Effective Recruitment Strategies

Effective Recruitment Strategies

Data Sources: Teaching Research Institute Survey 2002 and Journal of Healthcare Management, 2005 article on rehabilitation professional recruitment and retention.

The immediate needs recruitment process can be divided into the following four phases: Advertising, Pre-application, application, interview/follow-up

Advertising

This phase is gaining the interest of qualified candidates in an open position.

·  Advertise on the internet-Teaching Research Institute Special

Education Jobs Clearinghouse

·  Advertise on the district web site

·  Advertise in the “ASHA Leader”

·  Highlight technological support

·  Include support for continuing education

·  Highlight flexibility in scheduling

·  Identify recreational and cultural assets of surrounding environment

·  Use values of organization

·  Highlight support of administrators and colleagues

·  Use workload vs. case load

·  Use correct professional descriptors

·  Describe any program for load forgiveness, salary differential,

relocation expenses, and sign-on bonuses

·  Identify experiences your agency provides

Pre-Application

This phase encompasses moving qualified applicants for the position (s) into the application phase.

·  Participate in focused career fairs at training programs

·  Play up the experiences your agency provides

·  Identify internal staff interested in the profession

·  Support a grassroots recruitment program

·  Support Teaching Research Special Education Clearinghouse

·  Reiterate sign-on bonus, relocation expenses, salary differential, loan

forgiveness programs

·  Provide concise user friendly information on salary and benefits

·  Frankly discuss salary and benefits

·  Follow-up by staff speech-language pathologist

·  Focus resources on in-state candidates

·  Pre-interview at focused career/job fairs

Application

·  Take applications on line

·  Take applications from walk-ins

·  Provide immediate response to applicants

·  Provide applicants progress report

Interview/Follow-up

·  Provide flexible times for interviews including weekends

·  The interview team should be a maximum of four including at least one regular education administrator

·  Facilitate applicants meeting staff in at least one of the areas/buildings to which they will be assigned

·  Follow-up to show interest and respond to unanswered questions

·  Have a speech-language pathologist on the interview team

·  Keep the interview relaxed asking questions to draw the person to

strengths

Effective Retention Strategies

·  Support continuing education

·  Provide flexible schedules

·  Use a work load approach vs. case load

·  Administrators maintain contact

·  Make time to meet with supervisors

·  Provide at least and informal mentor

·  Provide for team development and collaboration

·  Building administrators demonstrate importance of SLP to the total

educational process-SLP is important

·  Educate new administrators to the role (s) of the SLP in the

educational process

·  Encourage staff to maintain a life balance