[How effective is the Recruitment Process in Higher Educational Institutions in Liberia: Cuttington University]

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

I would take this opportunity to thank my research supervisor, family and friends for their support and guidance without which this research would not have been possible (Lockheed, 1991,, 9).

DECLARATION

I, [type your full first names and surname here], declare that the contents of this dissertation/thesis represent my own unaided work, and that the dissertation/thesis has not previously been submitted for academic examination towards any qualification. Furthermore, it represents my own opinions and not necessarily those of the University.

Signed __________________ Date _________________

ABSTRACT

The aim of this paper is to analyse the effectiveness of recruitment at Cuttington University Liberia. The importance of an effective recruitment is equally important in higher education today as in the corporate institution. Keeping in view this significance, the study aimed at understanding how well the university undertake the recruitment strategy and what phases are most significant for the human resource management in terms of recruitment planning. A qualitative research was employed in the form of survey research which comprised of the 50 participants from the recruitment department and 50 from the teaching faculty. It was found that the major aim of Cuttington University recruitment is to further the expansion plan and to add new skills to the faculty. The university relies on the referrals mostly and a modest proportion of finance is served by the sales department on online and news paper ads. The recruitment process follows a comprehensive 5 steps that are concluded by an interview session which determines management decision in hiring the candidate. One of the areas that require improvement by University is to collect a sufficient pool of candidate so that those backed out could be recovered by others. Moreover, the University needs to employ the aptitude test beside the general competencies test to facilitate the hiring decision.

Table of Contents

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT2

DECLARATION3

ABSTRACT4

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION7

Background of Cuttington University7

Research Questions8

Objectives8

CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW9

Purpose of the Literature Review9

Main Source of Literature Review9

Understanding Recruitment10

The Recruitment Process12

Need of Effective recruitment in Higher Educational Institutions13

Theoretical Review14

Person-Job Fit Theory14

Person-Organization Fit Theory15

Social Identity Theory15

Recruiter Behaviours and Recruitment Effectiveness16

Recruitment Strategies19

Innovative Recruitment Strategies21

The Consequences of Hiring Mistakes22

The Educational Literature23

Organizational Conditions24

Research-Based Connection between Recruitment and Retention26

Importance of leadership27

Current Recruitment and Retention Efforts in Liberia28

The Challenges30

Higher Education Recruitment in Liberia: Scholarly Review31

Summary32

Limitations of the Literature34

CHAPTER 3: METHODOLOGY35

Research Design35

Data Collection Strategy35

Population and Sample Selection37

Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria37

Target Audience37

Coding38

Justification for Using the Research Design39

Data Analysis Procedure40

Statistical Analysis41

Ethical Concerns42

CHAPTER 4: FINDINGS AND ANALYSIS44

Recruitment Department44

University Staff50

Summary54

Gaps in terms of Candidate Discussions54

Need of mature Empoyees for Recurtiment Function55

Training Need56

Dealing with the Recrutiment Process57

CHAPTER 5: DISCUSSION59

Recruitment Planning60

Recruitment and Strategic Decision making61

Internal Challenges in Strategic Planning63

Recruiting Contexts: The International Environment65

Recommendation for Practice67

Recruiting Practice: A Framework for Improvement67

Improving Recruiting Practice67

Systematically Reviewing School Culture and Practice68

Implications for Future Research69

Conclusion70

REFERENCES74

APPENDIX82

Questionnaire82

CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION

Recruitment is defined as the process of attracting individuals in sufficient number and with appropriate attributes to apply for employment in the organization. It can also be defined as the process of identifying and attracting qualified suitable applicants in the organization (Inglehart, 1997, ...