Recruitment is the development and maintenance of sufficient human resources. Recruitment involves attracting a diverse pool of qualified persons for potential Postal Service employment.
Effective recruitment strategies are the foundation of the hiring process. This process involves establishing hiring goals in advance of recruiting efforts. Interaction with Operations and review of hiring plans must be completed before a recruitment strategy can be developed. Local management must also fully evaluate its need to hire before implementing recruitment efforts. This process involves, but is not limited to, coordinating recruiting strategies with diversity development specialists, forecasting future hiring needs, assessing existing applicant pools, considering other hiring options, and reviewing upcoming organizational changes and complement reports.
How, when, and where recruitment activities take place are also important decisions in the planning process. The methods and techniques that are used help determine how successful the recruitment effort will be in attracting sufficient numbers of qualified applicants.
The installation head is responsible for forecasting the recruitment requirements in the installation in sufficient time to assure that there are qualified persons available for appointment. In so doing, consideration must be given to the:
- Number of anticipated vacancies.
- Special and/or technical skills requirements and pay.
- Inclusiveness and representation of all groups of the prospective applicant pool.
- Available internal labor market (internal advancement options).
- Recruitment budget and projected costs.
- Available external labor market (size, age, and applicant response rate of existing hiring register).
- Suitability determinations of existing applicants.
- Organizational and/or operational changes.
- Projected loss of current employees.
While the installation head is responsible for forecasting recruitment needs, local management from all organizational functions must work together in assessing how changing operational needs will affect recruitment needs.
Proper use of the installation hiring plan is essential to quality decisions about bringing new employees into the workforce. If an insufficient number of qualified eligibles exists, arrangements must be made to open the examination. When making arrangements to open an entrance examination, diversity development personnel must be alerted to provide lead time for affirmative employment efforts. Whenever possible, this notification should be made at least 60 days in advance of the examination opening.
Recruitment efforts must reflect the Postal Service’s commitment to affirmative recruitment and to fair and equitable examination and hiring procedures, and they must respond to changing demographics (population characteristics). These efforts must also be tailored to the policies, procedures, and needs of the Postal Service. All executives, managers, and supervisors share in responsibility for the successful implementation and management of an equal employment opportunity program that includes affirmative action recruitment, selection, and placement. Upon notification of a request to open an entrance examination, appropriate steps must be taken to employ strategies that promote fairness and opportunities to maintain an inclusive workforce.
When a vacancy is anticipated, the installation head must determine if a continuing need exists for the position. Consideration must be given to whether the personnel complement can be adjusted downward by one vacant position through the elimination of the position. If a decision is made to eliminate a position, action is taken to revert the position according to the appropriate provision of the National Agreement.
