Chapter 4

RECRUITMENT, SELECTION AND ORIENTATION

4.1 Employee Recruitment
It is important to have a good organization structure, but it is even more important to fill the structure/job with
the right people.
Staffing includes several sub-functions.
 Recruitment: getting applicants for the jobs as they open up.
 Selection of the best qualified from those who seek the jobs and familiarize them.
 Transfers and promotions.
 Training those who need further instruction to perform their work effectively or to qualify for
promotions.

Recruitment refers to those sets of activities an organization uses to attract job candidates possessing the
appropriate characteristics to help the organization reach its objectives.
Recruitment is not employment, but one of the activities involved in employment. It is not selection, it is
after we attract the pool of applicants (after we recruit), that we can select candidates that best satisfy
organization needs.
Recruitment makes it possible to acquire the number and type of people necessary to ensure the continued
operation of the organization.
According to Flippo “recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees of stimulating &
encouraging them to apply for jobs in an organization.
Recruitment involves seeking and attracting a pool of people from which qualified candidates for job
vacancies can be chosen.
In effect, it involves.
 Identifying the sources where the required number and kind of employees will be available.
 Developing suitable techniques to attract the desirable candidates
 Stimulating as many candidates as possible and be able to attract large number of candidates. The
higher the number of applicants the better chance of being selective in the hiring process.

In short its basic purpose is to develop a group of potentiality qualified people. The term “qualified” indicates
the difficulty involved in the recruitment process. The ideal recruitment process will attract a large number of
qualified applicants who will take the job if offered.

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The most effective way of making sure unqualified applicants are not attracted to a job is by providing
adequate information about the nature of the job so that unqualified applicants may self–select themselves out
of the job candidacy.

4.1.1 Factors influencing Recruitment

Recruitment is not a simple task and like most of the human resource functions, it is affected by both internal
and external environmental factors. These factors could facilitate or limit the recruitment process in attracting
large number of qualified candidates.
Among the factors influencing effective recruitment are following;
Internal Factors:
 Working conditions
 Promotional Opportunities
 Salary levels ; type and extent of benefits
 Other personnel policies and practices
 Image of the organization
 Ability and skill of the management to stimulate the candidates
 Quality of the recruitment process

External Factors:
 Personnel policies and practices of other organizations – regarding working condition, salary,
benefits, promotional opportunities, employee relations, etc.
 Career opportunities in other organizations
 Government regulations
 Unemployment rate

4.1.2 SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

There are two sources of recruitment: Internal and External sources.
A. INTERNAL SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT
Internal Recruitment / recruitment from within: this involves recruitment within the organization; it
could be through:
 Promotion: refers to move employees to position of higher authority and responsibility.
 Lateral transfer: moving employees to similar positions in other work unit.
 Demotion: moving employees to lower position with low authority and responsibility.
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  Re-employment of ex-employees: re-employing employees who have left the organization. It may
be on temporary or permanent basis.
Advantages
a) Employee is “known” to the firm; this improves the organizations: The Company has better
knowledge of the strength and weakness of job candidates. If accurate information is gathered about an
employee under consideration through qualification inventory, performance evaluation, interview with
prior and present supervisors of the employee, there is a high chance of recruiting the best employee from
within the organization.
b) Employee is familiar with the organization and its culture-are already oriented: Inside job
candidates have better knowledge of the organization and its operations. Thus, they require less
orientation and training than outsiders. Moreover the likelihood of inside candidates having inaccurate
expectations and/or becoming dissatisfied with the organization is very low.
c) Ability to predict the person’s success on the new job: manager may have more experience for
predict the success of organization, because he/she has known ability of their employee belong to
employee’s capability doing a job. The return on investment that an organization has on its present work
force is increased. Most organizations spend sizable amount of investment on their employees in a form
of short term trainings, fringe benefits, etc.
d) Employees see that competence is rewarded and moral enhanced. Recruiting from within an
organization creates promotional opportunities to employees. Thus, organizations providing first job
opportunity to their employees can enhance loyalty, commitment, sense of belongingness, security and
good performance of the employees. Thus psychological needs of employees can be satisfied there by
reducing turnover rate.
e) Less cost of recruitment. Costs associated with recruitment like advertizing,
f) Good performance is rewarded
Disadvantages:
a) Need for replacement: Can be used as a method to get rid of troublesome employee. By evaluating
that employee positively, other departments or units will be competitive to transfer him/her in.
b) Internal rivalry and competition for higher positions: can reduce interpersonal and
interdepartmental cooperation. Poor moral for those not promoted infighting for promotions can
negatively affect moral. Competition among employees for promotions may be very intense to the
extent of damaging the moral of employees.
c) No new blood is brought into the system: Inbreeding of ideas can stifle new ideas and innovations.
When an entire management team has been brought up through the ranks, there may be a tendency to
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 make decisions “by the book” and to maintain the status quo. It is therefore, necessary to take into
consideration external sources in order to bring “new blood” from the external sources.
d) Supervisors may be biased: Likes and dislikes by supervisors play important role.
e) limited number of talents to select from

B. EXTERNAL SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

External sources provide a larger pool of candidates. It is often needed by organizations that are growing
rapidly or have a large demand for technical and skilled managerial employees.
Advantages:
a) The pool of talent is mush larger. Internal source may not lead to large number of possible candidates
for a given open position. Thus, using external sources provides the advantage of choosing from
among large pool of candidates.
b) New insights and perspectives can be brought to the organization. Expertise, excellence and
experience in other organization can be easily brought into the organization.
c) No preconceived/ biased notion or reservation for choosing candidates.
d) HR mix can be balanced with different background, experience, skill, etc.
e) As new comers may be placed at a low pay rate, cost of employees may be reduced.

Disadvantages:
a) Attracting, contracting and evaluating potential employees are more difficult. This is especially more
difficult for higher level jobs.
b) Adjustment or orientation time is longer for external candidates. As a result, it might take sometime
before they can perform with their full potential.
c) Moral problem can develop among internal employees who feel qualified to do the job. Current
employees might feel neglected and their level of performance may be affected.

4.2 METHODS OF RECRUITMENT

a) Job Posting: It means posting notices of job openings on organization’s bulletin boards for recruiting
possible internal candidates. Accordingly, interested employees could apply for the job. Job posting is
usually not used when promotion to a supervisory position is involved, since management often prefers to
select personnel itself for promotion to management levels.

Some organizations develop implementation policies for job posting to be successful. These may include;
1. Posting for a specific period of time before going to external sources.
2. Set eligibility rules and communicate it to the employees.
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 3. Specify standards that may be required for the job.
b) Skill inventory: it is an internal recruitment method to identify employees with the attributes needed for a
particular job. It is the systematic record, either manual or computerized, listing employees’ education,
career and development interests, languages, special skills, etc. Employees then will be selected for an open
position if they possess the needed attributes.
c) Job Advertisement: it is a widely used recruitment method in order to reach relatively large number of
potential applicants. Advertisements are commonly placed in daily newspapers, trade and professional
newspapers, and occasionally on radio, TV and billboards. However, the choice of appropriate media for a
specific advertisement should depend on the type of job and the required degree of coverage.

In addition to the media used, the construction of the advertisement is also important.
d) College Recruiting: it involves recruitment from educational institutions that offer opportunities to
recruit recent graduates. Educational institutions are particularly excellent source of potential employees for
entry-level positions in organizations. It could also be an important source of professional and technical
employees.
e) Employment Agencies: there could be public or private employment agencies. These agencies have
information on job seekers in terms of qualifications, skills, interests, etc. and can be a good source of
employment to organizations. Public agencies are a major source of both blue-collar and white-collar
workers while private agencies are important sources of clerical, white-collar, and managerial personnel.
Blue-collar workers perform labor jobs and typically work with their hands. The skills necessary for blue-
collar work vary by occupation. Some blue-collar occupations require highly skilled personnel who are
formally trained and certified. These workers include aircraft mechanics, plumbers, electricians and
structural workers. Many blue-collar employers hire unskilled and low-skilled workers to perform simple
tasks such as cleaning, maintenance and assembly line work.
White-collar workers usually perform job duties in an office setting. They are highly skilled and formally
trained professionals. Many white-collar workers, such as accountants, bankers, attorneys and real estate
agents, provide professional services to clients. Other white-collar workers, such as engineers and
architects, provide services to businesses, corporations and government agencies.

Some specific situations in which employment agencies become handy; If

 The organization does not have its own human resource department.
 A particular opening must be filled quickly.
 If there is a need to attract a greater number of minority and female applicants.

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 These agencies usually pre-screen applicants for the organization. It is advantageous to have part of the
recruitment process done by specialists, as it could sometimes result in allowing poor applicants bypass
the preliminary stages or blocking qualified applicants from entering the final recruitment stage. To avoid
such problems, organizations are advised to do the following.
 Give the agency an accurate and complete job description.
 Specify the devices or tools that the employment agency should use in screening potential
applicants.
 Where possible, periodically review data on accepted or rejected candidates.
 If feasible, develop a long term relationship with one or two agencies.
d) Employee Referrals: Some organizations encourage their employees to refer potential applicants to an
open position, ask present employees to encourage friends and relatives to apply open job position, its
most inexpensive and produce quick responses. Announcements of openings and requests for referrals are
made in the organization’s bulletin and posted on bulletin boards. Prizes could be offered for those
referrals that result in hiring. This method of recruiting potential employees can cut recruiting costs by
eliminating advertising and agency fees. It can also result in higher quality candidates since most
employees would not recommend someone unless he/she believes that the individual can perform
effectively.

However, there are some recommenders that confuse friendship with job performance and competence.
As a result, employee referral method may result in nepotism and sometimes violet equal employment
opportunity (EEO) laws (one group favoring each other.)

e) Executive Recruiters (“head hunters”): There are people who are exclusively known for seeking out
top management talent for their clients. Executive recruiters could be a very expensive method of
recruitment but their services might result in obtaining highly qualified personnel for crucial executive
and technical positions. These groups have many contacts and are especially skilled in contracting
qualified candidates who are employed and not actively looking to change jobs.
f) Walk-ins/Write-ins or unsolicited Applicants: Unsolicited applications whether they reach the
employer by letter, telephone, or in person, can be a source of prospective applicants. Such applications
are kept in file if there are no particular openings at that time. Qualification of unsolicited applicants is
dependent on economic conditions, the organization’s images, and the job seeker’s perception of the types
of jobs available.

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 4.3 EMPLOYEE SELECTION

Definition:
Selection is the process of gathering and assessing information about job candidates and ultimately making
decision about personnel.
It is the process of choosing the individual who can most successfully perform the job from the pool of
qualified candidates. This process follows an effective recruitment program which should result in supplying
enough job applicants to a given vacant position.
Employee selection is important, and need to be performed with at most caution for the following key
reasons;
 Employees who do not have the right abilities won’t perform effectively & thus have an impact on the
success & image of the organization. If the right people are selected, the remaining functions of the
HRM become easier; the employee contribution & commitment will be at optimum level & employee -
employer relation will be constructive, cooperative, & congenial. The opposite is also true, as Shiv
Khera in his book “you can win’’ Stated; “People can be your biggest assets or liabilities.’’
 There are legal implications associated with the effectiveness of the selection procedures. Selection
procedures need to be evaluated to ensure that potential applicants are not discriminated on the basis of
race, sex, etc.
 There is a very high cost associated with the recruitment & hiring process especially when hiring people
for higher level positions.

4.3.1 SELECTION PROCESS

The selection procedure can not be effective until & unless;
 Requirements of the job to be filled have been clearly specified; Employee specifications (Physical,
Mental, Social, behavioral, etc.) have been clearly specified. (information from the job analysis)
 Candidates for screening have been attracted. (Recruitment)
Thus the development of JA, HRP, and Recruitment are necessary prerequisites to the selection process.
A series of steps are normally followed in processing an applicant for a job. Each Step in the process seek to
expand the organization’s knowledge about an applicant’s back ground, abilities, and motivation and it
increases the information from which decision makers will make their prediction and final choice. The
selection process used by organizations may vary depending on the size of the organization, the type of the
job to be filled, and also the number of people to be hired.

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The discrete selection process involves the following steps: multiple hurdles - each applicant pass to the next
step if s/he passes the previous one.

1. Screening Application Form

It provides basic employment information to be used at a later stage of the selection process and also to screen
out unqualified applicants. It involves basic questions ranging from simple name and address kind of question
to extended personal history profile. Questions that do not relate to the job at hand or open for discrimination
should be avoided. Such question like race, religion, etc. are irrelevant unless they have direct impact on the
job or are going to be used strictly for statistical purpose.

2. Employment Tests
The next step is to conduct various employment tests to gather further information about applicants and to
know more about candidates or to reject the candidates who cannot be called for interview, thus be able to
asses their suitability to the job. Some of the employment tests used by organizations include the following:

 Aptitude tests
Measure a person’s capacity or potential to learn and perform a job. Some of the tests that measure a person’s
aptitude include: Verbal ability - ability to use words in communicating, planning, etc.
Numerical tests - ability to add, subtract, etc.
Perception speed test - ability to recognize similarity & difference.
Spatial tests - ability to visualize objects in space and determine their relationships.
Reasoning tests - Ability to analyze oral or written facts and make correct judgment concerning these facts on
the basis of logical implications.

 Job knowledge and proficiency tests

Job knowledge tests are used to measure the job related knowledge (fact) possessed by the applicant (either
written or oral).
Proficiency test on the other hand measures how well the applicant does a sample of work that is to be
performed. The typical example is typing test for a secretarial position. Another example could be a case
study for a managerial position. It may include applications that differentiate experienced worker from
inexperienced ones.

 Interest test

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This is designed to determine how a person’s interests compare with the interest of successful people who do
the same type of job. For Example, tests that measure a Person’s interest in the situation that require him/her
to work with people or deal with people could measure a person’s interest in the sale person position. The
basic assumption underlying this test is people perform better if placed in positions that interest them.

 Personality tests
They measure the basic aspects of an applicant’s personality such as introversion, stability, and motivation.
They are expressed as self confidence, tact, emotional control, optimism, decisiveness, conformity,
objectivity, patients, fear, distrust, initiative, judgment, dominance, impulsiveness, sympathy, integrity &
stability.

3. Comprehensive Interview

It is used to supplement information gained in other steps in the selection process. It is designed to probe in to
areas that cannot be addressed by the application forms or tests. Questions to be asked in this interview
should be job related. The interview is usually done by a panel of interviewers consisting of human resource
personnel, potential supervisor, and other executives that may be of relevance in assessing the applicant’s
qualifications.

The interview could be structured or unstructured. The structured interviews are preferred in situations where
it is important to cover certain basic questions related with the job to all applicants. It also increases the
accuracy and reliability of questions.

Problems in conducting interviews:

 Interviewers may be favorably or unfavorably impressed with the job applicant for the wrong
reasons.
 Interviewers may have personal biases. Example: way of dress, hairstyle, etc.
 Interviewers may allow a simple characteristic to dominate judgment of all traits. For example, an
applicant with a pleasant personality may affect the fair judgment of the interviewer. In this case, other
work related traits may be overlooked.

In order to avoid these problems, interviewers should be acquainted with the basics of conducting effective
interviews. The following guidelines could help in ensuring effective interviews.

 Interviewers should be carefully selected and trained.

 Interviews should be planned by outlining the information that is to be obtained and questions to be
asked.

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  The interviewer should put the interviewee at ease unless it is part of the interview process.
 The fact obtained by the interview should be recorded immediately.
 Effectiveness of the interview process should be evaluated.

4. Reference checking/Background investigation

It involves contacting individuals who are listed as references to the applicant. It may include contacting
former employers to confirm the candidate’s work record and performance level, contacting other job-related,
personal, and educational references to verify accomplishments shown in the application. In some cases, this
step may extend to the level of doing a background investigation on the applicant.

5. Physical Examinations

It is given to determine whether an applicant is physically capable of performing the job and also to determine
the applicant’s eligibility for group life, health and disability insurances.

Physical examination request should be directly related to the job in order to avoid any possible
discrimination against disabled or handicapped applicants. Since medical examination is very expensive, this
step is usually the last step before final decision. In some cases, however, this step is done after the final
employment decision is completed. This is a situation where the physical/medical examination is used to
determine the eligibility of the person for various insurance benefits extended by the organization.

6. Final Employment decision

If the above steps are successfully accomplished, the best qualified individual can be identified. This decision
is made by the hiring department as per the qualifications set up for the job to be filled.

4.4 ORIENTATION

New employees are informed about their roles and responsibilities (i.e. what is expected of them) in an effort
to ease their transition to the firm. Orientation programs are helpful in familiarizing employees with their
supervisors and co-workers, the company policies and procedures, the requirements of their jobs, and the
organizational culture. The intent is to increase an employee’s job satisfaction and to reduce turnover.
Unfortunately, most of these programs are not properly planned, implemented, or evaluated. Most times
employees are given an introduction to the company and then left to learn the details by themselves. Often this
leads to feelings of confusion, frustration, stress, and uncertainty among new employees.

Generally, the objectives of an employee orientation program are:

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 1. To assist the new employee in adjusting to the organization and feeling comfortable and positive about
the new job:
2. To clarify the job requirements, demands and performance expectations. And,
3. To get the employee to understand the organization’s culture and quickly adopt organization’s goals,
values and behaviors.

After completing this section you will be familiar with:

 Meaning of key terms involved

 The best time to give orientation

 Objective of orientation

 Who is/are responsible to orient new employees

1. Meaning:

Orientation is the introduction of new employees to the organization, work unit and job. This can be done by
oral or written communications like manuals, guidelines, etc.
Following the final employment selection decision, one job candidate will be hired in an organization. This,
however, does not ensure the employee’s successful performance in the organization. The degree of the new
employee’s knowledge about an organization affects his/her level of performance on the job… at least in the
first few months.
New employees may receive orientation either from their fellow workforce or the company. On the either
case, however, the organization should make sure that the new employee goes through sufficient and relevant
orientation period. Although informal orientation is usually given by fellow workman, it may end up in
providing misleading and inaccurate information to new employees. Thus, it needs to be supported by a
formal and planned orientation.

2. When should it be given?

 Before or during the selection process followed by a formal orientation period once an individual is
hired.
 Immediately after a job applicant is hired.

3. Who does the orientation?

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Major responsibility of orientation falls on the human resource department, especially as it relates to the
general information concerning the organization. HRM is also responsible for initiating and coordinating both
the general and job/department specific orientation.
The new employee’s immediate supervisor takes the responsibility of job/department orientation as s/he is
likely to give accurate and relevant information.
In some organizations, orientation may be given by fellow workmen. However, the person selected to give
orientation should be properly trained.

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