Applying Organizational Psychology to Recruitment

Applying Organizational Psychology to Recruitment

Organizational Psychology and the Recruitment Process:

Organizational Perspective

The recruitment process begins long before the actual hiring of new employees within an organization. Specific forms of recruitment and the potential sources they target have an impact on the type of individuals who respond. In that regard, organizations may have preferences such as recruiting from industries, areas of academia, and from other types of firms (Jex & Britt, 2002). For that matter, organizations may even prefer to recruit new employees from specific firms known for their quality training programs or organizational values (if not necessarily their successful retention level).

Beyond targeting recruitment efforts at individuals likely to succeed within the organization, the recruitment process includes a longer-range analysis of the success and retention rate of new hires. The express purpose of this element of applied organizational psychology is to identify beneficial recruitment strategies and fine tune the overall effort to attract, appeal to, and hire those prospective employees who will maximize the value of the cost of their recruitment and training and contribute the most to the organization (Jex & Britt, 2002).

The specific choices made by organizations as to the particular aspects of their company they wish to emphasize and the manner in which they do so in recruiting literature and other materials substantially influences the response of certain types of prospective employees over others. During the interview phase, the employer often seeks to identify evidence that prospective employees either already share traits and values considered important by the organization or that they exhibit strong potential to develop in those areas in the manner conducive to success within the organization. Typically, entry-level prospects are evaluated more for their potential in this regard whereas older or mid-career prospects are evaluated more for their existing vocational values and expectations (Orpen, 1993).

Individual Perspective

To the extent that other factors (such as the relative scarcity of available positions and an extremely delicate economic climate, for example) can be excluded, individuals seeking highly skilled employment also tend to do so in a manner described by elements of organizational psychology. Just as organizations seek to attract and hire employees who are a good "fit" for their organizations, individuals also look for employment within firms that they perceive to be a good match for their preferences, natural inclinations, and vocational (among other) values (Jex & Britt, 2002).

Generally, entry-level new hires are more flexible in terms of the specific factors that draw them to a particular employer, mainly because they often have fewer options, but also because they usually have much less previous vocational experience with which to compare prospective organizations (Walker, Feild, Giles, et al., 2008). Meanwhile, more seasoned mid-career-level prospects tend to maintain much more specific and well-defined preferences. In addition to often having the luxury of negotiating from a stronger position, they have sufficient prior vocational experience to know exactly what aspects of organizational values, culture, or processes and procedures appeal to them as well as precisely how important different aspects of their work environment are to their overall vocational satisfaction (Walker, Feild, Giles, et al., 2008).

During the interview phase, the prospective employee must present himself in a manner most conducive to the success of his candidacy while simultaneously soliciting information directly as well as indirectly from recruiters and interviewers. Generally, entry-level candidates are more concerned with the former and are often insufficiently experienced to accomplish the latter as effectively as older mid-career prospects (Walker, Feild, Giles, et al., 2008).

Incorporating Organizational Psychology into Recruitment Strategy:

By incorporating principles of organizational psychology into the entire recruitment process, organizations can better attract those prospective hires who will develop successfully within the organization and produce maximum return for the recruitment and training expenses associated with employee turnover. In that respect, effective recruitment maximizes the long-term contribution of new hires by minimizing attrition (Bernerth & Walker, 2009).

Beginning in the advertising phase, employers implement organizational psychology by designing recruiting campaigns known to attract specific types of prospective employees. For example, recruiters employing organizational psychology understand that the content of advertising and initial experiences with the organization tend to influence the manner and degree to which new hires adopt the organizational culture and values much more in the case of older mid-career prospects than their younger counterparts (Walker, Feild, Giles, et al., 2008).

Conversely, to the extent that those elements do influence younger hires, the appearance (i.e. physical attractiveness) of individuals featured in the recruitment materials is relatively important while being largely irrelevant to older experienced prospects (Walker, Feild, Giles, et al., 2008). Therefore, organizational psychology allows firms to adapt their recruitment materials to appeal to the target audience for specific hiring campaigns according to the organization's needs at any particular time.

Similarly, organizational psychology offers other mechanisms based on specific principles capable of increasing the attractiveness of the organization to potential hires. According to the Hawthorne effect, for example, individuals respond positively to virtually any novel change in the vocational environment (Jex & Britt, 2002). While the effect typically lasts only shortly, it can be effectively employed in recruitment strategies as a means of increasing the attractiveness of the organization to prospective employees, particularly those prospects with sufficient prior experience to respond in the manner detailed by the Hawthorne effect. In that regard, the promotion of novel concepts and the purposeful creation of the impression that the organization offers novel approaches to the vocational environment (even in relatively minor ways) can increase the effectiveness of recruitment efforts, especially among seasoned employees.

Finally, the application of organizational psychology to recruitment efforts also includes the identification of personality traits, values, and expectations on the part of prospective employees that suggest reasons for avoiding certain individuals notwithstanding their technical credentials. By examining the history of the prospect's employment, the vocational norms and values of the previous (or current) employer, and the reasons given for pursuing alternate employment, the experienced recruiter can identify trends, values, and expectations that are not conducive to the adoption of the organization's norms and values and which foretell difficulty assimilating to the social structure and norms of the organization (Jex & Britt, 2002).

Organizational Socialization:

Business organizations establish their own culture and social norms that are shared by those who are well suited to employment within the organization (Jex & Britt, 2002). As a general principle, professional success within most business organizations is largely a function of the degree to which new hires successfully adopt and adapt to the prevailing organizational culture. The organizational culture may relate heavily to the organizations mission in some cases, or it may relate primarily to operational elements and established patterns and expectations of attitude and behavior (Jex & Britt, 2002).

Organizational socialization typically occurs in various stages, beginning with the recruitment phase or "anticipatory socialization," preceding employment within the organization (Jex & Britt, 2002). That stage is followed by the initial "encounter" phase during which the new employee begins to understand exactly what is expected in terms of adapting to the norms and values of the organization. Eventually, the employee reaches the "change and acquisition" phase and (later) various "custodianship" or "innovation" stages characterized by successful integration into the environment (Jex & Britt, 2002).