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SECTION 1 – PREPARING FOR RECRUITMENT
Prior planning and preparation can achieve a more innovative and strategic approach to
recruitment. This section covers the work that could be done before job vacancies occur.
Opportunities to prepare are in the following areas:
• Strategic workforce planning and adjusting recruitment to meet organisational needs;
• Designing jobs and preparing job descriptions;
• Establishing the work-related requirements for each job; and
• Evaluating and classifying jobs.
1.1 Strategic Workforce Planning
It is important that the organisation’s workforce planning guides the approach to
recruitment and selection. The purpose of workforce planning (or strategic human
resource planning) is to position an organisation so that it has the right people with the
right skills to meet current and future business challenges. It is relevant to ask questions
such as the following, particularly when there is no clearly articulated plan:
What is the current business of our organisation?
Consider:
• Changes in the services provided and the customer base;
• Areas of growth and development;
• Different ways of doing business, e.g., E-Commerce; and
• The key business challenges to be faced.
What are the implications of this for our workforce?
Consider future requirements for:
• Different skills and the impact that these may have on the number and types of jobs;
• Workforce flexibility; and
• The working environment and organisational culture.
How well does our current workforce capability and composition match these
requirements?
Consider:
• Current skills and performance;
• Factors contributing to staff turnover;
• The impact that staff turnover and anticipated retirements may have on skills
currently available; and
•Whether the workforce composition reflects the customer base.
Prior planning and preparation can achieve a more innovative and strategic approach to
recruitment. This section covers the work that could be done before job vacancies occur.
Opportunities to prepare are in the following areas:
• Strategic workforce planning and adjusting recruitment to meet organisational needs;
• Designing jobs and preparing job descriptions;
• Establishing the work-related requirements for each job; and
• Evaluating and classifying jobs.
1.1 Strategic Workforce Planning
It is important that the organisation’s workforce planning guides the approach to
recruitment and selection. The purpose of workforce planning (or strategic human
resource planning) is to position an organisation so that it has the right people with the
right skills to meet current and future business challenges. It is relevant to ask questions
such as the following, particularly when there is no clearly articulated plan:
What is the current business of our organisation?
Consider:
• Changes in the services provided and the customer base;
• Areas of growth and development;
• Different ways of doing business, e.g., E-Commerce; and
• The key business challenges to be faced.
What are the implications of this for our workforce?
Consider future requirements for:
• Different skills and the impact that these may have on the number and types of jobs;
• Workforce flexibility; and
• The working environment and organisational culture.
How well does our current workforce capability and composition match these
requirements?
Consider:
• Current skills and performance;
• Factors contributing to staff turnover;
• The impact that staff turnover and anticipated retirements may have on skills
currently available; and
•Whether the workforce composition reflects the customer base.
