Of the more formal “open search” recruitment methods, advert

22、ising in Jobcentres and the local press were the most common. Jobcentres were routinely used by almost all the case study firms, at least for some categories of staff. The advantages of Jobcentres were said to be that they are free, and the advertisement stays in until the vacancy is filled. However

23、, while some interviewees found the Jobcentres to be a good source of new recruits, others expressed dissatisfaction with the standard of service offered. The most frequent complaints were that candidates were “not properly vetted”, they frequently failed to turn up for interview, or they were “not

24、really interested in finding a job”. Fewer firms used other recruitment agencies, mainly because they were regarded as expensive. Specialist driver agencies were criticised by the road haulage companies, with only two having used them, and then merely as a last resort. Once again, the people on thei

25、r books were thought to be “not properly vetted”, inexperienced, or not looking for permanent, full-time work. Although most firms had advertised in the local press, some only did so when less expensive methods had failed to produce a suitable candidate. The whole process of advertising, an initial

26、telephone screening (sometimes), sifting through CVs or application forms, shortlisting, interviewing, checking references (possibly) and making a selection decision was thought to be not only costly in terms of management time, but was regarded as a “hit and miss affair”. Only three firms had adver

27、tised in the national press, and in each case this was a “one-off” to fill a management position rather than being used as a regular recruitment method. Specialist journals were, however, more widely used, especially by the solicitors firms. Another open search method popular with the bars and pubs

28、was placing a notice of the vacancy in the bar itself, which was felt had the advantage of attracting the same type of person as the establishments customers. Other open search methods of recruitment used by the nursing homes were placing notices of vacancies in post offices and newsagents and, in o

29、ne case, advertising on local radio.Having reviewed the extent to which these firms followed prescriptions about the recruitment process and the methods they used to attract staff, we can now turn to an assessment of the problems encountered in recruitment. Despite using a variety of methods, severa

30、l of the case study organisations reported difficulties attracting staff. In some cases these difficulties were compounded by high staff turnover rates so that, despite their small size, the firms had ongoing recruitment drives, involving permanent advertisements in the Jobcentre and/or regular adve

31、rtisements in the local press.None of the employers had actually calculated the direct and indirect costs of recruitment and, indeed, some said they would rather not know. Typical responses were “its a necessary evil” and “I dont need anything else to horrify me”. Although several of the employers a

32、dmitted to having made expensive mistakes, generally high levels of satisfaction with recruitment methods were expressed. Most employers used a range of different methods and many said “I dont know how else wed do it”. Where there were problems, they were thought to stem from a shortage of suitable

33、candidates, rather than recruitment methods as such.ConclusionsThe main purpose of this paper has been to outline and analyse the ways in which recruitment takes place in small firms, drawing on data collected during 1998 from a sample of 40 organisations in the North West of England. The project focused on five diverse industries (hotels and catering,