By Susan Schoenfeld, J.D.
Senior Legal Editor

In the midst of the Society for Human Resource Management's annual conference in Las Vegas, BLR sat down with Kurt Ronn to talk recruiting. Ronn, president and founder of HRworks, an Atlanta-based national recruitment firm, had much to say about how employers can reach more applicants, more diverse pools of potential employees, and how changes in the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs' rules will affect employers and the future of recruiting.

Looking "Above the Funnel"

In order to reach a broader, more diverse candidate pool, Ronn encourages employers to "look above the funnel." In other words, broaden the candidate search in order to draw in as many qualified candidates into the selection process as possible, before selection decisions start. How can employers get "above the funnel"? Ronn suggests:

• Define what constitutes a qualified candidate more broadly
• Look at the basic "guides for success" in the job to redefine job descriptions, and step away from narrow descriptions
• Use training and apprenticeship programs to broaden pool
• Create in-house development programs

When employers do not limit themselves to traditional demographics and ideas of what constitutes a "qualified candidate," they often find a much larger, more diverse candidate pool than they ever imagined, says Ronn.

OFCCP Changes the Rules

The past few years have brought an unprecedented number of new rules, guidance documents and enforcement initiatives from the Office of Federal Contract Compliance Programs (OFCCP). OFCCP, the agency charged with enforcing affirmative action requirements for federal government contractors, has been busy issuing a new agency definition of what constitutes an "internet applicant," guidance on how covered employers should conduct compensation audits, and new rules regarding the agency's own obligations in investigating systemic compensation discrimination.

Ronn says that 2008 is the year that all of the changes made by OFCCP will truly begin to show their effect. In 2008, covered employers will have (or should have) sufficient data under the new OFCCP rules for the agency to begin meaningful audits and investigations. As a result, employers must be acting now to ensure that they are preparing data collection mechanisms and capturing accurate and sufficient data.

Audit Now

In order to ensure that recruitment processes and data collection techniques are effective and legally compliant, Ronn strongly advises an internal audit. Specifically, he suggests that employers take the following audit steps now:

• Look at the above "funnel" pool to ensure that reach is broad enough to avoid systemic discrimination claims,
• Audit third party recruiters' practices and paperwork,
• Review data management techniques and "back tracking,"
• Ensure that "basic qualification" rules are enforced, and
• Review on-line recruiting methods, and "search string" archiving to ensure compliance with new rules

After the audit has concluded, employers should review the process and determine if they asked the right questions. Did the audit cover all internal procedures, source audits, process audits, third party audits? If an external third party was used to conduct the audit, ask the same questions of them, says Ronn. If you choose to hire an outside auditor to review your recruiting and hiring practices, also ask whether they provide suggestions for correcting any problems revealed by the audit. Many auditors will tell you what is wrong, but they won't tell you how to fix it, says Ronn.

The Future of Recruiting

When asked what he believed to be the greatest recruiting challenge in coming years (and now), Ronn pointed to the rapidly changing demographics in the United States. A shrinking pool of qualified and available candidates, coupled with an increasing employer need for those individuals will present the biggest challenge, says Ronn. In order to meet those recruiting needs, employers must be willing to get beyond what they know (or think they know), and change traditional hiring methods.

One newer method of recruiting that Ronn suggests is already being used by some recruiters is social networking websites. Online social networking sites consist of "groups of individuals who are related to each other by specific types of relationships, such as school, work, family, and friends." Social-networking sites, such as Facebook, MySpace, and LinkedIn are just the beginning of the trend in social networking. Employers and recruiters are using these sites to expand their contacts and potential new-hire referrals, beyond their current contacts.

For more information on HRworks, visit www.HRworks.com