Page 340 - Discrimination at Work The Psychological and Organizational Bases

13. HRM PRACTICES
by discrimination. However, most of the research discussed in this chapter
deals with minority groups defined in terms of race, sex, or age.
STAFFING 307
Staffing refers to a set of activities that are used to accomplish the ultimate
goal of filling positions in the organization and includes both recruitment
and selection. Although there are broader definitions of recruitment (e.g.,
Doverspike, Taylor, Shultz, & McKay, 2000), we use a narrower definition
of recruitment that refers to the initial stages of generating and attracting
applicants and also the initial exchange of information between the ap­
plicant and the organization. Selection, on the other hand, refers to the set
of practices and activities that are deployed after the recruitment process,
resulting in the final decision to hire or reject the applicant.

Recruitment

Reducing the Negative Effects of Recruitment An emphasis on diver­
sity in recruitment is obviously critical to achieving adequate minority
representation. If there are insufficient numbers of qualified minority
applicants in the recruited pool, then it is highly unlikely that subsequent
selection procedures will result in a balanced or representative workforce.
Thus, targeted minority recruitment can be an effective strategy for
diversity enhancement because it allows organizations to attract the most
talented applicants.
In this section, we will discuss methods that can be used to increase
the representation of racial minorities, women, and older workers in the
applicant pool. We will first discuss general principles that apply across
groups and will then discuss some group-specific issues. Researchers have
outlined three major issues in the attraction and recruitment of potential
minority employees (Doverspike, Taylor, Shultz et al., 2000). They are (a)
using proper communication media and messages, (b) increasing job seek­
ers' perceived fit between themselves and the job or organization, and (c)
maintaining the job seekers' motivation to apply and remain during the
selection process.
The first step in attracting sufficient numbers of minorities involves
the placement, nature, and content of advertising materials and other or­
ganizational communications (AARP, 1993; Doverspike, Taylor, Shultz et
al., 2000). However, the messages and media that work with White males
may not be equally effective with members of minority groups and can
only be successful if they reach the minority audience. When faced with