Strategic Employee Selection and HR Alignment
Understanding Different Types of Job Seekers
Idealistic Messaging: The recruiting practice of communicating only positive information to potential employees. This is a short-term approach.
Realistic Messaging: The recruiting practice of communicating both good and bad features of jobs to potential employees. This is a long-term approach.
Realistic Job Previews: Information given to potential employees that provides a complete picture of the job and organization.
How Employee Selection Aligns with HR Strategy
Employee Selection: The process of testing and gathering information to decide whom to hire. Effective selection provides many benefits. Selecting the right employees can improve the effectiveness of other human resource practices and prevent numerous problems.
Short-Term Generalists
- This is associated with the Bargain Laborer HR strategy.
- Most positions are filled by hiring people from other organizations.
- The goal is to select people who can perform simple tasks that require little specialized skill.
- People without specialized skills do not generally demand high compensation.
- They are willing to work in routine jobs and do whatever they are asked.
- The number of employees working for the organization can be adjusted up or down as demand increases or decreases.
Long-Term Generalists
Individuals who have developed skills and knowledge concerning how things are done in a specific organization. Long-term generalists are beneficial for organizations using the Loyal Soldier HR strategy.
Benefits of a Long-Term Generalist Strategy
- Lack of specific expertise allows the firm to reduce payroll costs.
- Employees have developed skills and abilities that are only valuable to the specific organization, reducing the likelihood that they will move to another one.
- Reduction in recruitment, selection, and training expenses.
- They tend to develop relationships and form a strong sense of commitment to the organization.
Long-Term Specialists
These are people who have expertise in a particular area. They use the Committed Expert HR strategy. People are hired even if they have not yet developed all the skills needed to perform the job, as long as they are committed to advancing within a specific profession.
Benefits of Long-Term Specialists
- It enables organizations to create and keep developing talent.
- Employees are given time and assets to develop the skills they need to be the best at what they do and add value back to the organization.
Short-Term Specialists
These are employees who provide specific inputs for relatively short periods of time. This is associated with the Free Agent HR strategy. Staffing is aimed at hiring people who have already developed skills so they can bring innovations to the organization.
Benefits of Short-Term Specialists
- Employees provide services for relatively short periods of time.
- Allows the organization to quickly acquire needed expertise without waiting for hires to acquire the skills.
- The organization pays premium prices for this knowledge and skills but makes no long-term commitments, and both parties can end the employment relationship at any time.
Making Strategic Selection Decisions
Job-Based Fit: Knowledge and skills.
Organization-Based Fit: Characteristics matching the general culture of the organization.
- Bargain Laborer: Fit is not important in either case.
- Loyal Soldier: Organization-based fit is important.
- Committed Expert: Requires both job-based fit and organization-based fit.
- Free Agent: Job-based fit is important.
The second area concerns whether employees should be chosen because of what they have already achieved or because of their potential for future accomplishments.
Achievement: A selection approach emphasizing existing skills and past accomplishments.
Potential: A selection approach emphasizing broad characteristics that foreshadow the capability to develop future knowledge and skill.
- Bargain Laborer: Neither
- Loyal Soldier: Potential
- Committed Expert: Potential
- Free Agent: Achievement