Recruitment and Selection

Introduction
• The human resources are the most important assets of
an Organization.
• The success or failure of an Organization is largely
dependent on the caliber of the people working
therein.
• Without positive and creative contributions from
people, Organizations cannot progress and prosper.
• In order to achieve the goals of an Organization, it is
necessary to recruit people with requisite skills,
qualifications and experience.
• While doing so, they have to keep the present as well
as the future requirements of the Organization in
mind.
 RECRUITMENT–MEANING AND
IMPORTANCE
• Edwin Flippo defined Recruitment as “the
process of searching for prospective
employees and stimulating them to apply for
jobs in the Organization.”
• Recruitment involves estimating the available
vacancies and making suitable arrangements
for their selection and appointment.
• In order to attract people for the jobs, the
Organization must communicate the position in such a
way that job seekers respond.
• To be cost effective, the recruitment process should
attract qualified applicants and provide enough
information for unqualified persons to self-select
themselves out.
• Thus, the recruitment process begins when new
recruits are sought and ends when their applications
are submitted.
The result is a pool of applicants from which new
employees are selected.
 The general purpose of recruitment is to provide a pool of potentially qualified job
candidates. Specifically, the purposes are to:
• Determine the present and future requirements of the Organization in conjunction
with its personnel-planning and job-analysis activities.
• Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.
• Help increase the success rate of the selection process by reducing the number of
visibly under qualified or overqualified job applicants.
• Help reduce the probability that job applicants, once recruited and selected, will
leave the organization only after a short period of time.
• Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate
candidates.
• Infuse fresh blood at all levels of the Organization.
• Develop an Organizational culture that attracts competent people to the Company.
• Search for people whose skills fit the Company’s values.
• Devise methodologies for assessing psychological traits.
• Search for talent globally and not just within the Company.
• Management has to attract more candidates in order
to increase the selection ratio so that the most
suitable candidate can be selected out of the total
candidates available.
• Recruitment is positive as it aims at increasing the
number of applicants and selection is somewhat
negative as it selects the suitable candidates in which
the unsuitable candidates are automatically
eliminated.
• Though, the function of recruitment seems to be easy,
a number of factors make performance of recruitment
a complex one.
 SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT
Internal Sources
• Persons who are already working in an
Organization constitute the ‘internal sources’.
• Retrenched employees, retired employees,
dependents of deceased employees generally
constitute the internal sources.
• Whenever any vacancy arises, someone from
within the Organization is upgraded,
transferred, promoted or even demoted.
 External Sources
• External sources lie outside an Organization. The
Organization can have the services of:
(a) Employees working in other Organizations;
(b) Job aspirants registered with employment exchanges;
(c) Students from reputed educational institutions;
(d) Candidates referred by unions, friends, relatives and
existing employees;
(e) Candidates forwarded by search firms and contractors;
(f) Candidates responding to the advertisements, issued by the
Organization; and
(g) Unsolicited applications/ walk-ins.
 METHODS OF RECRUITMENT
Internal Methods
Promotions and Transfers: Promotion and Transfers are
used to fill vacancies from within the Organization.
A transfer is a lateral movement within the same
grade, from one job to another.
It may lead to changes in duties and responsibilities,
working conditions, etc., but not necessarily salary.
Promotion, on the other hand, involves movement of
employee from a lower level position to a higher level
position accompanied by (usually) changes in duties,
responsibilities, status and value.
 Job Posting: Job posting is another way of hiring
people from within.
• In this method, the Oorganization publicizes job
opening on bulletin boards, electronic method
and similar outlets.
• One of the important advantages of this method
is that it offers a chance to highly qualified
persons working within the Company to look for
growth opportunities without looking for greener
pastures outside.
 Employee Referrals: Employee referral means
using personal contacts of employees to locate job
prospects.
• It is a recommendation from a current employee
regarding a job applicant.
• The logic behind employee referral is that “it takes
one to know one”.
• Employees working in the Organization, in this
case, are encouraged to recommend the names of
known persons, working in other Organizations for
a possible vacancy in the near future.
External Methods
• Campus Recruitment: This is a direct method of
recruiting people by visiting academic institutions such
as colleges and universities.
• Here the recruiters visit reputed educational
institutions with a view to pick up job aspirants having
requisite technical or professional skills.
• Job seekers are provided information about the jobs
and the recruiters, in advance.
• The Company gets a detailed profile of job seekers
through constant exchange of information with
respective institutions.
 Advertisements: - Companies give advertisements to
attract prospective job seekers.
• These include advertisements in newspapers; trade,
professional and technical journals; radio and television;
etc.
• In recent times, this medium has become just as colourful,
lively and imaginative as consumer advertising.

Private Employment Search Firms: Search firm is a private

employment agency that maintains computerized lists of
qualified applicants and supplies these to employers willing
to hire people from the list for a fee.
• Employment Exchanges: As a statutory requirement,
Companies are also expected to notify (wherever the
Employment Exchanges Act, 1959, applies) their vacancies
through the respective Employment Exchanges, created all
over India for helping unemployed youth, displaced
persons, ex-military personnel, physically handicapped, etc.

• Gate Hiring and Contractors: Gate hiring is the method of

recruitment used by small and medium sized Organizations
generally where semi skilled workers are required. The job
seekers present themselves at the factory gate and offer
their services on a daily basis. Contractors are also used for
the supply of such personnel.
 `
Unsolicited Applicants / Walk-ins: Companies
generally receive unsolicited applications from job
seekers at various points of time.
The number of such applications depends on
economic conditions, the image of the Company
and the job seeker’s perception of the types of
jobs that might be available etc.
Such applications are generally kept in a data bank
and whenever a suitable vacancy arises, the
company would intimate the candidates to apply
through a formal channel.
 NEW TRENDS IN RECRUITMENT
Outsourcing
• Outsourcing is a process of transferring a business
function to an external service provider. In recruitment
out sourcing, a company completely transfers the
selection process or part of it to a third party. The
outsourcing firms help the organisation by the initial
screening of the candidates according to the needs of
the Organization and creating a suitable pool of talent
for the final selection by the Organization. Outsourcing
firms develop their human resource pool by employing
people for them. These human resource pools will be
made available to various Companies as per their
needs.
Poaching/Raiding
• Raiding or poaching is a method of recruitment in
which competing firms attract employees from
rival firms. In simple terms poaching may be
described as buying talent rather than developing.
Hefty pay packages, other terms and conditions
may attract employees to join new Organizations.
Poaching is a big challenge for human resource
managers. Poaching weakens the Organizations
competitive strength because of employees’
migration
E-Recruitment
• E-Recruitment is the latest trend in recruitment. It is also known as
online recruitment.
• Internet is the back bone for E-Recruitment. Companies advertise
job vacancies on different websites.
• Exclusive job websites like naukr.com, monster.com, etc help both
job seekers and companies to contact each other. These job sites
provide a 24x7 access to the database of the resumes to the
employers facilitating Organizations to hire people very quickly.
• Every Company website usually provides ‘career’ hyper link.
• This link helps job seekers to upload resume in the website. Using
the uploaded resumes Companies can build their own resume
database, which can be used for existing and future requirements.
Online recruitment helps the Organizations to automate the
recruitment process, save their time and costs on recruitments.
Recruitment Process
Step 1- Recruitment Planning
– A structured recruitment plan is mandatory to attract
potential candidates from a pool of candidates. The
potential candidates should be qualified, experienced
with a capability to take the responsibilities required
to achieve the objectives of the organization.
– Identifying Vacancy
• Number of posts to be filled
• Number of positions
• Duties and responsibilities to be performed
• Qualification and experience required
 - Job Analysis
• The following steps are important in analyzing a job −
• Recording and collecting job information
• Accuracy in checking the job information
• Generating job description based on the information
• Determining the skills, knowledge and skills, which are required for the job

- Job Description

• Job description is generated for fulfilling the following processes −

• Classification and ranking of jobs
• Placing and orientation of new resources
• Promotions and transfers
• Describing the career path
• Future development of work standards
A job description provides information on the following elements −
• Job Title / Job Identification / Organization Position
• Job Location
• Summary of Job
• Job Duties
• Machines, Materials and Equipment
• Process of Supervision
• Working Conditions
• Health Hazards
 - Job Specification
• This information about each job in an organization is as follows −
• Physical specifications
• Mental specifications
• Physical features
• Emotional specifications
• Behavioral specifications
• A job specification document provides information on the following elements −
• Qualification
• Experiences
• Training and development
• Skills requirements
• Work responsibilities
• Emotional characteristics
• Planning of career
Step 2- Recruitment Strategy
• Recruitment strategy is the second step of the recruitment process, where a strategy
is prepared for hiring the resources. After completing the preparation of job
descriptions and job specifications, the next step is to decide which strategy to adopt
for recruiting the potential candidates for the organization.
While preparing a recruitment strategy, the HR team considers the following points −
• Make or buy employees
• Types of recruitment
• Geographical area
• Recruitment sources

The development of a recruitment strategy is a long process, but having a right

strategy is mandatory to attract the right candidates. The steps involved in
developing a recruitment strategy include −
• Setting up a board team
• Analyzing HR strategy
• Collection of available data
• Analyzing the collected data
• Setting the recruitment strategy
Step 3- Searching the Right Candidates
• Searching is the process of recruitment where the resources are sourced
depending upon the requirement of the job. After the recruitment
strategy is done, the searching of candidates will be initialized.
• This process consists of two steps −
Source activation − Once the line manager verifies and permits the
existence of the vacancy, the search for candidates starts.
Selling − Here, the organization selects the media through which the
communication of vacancies reaches the prospective candidates.

Searching involves attracting the job seekers to the vacancies. The sources
are broadly divided into two categories: Internal Sources and External
Sources.
Step 4- Screening / Shortlisting
• Screening starts after completion of the
process of sourcing the candidates. Screening
is the process of filtering the applications of
the candidates for further selection process.
• Screening is an integral part of recruitment
process that helps in removing unqualified or
irrelevant candidates, which were received
through sourcing.
• The screening process of recruitment consists of three steps −
1. Reviewing of Resumes and Cover Letters
• Reviewing is the first step of screening candidates. In this process,
the resumes of the candidates are reviewed and checked for the
candidates’ education, work experience, and overall background
matching the requirement of the job
• While reviewing the resumes, an HR executive must keep the
following points in mind, to ensure better screening of the
potential candidates −
• Reason for change of job
• Longevity with each organization
• Long gaps in employment
• Job-hopping
• Lack of career progression
2. Conducting Telephonic or Video Interview
• Conducting telephonic or video interviews is the second step of screening
candidates. In this process, after the resumes are screened, the candidates
are contacted through phone or video by the hiring manager. This
screening process has two outcomes −
• It helps in verifying the candidates, whether they are active and available.
• It also helps in giving a quick insight about the candidate’s attitude, ability
to answer interview questions, and communication skills.
3. Identifying the top candidates
• Identifying the top candidates is the final step of screening the
resumes/candidates. In this process, the cream/top layer of resumes are
shortlisted, which makes it easy for the hiring manager to take a decision.
This process has the following three outcomes −
• Shortlisting 5 to 10 resumes for review by the hiring managers
• Providing insights and recommendations to the hiring manager
• Helps the hiring managers to take a decision in hiring the right candidate
Step 5- Evaluation and Control
• Evaluation and control is the last stage in the process of recruitment. In this process,
the effectiveness and the validity of the process and methods are assessed.
Recruitment is a costly process, hence it is important that the performance of the
recruitment process is thoroughly evaluated.
The costs incurred in the recruitment process are to be evaluated and controlled
effectively. These include the following −
• Salaries to the Recruiters
• Advertisements cost and other costs incurred in recruitment methods, i.e., agency
fees.
• Administrative expenses and Recruitment overheads
• Overtime and Outstanding costs, while the vacancies remain unfilled
• Cost incurred in recruiting suitable candidates for the final selection process
• Time spent by the Management and the Professionals in preparing job description,
job specifications, and conducting interviews.