Recruitment and Selection of Human Resources

- Prof. Hema Kapoor

Overview
What is Recruitment Recruitment Process Factors affecting Recruitment
Sources of Recruitment Selection Process

Recruitment – What does it mean?

Organizations need qualified employees to succeed Attracting suitable
candidates
“the process of seeking & attracting a pool of people from which qualified
candidates for job vacancies can be chosen.” (Byers & Rue)

Recruitment
Recruitment is a 2-way process

Recruitment Selection filter

Recruitment Process

Factors Affecting Recruitment

?

Company reputation

Time constraint

ORGANIZATIONAL FACTORS

Relations with labor unions

Cost involved

Organization culture

Factors Affecting Recruitment

Condition of labor market

Regulations ENVIRONMENTAL FACTORS

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Competition from other companies

Social attitudes about particular jobs

Economic trends

Sources of Recruitment
Sources of Recruitment

Internal search

External sources

Sources should match the position to be filled The Internet is providing

many new opportunities to recruit and causing companies to revisit past
recruiting practices

Sources of Recruitment
Internal recruiting is the search for inhouse employees who have the abilities
and the attitudes to fulfill the requirements needed and to help the
organization achieve its objectives
HRIS forms the basis of internal search

Internal Sources:
• • • • Present , Permanent employees Present Temp/ Casual Employee
referrals Dependents of diseased , disabled , retired and present employees

Advantages & Disadvantages of Internal Recruitment

Recruiting Source Advantages
Morale of promotee Better assessment of the abilities Lower cost for some
jobs Motivator for the good performance Causes a succession of the
promotions Need to hire only at the entry level

Disadvantages
Possible morale problems of those not promoted “Political” infighting for
the promotions Talent pool within the organization might stagnate, so the
need to bring in fresh flow of ideas & opinions

Internal
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Sources of Recruitment
External recruiting is done when the company lacks the internal supply of
the employees for promotions or when it is staffing entry level positions,
managers must consider the external supply of the manpower

Sources of Recruitment
Educational & training institutes

Public employment exchanges

External Sources External Sources

Pvt. Employment agencies/ Consultancies

Advertisements

Advantages & Disadvantages of External Recruitment

Recruiting Source External Advantages Disadvantages

New “Blood” brings new perspectives Cheaper and faster than training
professionals Less groups of the political supporters in the organization
already May bring new industry insights

May not select someone who will “fit” the job or the organization May
cause the morale problems for the internal candidates not selected Longer “
adjustment” or orientation time

Selection
Involves choosing the person best suited for a given job from a pool of
candidates, resulting from the recruitment process
Attempt to get a “fit” between what the applicant can and wants to do, and
what the organization needs (knowledge, skills, and abilities) Fitting the
person to the right job is called ‘Placement.’

Person-Organization Fit

The Selection Process

The selection process typically consists of eight steps: 1. initial screening
interview 2. completion of the application form 3. employment tests 4.
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comprehensive interview 5. background investigation 6. conditional job
offer 7. medical/physical exam 8. permanent job offer

The Selection Process

Initial Screening
Involves screening of inquiries and screening interviews Job description
information is shared along with a salary range OR • Initial Screening with
resume/application

The Selection Process

Employment Tests
Estimates say 60% of all organizations use some type of employment tests
Performance simulation tests: requires the applicant to engage in specific job
behaviors necessary for doing the job successfully Work sampling: Job
analysis is used to develop a miniature replica of the job on which an
applicant demonstrates his/her skills Assessment centers: A series of tests
and exercises, including individual and group simulation tests, is used to
assess managerial potential or other complex sets of skills

The Selection Process

Comprehensive Interviews:
Interviews involve a face-to-face meeting with the candidate to probe areas
not addressed by the application form or tests They are a universal selection
tool

The Selection Process

Comprehensive Interviews: Interview Effectiveness
Interviews are the most widely used selection tool Often are expensive,
inefficient, and not job-related Possible biases with decisions based on
interviews include prior knowledge about the applicant, stereotypes,
interviewee order

The Selection Process

Comprehensive Interviews: Interview Effectiveness
Impression management, or the applicant’s desire to project the “right”
image, may skew the interview results Interviewers have short and
inaccurate memories: note-taking and videotaping may help

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The Selection Process:-
Background Investigation: Verify information from the application form
Typical information verified includes:
former employers previous job performance education legal status to work
criminal records

The Selection Process

Job Offers
Actual hiring decision generally made by the department manager
Candidates not hired deserve the courtesy of prompt notification

Difference between Recruitment & Selection

1

Recruitment is the process of searching the candidates for employment and

stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization WHEREAS selection
involves the series of steps by which the candidates are screened for
choosing the most suitable persons for vacant posts.

2. The basic purpose of recruitment is to create a talent pool of candidates to

enable the selection of best candidates for the organization, by attracting
more and more employees to apply in the organization WHEREAS the basic
purpose of selection process is to choose the right candidate to fill the
various positions in the organization.

Difference between Recruitment & Selection

3. Recruitment is a positive process i.e. encouraging more and more
employees to apply WHEREAS selection is a negative process as it involves
rejection of the unsuitable candidates. 4. Recruitment is concerned with
tapping the sources of human resources WHEREAS selection is concerned
with selecting the most suitable candidate through various interviews and
tests. 5. There is no contract of recruitment established in recruitment
WHEREAS selection results in a contract of service between the employer
and the selected employee

Remember . . .

. . . An organization is known by the quality of its people.

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What is recruitment?
Processλ

Three main stages in recruitmentλ of Attracting the best Qualified

individuals to apply for a given Job.
1) Identify and define the requirements. job descriptions, job specifications
(2) Attract potential employees (3) Select and employ the appropriate people
from the job applicants

Recruitment & Selection is a continuous process

Staffλ

Promotionsλ Changes in business location (a relocation often triggers the

need for substantial recruitment) λ Changes in business requirements (e.g.
new products, markets, expanded operations) λ departures (e.g. retirements,
sackings, resignations)

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Factors describing recruitment process

Characteristicsλ

Characteristics of the recruiterλ Recruiting Policies λ Characteristics of

applicants λ of the job

Characteristics of the Job

Jobλ Challenge λ Pay λ

Benefits (how much do you know?)λ Geography λ Chance for promotion

λ security

Applicant Characteristics
Applicantsλ

may decide whether to take a job based on:

Non-compensatoryλ

Compensatory characteristics (would like to have this)λ factors (got to have

this in a job) minimum salary, location

Recruiting policies
Do you recruit from inside or outside company?λ Recruiting sources:
λ The employer’s view (we just did the applicant’s view)

Recruiter characteristics
Informativenessλ Warmth λ

(how much do they tell

Studies show applicants find recruiter less credible when from HR

departmentλ you about job?)

Methods
Internalλ
Recruitment
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Thisλ

A business might decide that it already has the right people with the right
skills to do the job, particularly if its training and development programme
has been effective.λ refers to the filling of job vacancies from within the
business - where existing employees are selected rather than employing
someone from outside.

How is it done?
Internalλ

Staff meetingsλ In-house magazines / newsletters (for example, E-map, a

major publishing business) have a weekly staff magazine devoted solely to
advertising jobs within the organization! λ Intranets λ Staff notice boards
λ vacancies are usually advertised within the business via a variety of
media:

Advantages of internal recruitment

λ λ λ λ

Gives existing employees greater opportunity to advance their careers in the

business May help to retain staff who might otherwise leave Requires a short
induction training period Employer should know more about the internal
candidate's abilities (= a reduced risk of selecting an inappropriate
candidate) Usually quicker and less expensive than recruiting from outside

Disadvantages of internal recruitment

Limitsλ

Existing staff may feel they have the automatic right to be promoted,
whether or not they are competentλ Another vacancy will be created that
has to be filled λ External candidates might be better suited / qualified for
the job λ the number of potential applicants for a job & Business resistant
to change

External Recruitment

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 Thisλ There are several ways of looking for staff outside the
businessλ refers to the filling of job vacancies from outside the business
(contrast with internal recruitment). Most businesses engage in external
recruitment fairly frequently, particularly those that are growing strongly, or
that operate in industries with high staff turnover

Employment / recruitment agencies

λ

These businesses specialize in recruitment and selection. They often

specialize in recruitment for specific sectors (e.g., finance, travel,
secretarial). They usually provide a shortlist of candidates based on the
people registered with the agency. They also supply temporary or interim
employees. The main advantages with using an agency are the specialist
skills they bring and the speed with which they normally provide candidates.
They also reduce the administrative burden of recruitment. The cost is the
high agency fees charged - often up to 30% of the first year wages of anyone
employed.

Headhunters / Recruitment Consultancies

"Upmarket"λ

recruitment agents who provide a more specialised approach to the

recruitment of key employees and/or senior management. They tend to
"approach" individuals with a good reputation rather than rely on long lists
of registered applicants - often using privileged industry contacts to draw up
a short list. The cost of using a headhunter or recruitment consultant is high.

Jobλ centres

Governmentλ

run agency - good for identifying local candidates for relatively

straightforward jobs. The job centre service is free to employers and is most
useful for advertising semi-skilled, clerical and manual jobs.

Governmentλ

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Theλ

Funded Training Schemes

advantage of these schemes is that government funding lowers the cost of

employment. However, relatively few employment requirements are covered
by these schemes.

Advertising
Probablyλ

the most common method. Advertising allows the employer to reach a wider
audience. The choice of advertising media (e.g. national newspaper, internet,
specialist magazine etc) depends on the requirement for the advert to reach a
particular audience and, crucially, the advertising budget.

Advertisement characteristics
λ λ λ λ λ

Accurate - describes the job and its requirements accurately Short - not too
long-winded; covers just the important ground Honest - does not make
claims about the job or the business that will later prove false to applicants
Positive - gives the potential applicant a positive feel about joining the
business Relevant - provides details that prospective applicants need to
know at the application stage (e.g. is shiftworking required; are there any
qualifications required)

λ Choice of medium - What kind of advertising medium should be chosen?

The following factors are relevant:
λ

λ λ

Type of job: senior management jobs merit adverts in the national

newspapers and/or specialist management magazines (e.g. the Economist,
Business Week). Many semi-skilled jobs need only be advertised locally to
attract sufficient good quality candidates Cost of advertising: National

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newspapers and television cost significantly more than local newspapers etc
Readership and circulation: how many relevant people does the medium
reach? How frequently (e.g. weekly, monthly, annually!. Is the target
audience actually only a small fraction of the total readership or Viewer
ship? Frequency: how often does the business want to advertise the post?

Advantages of external recruitment

Theseλ

are mainly the opposite of the disadvantages of internal recruitment. The

main one being that a wider audience can be reached which increases the
chance that the business will be able to recruit the skills it needs.

Revolutionary method
‘Friendsλ
λ

program’

explained about the work and the company’s cultureλ they had to fill in a
form λ Prospective employee clicked on the Friends program icon on the
company’s website
Internalλ
λ

referral program, Amazing People

refer their friends and relatives for a job

Results
Throughλ

Friends Programme Attract:100/150 per week & Low attrition rateλ Result
in more qualified people λ Cost down to 40% λ Hiring cycle comes down
to 45 days (65days). λ 500,00 in a month.

Recruitment policies
EEO-λ
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 Encouragement for disabled personsλ Contingency employment – to what
post and in what strength one can hire temporary employee λ Reservations
–while recruiting people all the reservations mentioned in the constitution
needs to be taken into account λ equal employment opportunity makes it
sure for equal probability of selection in terms of gender, race and caste

Internet recruitment
Advancementλ

in technology has caused recruitment and selection process to be more fast

and easier.
E-λ

Online recruitment sites include job sites, agency sites and different media
sites.λ Electronic CVs has speeded the process by optical character
recognition (OCR) λ mails have replaced ordinary post

Common Selection Process

Multiple hurdle model: eliminating some candidates at each stage of the

selection process

Vs.

Compensatory model: a very high score on one type of assessment can make
up for a low score on another. All candidates go through all selection
procedures

Selection Steps
1)Link to organization strategy and objectives. 2) Job analysis --> job
description --> job specification. 3) Recruiting. 4) Choose selection
tool/method. 5) Select from applicant pool. 6) Evaluate.

Selection Methods
Assessmentλ Interviews λ Application λ

forms

Peer assessments-λ Psychometric test λ center

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Interviews Mostλ

Panel/ Teamλ Unstructured λ Structured (much higher validity than

unstructured) (questions oriented to past experience, and hypothetical
questions) λ Not always most valid method- depends on form of interview
Types of interviews: λ common method

Problems with interviews

λ λ λ

Biases on part of interviewer Halo effect Primacy effect (first impressions)

Psychometric test
Personality:
λ λ

Projective Technique: TAT 16Pf Test. Thurston Inventory Achievement

Test Need for Affiliation Need For Power Polygraph Graphology

Interest Inventory:
λ

Motivation:
λ λ λ

Honesty:
λ λ

Assessment center
Theλ

Several assessors and observers are used in order to increase the

objectivityλ Several participants are assessed together in order to allow
interaction λ Performance is measured in several dimensions in terms of
the competencies λ Interviews and tests will be used in addition to
exercises λ Includes role-plays and group exercises λ focus is on behavior

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Application forms
Computerλ

Biodata- education, other information about accomplishments (did you

build a model airplane that flew?—this predicted success of pilot trainees)λ
Used for large numbers of applicants λ Used by many large firms
(Microsoft, IBM) to save time λ screening of application forms

Peer assessments
importantλ

if teamwork involved

Reference Checks
λ

λ λ λ λ λ

It is necessary to confirm the nature of the previous, period of time in

employment, the reason for leaving, attendance record etc. But Allowance
should made for prejudice and a check should made. Some firms fear
liability in defamation suits for giving references Importance of training
referees to know difference between facts and generalizations Credit checks-
contain biographical data which can be checked against applicant info If
rejected due to credit check, applicant must be told under Fair Credit
Reporting Act

Considerations When Choosing a Selection Method

Legalλ Utility λ Strategic λ

goals of organization

(benefits less costs) defensibility and validity

Reliabilityλ

Placement
Decisionλ

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 Generally after initial training, individuals are placed in their respective
fields based on their performance in the trainingλ Separate techniques
( interviews, psychometric tests etc) can be used for placing people λ about
placement can be made in the selection process itself based on interest,
expertise and individual ability

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