RECRUITMENT

 Recruitment refers to the process of identifying and attracting job seekers so as to build a pool of
qualified applicants.(Yoder D)
 Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for
jobs. (Flippo)
 According to Bergmann and Taylor “Recruitment is the process of locating, identifying, and attracting
capable applicants”.
 Recruitment can now easily be defined as the process of searching for and securing applicants for the
various job positions which arise from time to time in the organisation.
NATURE AND PURPOSES OF RECRUITMENT
 Recruitment is the process of searching for and obtaining applicants for jobs
 Recruitment has several benefits for a firm:
 Determine the present and future requirements of the organisation 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
organisation only after a short period of time.
 Meet the organisation’s legal and social obligations regarding the composition of its workforce.
 Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate candidates.
 Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and sources for all types of job
applicants.
INTERNAL FACTORS
The internal factors also called as “endogenous factors” are the factors within the organization that effect
recruiting personnel in the organization.
The internal forces i.e. the factors which can be controlled by the organization are:

1. Recruitment
The recruitment policy of the organization i.e. recruiting from internal sources and external also affect the
recruitment process The recruitment policy of an organization specifies the objectives or recruitment and
provides a framework for implementation of recruitment program. It may involve organizational system to be
developed for implementing recruitment programs and procedure by filling up vacancies with best qualified
people.

Factors Affecting Recruitment Policy

Need of the organization.
Organizational objectives
Preferred sources of recruitment.
Government policies on reservations.
Personnel policies of the organization and its competitors.
Recruitment costs and financial implications.

2. Human Resource Planning

Effective human resource planning helps in determining the gaps present in the existing manpower of the
organization. It also helps in determining the number of employees to be recruited and what qualification they
must possess.

3. Size of the Organization

The size of the organization affects the recruitment process. If the organization is planning to increase its
operations and expand its business, it will think of hiring more personnel, which will handle its operations.

4. Cost involved in recruitment

Recruitment incur cost to the employer, therefore, organizations try to employ that source of recruitment which
will bear a lower cost of recruitment to the organization for each candidate.

5. Growth and Expansion

Organization will employ or think of employing more personnel if it is expanding its operations.
EXTERNAL FACTORS

1. Supply and Demand

The availability of manpower both within and outside the organization is an important determinant in the
recruitment process. If the company has a demand for more professionals and there is limited supply in the
market for the professionals demanded by the company, then the company will have to depend upon internal
sources by providing them special training and development programs.

2. Unemployment Rate
One of the factors that influence the availability of applicants is the growth of the economy (whether economy
is growing or not and its rate). When the company is not creating new jobs, there is often oversupply of
qualified labour which in turn leads to unemployment.

3. Labour Market
Employment conditions in the community where the organization is located will influence the recruiting efforts
of the organization. If there is surplus of manpower at the time of recruitment, even informal attempts at the
time of recruiting like notice boards display of the requisition or announcement in the meeting etc. will attract
more than enough applicants.

4. Political-Social- Legal Environment

Various government regulations prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment have direct impact on
recruitment practices. For example, Government of India has introduced legislation for reservation in
employment for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, physically handicapped etc. Also, trade unions play
important role in recruitment. This restricts management freedom to select those individuals who it believes
would be the best performers. If the candidate can’t meet criteria stipulated by the union but union regulations
can restrict recruitment sources.

5. Goodwill / Image of the organization

Image of the organization is another factor having its influence on the recruitment process of the organization.
This can work as a potential constraint for recruitment. An organization with positive image and goodwill as an
employer finds it easier to attract and retain employees than an organization with negative image. Image of a
company is based on what organization does and affected by industry. Managerial actions like good public
relations, rendering public service like building roads, public parks, hospitals and schools help earn image or
goodwill for organization.

6. Competitors
The recruitment policies of the competitors also affect the recruitment function of the organizations. To face the
competition, many a times the organizations have to change their recruitment policies according to the policies
being followed by the competitors.
  Internal Sources of Recruitment
Internal sources of recruitment consist of employees who are already on the payroll of a firm. It also includes
former employees who have returned to work for the organization. Recruitment from internal sources is done to fill
up vacancies through promotion, re-hiring and transferring employees within the company.
 External Sources of Recruitment
External sources of recruitment refer to the sources that lie outside or exist external to the organization.

Characteristics of Internal Sources of Recruitment

 Quick process.
 Cheaper than the external recruitment process.
 Works as a tool of motivation for the staff.
 The company’s choice is limited to existing employees of the company.
 Hiring fresh employees is a lost prospect.

Characteristics of External Sources

 Long and time-consuming process.
 It is an expensive process.
 When external people are given opportunities over them, then existing workers lose morale
 Hiring new employees can lead to the introduction of new blood and thus the introduction of a new set of skills
and ideas.
EVALUATION AND CONTROL
Involves:
 Return rate of application sent out
 No. of suitable candidates for selection
 Retention and performance of the candidates selected
 Cost of recruitment process
 Time lapsed data
 Comments on image projected

CHALLENGES IN RECRUITMENT & HIRING PROCESS

1. Attracting the right candidates -: Finding the right candidate that fits the job can be a difficult and tedious
task. Finding the right candidate in terms of experience, skills, cultural fitment.

2. Engaging qualified candidates-: Engaging qualified candidates is one of the recruitment challenges. It is
important to reach out to the right candidates and be noticed by them

3. Building a strong Employer Brand-: Sometimes job seekers consider an employer’s brand before even
applying for a job, and if they don’t like what they see, they won’t apply or accept our job offer.

4. Details information about JD & company information -: A recruiter always needs full details about Job
description for skills and hiring for the department as well exact information pay packs, dedication, company
policies details for pitching & the right information to the candidates they are approaching.

5. Ensuring a good candidate experience -:during the hiring process, it is beneficial to provide a good
candidate experience as it increases the chances of the candidate accepting the offer and a bad experience makes
them less likely to accept the job.

6. Gather Feedback from Candidates and Hiring Managers -The best way to improve recruitment operations.
Clear information of interview process, interview round, availability of the schedule of candidates & Hiring
Manager.

7. Major challenge for the recruiter to understand the difference between active & passive job
seekers- Many companies struggle to attract and hire diverse candidates and unconscious biases are often the
reason. Fetching the Right Talent at the Right Time We see that big recruitment consultants also come up with
challenges in getting the right talent
8. Creating an efficient recruiting process-: The recruitment process can be tricky, so it is mandatory to have
an efficient recruiting process to hire the right candidate. Hiring teams have to communicate proficiently and fast
to easily evaluate candidates and they should be aware of all the steps during the process.

9. Job Shopping-: The recruiters face one of the big hurdles of ensuring that the candidate does not go shopping
basis on an offer made.

CONSTRAINTS FACED IN RECRUITMENT

1. Reputation of the Enterprise: The image of the enterprise in the community largely influences recruitment
process. A person may not be interested to apply for a job in an enterprise whose goodwill is not good. An
enterprise may get bad reputation on account of undesirable attitude of the management, bad working conditions,
etc. Such enterprises do not get sufficient number of personnel even if they offer higher wages.
2. Unattractive Jobs: If the job is boring, hazardous, tension ridden and lacking in opportunities for
advancement, very few persons may be available for such jobs. On the other hand, if it carries good salaries,
promotional avenues, or good working conditions, there may be many persons available for such jobs.
3. Organisational Policies: Internal policies of the enterprise may also act as a constraint on recruitment of new
persons. A policy of filling up higher positions from outside can discourage competent persons to apply in such
an enterprise (because of lack of promotion avenues).
4. Trade Union Requirements: In some cases, agreements with trade union may also act as constraints to
employ persons from outside. An understanding with the union to fill up certain percentage of posts through it
will restrict the choice of management.
5. Government Policies: Government policies may also act as constraints on recruitment policy. Government
legislation may require reserving certain percentage of posts for weaker sections of society or for persons
belonging to specified castes. Legislation may require the enterprise to recruit new persons only from the lists
supplied by government employment exchange. Such legislations restrict the choice of management in recruiting
new persons.

JOB ANALYSIS
Job analysis is the process of studying jobs to gather, analyze, synthesize and report information about job
responsibilities and requirements and the conditions under which work is performed.- Modified from Heneman
and Judge (2009)
 Job description:
 Systematic, detailed summary of job tasks, duties and responsibilities.
 Job specification:
 Detailed summary of qualifications needed to perform required job tasks.
 Performance standards:
 Establishes the level of satisfactory performance.

CREATING THE JOB ANALYSIS FOR HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING

 Identify the task/duties required for the role by talking to someone familiar with the position, such as the
incumbent and their direct manager.
 Compile all information regarding the duties and responsibilities of the role.
 Determine ways to assess the difference between potentially poor, average, and above average performers.
 Examine how workers in the position are currently performing and anything needed for the role to add more
productivity or value to the organisation.

JOB ANALYSIS METHODS

Determining which tasks employees perform is not easy. The most effective technique when collecting
information for a job analysis is to obtain information through direct observation as well as from the most
qualified incumbent(s) via questionnaires or interviews. The following describes the most common job analysis
methods.

Open-ended questionnaire
Job incumbents and/or managers fill out questionnaires about the Knowledge, skills and abilities (henceforth
KSAs) necessary for the job. HR compiles the answers and publishes a composite statement of job requirements.
This method produces reasonable job requirements with input from employees and managers and helps analyse
many jobs with limited resources.
Highly structured questionnaire
These questionnaires allow only specific responses aimed at determining the frequency with which specific tasks
are performed, their relative importance and the skills required. The structured questionnaire is helpful to define
a job objectively, which also enables analysis with computer models.
Interview
In a face-to-face interview, the interviewer obtains the necessary information from the employee about the KSAs
needed to perform the job. The interviewer uses predetermined questions, with additional follow-up questions
based on the employee's response. This method works well for professional jobs.
Observation
Employees are directly observed performing job tasks, and observations are translated into the necessary KSAs
for the job. Observation provides a realistic view of the job's daily tasks and activities and works best for short-
cycle production jobs.
Work diary or log
A work diary or log is a record maintained by the employee and includes the frequency and timing of tasks. The
employee keeps logs over a period of days or weeks. HR analyzes the logs, identifies patterns and translates them
into duties and responsibilities. This method provides an enormous amount of data, but much of it is difficult to
interpret, may not be job-related and is difficult to keep up-to-date.

Behavioral event interview

Behavioral event interviewing, a competency-based job analysis, differs from the traditional job analysis, which
focuses solely on the evaluation of tasks, duties and responsibilities. In behavioral event interviewing:

 A team of senior managers identifies future performance areas critical to the organization's business
and strategic plans.
 HR assembles panels composed of individuals who are knowledgeable about the organization's jobs
(i.e., subject matter experts). These groups may be employees, managers, supervisors, trainers and
others.
 A facilitator interviews panel members to obtain examples of job behaviors and actual occurrences on
the jobs.
 The facilitator develops detailed descriptions of each identified competency, including descriptive
phrases for clarity.
 HR rates the competencies, and panel members identify KSAs required to meet them.
 HR identifies performance standards for each job. The organization must develop and implement
selection, screening, training and compensation instruments, or processes that focus on competencies.

USE OF JOB ANALYSIS DATA

Job descriptions and specifications

HR uses the job analysis output to develop a job description and job specifications. The job description
summarizes and organizes the information for the organization's job-related actions. Generally, the job
description and specifications are combined but compartmentalized to enable independent updating as needed.

Compensation decisions
In relation to employee pay practices, job analysis has two critical uses: It establishes similarities and
differences in job content, and it helps determine the internal equity and relative worth of like jobs. If jobs have
equal content, then the pay established for them will likely be equal. If, on the other hand, job content is
perceptibly different, then those differences, along with the market rates, will become part of the rationale for
paying certain jobs differently.

Selection assessments
Job analysis information can also be used as a basis for selecting or developing employment assessments that
measure the most critical tasks or Knowledge, skills and abilities (KSAs). Some assessments involve work
samples that simulate job tasks and require candidates to demonstrate that they can perform these tasks
effectively. HR uses job-oriented or task-based job analysis data as a basis for developing these types of
assessments because they focus directly on assessing how well job candidates can perform critical work tasks.
Other assessment methods focus on measuring KSAs that are required to perform job tasks effectively, such as
various mental abilities, physical abilities or personality traits, depending on the job's requirements.

Other areas organization may use job analysis data:

 Workforce planning.
 Performance management.
 Recruitment and selection.
 Career and succession planning.
  Training and development.
 Compensation administration.
 Health, safety and security.
 Employee/labor relations.
 Risk management.

SELECTION

 Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify and hire those with a
great likelihood of success in a job.
 The process of choosing the right person for the right job.
 According to Dale Yoder, “Selection is the process in which candidates for employment are divided into
two classes, those who are to be offered employment and those who not.”

This HRM function is essential for the organization because hiring the most appropriate human resources can
enhance its performance. An adequate workforce will do business processes effectively, and it is
straightforward to conduct training & development programs. The organization will increase the number of
products due to the appropriate workforce, and managing people is much more comfortable. So those are the
critical reasons for this core function.

Selection is significant because

 it determines work performance

 heavy costs are incurred

A decision is right when the candidate was forecasted to be successful and subsequently confirmed to be
successful on the job and when the candidate was anticipated to be unsuccessful and if employed, would not have
been capable of doing the job. In the first case, we have favourably approved, and in the second case, we have
firmly rejected. Yet the problems arise when we reject applicants who would have worked favourably on the job
or approve them who afterwards not performed well if employed.

Importance of Selection Process

1. Selecting skilled personnel reduces the training costs of the organization.

2. Organizations who understand their personnel’s value invest a large sum in selecting the relevant
candidate for the vacant job.
3. Selecting personnel who are satisfied with their work enhances the efficiency of both the personnel and
the organization.

With a proper selection process, the entity can get advantages in many ways. If the organization failed to do a
proper selection process, it might badly influence the organization. The organization will not be able to
accomplish expected job performance from the employee due to wrong selection. The cost of training &
development may increase, resource wastages may increase, damage the public relation, damage the goodwill,
and the cost of grievance handling may increase. Therefore there will be some harmful effects due to the wrong
selection process. However, as a core function in HRM, the selection function is so vital to the organization.
Therefore every organization needs to conduct the selection process properly. This process is one of the huge
reasons for the success or failure of the organization.

Difference between Recruitment and selection

Recruitment is the overall process of identifying and attracting a pool of suitably qualified people to apply for
particular employment. In contrast, the selection means choosing the most appropriate person from the pool of
applicants. Nevertheless, both of these recruitment and selection processes are interrelated and play a vital role
in achieving organizational goals and objectives.
The Three most Common Methods used are:

1. Testing

2. Information Gathering

3. Interview
2. INFORMATION GATHERING: Common methods for gathering information include application forms
and résumés, biographical data, and reference checking.

3. INTERVIEWS:

 The interview is the most frequently used selection method.

 Interviewing occurs when applicants respond to questions posed by a manager or some other
organizational representative (interviewer).
 Typical areas in which questions are posed include education, experience, knowledge of job procedures,
mental ability, personality, communication ability, social skills.
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE SELECTION:

The main objective of selection is to hire people having competence and commitment. This objective is often
defeated because of certain barriers. The impediments which check effectiveness of selection are perception,
fairness, validity, reliability, and pressure.

PERCEPTION: Our inability to understand others accurately is probably the most fundamental barrier to
selecting right candidate. Selection demands an individual or a group to assess and compare the respective
competencies of others, with the aim of choosing the right persons for the jobs. But our views are highly
personalized. We all perceive the world differently. Our limited perceptual ability is obviously a stumbling
block to the objective and rational selection of people.

FAIRNESS: Fairness in selection requires that no individual should be discriminated against on the basis of
religion, region, race or gender. But the low number of certain gender and other less privileged sections of
society in the middle and senior management positions and open discrimination on the basis of age in job
advertisements and in the selection process would suggest that all the efforts to minimize inequity have not
been very effective.

VALIDITY: Validity is a test that helps predict job performance of an incumbent. A test that has been
validated can differentiate between the employees who can perform well and those who will not. However, a
validated test does not predict job success accurately. It can only increase possibility of success.

RELIABILITY: A reliable method is one which will produce consistent results when repeated in similar
situations. Like a validated test, a reliable test may fall to predict job performance with precision.

PRESSURE: Pressure is brought on the selectors by bureaucrats, relatives, friends, and peers to select
particular candidate. Candidates selected because of compulsions are obviously not the right ones.
Appointments to public sector undertakings generally take place under such pressure.

Employer Branding & Social Media- refer articles in the reference material section