Tanglewood Case Study Three: Recruiting Introduction

Three: Recruiting Introduction The following report is submitted to the Staffing Services Director on recruiting at Tanglewood. Task 1: Develop a recruitment guide using Exhibit 5. 3 in the textbook as the format. Recruitment Guide for Store Associate Position: Store Associate Reports to: Shift Leader Qualifications: — High school diploma or equivalent Prior retail experience is preferred Relevant Labor Market: Pacific Northwest Timeline: Continuous Activities to undertake to source well qualified candidates: Staff members involved: Budget

Task 2: Describe the best “targets” for your recruiting efforts by considering the job and organizational context. Evaluate the various methods of recruiting in terms of whether they seem more like “open” or “targeted” recruiting, using the information in the book to help you make this decision. If some methods seem more “targeted,” whom do you think they target? The store associate position is an entry-level position in the Tanglewood organization and is focused on retail sales, customer service, and inventory control as the key activities for an employee at this level is expected to concentrate on for day-to-day operations.

Task 3: For each division use the data tables provided in Appendix B to estimate how each method fares in terms of yields and costs. Provide a one-page summary of the essential results of the various data tables you have been provided. Task 4: Northern Oregon has suggested that the other divisions of the company use a policy of using kiosks and staffing agencies rather than using the more “touchy-feely” method of relying on referrals. Does this division have a point? What would the effect of other regions increasing their use of external hiring be?

I think Northern Oregon has a valid point about the methods Tanglewood uses Task 5: Tanglewood’s top management is highly committed to improving customer service quality, and proposes that simply finding the cheapest way to hire is not sufficient. Besides costs and retention, what other measures of employee performance would be good “bottom line” metrics for the quality of a recruiting method? How might the managerial focus groups’ concerns fit with these alternative considerations?

I agree with Tanglewood’s management that “cheapest isn’t necessarily best” when considering how recruiting for new employees planned and executed. Task 6: The question of realism in the recruitment policy has been raised in focus groups. Write one paragraph proposals for targeted, realistic, and branded recruiting messages for Tanglewood’s customer store associate positions. What are the traditional arguments for and against using realistic recruiting policies?