Workforce Planning, Recruitment, & Selection

Task 1:  Workforce Planning, Recruitment, & Selection

A1. Discuss 3 factors that are influencing labor demand.

1. The average current age of the departments police officer is 45. Within the next 5 years, 24% of the current workforce will be eligible for retirement. If new officers are not hired now, there will not be enough time for them to gain the necessary experience to take over and lead. An aging workforce is also not a desirable one. New and innovative ideas can come into the workforce by hiring new officers.

1. Union contracts require that promotions are done from within the department. This means that the current workforce will again be reduced by 25% in order to fulfill the open promotions. In order to backfill those spots left vacant by internal promotions, the department needs to recruit and hire.

3.         The department also has a demand placed on labor by voluntary and involuntary terminations, as well other factors like death, relocation or extended illness or leave of absence. Because the department is already short on new recruits, these factors will continue to put a demand on labor.

A2. Discuss 3 factors that are influencing labor supply.  

1. One of the factors affecting the labor supply is the cost of living in the area. The state has one of the highest rates of property, sales and income tax. Most police officers do not make a significant starting wage, so the added burden of a high cost of living, would make it difficult to attract candidates to the area.

1. Another factor on the labor force is the harsh and wide swings of the climate. Because the state experiences very cold and depressing winters, as well as hot summers, it makes it difficult to attract candidates on the basis of the environment. Candidates who are not accustomed to or familiar with such weather patterns would not be enticed to apply.

1. Because tuition fees for colleges and universities are one of the highest in the nation, most young people are leaving the state to attend school. Once they leave, it is hard to incentivize them to return to the area for jobs. Also, since the job outlook for the state is poor, that only adds to the factors that once a person leaves the state, it is hard to get them back. Because so many are leaving the state, this has a dramatic impact on the labor supply.

B1. Identify three recruitment objectives.

1. One of the recruitment objectives that the department should focus on is retention of first-year recruits. Because it is so hard to attract new candidates to the position, it would be vital to retain the ones they are able to hire.  The department would need to decide how to retain newly hired employees, so as to not lose important human capital. One objective it could set would be to retain 80% of all first-year hires.

1. Another recruitment objective would need to be tracking the external applicants vs. the internal referrals. Since the department is planning on launching a new employee referral program, it would be important to track which referral source worked the best, and which produced the highest quality of candidate. A good goal would be to try and obtain a 40% increase in employee referrals as well as a 50% conversion rate of referrals into hires.

1. Because the department has such heavy demands on the labor force, and a short supply of candidates one recruitment objective they should set is the date by which they would want to fill the open positions. If for instance they could say, we should recruit and hire 15 candidates in 12 weeks, that would help define the goal for which they are driving.

B2a. Determine the size of the applicant pool.  

By utilizing the Military Police and Other Police Departments, the applicant pool needed to produce 25 viable candidates is 36 applicants.

I would take the number hired from each source being a total of 7, and then divide that by the 5 applicants from each source, which equals 10, this gives me a combined yield ratio of 70%. I would then divide 25 by .70, which tells me I need 35.7, rounded to 36 applicants to get the desired yield ratio of 25.

B2b. Recommend 2 types of target groups who should be targeted for recruitment.  

1. I would recommend using the Other Police Department recruitment source as my number one.

1. The second recruitment source I would use would be the Military Police.

1. I also don’t think it would be a bad idea to still target the Criminal Justice Graduate, they had a high yield ratio as well and their lead time is a little shorter.

B2b1. Justify your recommendation.  

Group One

1. The reason I would use the Other Police Departments recruiting source first, is because it has the highest yield ratio of 80%. This would help us reach our recruiting numbers.

1. The second reason I would use this source is because of their experience with the job itself. Because they already have experience in the field, the need for training is lower, the probability of them being successful is higher and the knowledge of the job and its realities is greater.

Group Two

1. I would use the Military Police as my second recruitment source because it also had a high yield ratio of 60%.

1. Military police are also very familiar with the aspects of the job and the pros and cons of working in law enforcement. Because of the familiarity with the job, the quality of the candidate is likely to be better and they will be easier to retain.

B2c. Describe 2 effective methods for reaching each target group.  

Group One

1. To effectively reach candidates from Other Police Departments, I would use the method of employee referrals and informal recruitment at police association and union events. Police Officers are likely to know and interact with other police officers, if they have a friend or acquaintance they trust recommend the job, they are more likely to apply. Also, if they are recruited at these events, they are more apt to feel like they are wanted to apply and more likely to get a job offer. Thus encouraging them to apply for the position.

1. Another effective method for reaching this group is local, state and regional electronic job postings. Police officers who are looking to make a move often utilize these job postings and seek them out.

Group Two

1. An effective way to reach the Military Police group is to post jobs in forums, job sites and journals directed specifically for military personnel. Because these sources are limited to those already in the military, you are more likely to advertise to the targeted candidate.

1. Another method is to use employee referrals, like current police officers, military police are more trusting of those they know. They are more inclined to have a favorable opinion of the job offering if referred to them by someone they trust.

C1. Recommend 3 appropriate selection methods for all target candidates.

1. I would use an application or resume submission.
2. I would also use an interview process, consisting of a screening interview, a structured interview and a panel interview.
3. I would also use a selection method of reference checks.

C1a. Justify each of your 3 recommendations.  

1. It is very important to gather all of the biographical information on a candidate, as well other important information such as what skills, knowledge and abilities they possess. If you have affirmative action or diversity goals, you can collect that information on a separate form at the same time they apply. An application is such a widely used form of obtaining a job that it is not viewed as a barrier to getting applicants. Unless it is overly complicated or difficult to complete.

1. The interview process is vital to gathering more information about the KSA and TDR’s that a candidate has. A screening interview is a great first step in eliminating candidates for general skills they may not have. Once a candidate passes a screening interview it would be great to have a structured interview for these police officer candidates. As many of the rules and policies they are going to follow are going to be rigid, it would be valuable to see how all the candidates answer the same questions. A panel interview would be important as well, as police officers are required to work with each other and on teams a lot of the time. In order for the whole team (or panel) to like a candidate and also for the candidate to become familiar with the organization a panel interview would be helpful.

1. A reference check is a great selection method as police officers have to work with the general public on a daily basis. References can provide great insight into a candidate’s personality, strengths and weaknesses on the job as well as in private settings. Reference could also give opinions on how the candidate does in stressful, emotional or confrontational situations.

C2. Describe two selection tests.  

1. One selection test that I would recommend for police officer selection would be a physical fitness test. The job description clearly states that the applicant must be able to run two miles in 20 minutes or less, drag 75-pound weight 50 yards and carry 50-pound weight 200 feet. So, it would be reasonable to test to make sure the applicant could achieve the physical requirements of the job.

1. Another selection test that could be used would be a basic police officer exam. This could include the city criminal, traffic, public, and animal ordinances they are required to know as well as to test their knowledge on the safe use and maintenance of firearms, defensive weapons, and restraints.  This would be a uniform and standardized test that would be the same for all applicants.

C3. Identify two background verification checks and when in your selection process.  

1. One background verification check that should be conducted is to verify that the applicant has a valid driver’s license and does not have any moving violations in the last 3 years.

1. This verification could take place at the time of application, having them submit their driving record along with their resume or application. It could also be completed during the screening interview.

1. Another background verification check should be a drug test. As it states in the job description, police officers cannot use drugs or illegal substances or abuse prescriptions.

1. This verification should take place at the end of the process. Once a job offer is made, the job offer can be made contingent on successfully passing a drug test.

C4. Discuss four methods for evaluating the effectiveness of a recruitment and selection plans.