This paper presents a comprehensive staffing plan for an engineering and manufacturing company operating in a city with a limited skilled workforce and high public-assistance rates. The plan addresses three core HR functions: recruitment of both skilled and unskilled laborers, selection of qualified candidates through credential verification and interviews, and onboarding of new hires to promote retention and workplace integration. Special attention is given to the use of social media as a modern recruitment and screening tool, the importance of verifying academic credentials, and structured onboarding methods designed to reduce turnover and build organizational commitment.
Engineering and manufacturing requires many individuals who are adept at skilled labor. Additionally, there are unskilled laborers who can also be of use to a company that engineers and manufactures goods. In a city such as this one, however, there are significant challenges — including a lack of a skilled workforce and a large population receiving public assistance. College graduates and professionals are not common in such areas, because many of them leave for high-tech hubs elsewhere. While the company in question cannot focus its efforts on stopping that outflow of workers, there are ways in which it can reach out to and recruit people who have the skills — or are developing the skills — it is looking for. That effort can go a long way toward making the company one that workers consider before choosing to relocate.
For recruitment, there are two issues to consider: (1) people who already live in the area and have the skills the company needs, and (2) people who live elsewhere in the country but have the right skills and would be willing to relocate. Both of these groups are important when a company is looking for new talent and attempting to find workers who will be the right long-term fit (Wright & Domagalski, 2010). In order to develop a comprehensive recruitment plan, the company must know exactly what kinds of employees it wants to hire. Not every recruitment effort will be successful, so companies seeking new talent should focus not on specific individuals, but on a specific type of person (Wright & Domagalski, 2010). For an engineering and manufacturing company, two different recruitment efforts must be addressed: one for skilled laborers and one for unskilled laborers.
Skilled laborers present the greatest recruitment challenge, because there are fewer of them available. Recruiting unskilled laborers is relatively straightforward — placing an ad in the local paper typically attracts many unemployed individuals seeking work. These workers can often be trained on the job, since the positions for which they are hired do not require degrees or advanced technical skills. Skilled recruitment, however, is far more complicated (Wright & Domagalski, 2010). One increasingly effective method for reaching skilled candidates is through social media platforms (Kluemper & Rosen, 2009). Once used primarily for personal networking, social media has become a powerful professional tool that employers use to identify and connect with qualified candidates across geographic boundaries, making it particularly valuable for companies struggling to find local talent (Kluemper & Rosen, 2009).
Selecting the right person from a pool of candidates is equally important. Social media can assist with initial screening, but ultimately a more personal connection — such as a formal interview — must be established between the candidate and the company (Kluemper & Rosen, 2009). For skilled positions, credentials are among the most critical factors to evaluate (Bernthal, n.d.). All credentials should meet company standards and must be independently verifiable. Some candidates hold degrees from unaccredited or diploma-mill institutions, and if they possess some baseline skills, the invalidity of their credentials may not be immediately apparent. Such hires can damage the company's reputation and negatively affect the quality of engineered or manufactured products. It is therefore essential to verify all degrees and credentials before hiring anyone into a skilled, degreed position (Kluemper & Rosen, 2009).
The selection process must also include in-person interviews. Even when a candidate lives out of the area, an in-person meeting is necessary. Some companies fly candidates in at their own expense, but given current economic conditions, it is more standard to expect candidates to cover their own travel costs for initial interviews — particularly when multiple out-of-town candidates are being considered, as providing transportation for all of them could strain the company's budget (Kluemper & Rosen, 2009). For high-level engineering positions that require second or even third interviews, however, the company may choose to cover the returning candidate's travel expenses as a gesture of good faith. Guidelines on best practices for structured hiring and talent acquisition suggest that a consistent, multi-stage interview process strengthens the overall quality of selection decisions.
"Training, socialization, and reducing early turnover"
Today's workforce is increasingly mobile, and employees may be recruited away by companies in other states or even other countries. Because this possibility always exists, it is important for all companies to invest in structured onboarding programs (Anonymous, 2009). Among the most effective onboarding methods are formal meetings, lectures, instructional videos, and hands-on reference materials that new hires can review independently until they are fully comfortable with the information and the expectations of their role. Each individual learns differently and adapts to a new position at a different pace, but applying methods that research has found to be most effective gives any company the best chance of integrating new employees successfully.
To fill unskilled labor positions, advertisements in local newspapers and on online job boards will generally be sufficient, given the large number of people actively seeking work. For skilled positions, however, a structured recruitment and selection process is essential. This involves identifying the right candidates — increasingly through social media — and rigorously verifying their credentials before extending an offer. Once new hires are brought on board, the onboarding process must be carried out thoughtfully using a combination of lectures, videos, hands-on materials, and other methods to ensure clarity about job expectations and organizational culture. By recruiting carefully, selecting candidates who are a strong organizational fit, and providing thorough onboarding, the engineering and manufacturing company will be far more likely to retain high-quality employees who remain committed to their work and to the organization for years to come.
Anonymous. (2009, June). Onboarding: A critical element in strategic talent management. Workforce Management, 88(7), S10. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global.
Bernthal, P. (n.d.). Calculating ROI for selection systems. DDI World. Retrieved from http://www.ddiworld.com/DDIWorld/media/white-papers/calculatingroiforselectionwpddi.pdf
Kluemper, D. H., & Rosen, P. A. (2009). Future employment selection methods: Evaluating social networking web sites. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 24(6), 567–580. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global.
Wright, E., & Domagalski, T. (2010, May). Common sense hiring. SuperVision, 71(5), 15–17. Retrieved from ABI/INFORM Global.
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