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RECRUITMENT

MEANING

 According to Edwin B. Flippo, “Recruitment is the process of

searching the candidates for employment and stimulating them
to apply for jobs in the organization.”

 According to Yoder, “Recruitment is a process to discover the

sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing
schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that
manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection
of an efficient working force.”

 Dale S. Beach  “Recruitment is the development and

maintenance of adequate manpower resources. It involves the
creation of a pool of available labor upon whom the organization
can draw when it needs additional employees.”

 Recruitment is the activity that links the employers and the job
seekers.

 It is a process of finding and attracting capable applicants for

employment. It begins when new recruits are sought and ends
when their applications are submitted. The result is a pool of
applications from which new employees are selected.

 It is the process to discover sources of manpower to meet the

requirement of staffing schedule and to employ effective
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measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to

facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force.

 Recruitment of candidates is the function preceding the

selection, which helps create a pool of prospective employees for
the organization so that the management can select the right
candidate for the right job from this pool. The main objective of
the recruitment process is to expedite the selection process.

 Recruitment is a continuous process whereby the firm attempts

to develop a pool of qualified applicants for the future human
resources needs even though specific vacancies do not exist.
Usually, the recruitment process starts when a manger initiates
an employee requisition for a specific vacancy or an anticipated
vacancy.

RECRUITMENT NEEDS

1. Planned: the needs that arise from changes in organization and

retirement policy.
2. Anticipated: Anticipated needs are those movements in
personnel, which an organization can predict by studying trends
in internal and external environment.
3. Unexpected: resignation, deaths, accidents, illness give rise to
unexpected needs.

FEATURES
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1. Process (series of activities)

2. Linking Activity
3. Positive Function
4. Basic Purpose  Locate and Attract
5. Pervasive
6. Two –way process
7. Complex job

OBJECTIVES

1. to attract people with multi-dimensional skills and experiences

that suit the present and future organizational strategies
2. to induct outsiders with a new perspective to lead the company
3. to infuse fresh blood at all levels of the organization
4. to develop an organizational culture that attracts competent
people to the company
5. to search or head hunt people whose skills fit the company’s
values
6. to devise methodologies for assessing psychological traits
7. to seek out non-conventional development grounds of talent
8. to search fro talent globally and not just within the company
9. to anticipate and find people for positions that do not exist yet

PURPOSE & IMPORTANCE

1. Attract and encourage more and more candidates to apply in the

organization.
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2. Create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best

candidates for the organization.
3. Determine present and future requirements of the organization
in conjunction with its personnel planning and job analysis
activities.
4. Recruitment is the process which links the employers with the
employees.
5. Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.
6. Help increase the success rate of selection process by
decreasing number of visibly under qualified or overqualified job
applicants.
7. Help reduce the probability that job applicants once recruited
and selected will leave the organization only after a short period
of time.
8. Meet the organizations legal and social obligations regarding the
composition of its workforce.
9. Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will
be appropriate candidates.
10. Increase organization and individual effectiveness of
various recruiting techniques and sources for all types of job
applicants

RECRUITMENT PROCESS

The recruitment and selection is the major function of the human

resource department and recruitment process is the first step towards
creating the competitive strength and the strategic advantage for the
organizations. Recruitment process involves a systematic procedure
from sourcing the candidates to arranging and conducting the
interviews and requires many resources and time.
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A general recruitment process is as follows:

1. Identifying the vacancy:
The recruitment process begins with the human resource
department receiving requisitions for recruitment from any
department of the company. These contain:
• Posts to be filled
• Number of persons
• Duties to be performed
• Qualifications required
2. Preparing the job description and person specification.
3. Locating and developing the sources of required number and
type of employees (Advertising etc).
4. Short-listing and identifying the prospective employee with
required characteristics.
5. Arranging the interviews with the selected candidates.
6. Conducting the interview and decision making

The recruitment process is immediately followed by the selection

process i.e. the final interviews and the decision making, conveying the
decision and the appointment formalities.

SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

Every organization has the option of choosing the candidates for its
recruitment processes from two kinds of sources: internal and external
sources. The sources within the organization itself (like transfer of
employees from one department to other, promotions) to fill a position
are known as the internal sources of recruitment. Recruitment
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candidates from all the other sources (like outsourcing agencies etc.)
are known as the external sources of recruitment.

SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

INTERNAL SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

1. TRANSFERS
The employees are transferred from one department to another
according to their efficiency and experience.
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2. PROMOTIONS
The employees are promoted from one department to another
with more benefits and greater responsibility based on efficiency
and experience.
3. Others are Upgrading and Demotion of present employees
according to their performance.
4. Retired and Retrenched employees may also be recruited once
again in case of shortage of qualified personnel or increase in
load of work. Recruitment such people save time and costs of the
organizations as the people are already aware of the
organizational culture and the policies and procedures.
5. The dependents and relatives of Deceased employees and
Disabled employees are also done by many companies so that
the members of the family do not become dependent on the
mercy of others.

Advantages: -
1. Motivated employees and Higher morale
2. Employees familiar with the organization
3. Higher probability of success
4. Industrial Peace
5. Relatively inexpensive
6. Training and skill enhancement
7. Overcoming surpluses and shortages

Disadvantages: -
1. Reduced scope for fresh talent.
2. Employees may become lethargic if they are sure of time bound
promotions
3. Spirit of competition may be hampered
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4. Frequent transfers of employees may reduce the overall

productivity of the organization.
5. Political infighting for promotion

EXTERNAL SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

1. PRESS ADVERTISEMENTS: Advertisements of the vacancy in

newspapers and journals are a widely used source of
recruitment. The main advantage of this method is that it has a
wide reach.
2. EDUCATIONAL INSTITUTES: Various management institutes,
engineering colleges, medical Colleges etc. are a good source of
recruiting well qualified executives, engineers, medical staff etc.
They provide facilities for campus interviews and placements.
This source is known as Campus Recruitment.
3. PLACEMENT AGENCIES: Several private consultancy firms
perform recruitment functions on behalf of client companies by
charging a fee. These agencies are particularly suitable for
recruitment of executives and specialists. It is also known as RPO
(Recruitment Process Outsourcing)
4. EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES: Government establishes public
employment exchanges throughout the country. These
exchanges provide job information to job seekers and help
employers in identifying suitable candidates.
5. LABOUR CONTRACTORS: Manual workers can be recruited
through contractors who maintain close contacts with the
sources of such workers. This source is used to recruit labor for
construction jobs.
6. UNSOLICITED APPLICANTS: Many job seekers visit the office of
well-known companies on their own. Such callers are considered
nuisance to the daily work routine of the enterprise. But can help
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in creating the talent pool or the database of the probable

candidates for the organization.
7. EMPLOYEE REFERRALS / RECOMMENDATIONS: Many
organizations have structured system where the current
employees of the organization can refer their friends and
relatives for some position in their organization. Also, the office
bearers of trade unions are often aware of the suitability of
candidates. Management can inquire these leaders for suitable
jobs. In some organizations these are formal agreements to give
priority in recruitment to the candidates recommended by the
trade union.
8. RECRUITMENT AT FACTORY GATE: Unskilled workers may be
recruited at the factory gate these may be employed whenever a
permanent worker is absent. More efficient among these may be
recruited to fill permanent vacancies.

Advantages: -
1. Qualified Personnel
2. Wider Choice
3. Fresh Talent
4. Competitive Spirit

Disadvantages: -
1. Dissatisfaction amongst existing staff
2. Lengthy process (Increased adjustment period)
3. Costly Process
4. Uncertain Process

FACTORS AFFECTING RECRUITMENT

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The recruitment function of the organizations is affected and governed

by a mix of various internal and external forces. The internal forces or
factors are the factors that can be controlled by the organization. And
the external factors are those factors which cannot be controlled by
the organization.

THE INTERNAL FORCES I.E. THE FACTORS WHICH CAN BE CONTROLLED

BY THE ORGANIZATION ARE: -

1. RECRUITMENT POLICY
The recruitment policy of an organization specifies the objectives of
recruitment and provides a framework for implementation of
recruitment programme. It may involve organizational system to be
developed for implementing recruitment programmes and procedures
by filling up vacancies with best qualified people.

FACTORS AFFECTING RECRUITMENT POLICY

• Organizational objectives
• Personnel policies of the organization and its competitors.
• Government policies on reservations.
• Preferred sources of recruitment.
• Need of the organization.
• Recruitment costs and financial implications.
2. HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING
Effective human resource planning helps in determining the gaps
present in the existing manpower of the organization. It also helps in
determining the number of employees to be recruited and what
qualification they must possess.

3. SIZE OF THE FIRM

The size of the firm is an important factor in recruitment process. If the
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organization is planning to increase its operations and expand its

business, it will think of hiring more personnel, which will handle its
operations.

4. COST
Recruitment incur cost to the employer, therefore, organizations try to
employ that source of recruitment which will bear a lower cost of
recruitment to the organization for each candidate.

5. GROWTH AND EXPANSION

Organization will employ or think of employing more personnel if it is
expanding it’s operations.

THE EXTERNAL FORCES ARE THE FORCES WHICH CANNOT BE

CONTROLLED BY THE ORGANIZATION. THE MAJOR EXTERNAL FORCES
ARE:

1. SUPPLY AND DEMAND

The availability of manpower both within and outside the organization
is an important determinant in the recruitment process. If the company
has a demand for more professionals and there is limited supply in the
market for the professionals demanded by the company, then the
company will have to depend upon internal sources by providing them
special training and development programs.

2. LABOUR MARKET
Employment conditions in the community where the organization is
located will influence the recruiting efforts of the organization. If there
is surplus of manpower at the time of recruitment, even informal
attempts at the time of recruiting like notice boards display of the
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requisition or announcement in the meeting etc will attract more than

enough applicants.

3. IMAGE / GOODWILL
Image of the employer can work as a potential constraint for
recruitment. An organization with positive image and goodwill as an
employer finds it easier to attract and retain employees than an
organization with negative image. Image of a company is based on
what organization does and affected by industry. For example finance
was taken up by fresher MBA’s when many finance companies were
coming up.

4. POLITICAL-SOCIAL- LEGAL ENVIRONMENT

Various government regulations prohibiting discrimination in hiring and
employment have direct impact on recruitment practices. For example,
Government of India has introduced legislation for reservation in
employment for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, physically
handicapped etc. Also, trade unions play important role in recruitment.
This restricts management freedom to select those individuals who it
believes would be the best performers. If the candidate can’t meet
criteria stipulated by the union but union regulations can restrict
recruitment sources.

5. UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
One of the factors that influence the availability of applicants is the
growth of the economy (whether economy is growing or not and its
rate). When the company is not creating new jobs, there is often
oversupply of qualified labor which in turn leads to unemployment.

6. COMPETITORS
The recruitment policies of the competitors also affect the recruitment
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function of the organizations. To face the competition, many a times

the organizations have to change their recruitment policies according
to the policies being followed by the competitors.

HEAD HUNTING

Headhunting refers to the approach of finding and attracting the best

experienced person with the required skill set. Headhunting involves
convincing the person to join your organization.
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Headhunting Process
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RECRUITMENT POLICY OF A COMPANY

In today’s rapidly changing business environment, a well defined

recruitment policy is necessary for organizations to respond to its
human resource requirements in time. Therefore, it is important to
have a clear and concise recruitment policy in place, which can be
executed effectively to recruit the best talent pool for the selection of
the right candidate at the right place quickly. Creating a suitable
recruitment policy is the first step in the efficient hiring process. A
clear and concise recruitment policy helps ensure a sound recruitment
process.

It specifies the objectives of recruitment and provides a framework for

implementation of recruitment programme. It may involve
organizational system to be developed for implementing recruitment
programmes and procedures by filling up vacancies with best qualified
people.

Components of the Recruitment Policy

 The general recruitment policies and terms of the organization

 Recruitment services of consultants
 Recruitment of temporary employees
 Unique recruitment situations
 The selection process
 The job descriptions
 The terms and conditions of the employment

A recruitment policy of an organization should be such that:

 It should focus on recruiting the best potential people.
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 To ensure that every applicant and employee is treated equally

with dignity and respect.
 Unbiased policy.
 To aid and encourage employees in realizing their full potential.
 Transparent, task oriented and merit based selection.
 Weightage during selection given to factors that suit organization
needs.
 Optimization of manpower at the time of selection process.
 Defining the competent authority to approve each selection.
 Abides by relevant public policy and legislation on hiring and
employment relationship.
 Integrates employee needs with the organizational needs.

Factors Affecting Recruitment Policy

 Organizational objectives
 Personnel policies of the organization and its competitors.
 Government policies on reservations.
 Preferred sources of recruitment.
 Need of the organization.
 Recruitment costs and financial implications.

RECENT TRENDS IN RECRUITMENT

1. OUTSOURCING
In India, the HR processes are being outsourced from more than
a decade now. A company may draw required personnel from
outsourcing firms. The outsourcing firms help the organization by
the initial screening of the candidates according to the needs of
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the organization and creating a suitable pool of talent for the

final selection by the organization. Outsourcing firms develop
their human resource pool by employing people for them and
make available personnel to various companies as per their
needs. In turn, the outsourcing firms or the intermediaries
charge the organizations for their services.

Outsourcing the human resource (HR) processes is the latest

practice being followed by middle and large sized organizations.
It is being witnessed across all the industries. In India, the HR
processes are being outsourced from nearly a decade now.
Outsourcing industry is growing at a high rate.

Human Resource Outsourcing refers to the process in which an

organization uses the expert services of a third party (generally
professional consultants) to take care of its HR functions while
HR management can focus on the strategic dimension of their
function. The functions that are typically outsourced are the
functions that need expertise, relevant experience, knowledge
and best methods and practices. This has given rise to
outsourcing the various HR functions of an organization. HR
Consultancies such as Ma Foi and Planman Consulting provide
such services through expert professional consultants. Human
resources business process outsourcing (HR BPO) is a major
component of the worldwide BPO market. Performance
management outsourcing involves all the performance
monitoring, measurement, management being outsourced from
a third party or an external organization.

Many organizations have started outsourcing its recruitment

process i.e. transferring all or some part of its recruitment
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process to an external consultant providing the recruitment

services. It is commonly known as RPO i.e. recruitment process
outsourcing. More and more medium and large sized
organizations are outsourcing their recruitment process right
from the entry level jobs to the C-level jobs.

The present value of the recruitment process outsourcing

industry (RPO) in India is estimated to be $2.5 billion and it is
expected to grow at the annual rate of 30-40 per cent for the
next couple of years. According to a recent survey, only 8-10 per
cent of the Indian companies are complete recruitment
processes. However, the number of companies outsourcing their
recruitment processes is increasing at a very fast rate and so is
the percentage of their total recruitment processes being
outsourced.

Outsourcing organizations strive for providing cost saving

benefits to their clients. One of the major advantages to
organizations, who outsource their recruitment process, is that it
helps to save up to as much as 40 per cent of their recruitment
costs. With the experience, expertise and the economies of scale
of the third party, organizations are able to improve the quality
of the recruits and the speed of the whole process. Also,
outsourcing enables the human resource professionals of
organizations to focus on the core and other HR and strategic
issues. Outsourcing also gives a structured approach to the
whole process of recruitment, with the ultimate power of decision
making of recruiting with the organization itself. The portion of
the recruitment cycle that is outsourced range from preparing
job descriptions to arranging interviews, the activities that
consume almost 70 per cent of the time of the whole recruitment
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process.

Outsourcing the recruitment processes for a sector like BPO,

which faces an attrition of almost 50-60 per cent, can help the
companies in BPO sector to save costs tremendously and focus
on other issues like retention. The job seekers are also availing
the services of the third parties (consultants) for accessing the
latest job opportunities.

In India, the trend of outsourcing recruitment is also catching up

fast. For example: Vodafone outsources its recruitment activities
to Alexander Mann Solutions (RPO service provider). Wipro has
outsourced its recruitment process to MeritTrac. Yes bank is also
known to outsource 50 per cent of its recruitment processes.
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Outsourcing Process
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How to Select a Recruitment Consultant

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If an organization decides to outsource its recruitment processes

or activities, it is very important to find and select a suitable
recruitment consultant or consultancies, which can deliver
results according to the needs of the organization. Today, there
are thousands of consulting firms (consultancies) as well as
freelance consultants working independently. An organization
looks for various considerations and qualities before
selecting the suitable recruitment consultant.
 The reputation of the consulting firm in the job
market (based on expertise and experience).
 Who are the consultant’s or firm’s past and present
clients?
 Consultant’s expertise and experience (from how
long has he/firm been in the business)
 Does the recruitment consultant have the requisite
resources to complete the targets on time?
 Get the idea of the effectiveness and the services of
the recruitment consultant from its current and past
clients.
Qualities of an independent recruitment consultant:
 Marketing skills
 Flexibility and adaptability
 Wisdom
 Exuberance
 Ability to prioritize
 Ambition
 Resourcefulness
 Diplomacy/ delicacy
Selecting the right recruitment consultant is essential for
the effective recruitment processes. A successful
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Recruitment consultant is someone who is determinative,

focused, and able to create opportunities for him, works
harder and smarter than competitors and continually set
and achieve higher standards.

Advantages of outsourcing are:

Outsourcing is beneficial for both the corporate organizations
that use the outsourcing services as well as the consultancies
that provide the service to the corporate. Apart from increasing
their revenues, outsourcing provides business opportunities to
the service providers, enhancing the skill set of the service
providers and exposure to the different corporate experiences
thereby increasing their expertise.
The advantages accruing to the corporate are:
 turning the management's focus to strategic level
processes of HRM
 accessibility to the expertise of the service providers
 freedom from red tape and adhering to strict rules
and regulations
 optimal resource utilization
 structured and fair performance management.
 a satisfied and, hence, highly productive employees
 value creation, operational flexibility and competitive
advantage

2. POACHING/RAIDING
“Buying talent” (rather than developing it) is the latest mantra
being followed by the organizations today. Poaching means
employing a competent and experienced person already
working with another reputed company in the same or
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different industry; the organization might be a competitor in

the industry. A company can attract talent from another firm
by offering attractive pay packages and other terms and
conditions, better than the current employer of the candidate.
But it is seen as an unethical practice and not openly talked
about. Indian software and the retail sector are the sectors
facing the most severe brunt of poaching today. It has
become a challenge for human resource managers to face
and tackle poaching, as it weakens the competitive strength
of the firm.

3. E-RECRUITMENT
Many big organizations use Internet as a source of
recruitment. E- recruitment is the use of technology to assist
the recruitment process. They advertise job vacancies
through worldwide web. The job seekers send their
applications or curriculum vitae i.e. CV through e mail using
the Internet. Alternatively job seekers place their CV’s in
worldwide web, which can be drawn by prospective
employees depending upon their requirements.
The two kinds of e- recruitment that an organization can use
is –
 Job portals – i.e. posting the position with the job
description and the job specification on the job portal and
also searching for the suitable resumes posted on the site
corresponding to the opening in the organization.
 Creating a complete online recruitment/application section
in the companies own website. - Companies have added an
application system to its website, where the ‘passive’ job
seekers can submit their resumes into the database of the
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organization for consideration in future, as and when the

roles become available.
Resume Scanners: Resume scanner is one major benefit
provided by the job portals to the organizations. It enables the
employees to screen and filter the resumes through pre-
defined criteria’s and requirements (skills, qualifications,
experience, payroll etc.) of the job.

Job sites provide a 24*7 access to the database of the

resumes to the employees facilitating the just-in-time hiring
by the organizations. Also, the jobs can be posted on the site
almost immediately and is also cheaper than advertising in
the employment newspapers. Sometimes companies can get
valuable references through the “passers-by” applicants.
Online recruitment helps the organizations to automate the
recruitment process, save their time and costs on
recruitments.

Online recruitment techniques

 Giving a detailed job description and job
specifications in the job postings to attract candidates with
the right skill sets and qualifications at the first stage.
 E-recruitment should be incorporated into the overall
recruitment strategy of the organization.
 A well defined and structured applicant tracking
system should be integrated and the system should have a
back-end support.
 Along with the back-office support a comprehensive
website to receive and process job applications (through
direct or online advertising) should be developed.
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 Therefore, to conclude, it can be said that e-

recruitment is the “Evolving face of recruitment.”
Advantages of recruitment are:
 Low cost.
 No intermediaries
 Reduction in time for recruitment.
 Recruitment of right type of people.
 Efficiency of recruitment process.

FORMS OF RECRUITMENT

The organizations differ in terms of their size, business, processes and

practices. A few decisions by the recruitment professionals can affect
the productivity and efficiency of the organization. Organizations adopt
different forms of recruitment practices according to the specific needs
of the organization. The organizations can choose from the centralized
or decentralized forms of recruitment, explained below:

Centralized Recruitment

The recruitment practices of an organization are centralized when the

HR / recruitment department at the head office performs all functions
of recruitment. Recruitment decisions for all the business verticals and
departments of an organization are carried out by the one central HR
(or recruitment) department. Centralized from of recruitment is
commonly seen in government organizations.
Benefits of the centralized form of recruitment are:
 Reduces administration costs
 Better utilization of specialists
 Uniformity in recruitment
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 Interchangeability of staff
 Reduces favoritism
 Every department sends requisitions for recruitment to their central
office

Decentralized Recruitment

Decentralized recruitment practices are most commonly seen in the

case of conglomerates operating in different and diverse business
areas. With diverse and geographically spread business areas and
offices, it becomes important to understand the needs of each
department and frame the recruitment policies and procedures
accordingly. Each department carries out its own recruitment. Choice
between the two will depend upon management philosophy and needs
of particular organization. In some cases combination of both is used.
Lower level staffs as well as top level executives are recruited in a
decentralized manner.

HR CHALLENGES IN RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is a function that requires business perspective, expertise,

ability to find and match the best potential candidate for the
organization, diplomacy, marketing skills (as to sell the position to the
candidate) and wisdom to align the recruitment processes for the
benefit of the organization. The HR professionals – handling the
recruitment function of the organization- are constantly facing new
challenges. The biggest challenge for such professionals is to source or
recruit the best people or potential candidate for the organization.
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In the last few years, the job market has undergone some fundamental
changes in terms of technologies, sources of recruitment, competition
in the market etc. In an already saturated job market, where the
practices like poaching and raiding are gaining momentum, HR
professionals are constantly facing new challenges in one of their most
important function- recruitment. They have to face and conquer
various challenges to find the best candidates for their organizations.

The major challenges faced by the HR in recruitment are:

1. Adaptability to globalization – The HR professionals are expected

and required to keep in tune with the changing times, i.e. the
changes taking place across the globe. HR should maintain the
timeliness of the process
2. Lack of motivation – Recruitment is considered to be a thankless
job. Even if the organisation is achieving results, HR department
or professionals are not thanked for recruiting the right
employees and performers.
3. Process analysis – The immediacy and speed of the recruitment
process are the main concerns of the HR in recruitment. The
process should be flexible, adaptive and responsive to the
immediate requirements. The recruitment process should also be
cost effective.
4. Strategic prioritization – The emerging new systems are both an
opportunity as well as a challenge for the HR professionals.
Therefore, reviewing staffing needs and prioritizing the tasks to
meet the changes in the market has become a challenge for the
recruitment professionals.
TYPES OF JOB SEEKERS

1. Quid Pro Que

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These are the people who say that “ I can do this for you, what can you
give me” These people value high responsibilities, higher risks, and
expect higher rewards, personal development and company profiles
doesn’t matter to them.

2. I will be with you

These people like to be with big brands. Importance is given to brands.
They are not bothered about work ethic, culture mission etc.

3. I will do you what you want

These people are concerned about how meaningful the job is and they
define meaning parameters criteria known by previous job.

4. Where do you want me to come

These people observe things like where is your office, what
atmosphere do you offer. Career prospects and exciting projects don’t
entice them as much. It is the responsibility of the recruiter to decide
what the employee might face in given job and thus take decision. A
good decision will help cut down employee retention costs and future
recruitment costs.

RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES

Recruitment is of the most crucial roles of the human resource

professionals. The level of performance of and organization depends
on the effectiveness of its recruitment function. Organizations have
developed and follow recruitment strategies to hire the best talent for
their organization and to utilize their resources optimally. A successful
recruitment strategy should be well planned and practical to attract
more and good talent to apply in the organization.
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For formulating an effective and successful recruitment strategy, the

strategy should cover the following elements:
1. Identifying and prioritizing jobs
Requirements keep arising at various levels in every
organization; it is almost a never-ending process. It is impossible
to fill all the positions immediately. Therefore, there is a need to
identify the positions requiring immediate attention and action.
To maintain the quality of the recruitment activities, it is useful
to prioritize the vacancies whether to focus on all vacancies
equally or focusing on key jobs first.
2. Candidates to target
The recruitment process can be effective only if the organization
completely understands the requirements of the type of
candidates that are required and will be beneficial for the
organization. This covers the following parameters as well:
 Performance level required: Different strategies are
required for focusing on hiring high performers and
average performers.
 Experience level required: the strategy should be clear as
to what is the experience level required by the
organization. The candidate’s experience can range from
being a fresher to experienced senior professionals.
 Category of the candidate: the strategy should clearly
define the target candidate. He/she can be from the same
industry, different industry, unemployed, top performers of
the industry etc.
3. Sources of recruitment
The strategy should define various sources (external and
internal) of recruitment. Trained recruiters
The recruitment professionals conducting the interviews and the
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other recruitment activities should be well-trained and

experienced to conduct the activities. They should also be aware
of the major parameters and skills (e.g.: behavioral, technical
etc.) to focus while interviewing and selecting a candidate.
4. How to evaluate the candidates
The various parameters and the ways to judge them i.e. the
entire recruitment process should be planned in advance. Like
the rounds of technical interviews, HR interviews, written tests,
psychometric tests etc.

RECRUITMENT MANAGEMENT SYSTEM

Recruitment management system is the comprehensive tool to
manage the entire recruitment processes of an organization. It is one
of the technological tools facilitated by the information management
systems to the HR of organizations. Just like performance
management, payroll and other systems, Recruitment management
system helps to contour the recruitment processes and effectively
managing the ROI on recruitment.

The features, functions and major benefits of the recruitment

management system are explained below:
 Structure and systematically organize the entire recruitment
processes.
 Recruitment management system facilitates faster, unbiased,
accurate and reliable processing of applications from various
applications.
 Helps to reduce the time-per-hire and cost-per-hire.
 Recruitment management system helps to incorporate and
integrate the various links like the application system on the
official website of the company, the unsolicited applications,
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outsourcing recruitment, the final decision making to the main

recruitment process.
 Recruitment management system maintains an automated
active database of the applicants facilitating the talent
management and increasing the efficiency of the recruitment
processes.
 Recruitment management system provides and a flexible,
automated and interactive interface between the online
application system, the recruitment department of the company
and the job seeker.
 Offers tolls and support to enhance productivity, solutions and
optimizing the recruitment processes to ensure improved ROI.
 Recruitment management system helps to communicate and
create healthy relationships with the candidates through the
entire recruitment process.

The Recruitment Management System (RMS) is an innovative

information system tool which helps to sane the time and costs of the
recruiters and improving the recruitment processes.
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Recruitment trends in 2010

The man who launched the careers of Whitney Houston, Janis Joplin,
Patti Smith and Sean “Puffy” Combs could teach us all something
about recruiting. He would probably concede, however, that
finding great talent – whether you run a record label or a small
business – isn’t what it used to be. Recruiting evolves, and fast. A
decade ago, most companies posted ads in the newspaper, that
soon-to-be-relic of a simpler time. Since then, a little thing called
the internet (not to mention its social media offshoots) has
changed the field of recruiting as much as it has changed the
music industry. Predicting the future of recruitment is as difficult
as predicting new ways that Kanye West can embarrass himself,
but there are a few areas that job seekers and employers should
watch in 2010.

Number #1: The Recovery

Thanks to the recession, prepare for the biggest movement of

resources in recent memory. The latest economic forecasts suggest
that Canada’s recovery, unlike the recovery in the U.S., will not be
“jobless.” The sheer mass of unemployed, under-employed and others
who have parked themselves in their current jobs to wait out the tough
times mean that 2010 will still be an employer’s market.

That said, some companies will have turnover at levels they have
never seen, let alone prepared for. The depth and scope of job cuts
during the last 18 months means that the spike in turnover will be
higher than other recent downturns. Forecasting when the turnover will
peak is difficult, which means that employers should look at how to
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retain key staff – the ones holding the company together – so they
have their strongest employee base when the recession is truly over.
The good people are the first to move when times are tough.

Number #2: Look Long, Look Hard

Just because a recession is over doesn’t mean companies are going to

spend more money to find people. Unlike the lavish spending in the
early 2000s, access to capital will be tight – and the capital that is
available will go toward projects that generate direct revenue. Some
sectors such as healthcare and law enforcement require specific,
highly trained workers, and companies in these areas will continue to
recruit heavily. Most industries still don’t recognize recruiting as an
integral long-term strategy to generate revenue, and this is
unfortunate. Job seekers, therefore, will need to be able to prove their
value upfront.

Number #3: Outsource This

As companies forego the overhead cost of rebuilding anemic HR

departments, the broader trend toward outsourcing and
“projectization” will affect recruiting. Job seekers should look to third-
party and virtual recruiters for opportunities, not just directly to
potential employers.

Number #4: Social Media Rules

Just because you’re sick of hearing about social media doesn’t mean
you can ignore it. Twitter has already become a great way to find
positions. The traditional post-and-pray tactic – post the job and hope
the right person finds it – is more and more replaced by the prey-and-
sell method of headhunters. Recruiters have recognized the power new
online tools give them to reach a wider talent pool of candidates who
are not actively looking. In 2010, more employers will catch on to
social media’s greatest contribution: building relationships with
candidates. Job seekers, meanwhile, will need to make it part of their
search strategy. Some fields such as marketing and communications,
for instance, may require you to master social media platforms to
position yourself as an expert in your field.

Number #5: It’s Not Just Who You Know

Posting positions will still be an efficient way of finding interesting

candidates. There is no significant difference between posting a job
opening on an online board now and posting it in a newspaper or
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employment office a decade ago. While general online job boards may
become extinct, niche job boards aren’t going anywhere.

Number #6: Next-Generation Management

Like job seekers, the next step for recruiters is to adapt to new tools.
These new tools will need to include ways to track not only candidates
who have are actively seeking work and have, but potential candidates
who may not even know they are being targeted. Recruiters will need
to become part-time sleuthes, often working with little upfront
information about people who aren’t actively looking for a new job.

Number #7: Mobile Recruiting

The final trend is more of a shot-in-the-dark: recruiters will be trying to

reach more and more Gen X and Yers and the oldest of the Digital
Generation where they live: on their smartphones. Who knows when –
or if – companies will eventually accept job applications from your
iPhone.