Introduction: Targeted Recruitment Strategy for Red Lobster
In the recruitment process for the restaurant management position, Red Lobster has developed a job description using thorough job analysis methods. The job description will be further utilized in the development of a targeted recruitment strategy. Philips and Gully (2015) estimated that, by having a more qualified candidate pool, Red Lobster can save about $7 million in annual costs due to a reduction in managerial turnover and lower recruitment costs. This benefit can only be achieved by designing a well-targeted recruitment strategy, in addition to a well-designed job description. This article will examine the process of developing a targeted recruitment strategy for Red Lobster Restaurant Managers, and provide recommendations on the candidate pre-screening process.
Read first about: Job Analysis and Job Description for Red Lobster Restaurant Manager
Targeted Recruitment Process Overview
In designing a targeted recruitment strategy, Red Lobster should understand various aspects that will lead the company to acquire the best talents effectively. To analyze these aspects, Breaugh (2017) listed five key strategy development: the type of individuals that should be targeted, the recruitment message that should be communicated, the method to reach the targeted individual, the timing of the recruitment campaign, and the nature of a site visit. These questions must be answered by the design, including the job description that answered the first question. The second and third questions will be answered in this targeted recruitment strategy.
To create an effective recruitment message and a channel to target the individuals, Red Lobster should develop effective recruitment advertisements, which will be essential to determining the success of a recruitment campaign (Torrington et al., 2020). The decision on the content of a recruitment advertisement is vital because of the high cost of ad space and the need to attract attention, whether hard or digital ads. The main strategy is to use 80% of the recruitment ad using online channels and the remaining 20% using offline channels. It is in line with the prediction by Accenture, that about 80% of prospective employees will soon be acquired through social media connections (Dessler, 2020). The use of photographs will also be fully utilized, following a report by Burt et al. (2010) on three studies that found that the use of photographs increases the effectiveness of recruitment advertisements.
Strategies for Reaching Passive Job Applicants
Merlevede (2014) noted that fewer than half of the prospects come from conventional channels. Most employers announce the recruitment ads on their own websites, on job boards such as Indeed.com, Monster, and CareerBuilder, and even virtual job fairs and LinkedIn (Dessler, 2020). It can be a good choice for Red Lobster to reach more passive job applicants. To even go deeper and reach passive job applicants, Red Lobster can search for a Facebook group for restaurant managers or restaurant enthusiasts and post the recruitment ads there. Hence, even those talents who may not be looking or are in a passive position can also be informed about the recruitment.
Utilizing online channels for recruitment will typically generate more responses, quicker and cheaper than just about any other method (Dessler, 2020). Online channels can facilitate in describing the jobs more comprehensively. Thus, web-based recruitment ads have a stronger effect on applicant attraction than printed ads. These strategies should be utilized to reach passive applicants.
Strategies for Reaching a Culturally Diverse Applicant Pool
To reach a culturally diverse applicant pool, Red Lobster should first understand the barriers that can prevent minorities from applying. If these barriers are identified, the company can formulate plans on solving them to attract and retain culturally diverse applicants, even with minorities, such as physically disabled people (Dessler, 2020). A successful reach to these groups of people will allow the applicant pool to be more diverse.
One of the strategies that can be used is to utilize photographs in the recruitment ads. For instance, the ads can show team photo that consists of people of different race, age, and gender as well as people with disabilities. The photographs should promote the idea that Red Lobster encourages a diverse team and invite people from different background to apply for the job.
Another strategy that can be used is to utilize the technology of applicant tracking systems (ATS) and artificial intelligence (AI). ATS are online systems that help employers attract, gather, screen, compile, and manage applicants, which can be enhanced by AI-based systems to improve the recruitment process (Dessler, 2020). Using these technologies, the company can target recruitment ads better to reach people with different backgrounds.
Text for Print-based Job Posting and Video Script
Text for print-based and video script job postings should be succinct to minimize cost and to get the full attention of potential applicants. The ads can contain only a few of the most important information that can be clicked and linked to the thorough job description where the applicants can get the full information. The text and script can be written such as in this example.
| Do you want to help us build the best seafood chain on the planet?We are Red Lobster, one of the top seafood restaurant chains on earth. We are growing fast globally and looking for fresh and creative restaurant managers to join our team. If you have at least 3 to 5 years of experience in restaurant management as well as dedication to hospitality, we would like to hear from you. Please reply in confidence to recruitment@redlobster.com or visit our website redlobster.com/careers for further information. |
Conclusion: Targeted Recruitment Strategy for Red Lobster
After the recruitment ads are announced and candidates are applying, the recruitment process should continue using the pre-screening process. The first recommendation for this process is to use rubrics to quantify and qualify the expectations for job applicants in terms of their levels of competency (Brannon & Leuzinger, 2014). Potential applicants can also be required to submit a short video introduction before the recruitment team meets them in person which can increase the effectiveness of the interview process (Berman, 2022). AI systems can also be used to automate the résumé analysis especially when the process received too many applicants (Dessler, 2020).
The next recommendation is to use behavioral interviewing, which is a technique where the interviewer asks questions related to past performance regarding specific competencies (Tyler, 2005). This is far better than a cryptic question, such as “Where will you see yourself in five years?” or so. The interviewer should also be critical to give follow-up questions after the planned questions are answered since most candidates are prepared for generic questions but may show their better or lack of skill to answer follow-up questions (Haden, 2012). Quick critical thinking is important for a management position and the candidates should show this skill in the pre-screening process.
References Berman, T. (2022). 11 Innovative Screening Techniques. Zippia the Career Expert. https://www.zippia.com/employer/11-innovative-screening-techniques/ Brannon, S., & Leuzinger, J. (2014, November). Keeping Human Resources happy: Improving hiring processes through the use of rubrics. Library Leadership & Management, 29(1). https://journals.tdl.org/llm/index.php/llm/article/viewFile/7114/6314 Breaugh, J. (2017). Talent Aquisition: A Guide to Understanding and Managing the Recruitment Process. SHRM Foundation. https://fliphtml5.com/pxyi/attp/basic Burt, C., Halloumis, S., McIntyre, S. and Blackmore, H. (2010). Using Colleague and Team Photographs in Recruitment Advertisements. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 48(1) 233–250. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1177/1038411109355358 Dessler, G. (2020). Human Resource Management. Pearson. Haden, J. (2012) 7 Fatal Interviewer Mistakes. Inc. http://www.inc.com/jeff-haden/7-fatal-interviewer-mistakes.html Merlevede, P. (2014) Talent Management, A focus on Excellence. Bookboon. https://bookboon.com/sv/talent-management-a-focus-on-excellence-ebook Phillips, J., & Gully, S. (2015). Strategic Staffing, Global Edition. Pearson Higher Education & Professional Group. Torrington, D., Hall, L., Taylor, S., & Atkinson, C. (2020). Human Resource Management. Pearson. Tyler, K. (2005). Train for Smarter Hiring. Society for Human Resource Management HR Magazine. https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/news/hr-magazine/pages/0505tyler.aspx
Read more about Human Resource Management
