Section One Since I was a freshman in high school I had wanted to become a therapist The idea of helping people struggling with mental illness seems like one of the most rewarding jobs in the world to me In order to pursue this dream career of mine other than the necessary schooling and education I need to carry specific KSAO s for the job In this section I will be describing the KSAO s needed to work for A Space for Healing as a trauma therapist A Space for Healing is a small private practice with only six therapists working at two different locations When you search on O NET for a trauma therapist or a mental health therapist the occupation does not come up The most closely related job is referred to as a mental health counselor O NET When I interviewed Sarah Jeppesen for her job as a trauma therapist she identified four KSAO s that a person should have if they want to become a trauma therapist or a therapist of any kind patience dependability empathy and self awareness Each of these KSAO s are critical for the job as they are some of the key components that make a therapist good at their job You must have patience with your clients and let them open up about their trauma when they are ready You must be dependable and easily available or reachable in case of emergencies Having empathy will help you understand your clients and what they are going through in a non judgemental way and being self aware will allow you to separate yourself from your clients A fifth KSAO of this job that I took from the O NET website would be independence A therapist mainly works alone and the information shared in a therapy session is to stay confidential so a therapist must be able to complete their work and assessment of treatment on their own Section Two From a recruiting standpoint I would like to stay away from using AI to interview and select employees I feel that this is very impersonal and fails to assess an emotional opponent about a candidate While AI can identify skills and qualifications it can not identify work ethic morals patience or any other intrapersonal skills In class we learned that there are four steps for selecting employees Step one HR planning HR planning is selecting employees that the company will need in the future Step two recruiting qualified candidates Step three Selecting said qualified candidates Step four getting the applicants to accept the job offer As an employer you may automatically assume that each candidate is dying to work for your company this may not always be the case It is important to treat candidates with respect and make them want to work for you I would follow these four steps in my recruitment process by first posting openings on sites like LinkedIn Indeed and Handshake I want to make sure that the applicants that I receive and that I am looking for are professional and actively searching for a position After I gather some desirable candidates I would reach out to past employers and ask for referrals and past performance overviews The best predictor of future performance is past performance To actually select the applicants I would use a selection battery A selection battery is a set of tests and assessments that are used in hiring decisions In my selection battery I would use the multiple cutoffs method or the multiple hurdles method Using a personnel selection test on a scale from 1 10 applicants would have to score a six or above in the personality knowledge skill and work sample section to be able to be considered for the job In the multiple hurdles approach applicants would have to pass the tests administered in the multiple cutoffs method AND other interviews to be hired for the position After the selection battery we would move on to the fourth step getting applicants to accept the offer As an employer I need to be upfront about certain aspects of the job I would set out expectations and ask the candidate what their ideal employer would be like I would explain the pay and benefits during the interview and outline what a normal day would look like for them I would be enthusiastic and explain that A Safe Space to Heal is a welcoming environment that values all of its employees and offers support I would also be transparent that the labor market at this company is small We are very selective and only hire the best applicants that meet the required KSAO s I would use this method because I feel that it is the most honest and fair way to select applicants I am a huge fan of the multiple hurdles method because it exposes the candidates who are most dedicated to the job and who will put in the work for my company Section Three To arrive at a shortlist of applicants I will follow through on my recruitment strategy This process must remain the same for each applicant so it is fair and results in proper assessment of candidates Since my company A Safe Space to Heal currently only employs six therapists I would like to keep it small and only employ one more During my recruiting process I would hope to bring in at least ten candidates and by the end of my selection battery have a shortlist of three This means my selection ratio would be about 30 I want to build a strong and competitive reputation for my company If in the future I want to expand and build more offices I want my company respected and a goal for therapists to be able to work for After carefully reviewing my application cover letters resumes recommendation letters qualifications and past experience if any I am willing to hire candidates fresh out of graduate school with no experience if they meet the KSAO s required To hire without experience I will also need my applicant to have completed an internship in the mental health field and if I were to hire them have them shadow another therapist for the first month of employment to ensure that they know the expectations of working for my company My screening process will be very rigorous and not rushed I will personally screen each applicant and possibly complete an informal interview to get to know them as a person rather than a therapist I think it is very important to build a trusting and welcoming relationship with your employees especially in the mental health field Therapists see and listen to so much trauma and even though they are trained to do so it can still be a mentally draining job The therapists working for my company need to know I support them In the recruiting process the final step is getting the applicant to accept the job