RECRUITMENT
Definition Of Recruitment: Finding and Attracting Applications
“Recruitment is the Process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. The Process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applications are submitted. The result is a pool of application from which new employees are selected.”
MEANING OF RECRUITMENT:
Recruitment is understood as the process of searching for and obtaining applicants for jobs, from among them the right people can be selected. Though theoretically recruitment process is said to end with the receipt of applications, in practice the activity extends to the screening of applications so as to eliminate those who are not qualified for the job.
PURPOSE AND IMPORTANCE OF RECRUITMENT: -
1. Determine the present and future requirements in conjunction with personnel planning and job analysis activities
2. Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost
3. Help increase success rate of selection process by reducing number of under-qualified or over-qualified applications.
4. Reduce the probability that job applicants once selected would leave shortly
5. Meet legal and social obligations
6. Identify and prepare potential job applicants
7. Evaluate effectiveness of various recruitment techniques and sources for job applicants.
FACTORS GOVERNING RECRUITMENT
External Factors:
· Demand and Supply (Specific Skills)
· Unemployment Rate (Area-wise)
· Labor Market Conditions
· Political and Legal Environment (Reservations, Labor laws)
· Image
Internal Factors
· Recruitment Policy (Internal Hiring or External Hiring?)
· Human Resource Planning (Planning of resources required)
· Size of the Organization (Bigger the size lesser the recruitment problems)
· Cost
· Growth and Expansion Plans
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Recruitment Planning
· Number of contacts
· Types of contacts
Recruitment Strategy Development
· Make or Buy Employees
· Technological Sophistication
· Where to look
· How to look
Internal Recruitment (Source 1)
· Present employees
· Employee referrals
· Transfers & Promotions
· Former Employees
· Previous Applicants
· Evaluation of Internal Recruitment
External Recruitment (Source 2)
· Professionals or Trade Associations
· Advertisements
· Employment Exchanges
· Campus Recruitment
· Walk-ins Interviews
· Consultants
· Contractors
· Displaced Persons
· Radio & Television
· Acquisitions & Mergers
· Competitors
· Evaluation of External Recruitment
Searching
· Source activation
· Selling
· Screening of Applications
Evaluation and Cost Control
· Salary Cost
· Management & Professional Time spent
· Advertisement Cost
· Producing Supporting literature
· Recruitment Overheads and Expenses
· Cost of Overtime and Outsourcing
· Consultant’s fees
Evaluation of Recruitment Process
· Return rate of applications sent out
· Suitable Candidates for selection
· Retention and Performance of selected candidates
· Recruitment Cost
· Time lapsed data
· Image projection
| INTERNAL RECRUITMENT | |
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| 1. Less Costly 2. Candidates already oriented towards organization 3. Organizations have better knowledge about internal candidates 4. Employee morale and motivation is enhanced | 1. Old concept of doing things 2. It abets raiding 3. Candidates current work may be affected 4. Politics play greater roles 5. Morale problem for those not promoted. |
| EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT | |
| Advantages | Disadvantages |
| 1. Benefits of new skills and talents 2. Benefits of new experiences 3. Compliance with reservation policy becomes easy 4. Scope for resentment, jealousies, and heartburn are avoided. | 1. Better morale and motivation associated with internal recruiting is denied 2. It is costly method 3. Chances of creeping in false positive and false negative errors 4. Adjustment of new employees takes longer time. |
SELECTION: -
MEANING OF SELECTION:
Selection is the process of picking up individuals (out of the pool of job applicants) with requisite qualifications and competence to fill jobs in the organization. A formal definition of Selection is as under
Definition of Selection: Process of differentiating
“Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify and hire those with a greater likelihood of success in a job.”
DIFFERENCE BETWEEN RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION:
| Recruitment | Selection |
| 1. Recruitment refers to the process of identifying and encouraging prospective employees to apply for jobs. 2. Recruitment is said to be positive in its approach as it seeks to attract as many candidates as possible. | 1. Selection is concerned with picking up the right candidates from a pool of applicants. 2. Selection on the other hand is negative in its application in as much as it seeks to eliminate as many unqualified applicants as possible in order to identify the right candidates. |
PROCESS / STEPS IN SELECTION
1. Preliminary Interview: The purpose of preliminary interviews is basically to eliminate unqualified applications based on information supplied in application forms. The basic objective is to reject misfits. On the other hands preliminary interviews is often called a courtesy interview and is a good public relations exercise.
2. Selection Tests: Jobseekers who past the preliminary interviews are called for tests. There are various types of tests conducted depending upon the jobs and the company. These tests can be Aptitude Tests, Personality Tests, and Ability Tests and are conducted to judge how well an individual can perform tasks related to the job. Besides this there are some other tests also like Interest Tests (activity preferences), Graphology Test (Handwriting), Medical Tests, Psychometric Tests etc.
3. Employment Interview: The next step in selection is employment interview. Here interview is a formal and in-depth conversation between applicant’s acceptability. It is considered to be an excellent selection device. Interviews can be One-to-One, Panel Interview, or Sequential Interviews. Besides there can be Structured and Unstructured interviews, Behavioral Interviews, Stress Interviews.
4. Reference & Background Checks: Reference checks and background checks are conducted to verify the information provided by the candidates. Reference checks can be through formal letters, telephone conversations. However it is merely a formality and selections decisions are seldom affected by it.
5. Selection Decision: After obtaining all the information, the most critical step is the selection decision is to be made. The final decision has to be made out of applicants who have passed preliminary interviews, tests, final interviews and reference checks. The views of line managers are considered generally because it is the line manager who is responsible for the performance of the new employee.
6. Physical Examination: After the selection decision is made, the candidate is required to undergo a physical fitness test. A job offer is often contingent upon the candidate passing the physical examination.
7. Job Offer: The next step in selection process is job offer to those applicants who have crossed all the previous hurdles. It is made by way of letter of appointment.
8. Contract of Employment: After the job offer is made and candidates accept the offer, certain documents need to be executed by the employer and the candidate. Here is a need to prepare a formal contract of employment, containing written contractual terms of employment etc.
ESSENTIALS OF A GOOD SELECTION PRACTICE
1. Detailed job descriptions and job specifications prepared in advance and endorsed by personnel and line management
2. Trained the selectors
3. Determine aids to be used for selection process
4. Check competence of recruitment consultants before retention
5. Involve line managers at all stages
6. Attempt to validate the procedure
7. Help the appointed candidate to succeed by training and management development
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE SELECTION: -
1. Perception: We all perceive the world differently. Our limited perceptual ability is obviously a stumbling block to the objective and rational selection of people.
2. Fairness: Barriers of fairness includes discrimination against religion, region, race or gender etc.
3. Validity: A test that has been validated can differentiate between the employees who can perform well and those who will not. However it does not predict the job success accurately.
4. Reliability: A reliable test may fail to predict job performance with precision.
5. Pressure: Pressure brought on selectors by politicians, bureaucrats, relatives, friends and peers to select particular candidate are also barriers to selection.
