Chapter 5
Recruitment, Selection, and
Retention
• Recruitment
• The Recruiting Message
• Selection
• Turnover and Retention
Copyright 2011 Health Administration Press
Recruitment Defined
• Recruitment refers to the methods organizations
use to attract qualified individuals on a timely
basis and in sufficient numbers and to encourage
them to apply for jobs.
• Key decisions in recruitment:
– Should we promote from within, or should we recruit
from the environment?
– Should alternatives to full-time employees be used,
such as outsourcing and flexible staffing?
– How important is it for employees to fit the culture of
the organization?
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Factors That Influence Job Choice
• Individual characteristics and preferences
• Vacancy characteristics, such as salary, benefits,
and opportunities for advancement
• Challenge and responsibility in the job
• Job security
• Geographic location and employee lifestyle
concerns
• Organizational culture
• Other factors, such as travel requirements
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Human Resources Information System:
Key Recruitment Data
• Skills and knowledge inventory
• Previous applicants
• Recruitment source effectiveness and cost
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Yield ratios
Cost
Cost per applicant
Cost per hire
Offers by recruitment source
• Application rate
• Time to hire
• Recruiter effectiveness
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Advantages and Disadvantages of
Internal Recruitment
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Advantages
May improve employee
morale
Permits easier assessment of
applicants
May be faster and lower cost
Good motivator for
performance
Applicants more
knowledgeable about the
organization
May reinforce employees’
sense of job security
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Disadvantages
Possible morale problems for
applicants not hired
May lead to “inbreeding”
May require strong
management development
May manifest the Peter
Principle
May cause ripple effect in
vacancies
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Advantages and Disadvantages of
External Recruitment
Advantages
• Brings new ideas into the
organization
• May be less expensive than
training internal applicants
• External applicants do not
have dysfunctional
relationships in the
organization
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Disadvantages
May identify applicants with
technical skills but lacking in
fit with the organization
May create morale
problems for internal
applicants not selected
May require longer
adjustment and
socialization
Reliable information about
applicants may be difficult
to obtain
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Selection
• Person–job fit: Does the applicant have the technical requirements to do
the job?
• Person–organization fit: Does the applicant share the values, culture, and
attitudes of the organization?
• Selection tools: procedures to obtain information about job applicants
– Critical incident analysis: Useful for uncovering hidden or less formal aspects
of job performance
– Reference checks
– Job Interviews
• Structured
• Unstructured
• Situational questions
• Experience-based questions
– Applications and resumes
– Ability and aptitude tests
– Assessment centers
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Nurse Retention: Effective Strategies
• Select the right employees.
• Improve orientation and on-boarding
processes.
• Monitor turnover to identify root causes.
• Develop and implement strategies to retain
highly valued employees.
• Attempt to reverse decisions to leave.
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Nurse Retention
• Competitive compensation
• Well-structured jobs with sufficient autonomy
and flexibility
• Strong and effective management and
supervisors
• Career growth opportunities
• Example: Magnet Recognition Program
acknowledges healthcare organizations that
provide excellent nursing care
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International Recruitment and
Migration
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Push factors are factors that cause someone to leave a country to work elsewhere.
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Pull factors are factors that attract someone to come to a host country.
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Low pay
Poor working conditions
Political instability and insecurity
Inadequate housing and social services
Lack of professional development
Professional training
Better job opportunities
Safety
Higher wages
Better working conditions
International recruitment has important ethical implications, including “brain
drain” concerns.
The UK National Health Service has developed the Code on International
Recruitment.
Copyright 2011 Health Administration Press