CHAPTER THREE

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

RECRUITMENT
Definition of Recruitment: - Recruitment means search of the prospective employee to suit the
job requirements as represented by job specification–a technique of job analysis. It is the first
stage in selection which makes the vacancies known to a large number of people and the
opportunities that the organization offers. In response to this knowledge, potential applicants
would write to the organization. Hence, the process of attracting people to apply is called
recruitment.
It involves the creation of a pool of available labor upon whom the organization can depend
when it needs additional employees. According to Edwin B. Filippo, recruitment is the process
of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization.
Factors Affecting Recruitment
The recruitment function of the organizations is affected and governed by a mix of various
internal and external forces. The internal forces or factors are the factors that can be controlled
by the organization. And the external factors are those factors which cannot be controlled by the
organization.
The internal and external forces affecting recruitment function of an organization are:
1. Internal factors
The internal forces i.e. the factors which can be controlled by the organization are:
A. Recruitment Policy: The recruitment policy of an organization provides a framework for
implementation of recruitment program by taking into consideration the following factors:
i. Organizational objectives
ii. Personnel policies of the organization and its competitors
iii. Government policies on reservations
iv. Preferred sources of recruitment
v. Need of the organization
vi. Recruitment costs and financial implications
B. Human Resource Planning: Effective human resource planning helps in determining the
gaps in the existing manpower of the organization. It also helps in determining the number of
employees to be recruited and the qualifications they should possess.

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C. Size of the Firm: The size of the firm is an important factor in 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.
D. Growth and Expansion: Organization will employ or think of employing more personnel if
it is expanding its operations.
2. External factors
The external factors are the forces which cannot be controlled by the organization. The major
external forces are:
A. 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.
B. Labor Market: Employment conditions in the community where the organization is located
will influence the recruiting efforts of the organization. If there is surplus 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.
C. Image/Goodwill: Image of the employer can work as a potential constraint for recruitment.
An organization with positive image and goodwill finds it easier to attract and retain employees
than an organization with negative image.
D. Political, Social and Legal Environment: Various government regulations prohibiting
discrimination in hiring and employment have direct impamct on recruitment practices.
E. Unemployment Rate: One of the factors that influence the availability of applicants is the
growth of the economy. When the company is not creating new jobs, there is often over supply
of qualified labor which in turn leads to unemployment.
F. 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.

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Sources of recruitment
The various sources of recruitment are generally classified as internal source and external source.
1. Internal Sources: This refers to the recruitment from within the company. The various
internal sources are:
a. Transfers: The employees are transferred from one department to another according to their
efficiency and experience.
b. Promotions: The employees are promoted from one department to another with more benefits
and greater responsibility based on efficiency and experience
c. Others: Others are Upgrading and Demotion of present employees according to their
performance.
Retired and Retrenched employees can be a source of recruitment. Recruiting such people
saves time and costs of the organizations as the people are already aware of the organizational
culture, policies and procedures. Dependents and relatives of deceased employees and
disabled employees are also considered by many companies so that members of the deceased
member‘s family are not at the mercy of others.
2. External Sources
External sources refer to the practice of getting suitable persons from outside.
The following are methods commonly used by the big enterprises to recruit persons from
external sources:
a. Direct Recruitment: An important source of recruitment is direct recruitment by
placing a notice on the notice board of the enterprise specifying the details of the jobs
available. It is also known as recruitment at factory gate.
b. Casual Callers or Unsolicited Applications: The organizations which are regarded
as good employers draw a steady stream of unsolicited applications in their offices.
This serves as a valuable source of manpower
c. Media Advertisement: Advertisement in newspapers or trade and professional journals
is generally used when qualified and experienced personnel are not available from other
sources.
d. Employment Agencies: Employment exchanges run by the Government are
regarded as a good source of recruitment for unskilled, semi-skilled and skilled

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operative jobs. In some cases, compulsory notification of vacancies to the employment
exchange is required by law
e. Management Consultants: Management consultancy firms help the organizations to
recruit technical, professional and managerial personnel they specialized for middle level
and top level executive placements.
f. Educational Institutions or Campus Recruitment: Big organizations maintain a close
liaison with the universities, vocational institutes and management institutes for
recruitment to various jobs. Recruitment from educational institutional is a well -
established practice of thousand of business and other organizations.
g. Recommendation: Applicants introduced by friends and relatives may prove to be a
good source of recruitment. In fact, many employers prefer to take such persons because
something about their background is known. When a present-employee or a business friend
recommends someone for a job, a type of preliminary screening is done and the person is
placed on a job.
h. Labor Contractors: Labor contractors are an important source of recruitment in some
industries. Workers are recruited through labor contractors who are themselves employees
of the organization.
i. Telecasting: The practice of telecasting of vacant posts over T.V. is gaining importance
these days. Special programmes like ‘Job Watch', ‘Youth Pulse’, ‘ Employment News’,
etc. over the T.V have become quite popular in recruitment for various types of jobs.
j. Raiding: Raiding is a technical term used when employees working elsewhere are
attracted to join organizations. The organizations are always on the lookout for qualified
professionals, and are willing to offer them a better deal if they make the switch.
Merits of external source of recruitment
The merits of external sources of recruitment are as under:
1. Qualified Personnel: By using external sources of recruitment the management
can make qualified and trained people to apply for vacant Jobs in the organization.
2.Wider choice: When vacancies are advertised widely a large number of applicants
from outside the organization apply. The management has a wider choice while
selecting the people for employment.

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 3. Fresh Talent: The insiders may have limited talents. External sources facilitate
infusion of fresh blood with new ideas into the enterprise. This will improve the overall
working of the enterprise.
4. Competitive Spirit: If a company can tap external sources, the existing staff will have
to compete with the outsiders. They will work harder to show better performance.
Demerits of external sources
The demerits of filling vacancies from external sources are as follows:
1. Dissatisfaction among Existing Staff: External recruitment may lead to
dissatisfaction and frustration among existing employees. They may feel that their
chances of promotion are reduced.
2. Lengthy Process: Recruitment from outside takes a long time. The business has to
notify the vacancies and wait for applications to initiate the selection process.
3. Costly Process: It is very costly to recruit staff from external sources. A lot of money
has to be spent on advertisement and processing of applications.
4.Uncertain Response: The candidates from outside may not be suitable for the
enterprise. There is no guarantee that the enterprise will be able to attract right kinds of
people from external sources.
SELECTION
Definition of Selection
To select means to choose. Selection is a part of the recruitment function. It is the process of
choosing people by obtaining and assessing information about the applicants (age, qualification,
experience and qualities) with a view of matching these with the job requirements and picking up
the most suitable candidates. The choices are made by elimination of the unsuitable at successive
stages of the selection process.
Human resource selection is the process of preferring qualified individuals who are available to
fill positions in an organization. Selection involves both picks up the fits and rejects unfits.
Therefore, sometimes, it is called a negative process.
According to Thomas Stone, “Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in
order to identify (and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job”.

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Criteria of Selection
Selection decisions are usually based on how an applicant is rated (rather, predicted) in terms of
the likelihood of success on the job. The information used is found in the application blanks,
performance in one or more tests and the interview(s). The criteria of selection need to be
critical to the job. The key job dimensions identified in job analysis and job description provide
the basis for determining relevant criteria.
Frequently educational qualifications, technical skills and achievements are used as the
basis for selection. It appears that certain job requirements can be measured more easily
and accurately than certain others. The core job skills like sensory motor‘skills and manipulative
skills and achievement can be measured relatively more accurately than one‘s aptitude, interest
and personality traits.
Integrity loyalty, initiative/drive/resourcefulness and intelligence/mental alertness are the
key attributes influencing the selection of managerial employees.
Selection Procedure /Process
The aim of selection is to assess the suitability of candidates by predicting the extent to which
they will be able to carry out a role successfully. It involves deciding on the degree to which the
characteristics of applicants in terms of their competencies, experience, qualifications, education
and training match the person specification.
The selection process covers the period from the job specification and initial contact with
the applicant to his final acceptance or rejection. The successive stages in the selection
process are referred to as hurdles that the applicants should cross. Not all selection processes,
however, include all these stages. The complexity of the selection process usually increases
with the increase in the skill level and job level (responsibility and accountability) of the
position for which selection is being made. The sequencing of the hurdles also may vary
from job to job and organization to organization.

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When the vacancy or vacancies have been advertised and a fair number of replies received, the
typical sequence of steps required to process applications is as follows:
1. List the applications on a control sheet setting out name, date application received and
actions taken (reject, hold, interview, short-list, and offer),
2. Send a standard acknowledgement letter to each applicant unless an instant decision can
be made to interview or reject.
3. The applicant may be asked to complete and return an application form by post or by e-
mail to supplement a letter or CV. This ensures that all applicants are considered on the
same basis – it can be very difficult to plough through a pile of letters, often ill-written and
badly organized. Even CVs may be difficult to sift although their quality is likely to be
higher if the applicant has been receiving advice from an ‘outplacement’ consultant, i.e.
one who specializes in finding people jobs. However, to save time, trouble, expense and
irritation, many recruiters prefer to make a decision on the initial letter plus CV where it is
quite clear that an applicant meets or does not meet the specification, rather than ask for a
form. For more senior jobs it is generally advisable to ask for a CV.
4. Compare the applications with the key criteria in the person specification and sort them
initially into three categories: possible, marginal and unsuitable.
5. Scrutinize the possible again to draw up a short-list for interview. This scrutiny could be
carried out by the HR or recruitment specialist, and the manager. The numbers on the
short-list should ideally be between four and eight. Fewer than four leaves relatively little
choice (although such a limitation may be forced on you if an insufficient number of good
applications have been received). More than eight will mean that too much time is spent on
interviewing and there is a danger of diminishing returns setting in.
6. Draw up an interviewing program. The time you should allow for the interview will vary
according to the complexity of the job. For a fairly routine job, 30 minutes or so should
suffice. For a more senior job, 60 minutes or more is required. It is best not to schedule too
many interviews in a day – if you try to carry out more than five or six exacting interviews
you will quickly run out of steam and do neither the interviewee nor your company any
justice. It is advisable to leave about 15 minutes between interviews to write up notes and
prepare for the next one.

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 7. Invite the candidates to interview, using a standard letter where large numbers are involved.
At this stage, candidates should be asked to complete an application form, if they have not
already done so. There is much to be said at this stage for sending candidates more details
of the organization and the job so that you do not have to spend too much time going
through this information at the interview.
8. Review the remaining possible and marginal and decides if any are to be held in reserve.
Send reserves a standard ‘holding’ letter and send the others a standard ‘rejection ‘ letter.
The latter should thank candidates for the interest shown and inform them briefly, but not
too brusquely, that they have not been successful.

Difference between Recruitment and Selection

The basic objective of recruitment is to attract maximum number of candidates so that more
options are available. The basic objective of selection is to choose best out of the available
candidates.

ORIENTATION
Definition of orientation
The introduction of the new employee to the job is known as 0orientation/induction. It is the
process by which new employees are introduced to the practices, policies and purposes of the
organization. It refers to the process of welcoming and socializing the individual into an
organization. It is the process where an individual is made to feel comfortable and feel at home .
The new employee can be handed over a rule book or documents of the policy procedures, which
are quite impersonal in nature, however, the employee feels the sense of belongings when
communicated personally. It is the responsibility of personnel department to execute the
induction program as Induction is the process of receiving and welcoming employees when they
first join a company and giving them the basic information they need to settle down quickly and
happily and start work. Induction is important because it reduces the cost and inconvenience of
early leavers. Employees are far more likely to resign during the initial months after joining the
organization. First impressions are important as is the impact of the first four weeks of
employment. Early resignations cause disruption and create recurrent costs such as the costs of
obtaining replacements, induction costs , training and the costs of lower productivity from new
starters and the costs arising from the gaps that occur before a leaver is replaced.. Induction

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follows placement and consists of the task of orienting or introducing the new employee to the
company, its policy and its position in the economy. Induction literally means helping the worker
to get or with his own environment. After an employee is assigned to his job, it is necessary to
introduce him to his job situation, his associates in the job and the overall policies of the
company.
Benefits of Orientation
The purpose of orientation /induction is to help the new employee and the organization to
accommodate each other. Included in this process may be financial assistances for expenses of
travel filling out of pay roll and other forms, introduction to colleagues and explanation
of the policies and practices of the organization, many other factors which serve to
integrate the new employee into the enterprise. The need for security, belonging, esteem and
knowledge is met through proper orientation/ induction. Haphazard procedures, casual
greetings, and lack of information can precipitate anxiety, discouragement, disillusionment
or defensive behavior, including quitting. A successful induction is that which reduces the
anxiety of the new employee. Therefore, such methods which bring this about are explained to
company workers. Any neglect in the area of induction and orientation may lead to labor
turnover, confusion and wasted time and expenditure.