CHAPTER 15

15 – RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

RECRUITMENT
Recruitment is a process of attracting, screening and selecting qualified people for a job at an
organization or company.

Dale S. Beach - “Recruitment is the development and maintenance of adequate man power resources.
It involves the creation of pool of available labour upon whom the organization can draw when it
needs additional employees.”

Roger H. Hawk - The purpose to recruitment function are primarily straight forward to seek out, to
evaluate, to obtain commitment from, place and orient the employees to fill positions required for the
successful conduct of the work of an organization.

Recruitment is the process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. The
process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applications are submitted. The result
is the pool of applicants from which new employees are selected.

Importance / Purpose of Recruitment

1. Create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best candidate.
2. Helps in increasing the success rate of selection process.
3. Help reduce labour turnover only after a short period of time.
4. To increase organizational effectiveness in short term and long term.
5. To meet organization’s legal and social obligations regarding the composition of its workforce.
6. To provide an equal opportunity for potential candidates to apply for vacancies.
7. To attract highly qualified individuals.
8. To emphasize active recruitment of diverse and talented candidates from traditionally
underrepresented groups, i.e. individuals with disabilities, minority group members, women,
and veterans.

Features of Recruitment
1. It is a process / multistep activity rather than a single act or event.
2. It is a linking activity between jobs (employers / organization) and those seeking jobs
(prospective employees).
3. It is a position function as it provides the best pool of eligible talented and qualified candidate.
4. It is an omnipresent / pervasive (common) function as all organizations are engaged in
recruitment activity.

Types of Recruitments

Internal Recruitment: - By recruiting within the firm from those who are currently employed. There
are two important internal sources of recruitment:-

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 a. Transfers: Transfers involves the shifting of an employee from one job to another or one
department to another according to their efficiency and experience.
b. Promotion: Promotion is the transfer of an employee to a job that pays more money or one that
enjoys some preferred status. Employees are promoted from one position / level to another
(higher) carrying higher responsibility, facilities, status and pay.

Advantages of Internal Recruitment

1. It is less expensive.
2. Good performance is rewarded.
3. Candidates are already oriented towards the company.
4. Organizations have better knowledge about internal candidate.
5. It offers wonderful opportunities for the current staff to further their career.
6. May help to retain staff who might otherwise leave.
Disadvantages of Internal Recruitment
1. The size of prospective applicant is considerably reduced.
2. External candidate might be better suited / qualified for the job.
3. Another vacancy will be created that has to be filled.
4. Politics play greater role.
5. It abets raiding.
6. Morale problem for those who are not promoted.

External Recruitment
By recruiting people from outside i.e. through the generation of resource database via
advertisement or other methods. The commonly used external sources are:-
1. Advertisement: Advertisement in local or national newspaper and trade and professional journals
is generally used. Most of the senior positions in industry are filled by this method when they
cannot be filled from within.
Advantages:

Allows you to reach a larger applicant pool

More information about the organization, job description and job specifications can be given
in the advertisement to allow self screening by the candidates.

Creates an opportunity to attract more highly qualified candidates
Disadvantages:

Can be time consuming

Requires careful screening process

It brings in flood of response, many from quite unsuitable candidates and many applicants
try to woo or approach the members of the selection body
2. Employment Exchange: Employment exchange and employment agencies provide a nationwide
service for getting the required personnel. Employment exchanges in India are run by government.
Employment exchanges act as a link between the employers and prospective employees.
3. Campus Recruitment: Direct recruitment from education institutes for jobs which require
technical or professional qualifications, has become a common practice. Various management
institutes, engineering colleges, medical colleges, research laboratories etc are a good source for
recruiting well qualified fresh graduates from their institutes.

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 Advantages:

Source of highly qualified applicants

May reduce need for training
4. Direct Applications: Job seekers submit unsolicited application letters or resumes. Many qualified
personnel apply for employment to reputed companies on their own initiative, such applications are
known as unsolicited applications. They serve as good source of manpower.
5. Consultants / Outsourcing: Some employment agencies or private consultancy firms have started
developing human resource pool, by employing candidates for themselves. These agencies provide
supply them on temporary basis to various companies based on their need.
6. Labour Contractor: These are specialist people who supply man power to factories
manufacturing plants this method is used for hiring unskilled or semiskilled workers. They are
appointed on contract basis.
Disadvantages:

When contractor leaves the organization such people who are appointed also have to leave
the concern.
7. Poaching / Raiding / Competitors: Buying talent (rather than developing it). Poaching means
employing a competent and experienced worker already working with another reputed company by
offering him attractive pay packages and other terms and conditions. But it seems to be unethical
practice and not openly talked about.
8. E Recruitment: The use of technology to assist the recruitment process. Organization advertises
vacancy through World Wide Web (WWW) and job seekers send their resume curriculum vita
(CVs) through email. Job seekers can also post their resume on interned where employees can find
them.
Advantages:

Fast

Inexpensive

Wide coverage
Disadvantages:

Takes time to write effective job announcements
9. Telecasting: Telecasting of vacant job on TV, (doordarshan or other channels) special programs
like job watch, youth plus, employment news etc. publicized detail requirements qualities required
and profile of organization.

Advantage of External Recruitment

1. Benefit of new talent, new skills with new ideas
2. Large number of applicants
3. Everlasting source and never dries up
4. Serves as inducement for the existing employees to show better performance
Disadvantage of External Recruitment
1. Longer process
2. More expensive procedures to advertisement and interviews required
3. Adjustment of new employees take longer time
4. Can create dissatisfaction and frustration among existing employees aspiring promotion

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Method of Recruitment

Direct Recruitment
1. Campus Recruitment: The recruiter known as travelling recruiter or personnel scout visits
schools, colleges, universities, vocational technical institutes and management institutes
looking for meritorious degree holders, engineers, technicians, etc. Generally, field recruiting is
performed in cooperation with the placement bureau or section of the educational institutes
which provide necessary assistance in attracting students, arranging interviews and making
available space and synopsis of the students. This method is therefore also called ‘campus
interview technique’.
2. Internship: Internship usually involves employment during the summer before graduation
from college especially in some technical courses. This is also known as ‘summer placement’
which requires a prior selection process. Internship means a course of training in an
establishment undergone in pursuance of a contract of internship (apprenticeship) and under the
prescribed terms and conditions which may be different for different categories of internees.
The promising students may be offered regular jobs on competition of internship.
3. Walk In Interview: This is a method of recruitment which offers quick response. The
employer can insert a ‘walk in’ or ‘talk in’ advertisement in a daily newspaper to avoid lengthy
selection procedures. Those who walk in (i.e. come personally to the personnel department) or
talk in (i.e. contact the personnel department over phone) or write in (i.e. send application
through fax or email) are asked to give necessary details to the recruiter.
4. Telerecruiting: Under this method, phone calls are made to potential candidates whore names
are obtained from mailing lists of professional associates, schools, and mailing list companies.
5. Direct Mail: Using lists from the above sources, letters are sent directly to the potential
candidates to know if they are willing to offer themselves as candidates for specific jobs.

Indirect Recruitment
It involves dissemination of recruitment message through public media, i.e. newspapers and
magazines and T.V. and radio. Advertising may range from the simplest ‘situation vacant’
advertisement to a nationwide multimedia campaign. The advertisement copy needs to cover
information derived from the job description and job specification in the following broad areas:
i. The organization: Company’s history, business and location
ii. The job: Its title, main duties and location
iii. Qualifications and experience (both necessary and desirable): Educational requirements,
professional qualifications, technical skills, experience, aptitude etc.
iv. Reward and opportunities: Basic salary, fringe benefits or perquisites, opportunities for career
development
v. Conditions: Any special factors affecting the performance of job.
Form of application, closing date, address for sending application, etc. may also be included in
the situation vacant advertisement.

Recruitment through Third Party

Here the job of recruitment may be handed over to third parties such as:
a. Employment agencies and exchange
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 b. Management consultants or professional search firms known as head hunters.
c. Professional associates
d. Placement officers of educational and technical institutes.

Process of Recruitment

1. Recruitment planning: Planning involves the translation of likely jobs, vacancies and
information about the nature of their jobs into a set of objectives and targets and specifies the
number of employees required and types of employees i.e. their specification.
2. Strategy development: Once it is known how many and what types of recruits are required,
consideration needs to be given to:
a. Make or buy: Organization must decide whether to hire less skilled employees and
invest on training and education programs or to hire skilled labours and professionals.
b. Technological sophistication: The methods used in recruitment and selection. This
decision is mainly influenced by available technology.
c. Where to look: Companies look into the national market for managerial professional
employees, regional and local market for technical employees and local market for
clerical and blue collar employees.
d. How to look: It means method of recruitment there are various sources and they may be
categories into internal (transfer and / or promotion) and external sources
(advertisement, campus recruitment, employment agencies etc).
e. Where to look: Decide on the timing of event – besides knowing where and how to
look for job applicants.
3. Searching: Once a recruitment plan and strategy are worked out the search process can begin.
Search involves two steps:
a. Planned well developed it sources and searched method screening of applications
received
b. Doing anything to attract desirable applicants.
4. Screening: The main purpose is to eliminate at early stage all the applicants who visibly do not
qualify for the job.
5. Evaluation and control: Evaluation and control is necessary for control on cost (i.e. decision
of salary and other allowances) and evaluation of effectiveness of recruitment process.

Factors Affecting Recruitment Process

External Factors / Forces

1. Supply and Demand: If demand of a particular skill is high relative to the supply an extra
ordinary recruitment efforts may be needed.
2. Unemployment Rate: When unemployment rate in a given area is high, company’s
recruitment process becomes simpler and increased size of labour pool provides better
opportunities for attracting qualified applicants and if unemployment rate drops new sources
must be explored.
3. Image / Good Will: An organization with positive image and good will as an employer finds it
easier to attract and retain an employee than an organization with a negative image.
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 4. Political – Social – Legal Environment: Various government regulations prohibiting
discrimination in hiring and employment have direct impact on recruitment process practices
like reservation system, preference give to local residents etc.
5. Labour Market: If there is surplus of man power at the time of recruitment even informal
methods like display on notice board or announcement in the meeting will attract more than
enough applicants.
6. Competitors: To face competitors, many times organization have to change their recruitment
policies according to the policies followed by competitors.

Internal Factors / Forces

1. Recruitment Policy: The recruitment policy of an organization specifies the objective of
recruitment and provides a framework for the implementations of a recruitment program. A
clear and concise recruitment policy helps to ensure a sound recruitment process.
2. Human Resource Planning: Effective human resource planning helps in determining the gaps
present in the existing man power of an organization. It also helps in determining the number of
employees to be recruited and qualifications they must possess.
3. Size of Firm: The size of the firm is an important factor in the recruiting process. e.g. large
firms such as coco cola has more recruitment needs than any small company.
4. Cost: Organization try to employ that source of recruitment which will bear lower cost of
recruitment to the organization for each candidate. Thus recruiters must operate within budgets
and so cost affects the recruitment process.
5. Growth and Expansion: Organization will employ or think of employing more personnel if it
is expanding its operations. Organization’s expansion depends upon its growth and profit.

SELECTION
SELECTION
Selection is defined as the process of differentiating between applicants in order to indentify
(and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job. Selection is basically picking applicants
from the pool of job applicants who have the appropriate qualification and competency to do the job in
the organization. It involves steps leading to employment of persons who possess the ability and
qualifications to perform the jobs which have fallen vacant in the organization.
It is the process of discovering the qualifications and characteristics of the job applicants in
order to establish their likely suitability of the job position. A good selection requires a methodical
approach to the problem of finding the best matched person for the job.

Techniques Used for Selection

For the purpose of selecting the suitable candidates for a particular job, various techniques can
be employed.
1. Application Blanks: It is very common practice today. Some application may ask for simple
information such as name, age, educational qualifications and details of work experience. The
most important thing to consider while making the application blanks is not only the relevant
information needed form the applicant but also what use they are put by the personnel officer
once such information is received.
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 2. Weighted Application Blank: The concept of weighted application blanks (WAB) is simple
and sound. The procedure involves selecting an employee characteristic to be measure,
identifying questions that predict the desired employee behavior, determining the questions’
relative predictive power, assigning weighted values to each relevant question and scoring each
applicant’s complete job application form according to the scoring key developed. It is possible
to determine for a given job application form the total score, below which a future employee
might be a bad risk for the company and above which the applicants is likely to be a successful
employee. In organization, an internal training should be provided for using WAB. It might
save a considerable amount of money and is very useful for the organization. The greatest
advantage of WAB is that it is possible to compare the scores of applicants and choose those
who score the maximum. Another important advantage is the objectivity it introduces in the
selection process. As the weights of each item in the blank are pre-decided on the basis of
experience and the methods applied are quantitative, there is likelihood of personal and
subjective biases entering in the selection.
3. Life History Method: Many psychologists and researchers are now a day interested in life
history method. The assumption is that the success in job demands upon the life history of
candidates’ experiences. Also, the scope of life history methods is much wider than that of
application blanks. In developing this method, the psychologists tend to examine a wide range
of life history items and they relate these items with the candidate’s success in a particular job.
Perhaps the most important contribution towards this method was given by standard oils of
Indiana, where various aspects of bio-data are successfully linked with job success. The
important thing to note about the life history method is that this method aims at selecting
people on the basis of their personal traits, which are in turn related to their job success. The
information on these items is usually obtained by administering lengthy questionnaires and then
deciding how many personal characteristics or traits needed by a specific job are possessed by a
person.
4. Work History Method: One of the best predictor of future work success is the past work
performance of an individual. But it is very unfortunate that in very few selection decisions the
past performance of the individual is taken into consideration. Many researchers agree that the
performance shown by a trainee in past 6 – 12 months can reveal a lot about him. It also shows
how well he will develop himself as a future employee of the company and also how long will
he stay with the company. The work history method is administered on the candidate
systematically prior to his entering in the company and it is not necessary that he should be a
trainee for the some time in the company.
5. Reference and Recommendation Letter: In some organizations, a job applicant is required to
produce some sort of evidence that they performed satisfactorily well when they were
employed with some other company or organization. Such evidence is usually provided in the
form of letters of references and recommendation by the previous employer to the prospective
employer. Such letters usually contain information regarding the job title, the type of job given,
salary, performance, virtues and the duration for work with the company.

Importance of Selection
1. Work performance depends on individual job performance is essentially determined by the
capability of an individual to do a particular job and the efforts the individual is willing to put
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 to perform the job. Through effective selection organization can maximize the profitability,
knowledge skills and abilities to do the jobs they were hired to do.
2. Proper selection will keep the rates of absenteeism and labour turnover low and will increase
the morale of the employees.
3. They will show higher efficiency and will show higher efficiency and will enable the
organization to achieve its objectives effectively.

Process / Procedure / Steps

1. Preliminary Interview: The preliminary interview is generally brief and does the job of
eliminating totally unsuitable candidates. Preliminary interview helps reject misfits for reasons,
which did not appear in the application forms. It consists of short exchange of information with
respect to organization’s interest in hiring and candidates inquiry. Candidates who pass this
crude screening are usually allowed to fill in the application blank.
2. Application Blank: Inviting applications by CV makes things easier for applicants, but the
resulting tidal wave can be horrendous; trying to sort through a pile of CVs, all with different
formats and with widely varying levels of presentation, can be extremely time consuming and
can make it difficult to spot key information. Consequently, many organizations have designed
their own standard application form. The information which is usually sought through
application form may be classified into four groups namely, identification, education,
occupation, and miscellaneous (interest, hobbies, culture and social activities etc) covering
areas such as knowledge, skills and attitudes; experience; physical criteria; and, any other
requirements.
3. Scrutiny of Applications: All applications received have to be scrutinized by the screening
committee of personnel department in order to eliminate those applicants who do not fulfill job
requirements. Short listing should be carried out objectively and consistently by comparing the
relevant information in the application with the criteria detailed in the person specification as
being measured by reviewing the application form to establish whether, on paper, the applicant
has the type of experience and skills that are necessary or desirable for the job and will
minimize the risk of any bias and potential for unlawful discrimination. It is essential to keep a
record of the reasons for the selection and rejection of applicants at the short listing stage. After
the screening of applications is completed, a list is prepared of the candidates to be called for
various tests or direct interview.
4. Employment Test: Employments tests are used to get information about the candidate which is
not available from the application blank. They help in matching the characteristics of
individuals with the vacant jobs so as to employ right type of personnel. Generally tests are
used to identify the applicant’s ability, aptitude and personality.
5. Employment Interview: Generally, application blank and employment tests do not provide the
complete information about the candidates required for their selection or rejection. Interview
may be used to secure more information about the candidates. The occasion, i.e. personal
meeting between the panel of interviewers and the candidate may also be used for testing
certain qualities and capabilities of the candidate.
6. Reference Checking: References can sometimes provide useful additional information that can
be used as part of the assessment process. The applicant is asked to mention in his application
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 form, the names addresses and telephone numbers of two or more persons who know him for
the purpose of verifying information and perhaps gaining additional background information on
an applicant. The reference persons may be his previous employers, head of education
institutions, public figures, neighbours or friends. These people are requested to provide their
frank opinion about the candidate without incurring any liability. Their main benefit is that they
can confirm factual information on issues such as dates of employment, attendance record and
whether the candidate has the experience claimed. The quality of references can be enhanced
by providing referees with the job description and person specification for the post and by
seeking specific information which is related to the selection criteria.
7. Medical Examination: Applicant who has crossed the above stages is sent for a physical
examination either to the company’s physician or to a medical officer approved for the purpose.
It reveals existing disabilities and provides a record of the employee’s health at the time of
selection. This record will help in setting company’s liability under the Workmen
Compensation Act for claim for any injury. The primary purpose of the pre-employment
medical is to assess the individual’s ability to carry out the duties associated with a particular
post. The doctor with responsibility for carrying out the medical should be made aware of any
special factors or issues relating to the job which might impact on the individual’s ability to
perform it. A proper medical examination will ensure higher standard of health and physical
fitness of the employees and will reduce the rates of accident, labour turnover and absenteeism.
Given the broad definition of disability under the Equality Acts, an organization cannot
withdraw a job offer if, following a medical, it becomes clear that the prospective employee has
a disability, e.g. diabetes, epilepsy, heart disease, unless the doctor certifies that he/she could
not do the job, or because of the health and safety risks to the applicant or others in a particular
employment situation. Though in the suggested selection procedure, medical test is located near
the end, but this sequence need not be rigid. An organization may place the examination
relatively early in the process so as to avoid time and expenditure to be incurred on the
selection of medically unfit person.
8. Job Offer / Employment: Once the Selection Board has made its recommendation to appoint
one or more candidates, the agreed procedures for making an appointment will be followed. It
is the responsibility of the Personnel Office to contact the successful candidate and make a
written offer. Employment is offered in the form of an appointment letter mentioning the post,
the rank, the salary grade, the date by which the candidate should join and other terms and
conditions in brief.
9. Contract of Employment: After the job offer has been made and candidates accept the offer,
certain documents need to be executed by the employer and the candidate. One such document
is the Attestation Form. This form contains vital details about the candidate, which are
authenticated and attested by him/her. Attestation form is a valid record for future reference.
There is also a need for preparing a contract of employment. The basic information that should
be included in a written contract of employment will vary according to the level of the job.
Contract of employment contains information regarding contract details, pay and benefits,
nature of contract, hours of work, schedules and overtime, leave, disciplinary procedure,
grievance procedure, protection of business information, about probation period, performance
evaluation, retirement policy, any other condition, and acceptance.

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 10. Induction and Follow-up: The process of receiving employees when they begin work,
introducing them to the company and to their colleagues and informing them of the activities,
customs and traditions of the company is called induction. This process is known as Induction
Induction has three aims:
a. To smooth the early stages when everything is likely to be strange and unfamiliar to the
new employee.
b. To establish quickly a favourable attitude to the company in the mind of the new
employee so that he or she is more likely to stay.
c. To obtain effective output from the new employee in the shortest possible time.
All selections should be validated by follow up. It is a stage where the employee is asked
how he or she feels about the progress till date. The worker’s immediate supervisor is asked for
comments, which are compared with the notes taken at the selection interview.

The expected result of improving the selection of applicant is that training cost and labour
turnover is decreased, production is increased, accidents and probability of accidents are
reduced and morale may be increased. However, the mare introduction of a valid testing
program cannot act like a magic wand to wave away all difficult problems.

Difference between Recruitment and Selection

S. No. Basis Recruitment Selection

It is an activity of establishing
It is a process of picking the more
1 Meaning contact between employers and
competent and suitable employee
applicants
It encourages large number of It attempts at rejecting unsuitable
2 Objectives
candidates for a job candidates
3 Process It is a simple process It is a complicated process
The candidates need not cross many Many hurdles have to be crossed
4 Hurdles
hurdles by candidates
5 Approach It is a positive approach It is a negative approach
6 Sequence It precedes selection It follows recruitment
7 Economy It is an economical method It is an expensive method
8 Time consuming Less time is required More time is required

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