Theorybased Recruiting Practices

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Theory-based Recruiting Practices

• Derek S. Chapman, Ph.D.,
• University of Calgary, Canada
• David A. Jones, Ph.D.
• University of Vermont, USA

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(No Transcript)
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Traditional approach to understanding recruiting

• Decision making
• Applicant perspective

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Methods used to study recruiting

• Direct methods
• Surveys listing preferences
• Interviews
• Focus groups
• Indirect methods
• Policy capturing
• Experimental designs
• Quasi experiments

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But

• Does not tell us how to recruit
• What my clients want
• Much of the work done in recruiting to date is
  lacking in theory (Barber, 1998 Rynes 1993)

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There is nothing so practical as a good theory

• Kurt Lewin

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Proactive Recruiting

• Marketing
• Stevens Mitchell Tripp 1990 Cable Turban,
  2001 Mauer Howe Lee, 1992
• Branding
• Cable Turban, 2000 Collins Stevens, 2000
• Employer of Choice- what about the rest of us?

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Problems with marketing approaches

• Importance of Decision (Petty Caccioppo, 1986)
• Centrality to life (Dukeritch Harquail, 1994)

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Recruitment as Persuasion

• The application of scientifically-derived
  persuasive techniques by organizational
  representatives, in which accurate info is used
  to promote favorable attitude formation and
  change among applicants or potential applicants
  regarding their future employment in a particular
  organization.

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Centrality of P-O Fit

• Schneiders ASA model
• Congruence between personal values and values of
  the org.
• Higher P-O fit greater attraction less
  turnover higher job sat.
• P-O fit is the strongest determinant of most
  recruiting outcomes (Chapman et al. 2003).
• Perceived fit most important.

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Traditional P-O Fit Approaches

• Measurement (e.g., Edwards, 1994)
• Applicant values
• Org values
• Self-selection
• RJP
• Socialization?

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Perceived fit influenced by two processes

• Perception of org. attributes
• E.g., compare pay to others in industry
• Influence criteria used in job choice
• E.g. Quality of Life vs. Salary

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Integrating Persuasion P-O Fit
Persuasion
Perceived Organizational Attributes
Perceived Personal Values
Perceived Fit
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Anatomy of an Attitude
Evaluative Component
Cognitive Component
Attitude Object
Behavioural Component
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Elaboration Likelihood Model (ELM)

• Petty Cacioppo, 1981
• EL how motivated and able people are to assess
  the central merits of the attitude object
• Low peripheral processing
• High central processing

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Petty Wegener
Source
Affective Processes
Message
Attitude Change
Cognitive Processes
Recipient
Behavioral Processes
Context
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Refocusing techniques

• Time perspective shifting (Mullner Chapman,
  2000)
• Perspective shifting (Brown Chapman, 2002)
• Referent comparisons (Brown Chapman, 2002)
• Level of fit shifting- e.g., emphasize
  occupational over organizational opportunities
• Type of fit shifting- e.g., supplementary fit vs.
  complementary fit (uniqueness versus fitting in)
  diversity implications (Piasentin Chapman, 2003)

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Brown Chapman, 2002 Nurses (n 174)
attraction to rural areas
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Hearts or Minds?

• Attitudes may be affectively based or cognitively
  based
• Matching message to attitude is most effective
• E.g., if attitude toward military service
  affectively based,
• UN humanitarian aid vs. benefits of training or
  salary

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Integrating Persuasion and RJP

• Debate over efficacy of RJP
• Very small to nil effects on turnover,
  performance (Premack Wanous)
• Negative effects on attraction (Saks et al.)

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Chapman Co, 2004
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Chapman Co, 2004
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Possible objections to Persuasive recruiting

• Ethical
• Assumes interference in a natural process
• Subject to biases and motivated reasoning (Kunda,
  1990)
• Incomplete information (Rynes et al)
• Improper weighting of information (Dawes et al.)
• Overweighting of negative info (Ordonez et al.
  1999)
• Unrealistic expectations
• RJP evidence is very weak
• Post entry socialization a larger factor
• Only honest info is a must

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Conclusions

• Recruiting has largely ignored the persuasion
  literature
• Recruiting practices based on persuasion theory
  have a good chance of working
• Persuasion practice and research would benefit
  from recruiting perspective