In recruiting and selecting employees, the objectives of the policy are to:

Ensure that the nature and type of job vacancy is established, for example
the role to be filled, duties, grade, number of hours and duration (permanent,
fixed term, temporary, casual).
Choose a method of recruitment and selection appropriate to the circumstances.
Generate a pool of potentially suitable applicants.
Fill vacancies within an optimum timescale, efficiently and with best use of
resources.
Ensure candidates are able to demonstrate their abilities and suitability for the
role.
Provide recruitment information that is clear, concise and appropriate to the job
role.
Appoint candidates most likely to be able to succeed in the role.
Ensure recruiters are appropriately trained and provided with adequate advice
and guidance so as to be able to assess and manage the risks and benefits
involved in making recruitment decisions.
Adhere to both the letter and spirit of the law and council policies framing
recruitment and selection, particularly in relation to equality and diversity and
discrimination.
Promote a positive image of the council as an employer and service provider.

Problem Statement
According to Texas State Auditor's Office, Methodology Manual (1993), the purpose of the
recruitment and selection process is to hire sufficient and capable staff to assist the entity in
achieving its desired objectives. Generally, the better the applicant's knowledge, skills, and
abilities fit the nature and scope of the job, the higher will be individual and organizational
productivity. Organisational management should ensure that recruitment and selection
processes effectively match applicant skills and interests with entity staffing needs, job
requirements, assignments, and tasks in a manner which complies with both entity goals and
objectives and applicable legislation.

Personnel are the most valuable resource of an organization. An adequate human resource
management ensures the success of an enterprise, regardless of its size. An efficient human
resource management starts with efficient recruitment and selection processes. These
processes can be considered the most important stages of the human resource management
because the success of an enterprise directly depends on its staffs quality. A lot of research
carried out on specific features of the recruitment and selection processes in SMEs have relied
on human resources as a source of competitive advantage and more and more entrepreneurs
are becoming aware that the recruitment and selection processes play a major role in obtaining
adequate staff.

According to Maloney (2002), the following are challenges facing recruitment and selection
among organizations: use of different recruitment methods like suggestions from current
employees, word of mouth, government job services, college placement offices, posting job
announcements on bulletin boards, executive search firms and the Internet; identification of
labour pools, application of variety of selection tools namely, application forms, interviews,
reference checks, pre-employment tests and trial period. Selection bias and discrimination
based on age, sex, marital status, ethnic origin, religious preference, sexual preference or
disabilities are also challenges facing organizations like NGOs in obtaining adequate and
trained staff.

There is little published research on challenges facing recruitment and selection among NonGovernmental Organizations (NGOs) particularly in Kakamega Central District. Often
recruitment and selection procedures are flouted from interference from the management and
personnel who are less qualified are picked for the job (Ministry of Labour, 2012). For instance,
Ombogo (2010) studied best practices in human resource management and concluded that
recruitment and selection is the beginning of application of all other practices but did not
research on the challenges facing recruitment and selection among Non-Governmental
Organizations. Furthermore, a study done by Ongori and Temtime (2010) observed that many
studies which have been conducted on recruitment and selection practices by SMEs have only
concentrated on large and multinational firms in the West and little has been done on
recruitment and selection challenges of NGOs in developing economies like Kenya with specific
reference to Kakamega Central District. This study, therefore, will be carried out to fill this gap
on challenges facing recruitment and selection among Non-Governmental Organizations
(NGOs) particularly in Kakamega Central District.
Research Methodology

Employers need to ensure that the right people with the right skills are recruited for roles
within their organisation. Recruitment selection involves two main processes: shortlisting
candidates and assessing candidates against job-related criteria to make a final selection
decision.

Effective selection is essential to recruit people with the right skills and experience to drive
the organisation forward. Employers spend a lot of time and money recruiting new staff, so it is
important that they follow good practice and get it right first time.

Employers should consider the "reliability" and "validity" of the methods they use as part of
the selection process. This means that the selection methods should be consistent and
measure what they are intended to measure.

There is no "one-size-fits-all" solution to selection and employers should choose the

combination of selection tools most appropriate for the role.

Employers should ensure that the opportunity for self-selection by applicants runs
throughout the recruitment and selection process, and that there is effective two-way
communication between the employer and the candidate.

Competencies can underpin each stage of the selection process, from preparation of the job
description and person specification to shortlisting, testing and interviewing.

Screening is the first stage of the selection process and is particularly important in cases of
volume recruitment. Employers need to screen out unsuitable candidates so that shortlisting can
commence.

Shortlisting against the job-related criteria is a key early stage of the selection process. If the
employer carries out the shortlisting stage effectively, this means that it will need to interview
and test only the most suitable candidates for the role.

Telephone interviews can be used at any stage of the selection process, but are particularly
useful when the employer wants to screen out the least suitable candidates for the role.

Employers commonly use interviews as part of the selection process. They should use a
structured interview format to help avoid unintentional bias creeping into the process.

Many employers use psychometric testing to support the selection process by testing
candidates' ability, aptitude or personality. The employer should ensure that tests are fair,
effective and administered by a trained professional.

Work-sample tests can provide the employer with a powerful prediction of future
performance because they allow assessment of candidates performing the same or similar
tasks to those performed in the role for which they have applied.

A presentation exercise could be useful if the employer wishes to assess candidates' verbal
communication skills.

An assessment centre involves the employer using a range of selection tools to assess
candidates. Assessment centres can be expensive but, if well designed and administered, can
produce high levels of validity.

If used in the right way, recruitment agencies can provide valuable support to employers in
their search for the right candidates.