•

Acquiring Human Resources

• Human Resource Planning and it's process
• Human Resources Planning also referred as Workforce Planning or
Manpower Planning.
• It is the process an organization uses to analyze its workforce and
determine steps it must take to prepare for future needs.
• It involves forecasting the future composition of the workforce, conducting
the gap analysis between the current staff and the future staff, deciding
how to close any gaps, and determining how to best meet the needs
through redeployment, training, recruiting, or outsourcing.
• Human Resource Planning helps in determining the right number and
skillset of the people required in the organization.
Need for Human Resource Planning
• Every organization has to plan for human resource due to:
• The shortage of certain categories of employees and/or variety of skills
despite the problems of unemployment.
• The rapid changes in technology, marketing, management, etc., and the
consequent need for new skills and new categories of employees.
• The change in organization design and structure affecting manpower
demand.
• The labor laws affecting the demand for and supply of labor.
• The involvement of lead time in manning the job with most suitable
candidate.
• Objectives of Human Resource Planning
• To recruit and retain the human resource of required quantity and quality
• To foresee the employee turnover and make the arrangements for
minimizing turnover and filling up of consequent vacancies
• To meet the needs of the programs of expansion, diversification, etc.
• To assess the surplus or shortage of human resources and take measures
accordingly
• To minimize imbalances caused due to non-availability of human
resources of right kind, right number in right time and right place
• To estimate the cost of human resources
• To make the best use of its human resource
• Steps in Recruitment and Selection
It starts with analysis of the job or vacancy and ends with filling the job.
Step 1: Conducting job analysis:
• This step helps the human resources manager, hiring manager, and other
members of management in knowing
• (a) what the new employee will be required to do in the position that is
currently open for filling up (Job Description) and
• (b) what should be the qualification, skill set and qualities of the new
employee (Job/Person Specification). This has to be done in a systematic
manner, which is what the job analysis is for.
• The job description and Job Specifications are the core of a successful
recruitment process. They are the main tool used in developing
assessment tests and interview questions for the applicants.
Step 2 : Sourcing of Talent
• This is the stage where the organization will let it be known to everyone
that there is an open position, and that they are looking for someone to fill
it up.
• Before advertising, however, the organization must first know where to
look for potential candidates.
• They should search out the sources where the persons that can potentially
fill the job are going to be available for recruitment. That way, they will
know where to direct their advertising efforts.
Step 3: Screening and Selection
• This is most probably the part of the recruitment process that requires the
most amount of work. This is where the applicants’ skills and personalities
are going to be tested and evaluated, to ascertain whether they are a
good fit for the job and its description.
• Various psychological and intelligence tests can assess a variety of
requirements with regards to knowledge skills and attitude. Assessments
are also available to measure physical ability.
• Recruiters and agencies may use applicant tracking systems to filter
candidates, along with software tools for psychometric testing and
performance-based assessment.
Step 4: Finalization of the job offer:
• The last step of the previous phase involves the selection of the best
candidate out of the pool of applicants. Finalization of Job Offer will happen
in two steps, the employer will make the offer and the candidate will select
the offer.
• The employee will still have to undergo pre-employment screening, which
often includes background and reference checks.
• When all these pre-employment information have been verified, the
employee will now be introduced to the organization. However,
 sometimes, part of background verification and reference checks also gets
completed after the employee has joined the company.
Step 5 : Induction and Onboarding of the new employees
• The moment that the applicant accepted the job offer, he has officially
gone from being an applicant to an employee of the organization. The
induction process will now begin.
• Usually, the beginning of the induction process is marked by the signing of
the employment contract, along with a welcome package given to the new
employee.
• The date for the first day that the employee will have to report for work
and start working in the company will be determined and communicated
to the newly hired employee.
• Principles of Recruitment
1. Know the job and the requirements: Before recruiting, it is crucial to
understand the job, its requirements, and the skills and experience necessary to
perform it effectively. This will help recruiters to identify competent candidates
who possess the right qualifications and experience for the role.
2. Attract and source candidates: An organization needs to reach out to
potential candidates through various sources such as job portals, job fairs, social
media, and employee referrals.
• 3. Evaluate candidates: Once the recruitment process begins, it is
essential to evaluate the candidates carefully. The evaluation should
include a combination of interviews, tests, and reference checks to
determine the candidate’s suitability for the job.
• 4. Keep the recruitment process transparent: The recruitment
process should be transparent and fair to all candidates. Communication
with candidates should be clear and timely regarding the status of their
applications.
• 5. Make an informed decision: After the evaluation, the recruitment
team should make an informed decision based on the candidate's
qualifications, experience, and potential fit within the organization.
• 6. Provide a positive candidate experience: The recruitment process
should provide candidates with a positive experience by ensuring clear
communication, timely feedback, and respectful treatment throughout the
hiring process.
• Job Design Strategies
Following are the popular options to designing jobs:
1. Job enlargement:
Adding responsibilities at a similar level of skill and competence. Horizontal
loading of jobs. Increasing variety of jobs. No real control or responsibilities are
added.
2. Job rotation:
Employees rotated on a systematic basis from one job to another. Tasks are still
on equal responsibilities level
3. Job enrichment:
Also known as vertical loading, add higher level responsibilities to the job. Helps
employee experience opportunities for growth, achievement and challenge.
4. Flexible job designs:
• job designs include alternative work arrangements, flexible work hours
and work from home opportunities. These designs involve not just the way
that work is performed, but also how and when and where it is performed.
• The employees can have compressed work week, they can contribute
fewer days but longer hours per day. Since not every job need be
performed during the same working hours.
• Employees can be given Flexi-time; they are given some discretion in
selecting their work hours. But they need to work for specific core hours.
• Job Analysis
• Job Analysis is done so that the Management determines the kind of
employee required for a job and the number of people to be employed.
• The organization should also find out the right man for the right job in
right time.
• The knowledge of the job is essential to perform these functions. However,
the changing nature of the business environment means that the results of
job analysis may quickly become obsolete. Hence there is need to keep
the information up to date.
• Steps in Job Analysis Process
1.Collection of Background Information: Background information consists of
organization charts, and existing job descriptions.
2. Selection of Representative Position to be analyzed: It would be too
difficult and time consuming to analyze all the jobs. So, the job analyst has to
select some of the representative positions in order to analyze them.
3. Collection of Job Analysis Data: This step involves actually analyzing a job
by collecting data on features of the job, required employee behavior and human
requirements.
4. Developing a Job Description: This step involves describing the contents of
the job in terms of functions, duties, responsibilities, operations, etc.
5. Developing a Job Specification: This step involves conversion of the Job
description statements into a job specification. Job specification describes the
personal qualities, traits, skills knowledge and background necessary for getting
the job done.
6. Developing Employee Specification: This step involves conversion of
specifications of human qualities under job specification into an employee
specification. Employee specification describes physical and educational
qualifications, experience, etc.
• Job Description and Job Specification
Job Analysis generates two key documents, Job description and Job
Specification.
• Job Description is an important document which is descriptive in nature, it
identifies the job title and lists the responsibilities and essential functions
of the job, it tells us what should be done, why it should be done and
where it should be performed.
• Job Specification focuses on the person performing the job. It specifies the
knowledge, skills, abilities, and characteristics required to effectively
perform the job. It tells us who will be able to do the job.
• The Concept of Recruitment & its Process
• In Human Resource Management, “Recruitment and Selection” is the
process of finding and hiring the best and most qualified candidate for a
job opening, in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Recruitment and Selection refers to the overall process of attracting,
shortlisting, selecting and appointing suitable candidates for jobs within an
organization.
• Recruitment can also be defined as the “process of searching for
prospective employees and stimulating and encouraging them to apply for
jobs in an organization”
• Selection involves the series of steps by which the candidates are
screened for choosing the most suitable persons for vacant posts.
• Activities involved in Recruitment
• Analyzing job requirement
• Advertising the vacancy
• Attracting candidates to apply for the job
• Managing responses and application
• Recruitment Planning
• Recruitment planning refers to the process of creating a blueprint that
guides professionals through the recruiting process, and helps them find
and hire the best talent.
• Recruitment planning addresses methods for handling each step of the
hiring process, and then goes on to outline strategies for what should
happen after a candidate is hired.
Sources of Recruitment & Sourcing Strategies
 • Sourcing in personnel management work refers to the identification and
uncovering of candidates through proactive recruiting techniques.
Sourcing is the use of one or more strategies to attract or identify
candidates to fill job vacancies.
• It may involve internal and/or external recruitment, advertising, using
appropriate media, such as job portals, local or national newspapers,
social media (such as LinkedIn), business media, specialist recruitment
media, professional publications, window advertisements, job centers, or
in a variety of ways via the internet.
• The Sources of Recruitment
Internal Recruitment:
Internal Recruitment refers to the process of a candidate being selected from the
existing workforce to take up a new job in the same organization, perhaps as a
promotion, or to provide career development opportunity, or to meet a specific
or urgent organizational need.
External Recruitment:
External Recruitment in many ways is the preferred norm. Major companies have
sizable advertising and recruiting budgets, and a larger applicant pool would
results in better hires.

• Internal Sourcing Methods

Hiring authorities can use the following internal recruiting methods to find a
candidate within a business.
Promotion:
• It refers to promoting or upgrading an employee who is already existed in
the pay roll and contributed for organizational performance. It is done by
shifting an employee to a higher position with high responsibilities,
facilities, status and pay. Usually, many companies fill higher job vacancies
by promoting employees who are considered fit for such positions.
Transfers:
• It is an alternative technique to promotion. Under it, employees are
internally recruited through transfer from one work place to another. It
means, transfer refers to the process of interchanging the job duties and
responsibilities of employees from one place to another or from one
department to another. It involves shifting of people from one job to
another without any promotion in their position or grade.
Internal job posting:
• Internal Job posting is an open invitation to all employees in an
organization to apply for the vacant position. It provides an equal
opportunity to all employees currently working in the organization. Hiring
managers can promote a position within the business to internally recruit.
 They can hang notices in break rooms and on bulletin boards, and send a
memo to employees.
Temporary Employees
• Sometimes, businesses hire employees to do temporary work. Temporary
employees can be hired on full time, which is often referred to as temp to
direct, or temp to hire. Hiring a temporary employee on full time often
results in more hours worked, increased responsibilities, and higher pay.
Hiring managers can test a temporary employee’s skills before on-
boarding them for full-time work.
Retired Employees
• A retired employee has experience with the business and the tasks that
need to be completed. Hiring a retired employee as a contract worker, a
freelancer position or a part time employee could be simpler than sourcing
a new, outside candidate for short-term jobs.
• External Recruitment Methods
Job Posting:
• Job posting is an open invitation to all candidates to apply for the vacant
position. Under this, vacancy announcement is made through bulletin
boards or through website. Interested candidates then apply for the post
being advertised. The job advertisement should include a detailed
description. Include the skills and qualities your client is looking for. Jobs
can be advertised on the company website itself or on Jobsites such as
Naukri/Monster/Times jobs etc. the Job sites will help get access to active
candidates & easily visible profiles.
Social Media:
• Use of social media recruiting to find outside candidates is a very popular
method nowadays. If a job seeker has never worked for the organization,
there is a need to build trust with them using interactions on social media
consistently to form relationships. In using social media, you can do the
following:
• Post updates about your business.
• Attract jobseekers or show off your brand by sharing what your office
culture is like.
• Engage with the online community about news topics in your industry.
• Screen job hunters by viewing their online profiles
Print Media Advertising
• One classic example of this would be the Classifieds section of the local
daily or weekly newspaper. Companies looking for people to fill up open
positions make the announcement in the newspapers, providing the
qualifications and the contact details where prospective applicants may
submit their application documents.
Employment Exchanges:
• Employment exchanges in India are run by the Government. For unskilled,
semi-skilled, skilled, clerical posts etc., it is often used as a source of
recruitment. In certain cases it has been made obligatory for the business
concerns to notify their vacancies to the employment exchange. In the
past, employers used to turn to these agencies only as a last resort. The
jobseekers and job-givers are brought into contact by the employment
exchanges.
Schools, Colleges and Universities:
• Direct recruitment from educational institutions for certain jobs (i.e.
placement) which require technical or professional qualification has
become a common practice. A close liaison between the company and
educational institutions helps in getting suitable candidates. The students
are spotted during the course of their studies. Junior level executives or
managerial trainees may be recruited in this way.
Factory Gates:
• Certain workers present themselves at the factory gate every day for
employment. This method of recruitment is very popular in India for
unskilled or semi-skilled labor. The desirable candidates are selected by
the first line supervisors. The major disadvantage of this system is that the
person selected may not be suitable for the vacancy.
Labor Unions
• In certain occupations like construction, hotels, maritime industry etc.,
(i.e., industries where there is instability of employment) all recruits
usually come from unions. It is advantageous from the management point
of view because it saves expenses of recruitment. However, in other
industries, unions may be asked to recommend candidates either as a
goodwill gesture or as a courtesy towards the union.
Casual Callers (Unsolicited resumes and applications)
• The casual callers, also called as unsolicited applications are the job
seekers who come to the well-renowned organizations casually and either
mail or drop in their job applications seeking the job opportunity. This
could be considered as an important source of external recruitment as the
personnel department maintains the folder of unsolicited applications and
call those who fulfil the job requirements, whenever the vacancy arises.
Walk-Ins
• This is again a direct form of recruitment wherein the prospective
candidates are invited through an advertisement to come and apply for
the job vacancy. Here, the specified date, venue, and time are mentioned,
and the candidates are requested to come and give interviews directly
without submitting their applications in advance.
Headhunters (excecutive recruiter) executive search
 • Headhunters are always proactive, which means they actively approach
both job seekers (active candidates) and those who are not actively
looking for a new job (passive candidates), once there is a good match.
Headhunting professionals can be both involved in the entire recruitment
process or they can be limited to contacting and screening candidates
only.
• Company use this to fill executive position or head roles of the company.
Third Party Recruiters
• These include the use of private employment agencies, management
consultants, professional bodies/associations, voluntary organizations,
trade unions, data banks, and labor contractors etc., to establish contact
with the job- seekers. There is an advantage of getting talent faster, better
& with a greater reach.
Job fair
• Job fairs are conducted in every part of the world by group of organizations
to find right candidate for their organization. They are conducted in order
to hire either job seekers bulk or sometimes to search for few candidates
whose positions are empty for a longer time. Generally, job fair is an event
organized by a third party in a common place like a huge auditorium or a
ground to hire people for multiple organizations. The concept is job
seekers can meet multiple organization at one single place. It is a concept
which is a big time saver for both job seekers and the organization. Mostly
job fairs are conducted for middle level jobs either for freshers or for
minimum two years of experience.
• The Concept of Selection & its Process
Screening and Selection generally involves following steps:
1. Preliminary screening
There is a need to preliminary screen the candidates before selection. Usually,
this is conducted by going through the submitted resumes and choosing only
those that are able to meet the minimum qualifications.

4. Final interview
• Usually depending on the number of candidates for the job, and the
preference of the hiring managers and senior management, a series of
interviews may be conducted, gradually narrowing down the list of
candidates. This may go on until the company has finally come up with a
shortlist of candidates that will undergo a final interview.
• Often, the final interview requires a face-to-face meeting between the
candidate and the hiring managers, as well as other members of the
organization. Top management may even be involved during the final
interview, depending on the job or position that will be filled up.
5. Selection
• In this stage, the hiring managers, human resources representatives, and
other members of the organization who participated in the process meet
together to finally make a selection among the candidates who underwent
the final interview.
• During this discussion, the matters considered are the qualifications of the
candidates who were able to reach the last stage of the screening process,
the results of the assessments and interviews that the final pool of
candidates were subjected to and ultimately the suitability of the
candidate for the job.
• There will be no problem if the interview has a unanimous decision on the
candidate that the job will be offered to.
• In case of varying opinions, the majority will prevail.
• Difference between Recruitment and Selection
• Recruitment is the process of finding candidates for the vacant position
and stimulating them to apply for it. The selection means picking up the
best candidate from the list of applicants and offering them the job.
• Recruitment is a positive process as it attracts more and more job seekers
to apply for the post. Conversely, Selection is a negative process as it
rejects all the unfit candidates.
• Recruitment aims at inviting more and more candidates to apply for the
vacant position. On the contrary, selection aims at rejecting unsuitable
candidates and appointing the right candidates at the job.
• The activity of recruitment is quite simple because in this the recruiter
does not have to pay more attention to scrutinizing the candidate,
whereas selection is a complex activity because in this the employer
wants to know every minute detail about each candidate so that he can
choose the perfect match for the job which requires thorough investigation
• Recruitment consumes less time as it only involves identifying the needs
of the job and stimulating candidates to apply for the same. Conversely,
selection involves a wide range of activities, right from shortlisting the
candidates to appointing them.
• In recruitment, the firm notifies the candidates regarding vacancy through
different sources such as the internet, newspaper, magazines, etc. and
distributes the form to the candidates so that they can easily apply. As
against this, in the process of selection, the firm makes sure that
candidate passes through various stages such as form submission, written
exam, interview, medical exam, etc.
• In recruitment, no contractual relation is created between the employer
and employee. Unlike selection, where both employer and employee are
bound by the contract of employment.
• Recruitment is an economical process while the selection is an expensive
process.
 • The success of any company depends on upon its employees. If the
employee is perfect for a job, then the whole organization will enjoy the
benefits of its unbeatable success. Recruitment and selection help in
choosing the right candidate for the right post. It helps in reducing losses
of an organization.
Methods of Interview
•
I. Structured Interview:
• Structured Interviews involve use of a set of standardized and pre-
determined questions asked of all job applicants. It is useful for initial
screening and comparisons.
• Structured Interviews obtains consistent information needed for selection
decision hence they are more reliable and valid than other interview
formats.
• In structured interviews all the candidates are asked the same questions
hence it’s easy to compare their answers and hire the right job candidate.
We can evaluate candidates in a most objective and fair way.
1. Behavioral interview:
• During Behavioral Interviews, applicants are asked to give specific
examples of how they have performed a certain task or handled a problem
in the past. It helps the interviewer discover applicant’s suitability for
current jobs based on past behaviors.
2. Situational interview:
• In situational interviews, applicants are asked how they would respond to
a specific job situation related to the content of the job they are seeking.
• II. Less Structured Interview:
• A Less structured or semi-structured interview is a type of interview in
which the interviewer asks only a few predetermined questions while the
rest of the questions are not planned in advance.
• In semi-structured interviews, some questions are predetermined and
asked all candidates, while others arise spontaneously in a free-flowing
conversation.
• Less structured interviews combine both the structured and unstructured
interview styles, they can offer the best form both worlds.
1. Nondirective Interview:
• In non-directive interview, applicants are queried using questions that are
developed from the answers to previous questions. There is high
possibility of not obtaining needed information since the interviewer does
not stick to a prepared list of questions and rather has a discussion or a
dialogue with the candidate to find out his suitability for the job.
 Information obtained may not be job-related or it may not be comparable
to the information obtained from other applicants.
2. Stress Interviews
• During stress interviews, an interview is designed to create anxiety and
put pressure on an applicant to see how the person responds to it.
• III. Unstructured Interview
• An unstructured interview is a type of interview in which the interviewer
asks questions which are not prepared in advance. In unstructured
interviews, questions arise spontaneously in a free-flowing conversation,
which means that different candidates are asked different questions. The
main advantage of an unstructured interview is their personalized
approach.
• This is especially useful when you compare candidates who are equally
qualified or for jobs where their personality and communication skills are
crucial. Additionally, since unstructured interviews allow for a free-flowing
conversation, they seem much more casual and help candidates relax and
feel more comfortable during the interview.
• In unstructured interviews different candidates are asked different
questions hence it’s harder to compare their answers and evaluate
candidates equally and objectively.
• Types of Interviews
In person/ One to One Interview:
• The most common and traditional form of interview. These type of
interviews include face to face conversation with the candidate and the
interviewer. Though it is not as stressful and hectic as a group interview or
a panel interview, candidates are still pressured to make a good
impression to the interviewer.
• The output of the interview solely depends on the performance of the
candidate. Candidates should try to make a statement to the interviewer
and make them feel why he/she is most suitable for the position.
Telephonic Interview:
• It is considered as the least common method of taking interviews because
it defeats the whole idea of interviews. These types of interviews are very
much contradictory to the normal style of interviews.
• Face to face meeting is not important in these type of interviews, but the
interviewer checks on the verbal abilities and soft skill abilities of the
candidate. They try to check for various verbal cues.
• Candidates should check for various changes in tones of the interviewer
and try to express enthusiasm and excitement through voice modulation.
Group or Panel Interview:
 • Group or panel interviews are the most stressful type of interviews. Here,
the candidates can be asked any type of questions from a group of people.
• The candidate should try to make a steady eye contact with the person
asking the question and try to be as confident as possible while answering.
Also, try to make an eye contact with the rest of the panel when answering
a question. Also do not solely fix your gaze onto a single person, during
the whole interview. This will create a bad impression for the rest of the
panelists. Also, try to ask for more time for a question, if needed.
The Video Interview:
• Video interviews are like the advanced version of interview process. They
are done through Skype, Google hangouts, face time etc.
• This video interview creates a certain level of professionalism while the
interview is going on. Video interviews makes both the parties on either
side to focus. It’s quicker and cheaper when compared to face to face
interviews. Can reach to long distance easily. Also can reject candidates in
the beginning itself.
• Though there could happen few hindrances like background distraction,
bad signal, another call coming in, and the worst part is that you cannot
hide it, as you can both see each other.
• Interview Guidelines for HR Professionals
1. Establish position requirement priorities
Determine the criteria and the job requirements before conducting the interview.
List out all the requirements that apply to the job and also identify the criteria
that the candidate may meet to be eligible for the job.
2. Review job applications in advance
It is a good practice to thoroughly review a candidate's job application before the
interview.
This may allow you to learn more about them and form questions accordingly.
• 3. Develop a welcoming environment
Your interview is more likely to succeed if you develop a welcoming, distraction-
free environment in which you conduct it. It can benefit you and the candidate by
helping you in staying focused on the interview. Remove the items that you may
not require during the interview. Greet the candidate with a smile as they enter
the room.
• 4. Avoid asking personal or unfit questions
• It is important to understand which questions to avoid during an interview.
Some questions may be too personal or inappropriate for the candidate.
This can make them feel uncomfortable.
• Eg: About Appearance, Disability, Family status, Financial status, Gender,
Race-related, Relationships, and Religion based etc.
5. Document the interview process
Ensure to document the interview session. You can take notes during the
interview. Keeping a record of candidates' responses can help you compare them
post-interview and determine which candidate is the best match for the job.
6. Maintain neutral body language
It is important to maintain neutral body language throughout the interview. Avoid
any prominent facial expressions or sudden hand gestures that may alert the
candidate. For example, if the candidate's response is unexpected or surprising,
keep your facial expressions neutral instead of reacting to the response.
7. Refer to the candidate's resume
You can refer to the candidate's resume while asking questions during the
interview. Based on the information they have provided on their resume, you can
add or remove certain questions. This also gives you an opportunity to verify if
the information the candidate has mentioned on their document is accurate.
8. Ensure all questions are relevant to the job
• One of the most important interview guidelines to follow when developing
your interview materials is to ensure that the interview questions are
relevant to the job. Be sure to avoid asking personal or unfit questions, but
also create your questions to be job-related.
• Applicant Tracking System
• An ATS is a computer software program that manages the hiring process.
It does this by collecting and sorting thousands of resumes.
• Hiring managers can then screen candidates using the ATS, as well as
track their progress through the hiring process. By digitizing the hiring
process in this way, an ATS saves employers time and money.
• The majority of job and resume boards (LinkedIn.com, Monster.com,
Hotjobs, CareerBuilder, Indeed.com) have partnerships with ATS software
providers to provide parsing support and ease of data migration from one
system to another.
• How Applicant Tracking Systems work?
• A job requisition enters into the ATS. This requisition includes information
about the position, such as the job title, desired skills, and required
experience.
• The ATS then uses this information to create a profile for the ideal
candidate.
• As applicants submit their resumes, the ATS parses, sorts, and ranks them
based on how well they match the profile.
• Hiring managers then quickly identify the most qualified candidates and
move them forward in the hiring process.
• Benefits of ATS
• Reduces time spent with administrative tasks.
• Provides Better and Faster CV Screening.
• Improves the Quality of Hire.
• Speeds up the Recruitment Cycle.
• Boosts Employer Brand.
• Enhances Candidate Experience.
• Easy job posting.
• Background Investigation
• Background checks are often requested by employers on job candidates
for employment screening and selection, especially on candidates seeking
a position that requires high security or a position of trust, such as in a
school, courthouse, hospital, financial institution, airport, and government.
• Results of a background check typically include past employment
verification, credit history, and criminal history.
• The objective of background checks is to ensure the safety and security of
the employees in the organization.
• These checks are often used by employers as a means of judging a job
candidate's past mistakes, character, and fitness, and to identify potential
hiring risks for safety and security reasons.
• Background checks are also used to thoroughly investigate potential
government employees in order to be given a security clearance.
• Employers have an obligation to make sure their work environment is safe
for all employees and helps prevent other employment problems in the
workplace.
• What to Consider Before Accepting a Job Offer?
• Before you accept a job offer, carefully evaluate the entire compensation
package, including salary benefits and perks.
• Consider whether you can negotiate salary or make a counteroffer if the
salary isn’t what you expected.
• If you’re not sure about an offer, it’s acceptable to ask for extra time to
decide.
• When you make a decision, formally notify the employer that you are
accepting or declining the position.
• Offer Acceptance/Rejection/Decline
• In most cases, you can decline a job offer after you have accepted it.
• If you've signed an employment agreement, check the legal implications
before you withdraw your acceptance.
• If you can, it's better to have a conversation in person or on the phone to
explain why you have decided not to take the job. Follow up with written
confirmation of your withdrawal.
• Regardless of why you have changed your mind, express your gratitude
and let the company know that you appreciate the offer.
• How to politely decline a Job Offer after acceptance
• Offer Letter and Employment Contract
• An offer letter is a document provided by an employer to a prospective
employee, officially extending a job offer. It outlines the basic terms and
conditions of employment and serves as a formal communication of intent
to hire.
• Offer letters typically include details such as the job title, start date,
compensation, and other pertinent information related to the employment
offer.
• An employment contract, on the other hand, is a legally binding
agreement between an employer and an employee. It provides a more
comprehensive and detailed outline of the terms and conditions of
employment.
• Employment contracts go beyond the initial job offer and cover aspects
such as job duties, expectations, benefits, termination clauses, and more.
• Offer letters generally have a lower level of legal status compared to
employment contracts. While an offer letter is a formal job offer, it is
usually considered as an invitation to enter into a contract rather than a
binding agreement.
• On the other hand, employment contracts are legally binding documents
that establish the rights and obligations of both parties and are
enforceable by law.
• Onboarding and Induction
• Onboarding is the process by which companies welcome and integrate
their new hires into the workplace.
• The onboarding process extends far beyond the first few days of
employment and, in fact, only ends when the employee is fully adapted to
the team and the role to which they have been assigned.
• Induction is the process of training an employee on their first day or
first few days. An induction is predominantly task-focused, and typically
includes:
• Paperwork finalization.
• Assignment of access keys, workspaces, devices, software logins, and
uniforms.
• Office, grounds, and/or worksite tour.
 • Emergency evacuation procedures.
• Safety training and compliance training.
• Equipment training.
• Why an effective recruitment and selection process is important?
• Effective recruitment means more than hiring the right person for the job.
• A fast and efficient recruitment process can reduce costs, enhance a
company’s reputation both from a market and candidate perspective and
ensure that the very best talent is identified, engaged and brought into
the business.
• Benefits of effective Recruitment
• Attract the right talent
• Improve retention
• Increase productivity
• Save time and money
• Reduce legal risk
• Contribute to team diversity
• What is a 360 Recruitment?
• A 360 recruitment process is a hiring strategy that takes care of every
minuscule factor in a hiring process, maximising the output in each stage.
• It’s usually used by recruitment agencies that deal with bulk hiring for
similar candidate profiles.
• 360 recruiting covers end-to-end hiring processes and gives you complete
control over each sub-process.
• You’ll be able to source the right fit while reducing the costs of hiring.
• What Makes A Good 360 Recruiter?
A good 360 Recruiter:
• Knows their clients and candidates inside out.
• Is well-organised and manages time efficiently.
• Prioritises skills over any other attributes.
• Has people skills and knows how to connect with candidates at every
recruitment stage.
• Factors affecting Recruitment and Selection
• Job Market Conditions
During times of economic growth and low unemployment rates, job seekers have
more opportunities, making it challenging for employers to attract top talent.
 • Organization's Reputation
Job seekers are more likely to apply for positions in organizations known for their
positive work culture, employee satisfaction, and opportunities for growth.
• Recruitment Channels
The channels used for recruitment, such as job portals, social media, career
websites, employee referrals, and recruitment agencies, significantly impact the
quality and quantity of applicants.
• Selection Process
A streamlined and well-structured selection process ensures that qualified
candidates progress smoothly through the stages, reducing the risk of losing the
potential hires.
• Salary and Benefits
Job seekers often consider the compensation offered, including base salary,
bonuses, healthcare, retirement plans, and other perks, when evaluating job
opportunities.
• Technology and Automation
Applicant tracking systems, AI-driven candidate screening, assessments, and
video interviews are some examples of technology that can expedite hiring
processes.
• IT/Technical Recruitment & Non Technical Recruitment
• IT recruitment is a strategic endeavour that is solely focused on identifying
individuals equipped with technical skills, skilled enough to navigate the
ever-evolving landscape of technology.
• Whether they are software developers, cybersecurity experts, data
analysts, cloud architects, etc.
• While recruiting for IT roles, the evaluation of candidates’ is mostly based
on their proficiency in programming languages, system administration,
network management, and other intricate facets of the digital realm.
• Non-IT recruitment casts a broader net, encompassing roles that span
diverse sectors like healthcare, finance, education, marketing, and more.
• Unlike the IT recruitment where a certain level technical knowledge is
required of the candidates, non-IT recruitment is not so pressing about
technicality and mostly prioritizes industry-specific qualifications and
competencies.
• In Non-IT recruitment, candidates, whether they are doctors, marketers,
teachers, hospitality staff, are required to have expertise tailored to their
respective domains.
• Talent Acquistion (TA)
• Talent acquisition is the process of identifying, attracting, selecting, and
retaining highly qualified people.
 • It involves a key part of the employee journey and is arguably one of the
most important drivers of organizational success.
• The core of talent acquisition is to attract employees to an organization
and hire the ones that fit with the organization and role.
• Difference between Recruitment & TA
• Recruitment is a subset of Talent Acquisition.
• Recruitment is linear, Talent Acquisition is an ongoing cycle.
• Recruitment is limited to CV, Talent Acquisition looks beyond a resume.
• Recruitment finds employees, Talent Acquisition finds niche specialists.
• Recruitment fills immediate requirements, Talent Acquisition forms long-
term bonds.
• Van Maanen and Schein model (1979)
John Van Maanen and Edgar H. Schein have identified at least six major tactical
dimensions that characterize and represent all of the ways in which organizations
may differ in their approaches to socialization.
Collective versus Individual socialization:
• Collective socialization refers to the process of taking a group of recruits
who are facing a given boundary passage and putting them through the
same set of experiences together. Eg: basic training for a military
organization, education in graduate schools.
• Socialization in the Individual mode allows newcomers to accumulate
unique experiences separate from other newcomers. Eg: Internships, "on-
the-job" training, etc.
Formal vs. Informal socialization
• Formal socialization refers to those tactics in which newcomers are more
or less segregated from others and trained on the job. These processes
can be witnessed with such socialization programs as police academies,
internships, and apprenticeships.
• Informal socialization processes, on the other hand, involve little
separation between newcomers and the existing employees. Informal
tactics provides a non-interventional environment for recruits to learn their
new roles via trial and error. Examples of informal socialization include on-
the-job training assignments, apprenticeship programs with no clearly
defined role.
Sequential vs. Random socialization:
• Sequential socialization refers to the degree to which an organization or
occupation specifies discrete and identifiable steps for the newcomers to
know what phases they need to go through.
• Random socialization occurs when the sequences of steps leading to the
targeted role are unknown, and the entire progression is quite ambiguous.
Fixed vs. Variable socialization:
• This dimension refers to the extent to which the steps have a timetable
developed by the organization and communicated to the recruit in order to
convey when the socialization process is complete. Fixed socialization
provides a recruit with the exact knowledge of the time it will take
complete a given passage.
• Variable socialization processes gives a newcomer no specific timetable,
but a few clues as to when to expect a given boundary passage.
Serial vs. Disjunctive socialization:
• A serial socialization process refers to experienced members of the
organization grooming the newcomers who are about to occupy similar
positions within the organization. These experience members essentially
serve as role models for the inexperienced newcomers. Eg: a rookie police
officer getting assigned patrol duties with an experienced veteran who has
been in law enforcement for a lengthy period of time.
• Disjunctive socialization, in contrast, refers to when newcomers are not
following the guidelines of their predecessors, and there are no role
models to inform new recruits on how to fulfil their duties.
Investiture vs. Divestiture socialization:
• Investiture socialization processes sanction and document for newcomers
the viability and efficacy of the personal characteristics that they bring to
the organization. It prefers that the recruit remains the exact way that he
or she naturally behaves.
• Divestiture socialization, on the other hand, is a process that organizations
use to reject and remove the certain personal characteristics of a recruit.
Many occupations and organizations require newcomers to sever previous
ties, and forget old habits in order to create a new self-image based upon
new assumptions.

• Jones’ Model (1986)

• Building upon the work of Van Maanen and Schein, Jones (1986) proposed
that the previous six dimensions could be reduced to two categories:
institutionalized and individualized socialization.
• Companies that use institutionalized socialization tactics implement
structured step-by-step programs, enter into an orchestrated orientation
as a group, and receive help from an assigned role model or mentor. Eg:
Military, and incoming freshmen at universities, who may attend
orientation weekends before beginning classes.
• On the opposite end of the spectrum, other organizations use
individualized socialization tactics in which the new employee immediately
starts working on his or her new position and figures out company norms,
values, and expectations along the way.
 • In this orientation system, individuals must play a more proactive role in
seeking out information and initiating work relationships.
Employee Adjustment
• In order to increase the success of an onboarding program, it is important
for an organization to monitor how well their new hires are adjusting to
their new roles, responsibilities, peers, supervisors, and the organization at
large.
• Researchers have noted that role clarity, self efficacy, social acceptance,
and knowledge of organizational culture are particularly good indicators of
well-adjusted new employees.
Role Clarity
• Role clarity describes a new employee's understanding of his or her job
responsibilities and organizational role. One of the goals of an onboarding
process is to aid newcomers in reducing ambiguity and uncertainty so that
it is easier for them to get their jobs done correctly and efficiently.
• Self Efficacy
• Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in his or her capacity to execute
behaviors necessary to produce specific performance attainments.
• It is the degree to which new employees feel capable of successfully
completing their assigned job tasks and fulfilling their responsibilities.
• Self-efficacy reflects confidence in the ability to exert control over one's
own motivation, behavior, and social environment.
• Researchers have found that job satisfaction, organizational commitment,
and turnover are all correlated with feelings of self-efficacy.
• Social Acceptance
• Social acceptance gives new employees the support needed to be
successful.
• While role clarity and self-efficacy are important to a newcomer's ability to
meet the requirements of a job, the feeling of "fitting in" can do a lot for
one's perception of the work environment and has been demonstrated to
increase commitment to an organization and decrease turnover.
• If an employee feels well received by his or her peers, a personal
investment in the organization develops, and leaving becomes less likely.
• Executive Onboarding
• Executive onboarding is the application of general onboarding principles to
helping new executives become productive members of an organization.
• Practically, executive onboarding involves acquiring, accommodating,
assimilating and accelerating new executives.
 • Proponents emphasize the importance of making the most of the
"honeymoon" stage of a hire, a period which has been described by
various sources as either the first 90 to 100 days or the first full year.
Purple Squirrel
• Purple squirrel is a term used by employment recruiters to describe a job
candidate with precisely the right education, set of experience, and range
of qualifications that perfectly fits a job's requirements.
• The implication is that over-specification of the requirements makes a
perfect candidate as hard to find as a purple squirrel.
• While in theory, this prized "purple squirrel" could immediately handle all
the expansive variety of responsibilities of a job description with no
training, and would allow businesses to function with fewer workers, it is
commonly asserted that the efforts seeking them are often wasted.
• Being more open to candidates who may not have all the skills, or
retraining existing employees, are sensible alternatives to an over-long
search.
Online Vetting
• Online vetting, also known as cyber-vetting is increasingly being used by
potential employers and other acquaintances to vet people's online
presence or "internet reputation" on social network services such as
Facebook, Myspace, Twitter and LinkedIn.
• Employers may check profiles, posts, and photographs for indications that
the candidate is unsuitable.
• Many young people are posting content online without thinking about the
electronic footprint they leave behind.
• Job applicants have been refused due to criticizing previous employers and
discussing company information online, as well as for posting provocative
and inappropriate photographs, drinking or drug use, poor communication
skills, making discriminatory comments, and lying about qualifications.
• Legal experts have warned human resources departments about vetting
prospective employees online, due to the possibility of discrimination and
the unreliability of this information.
• Looking at information on someone's social networking profiles may not be
illegal, but processing and storing the information or using it to make
discriminatory decisions could be an illegal activity.
• Personnel psychologists work in a variety of settings, including education,
business, community, and agency environments.
• Many personnel psychologists serve as human resources specialists,
helping organizations with staffing, training, and employee development
and management in areas such as strategic planning, quality
management, and adjustments to organization changes.
• Personnel psychologists apply psychological theories and principles to
organizations. This field focuses on increasing workplace productivity and
related issues such as the physical and mental well being of employees.
• Recruiting the best talent goes far beyond picking the best resume, or
selecting the best interviewee.
• It is the role of industrial-organizational psychologists to help understand
the psychology of recruitment and guide procedures to get the right
person in a company.
• An industrial-organizational psychologist (I-O psychologist) is a
professional who applies psychology to the workplace.
• An I-O psychologist wants to make sure that the workplace is the best it
can be. We can find I-O psychologists in consulting firms, leadership
groups, and even within companies and universities.
• Candidate Submittal
• Candidate Submittal is an alternative recruitment process offered by
companies whereby the candidate submittal agency provides coaching for
the job seeker with respect to his or her job application.
• The job seeker usually sources their own prospective job opportunity,
before applying for it through the candidate submittal agency, which is
usually run by exrecruitment professionals or other industry veterans.
• The candidate submittal service will often vet, edit or enhance the job
seekers application before passing it on to the employer.
• The service will then act on behalf of the job seeker in the negotiations
and would also may help prepare the job seeker for an interview process
or other pre-interview engagement.
• They would also provide any relevant feedback to the job seeker with
regards to his or her application.
• Candidate Submittal agencies aim to re-cast the role of a recruiter into
more of a background setting. Using a candidate submittal service, the
client will receive feedback and advice with regards to their application.
They will not however be interviewed or matched to a position by the
candidate submittal agency.
• Dismissal & Termination
• Dismissal: An employer dismisses the services of this employee due to
their behavior, performance or other personal factors.
• Termination: An employer no longer requires an employee’s services for
the tasks and duties at hand. There is no correlation or causal link
between the termination and the performance or behavior of the
employee as termination is mainly due to organizational and economic
factors of the company.
• Dismissal involves loss of employment arising from disciplinary action. At
the same time, termination allows the employer to terminate the contract
of employment without invoking disciplinary action.
• Termination means removal of employees from the services it can be
voluntary or from the side of employer such as lay off , retrenchment.
Dismissal is the act done by employer which results into termination
dismissal usually occurs when there is wrongful act done from the side of
employees.
• Discriminatory and Retaliatory Termination
• In some cases, the firing of an employee is a discriminatory act.
• They may include
• Physical or mental disability, age, race, religion, gender, HIV status
or sexual orientation.
• Retaliation
• Breach of contractual obligations
• Employment policy
• Other unjust firings may result from a workplace manager or supervisor
wanting to retaliate against an employee. Often, this is because the
worker reported wrongdoing (often, but not always sexual harassment or
other misconduct) on the part of the supervisor. Such terminations are
often illegal.
• Another Eg: if a place of employment has a rule that prohibits personal
phone calls, receiving or making personal calls can be the grounds for
termination even though it may be a common practice within the
organization.
• Blacklisting
• Blacklisting’ refers to the practice of denying service or access to an
individual or a group. It can be either a precaution or a reaction to some
malicious activity by the aforementioned individual or group.
• In the context of HR, blacking mostly happens in the form of denying
employment to people who have engaged in illegal activities in the past or
have been affiliated with political parties with a strong agenda or even
whistle-blowing.
• Alternatives to hiring Permanent Employess
• The Alternatives to Recruitment are the temporary ways of hiring people
for the job position with a view to saving cost incurred in recruiting process
and meet the short-term demand for increased work volume.
• The recruitment is the costly process which includes the salaries of
recruiters, cost incurred in advertisements, time spent by the
management, cost of hiring new recruits, etc.
Overtime:
• In case the demand for a product peaks due to the temporary market
fluctuations, then a firm asks its employees to work extra despite
recruiting new hands.
• The overtime benefits both the employee and the employer as the former
fetches extra income for the additional piece of work while the latter saves
cost incurred in recruiting new persons.
Temporary Employment:
• The temporary employees are those who are hired for a specific time
period until the task gets accomplished.
Employee Leasing:
• The Employee leasing is also called as “staff outsourcing” wherein the
permanent employees of other firms are hired due to their specialization in
a certain field on a lease basis to meet the short term requirements of the
client company. Here the individuals work for the leasing firm.
Subcontracting:
• The subcontracting is a business practice wherein a certain portion of the
work is delegated to other specialized agencies to meet a surge in the
demand for goods and services.
• Employee Attrition
• Employee attrition is defined as the natural process by which employees
leave the workforce – for example, through resignation for personal
reasons or retirement – and are not immediately replaced.
• Attrition can occur throughout an entire company or just in certain
departments or divisions. This typically happens when automation or new
technologies replace employees.
• Employee attrition is measured by calculating the attrition rate.
• The attrition rate is a measure of the rate at which employees leave an
organization without being immediately replaced over a specific period of
time. It is usually expressed as a percentage.
• Attrition rate is an important HR metric that provides organizations with
insight into their workforce’s stability and satisfaction. It also reflects the
effectiveness of retention strategies, highlighting potential areas for
improvement in workforce planning, employee management, and
engagement.
• Employee Retention & Strategies
• Employee retention strategy is a plan organizations create and use to
reduce employee turnover, prevent attrition, increase retention, and foster
employee engagement.
 • While some turnover is inevitable, building a retention strategy to prevent
as much voluntary turnover as possible can save an organization time and
money.
• After all, it’s much easier and much less expensive to train and develop
your current employees than it is to continually hire new people.
• Role of HR in Retention
One of the primary responsibilities of an HR officer is to improve employee
retention rates. Here are some ways how you can do so:
1) Have a Great Onboarding Process
2) Provide Training Opportunities
3) Communicate With Your Employees Regularly
4) Offer Work-Life Balance
5) Provide Feedback on Performance
6) Make Sure Employees Receive Proper Compensation
7) Give Recognition
8) Build Good Company Culture
 You should also ensure that your organization has a clear mission
statement and vision. This helps everyone know what they are working
toward and how they fit into the bigger picture. Team members should
also be treated fairly and given opportunities to succeed. When you build
a strong culture, employees are less likely to leave the company since
they have a sense of belonging.
• Diversity and Inclusion
• Many major corporations recognize the need for diversity in hiring to
compete successfully in a global economy. Employing people from a wide
range of backgrounds, ages and life experiences can add significant value
to organizations.
• Open and inclusive recruitment processes mean that employers have a
greater choice of talent from which to choose from.
• It is proven that diverse workforces lead to better staff retention rates, a
great understanding of different markets and a more creative mix of
people.
• Hiring More Women
• Hiring Professionals with a disability
• LGBT Hiring
(Lesbian,Gay,Bisexual,andTransgender - An umbrella term that is often used to
refer to the community as a whole)
• Returning Mothers
 • Disabled candidates
• Employee Engagement
• There's a wide range of employee engagement activities that can foster a
positive work environment. These include workplace parties, learning
lunches, employee games or competitions, special themed days, training
programs, recognition programs, and sporting events.
• The activities that increase an employee's enthusiasm for their work,
commitment to the organization, and motivation to help the organization
achieve success. When employees are engaged, they perform well, feel a
sense of purpose in their work, and are less likely to leave.
• 5C's of Employee Engagement
To foster employee engagement, many experts suggest following the 5 Cs
strategy: Care, Connect, Coach, Contribute, and Congratulate.
• Care:
Caring for your employees is the first and fundamental step in engaging them.
According to Gallup, a staggering 48% of employees are actively disengaged
when they don’t feel cared for by their employers.
• Coach:
Coaching plays a significant role in helping employees reach their full potential.
McKinsey highlights that coaching can be a powerful tool for retaining and
developing talent.
• Connect:
The second C, Connect, emphasizes the importance of building strong
relationships within the workplace. According to Gallup, employees who have a
best friend at work are seven times more likely to be engaged.
• Contribute:
Employees want to feel that their work is meaningful and contributes to a larger
purpose. Gartner states that employees are increasingly seeking personal value
and meaning in their work.
• Congratulate:
Recognizing and appreciating employees’ efforts is vital to maintaining high
levels of engagement. By creating a culture of recognition and celebrating
achievements, employers can motivate their workforce and make employees feel
valued.
• Salary Negotiation
• Salary negotiation is a process where one party (usually the employee)
negotiates the amount of their pay, income, earnings, commission, salary,
wages, wage remuneration, annual review, or salary raise with another
party (usually a representative of the employer, such as their manager).
• Salary negotiation is done ahead of issuing an offer letter.
 • This is the heart of recruitment and selection process, wherein the actual
worth of a right candidate will be evaluated.
• The remuneration offered should be balanced, acceptable and agreed by
both the parties – the employer and the employee.
• Exit Interview
• An exit interview is a discussion that allows a departing employee and
their organization to exchange information, usually on that employee’s
last day of work.
• Typically the exit interview is an opportunity for the employee to explain
their reasons for leaving and provide feedback about their experience
working for the organization.
• This exchange could happen in a face-to-face interview between the
employee and a manager or HR, or it could simply be a survey which the
employee fills out and turns in.
• What Questions Should I Ask In an Exit Interview?
• Why are you leaving the company?
• What does the new company/position offer that we don’t?
• What could we have done to retain you?
• Would you ever consider returning to our company?
• Were you comfortable talking with your manager about any concerns you
had?
• What could your manager have done better?
• What was the best part of your job? The worst?
• How can we improve our training and development program?
• How would you describe (and how do you feel about) our company
culture?
• Did you feel valued here?
• How can we improve employee morale?
• SAMPLE JOB DESCRIPTION (HR RECRUITER)
Job Description:
• Understanding the hiring requirements and prepare the Job
Descriptions.
• Post vacancies in different job portals.
• Attracting candidates through various channels like social media
and professional networks.
• Reviewing resumes and screening candidates.
• Scheduling interviews by coordinating with candidates and hiring
team.
• Negotiating job offers and compensation packages with candidates.
• Coordinate for training and on boarding.
• Get updated about hiring trends and best HR practices.