MET-Institute of Management
 Group Leader

Sachin Gokhale (138)

Names of Team Members

Sanjay Bhagwatkar (123)

Vrushali Kadam (141)

Uma Panja (156)

Rashmi Sarnaik (165)

Shilpa Shinde (168)

 Acknowledgement

It gives us great pleasure and deep satisfaction in presenting this project

work undertaken as part of subject of Manpower Planning of MHRDM Second
year Semester-IV 2010, arranged in order to gain practical knowledge.

We take this opportunity to sincere gratitude to several people with

whose help and encouragement, we have been able to complete the project
successfully.

We express a sense of gratitude to our project guides and our senior

office colleagues. They have guided us the valuable suggestions and continuous
encouragement without which the project would not have been success. They
have been a source of inspiration as they motivated us to work more
productively and efficiently.

We would also like to convey special thanks to Mumbai Educational Trust (MET)
college an institute of rare excellence in the field of Management and

Yours Sincerely,
Sachin Gokhale (138)
Sanjay Bhagwatkar (123)
Vrushali Kadam (141)
Uma Panja (156)
Rashmi Sarnaik (165)
Shilpa Shinde (168)
 Executive Summary

This project divided into three parts the first part covers a detailed Theoretical concepts
of Recruitment & selection. In the second part we examine this angle through the case
studies of two companies, involved in the two different sectors and different in their
perceptions towards recruitment and selection. And third part consists of difference
between the recruitment & selection process of these two sectors.

The human resources are the most important assets of an organization. The success or
failure of an organization is largely dependent on the caliber of the people working
therein. Without positive and creative contributions from people, organizations cannot
progress and prosper. In order to achieve goals or the activities for every organization it is
important to have a right person on a right job.

With reference to this context, this project is been prepared to put a light on Recruitment
and Selection process the theoretical concepts like meaning and definition of
Recruitment and Selection, Scientific Recruitment and Selection, which an Organization
should follow for, in Selection process, which includes steps of Selection, Approaches to
Selection, Scientific Selection Policy, etc.

The role of Recruitment and Selection in the contemporary organization is a subject on

which the experts have pondered, deliberated and studied, considering the vital role
that they obviously play. Since all the aspect needs practical example and explanation
this project includes Recruitment and selection Process of Infosys Technologies represents
Private sector & Indian Oil Corporation Ltd represent private sector and a practical case
study.
 INDEX

Sr. No Contents

1. Introduction

2. Brief on Recruitment Process

3. Methods of Recruitment

4. Meaning & Purpose of Selection

5. Selection Process

6. Case Study : Recruitment & Selection Process

a. Private Sector: Infosys Technologies Ltd.
b. Public Sector: Indian Oil Corporation.
7. Difference between Recruitment & Selection Process
in Public & Private Sector

8. Conclusion

9. Bibliography
INTRODUCTION

The human resources are the most important assets of an organization. The success or
failure of an organization is largely dependent on the caliber of the people working
therein. Without positive and creative contributions from people, organizations cannot
progress and prosper. In order to achieve the goals or the activities of an organization,
therefore, they need to recruit people with requisite skills, qualifications and experience.
While doing so, they have to keep the present as well as the future requirements of the
organization in mind.

Recruitment is distinct from Employment and Selection. Once the required number and
kind of human resources are determined, the management has to find the places where
the required human resources are/will be available and also find the means of attracting
them towards the organization before selecting suitable candidates for jobs. All this
process is generally known as Recruitment. Some people use the term “Recruitment” for
employment. These two are not one and the same. Recruitment is only one of the steps
in the entire employment process. Some others use the term recruitment for selection.
These are not the same either. Technically speaking, the function of recruitment
precedes the selection function and it includes only finding, developing the sources of
prospective employees and attracting them to apply for jobs in an organization,
whereas the selection is the process of finding out the most suitable candidate to the job
out of the candidates attracted (i.e. recruited). Formal definition of recruitment would
give clear cut idea about the function of recruitment.

DEFINITIONS

Recruitment is defined as, “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
workforce.” Edwin B. Flippo defined recruitment as “the process of searching for
prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization.”
Recruitment is a ‘linking function’-joining together those with jobs to fill and those seeking
jobs. It is a ‘joining process’ in that it tries to bring together job seekers and employer with
a view to encourage the former to apply for a job with the latter.
In order to attract people for the jobs, the organization must communicate the position in
such a way that job seekers respond. To be cost effective, the recruitment process
should attract qualified applicants and provide enough information for unqualified
persons to self-select themselves out.

Thus, the recruitment process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their
applications are submitted. The result is a pool of applicants from which new employees
are selected.

PURPOSES AND IMPORTANCE

The general purpose of recruitment is to provide a pool of potentially qualified job

candidates. Specifically, the purposes are to:

ƒ Determine the present and future requirements of the organization in conjunction

with its personnel-planning and job-analysis activities.
ƒ Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.
ƒ Help increase the success rate of the selection process by reducing the number of
visibly, under qualified or overqualified job applicants.
ƒ Help reduce the probability that job applicants, once recruited and selected, will
leave the organization only after a short period of time.
ƒ Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate
candidates.
ƒ Induct outsiders with a new perspective to lead the company.
ƒ Infuse fresh blood at all levels of the organization.
ƒ Develop an organizational culture that attracts competent people to the company.
ƒ Search or head hunt/head pouch people whose skills fit the company’s values.
ƒ Devise methodologies for assessing psychological traits.
ƒ Search for talent globally and not just within the company.
ƒ Design entry pay that competes on quality but not on quantum.
ƒ Anticipate and find people for positions that do not exist yet.
ƒ Increase organizational and individual effectiveness in the short term and long term.
ƒ Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and sources for all types of
job applicants.
Recruitment represents the first contact that a company makes with potential
employees. It is through recruitment that many individuals will come to know a company,
and eventually decide whether they wish to work for it. A well-planned and well-
managed recruiting effort will result in high-quality applicants, whereas, a haphazard
and piecemeal effort will result in mediocre ones. High-quality employees cannot be
selected when better candidates do not know of job openings, are not interested in
working for the company and do not apply. The recruitment process should inform
qualified individuals about employment opportunities, create a positive image of the
company, provide enough information about the jobs so that applicants can make
comparisons with their qualifications and interests, and generate enthusiasm among the
best candidates so that they will apply for the vacant positions.

The negative consequences of a poor recruitment process speak volumes about its role
in an organization. The failure to generate an adequate number of reasonably qualified
applicants can prove costly in several ways. It can greatly complicate the selection
process and may result in lowering of selection standards. The poor quality of selection
means extra cost on training and supervision. Furthermore, when recruitment fails to meet
the organizational needs for talent, a typical response is to raise entry-level pay scales.
This can distort traditional wage and salary relationships in the organization, resulting in
avoidable consequences. Thus, the effectiveness of a recruitment process can play a
major role in determining the resources that must be expended on other HR activities
and their ultimate success.

SUB-SYSTEMS OF RECRUITMENT

The recruitment process consists of the following four sub-functions:-

ƒ Finding out and developing the sources where the required number and kind of
employees will be available.
ƒ Developing suitable techniques to attract the desirable candidates.
ƒ Employing the techniques to attract candidates.
ƒ Stimulating as many candidates as possible and asking them to apply for jobs
irrespective of the number of candidates required.
Management has to attract more candidates in order to increase the selection ratio so
that the most suitable candidate can be selected out of the total candidates available.
Recruitment is positive as it aims at increasing the number of applicants and selection is
somewhat negative as it selects the suitable candidates in which process; the unsuitable
candidates are automatically eliminated. Though, the function of recruitment seems to
be easy, a number of factors make performance of recruitment a complex one.

FACTORS AFFECTING RECRUITMENT

The following are the 2 important factors affecting Recruitment:-

1) INTERNAL FACTORS

o Recruiting policy
o Temporary and part-time employees
o Recruitment of local citizens
o Engagement of the company in HRP
o Company’s size
o Cost of recruitment
o Company’s growth and expansion

2) EXTERNAL FACTORS

o Supply and Demand factors

o Unemployment Rate
o Labour-market conditions
o Political and legal considerations
o Social factors
o Economic factors
o Technological factors
INDUCEMENTS
Organisational inducements are all the positive features and benefits offered by an
organization that serves to attract job applicants to the organisation. Three inducements
need specific mention here, they are:-

ƒ Compensation: Starting salaries, frequency of pay increases, incentives and fringe

benefits can all serve as inducements to potential employees.

ƒ Career Opportunities: These help the present employees to grow personally and
professionally and also attract good people to the organization. The feeling that
the company takes care of employee career aspirations serves as a powerful
inducements to potential employees.

ƒ Image or Reputation: Factors that affect an organisation’s reputation include its

general treatment of employees, the nature and quality of its products and
services and its participation in worthwhile social endeavors.

RECRUITMENT- Relationship with other activities

CORPORATE MISSION, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND TACTICS (MOST)
Corporate have started linking their Mission, Objectives, Strategies and Tactics (MOST) to
the functions of recruitment and selection. The economic liberalizations and consequent
competition through quality and services necessitated the companies to search for and
attract competent human resources. Corporations focusing on new business
development will have to seek entrepreneurial abilities, companies planning to withdraw
from diversifications must look for pragmatists and companies chasing growth alliances
should employ people comfortable in different cultural backgrounds. Above all,
companies must hire for the future, anticipating jobs that may not be in existence yet.
Recruitment managers must focus for attitudes and approaches that fit the corporate
goals and culture.

RECRUITMENT POLICY

Recruitment policy of any organization is derived from the personnel policy of the same
organization. In other words the former is a part of the latter. However, recruitment policy
by itself should take into consideration the government’s reservation policy, policy
regarding sons of soil, etc., personnel policies of other organizations regarding merit,
internal sources, social responsibility in absorbing minority sections, women, etc.
Recruitment policy should commit itself to the organisation’s personnel policy like
enriching the organisation’s human resources or servicing the community by absorbing
the retrenched or laid-off employees or casual/temporary employees or dependents of
present/former employees, etc.

The following factors should be taken into consideration in formulating recruitment policy.
They are:-

ƒ Government policies
ƒ Personnel policies of other competing organizations
ƒ Organisation’s personnel policies
ƒ Recruitment sources
ƒ Recruitment needs
ƒ Recruitment cost
ƒ Selection criteria and preference
 RECRUITMENT- Matching the of the organization & applicants

IMPACT OF PERSONNEL POLICIES ON RECRUITMENT POLICIES

Recruitment policies are mostly drawn from personnel policies of the organization.
According to Dale Yodar and Paul D. Standohar, general personnel policies provide a
wide variety of guidelines to be spelt out in recruitment policy. After formulation of the
recruitment policies, the management has to decide whether to centralize or
decentralize the recruitment function.

CENTRALISED V/s DECENTRALISED RECRUITMENT

Recruitment practices vary from one organization to another. Some organizations like
commercial banks resort to centralized recruitment while some organizations like the
Indian Railway resort to decentralized recruitment practices. Personnel department at
the central office performs all the functions of recruitment in case of centralised
recruitment and personnel departments at unit level/zonal level perform all the functions
of recruitment concerning to the jobs of the respective unit or zone.

MERITS OF CENTRALISED RECRUITMENT

ƒ Average cost of recruitment per candidate/unit should be relatively less due to

economies of scale.
ƒ It would have more expertise available to it.
ƒ It can ensure broad uniformity among human resources of various units/zones in
respect of education, skill, knowledge, talent, etc.
ƒ It would generally be above malpractices, abuse of powers, favouritism, bias, etc.
ƒ It would facilitate interchangeability of staff among various units/zones.
ƒ It enables the line managers of various units and zones to concentrate on their
operational activities by relieving them from the recruiting functions.
ƒ It enables the organization to have centralised selection procedure, promotional and
transfer procedure, etc.
ƒ It ensures the most effective and suitable placement to candidates.
ƒ It enables centralised training programmes which further brings uniformity and
minimizes average cost of staff.

MERITS OF DECENTRALISED RECRUITMENT

ƒ The unit concerned concentrates only on those sources/places wherein normally

gets the suitable candidates. As such the cost of recruitment would be relatively less.
ƒ The unit gets most suitable candidates as it is well aware of the requirements of the
job regarding culture, traditional, family background aspects, local factors, social
factors, etc.
ƒ Units can recruit candidates as and when they are required without any delay.
ƒ The units would enjoy freedom in finding out, developing the sources, in selecting
and employing the techniques to stimulate the candidates.
ƒ The unit would relatively enjoy advantage about the availability of information,
control and feedback and various functions/processes of recruitment.
ƒ The unit would enjoy better familiarity and control over the employees it recruits
rather than on employees selected by the central recruitment agency.

Both the systems of recruitment would suffer from their own demerits. Hence, the
management has to weigh both the merits and demerits of each system before making
a final decision about centralizing or decentralizing the recruitment. Alternatively
management may decentralize the recruitment of certain categories of employees
preferably middle and top level managerial personnel and centralize the recruitment of
other categories of employee’s preferably lower level positions in view of the nature of
the jobs and suitability of those systems for those categories of positions. The
management has to find out and develop the sources of recruitment after deciding
upon centralizing or decentralizing the recruitment function.

SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

The sources of recruitment may be broadly divided into two categories: internal sources
and external sources. Both have their own merits and demerits. Let’s examine these.

Internal Sources:-

Persons who are already working in an organization constitute the ‘internal sources’.
Retrenched employees, retired employees, dependents of deceased employees may
also constitute the internal sources. Whenever any vacancy arises, someone from within
the organization is upgraded, transferred, promoted or even demoted.

External Sources:-

External sources lie outside an organization. Here the organization can have the services
of : (a) Employees working in other organizations; (b) Jobs aspirants registered with
employment exchanges; (c) Students from reputed educational institutions; (d)
Candidates referred by unions, friends, relatives and existing employees; (e) Candidates
forwarded by search firms and contractors; (f) Candidates responding to the
advertisements, issued by the organization; and (g) Unsolicited applications/ walk-ins.
 Merits and Demerits of ‘Recruiting people from ‘Within’
Merits
Economical: The cost of recruiting internal
candidates is minimal. No expenses are
incurred on advertising.
Suitable: The organization can pick the right
candidates having the requisite skills. The
candidate can choose a right vacancy
where their talents can be fully utilized.
Reliable: The organization has the
knowledge about suitability of a candidate
for a position. ‘Known devils are better than
unknown angels!’
Satisfying: A policy of preferring people
from within offers regular promotional
avenues for employees. It motivates them
to work hard and earn promotions. They
will work with loyalty commitment and
enthusiasm.
Demerits
Limited Choice: The organization is forced
to select candidates from a limited pool. It
may have to sacrifice quality and settle
down for less qualified candidates.
Inbreeding: It discourages entry for
talented people, available outside an
organization. Existing employees may fail to
behave in innovative ways and inject
necessary dynamism to enterprise
activities.
Inefficiency: Promotions based on length of
service rather than merit, may prove to be
a blessing for inefficient candidate. They
do not work hard and prove their worth.
Bone of contention: Recruitment from within
may lead to infighting among employees
aspiring for limited, higher level positions in
an organization. As years roll by, the race
for premium positions may end up in a
bitter race.
 The merits and demerits of recruiting candidates from outside an organization
may be stated thus:
Merits and Demerits of External sources of Recruitment
Merits
Wide Choice: The organization has the
freedom to select candidates from a large
pool. Persons with requisite qualifications
could be picked up.
Infection of fresh blood: People with
special skills and knowledge could be hired
to stir up the existing employees and pave
the way for innovative ways of working.
Motivational force: It helps in motivating
internal employees to work hard and
compete with external candidates while
seeking career growth. Such a competitive
atmosphere would help an employee to
work to the best of his abilities.
Long term benefits: Talented people could
join the ranks, new ideas could find
meaningful expression, a competitive
atmosphere would compel people to give
out their best and earn rewards, etc.
Demerits
Expenses: Hiring costs could go up
substantially. Tapping multifarious sources
of recruitment is not an easy task either.
Time consuming: It takes time to advertise,
screen, to test and test and to select
suitable employees. Where suitable ones
are not available, the process has to be
repeated.
De-motivating: Existing employees who
have put in considerable service may resist
the process of filling up vacancies from
outside. The feeling that their services have
not been recognized by the organization,
forces then to work with less enthusiasm
and motivation.
Uncertainty: There is no guarantee that the
organization, ultimately will be able to hire
the services of suitable candidates. It may
end up hiring someone who does not fit
and who may not be able to adjust in the
new setup.
METHODS OF RECRUITMENT

The following are the most commonly used methods of recruiting people.

INTERNAL METHODS:

1. Promotions and Transfers

This is a method of filling vacancies from within through transfers and promotions.

A transfer is a lateral movement within the same grade, from one job to another. It may
lead to changes in duties and responsibilities, working conditions, etc., but not necessarily
salary. Promotion, on the other hand, involves movement of employee from a lower
level position to a higher level position accompanied by (usually) changes in duties,
responsibilities, status and value.

2. Job Posting

Job posting is another way of hiring people from within. In this method, the organisation
publicises job opening on bulletin boards, electronic method and similar outlets. One of
the important advantages of this method is that it offers a chance to highly qualified
applicants working within the company to look for growth opportunities within the
company to look for growth opportunities within the company without looking for
greener pastures outside.

3. Employee Referrals

Employee referral means using personal contacts to locate job opportunities. It is a

recommendation from a current employee regarding a job applicant. The logic behind
employee referral is that “it takes one to know one”.
EXTERNAL (DIRECT) METHODS :

Campus Recruitment

It is a method of recruiting by visiting and participating in college campuses and their

placement centres. Here the recruiters visit reputed educational institutions such as IITs,
IIMs, colleges and universities with a view to pick up job aspirants having requisite
technical or professional skills. Job seekers are provided information about the jobs and
the recruiters, in turn, get a snapshot of job seekers through constant interchange of
information with respective institutions.

A preliminary screening is done within the campus and the short listed students are then
subjected to the remainder of the selection process. In view of the growing demand for
young managers, most reputed organizations (such as Hindustan Lever Ltd., Proctor &
Cable, Citibank, State Bank of India, Asian Paints, Tata and Birla group companies) visit
IIMs and IITs regularly and even sponsor certain popular campus activities with a view to
earn goodwill in the job market. Advantages of this method include: the placement
centre helps locate applicants and provides resumes to organizations; applicants can be
prescreened; applicants will not have to be lured away from a current job and lower
salary expectations. On the negative front, campus recruiting means hiring people with
little or no work experience.

The organizations will have to offer some kind of training to the applicants, almost
immediately after hiring. It demands careful advance planning, looking into the
placement weeks of various institutions in different parts of the country. Further, campus
recruiting can be costly for organizations situated in another city (airfare, boarding and
lodging expenses of recruiters, site visit of applicants if allowed, etc.).

If campus recruitment is used, steps should be taken by human resource department to

ensure that recruiters are knowledgeable concerning the jobs that are to be filled and
the organizations and understand and employ effective interviewing skills.

Guidelines for campus recruiting: companies using college campuses as recruitment

source should consider the following guidelines:
ƒ Identify the potential candidates early: The earlier that candidate with top potential
can be identified, the more likely the organization will be in a position to attract
them.
ƒ Employ various means to attract candidates: These may include providing research
grants; consulting opportunities to faculty members, funding university infrastructural
requirements, internships to students, etc. in the long run these will enhance the
prestige of the company in the eyes of potential job seekers.
ƒ Use effective recruitment material: Attractive brochures, films, computer diskettes,
followed by enthusiastic and effective presentations by company officials,
correspondence with placement offices in respective campus in a friendly way – will
help in booting the company image in the eyes of the applicants. The company
must provide detailed information about the characteristics of entry – level positions,
especially those that have had a major positive impact on prior applicants’ decisions
to join the company.
ƒ Offer training to campus interviews: Its better to devote more time and resources to
train on campus interviewers to answer specific job –related questions of applicants.
ƒ Come out with a competitive offer: Keep the key job attributes that influence the
decisions of applicants such as promotional avenues, challenging assignments, long
term income potential, etc., while talking to candidates.

Indirect methods:-

Advertisements:-
These include advertisements in newspapers; trade, professional and technical journals;
radio and television; etc. in recent times, this medium has become just as colourful, lively
and imaginative as consumer advertising. The ads generally give a brief outline of the
job responsibilities, compensation package, prospects in organizations, etc. this method
is appropriate when (a) the organization intends to reach a large target group and (b)
the organizations wants a fairly good number of talented people – who are
geographically spread out. To apply for advertised vacancies let’s briefly examine the
wide variety of alternatives available to a company - as far as ads are concerned:
ƒ Newspaper Ads: Here it is easy to place job ads without much of a lead time. It has
flexibility in terms of information and can conveniently target a specific geographic
location. On the negative side, newspaper ads tend to attract only those who are
actively seeking employment at that point of time, while some of the best
 candidates who are well paid and challenged by their current jobs may not be
aware of such openings. As a result, the company may be bombarded with
applications from a large number of candidates who are marginally qualified for the
job – adding to its administrative burden. To maintain secrecy for various reasons
(avoiding the rush, sending signals to competitors, cutting down expenses involved in
responding to any individual who applies, etc.), large companies with a national
reputation may also go in for blind-box ads in newspapers, especially for filling lower
level positions. In a blind-box ad there is no identification of the advertising
organization. Job aspirants are asked to respond to a post office box number or to
an employment firm that is acting as an agent between the job seekers and the
organization.
ƒ Television and radio ads: These ads are more likely to each individual who are not
actively seeking employment; they are more likely to stand out distinctly, they help
the organization to target the audience more selectively and they offer considerable
scope for designing ads creatively. However, these ads are expensive. Also,
because the television or radio is simply seen or heard, potential candidates may
have a tough time remembering the details, making application difficult.

Third Party Methods

ƒ Private Employment Search Firms:-

As search firm is a private employment agency that maintains computerized lists of
qualified applicants and supplies these to employers willing to hire people from the list for
a fee. Firms like Arthur Anderson, Boble and Hewitt, ABC consultants, SB Billimoria, KPMG;
Ferguson Associates offers specialized employment-related services to corporate houses
for a fee, especially for top and middle level executive vacancies. AT the lower end, a
number of search firms operate – providing multifarious services to both recruiters and
the recruitees.

ƒ Employment Exchanges:-
AS a statutory requirement, companies are also expected to notify (wherever the
Employment Exchanges Act, 1959, applies) their vacancies through the respective
Employment Exchanges, created all over India for helping unemployed youth, displaced
persons, ex-military personnel, physically handicapped, etc. AS per the Act all employers
are supposed to notify the vacancies arising in their establishments form time to time –
with certain exemptions – to the prescribed employment exchanges before they are
filled. The Act covers all establishments in public sector and nonagricultural
establishments employing 25 or more workers in the private sector. However, in view of
the practical difficulties involved in implementing the provisions of the Act (such as filing
a quarterly return in respect of their staff strength, vacancies and shortages, returns
showing occupational distribution of their employees, etc.) many organizations have
successfully fought court battles when they were asked to pick up candidates from
among those sponsored by the employment exchanges.

ƒ Gate Hiring and Contractors:-

Gate hiring (where job seekers, generally blue collar employees, present themselves at
the factory gate and offer their services on a daily basis), hiring through contractors,
recruiting through word-of-mouth publicity are still in use – despite the many possibilities
for their misuse – in the small scale sector in India.

ƒ Unsolicited Applicants / Walk-ins:-

Companies generally receive unsolicited applications from job seekers at various points
of time; the number of such applications depends on economic conditions, the image of
the company and the job seeker’s perception of the types of jobs that might be
available etc. Such applications are generally kept in a data bank and whenever a
suitable vacancy arises, the company would intimate the candidates to apply through a
formal channel. One important problem with this method is that job seekers generally
apply to number of organizations and when they are actually required by the
organizations, either they are already employed in other organizations or are not simply
interested in the position.

ƒ Alternatives to Recruitment:-

Since recruitment and selection costs are high (search process, interviewing agency fee,
etc.) firms these days are trying to look at alternatives to recruitment especially when
market demand for firm’s products and services is sluggish. Moreover, once employees
are placed on the payroll, it may be extremely difficult to remove them if their
performance is marginal. Some of the options in this regard may be listed thus:
ƒ Evaluation of Alternative Sources

Companies have to evaluate the sources of recruiting carefully – looking at cost, time,
flexibility, quality and other criteria – before earmarking funds for the recruitment process.
They cannot afford to fill all their vacancies through a particular source. To facilitate the
decision making process in this regard, companies rely on the following:

Time lapse data: They show the time lag between the dates of requisition for manpower
supply from a department to the actual date of filling the vacancies in that department.
For example, a company’s past experience may indicate that the average number of
days from application to interview is 10, from interview to offer is 7, from offer to
acceptance is 10 and from acceptance to report for work is 15. Therefore, if the
company starts the recruitment and selection process now it would require 42 days
before the new employee joins its ranks. Armed with this information, the length of the
time needed for alternative sources of recruitment can be ascertained – before pinning
hopes on a particular source that meets the recruitment objectives of the company.

Yield ratios: These ratios indicate the number of leads / contacts needed to generate a
given number of hires at a point at time. For example, if a company needs 10
management trainees in the next six months, it has to monitor past yield ratios in order to
find out the number of candidates to be contacted for this purpose. On the basis of past
experience, to continue the same example, the company finds that to hire 10 trainees, it
has to extend 20 offers. If the interview-to-offer is 3:2, then 30 interviews must be
conducted. If the invitees to interview ratios are 4:3 then, as many as 40 candidates
must be invited. Lastly, if contacts or leads needed to identify suitable trainees to invite
are in 5:1 ratio, then 200 contacts are made.

Surveys and studies: Surveys may also be conducted to find out the suitability of a
particular source for certain positions. For example, as pointed out previously, employee
referral has emerged as popular way of hiring people in the Information Technology
industry in recent times in India. Correlation studies could also be carried out to find out
the relationship between different organizational positions. Before finally identifying the
sources of recruitment, the human resource managers must also look into the cost or
hiring a candidate. The cost per hire can be found out by dividing the recruitment cost
by the number of candidates hired.
 SELECTION

Introduction
The size of the labour market, the image of the company, the place of posting,
the nature of job, the compensation package and a host of other factors influence the
manner of aspirants are likely to respond to the recruiting efforts of the company.
Through the process of recruitment the company tries to locate prospective employees
and encourages them to apply for vacancies at various levels. Recruiting, thus, provides
a pool of applicants for selection.

Definition
To select mean to choose. Selection is the process of picking individuals who have
relevant qualifications to fill jobs in an organisation. The basic purpose is to choose the
individual who can most successfully perform the job from the pool of qualified
candidates.

Purpose
The purpose of selection is to pick up the most suitable candidate who would meet the
requirements of the job in an organisation best, to find out which job applicant will be
successful, if hired. To meet this goal, the company obtains and assesses information
about the applicants in terms of age, qualifications, skills, experience, etc. the needs of
the job are matched with the profile of candidates. The most suitable person is then
picked up after eliminating the unsuitable applicants through successive stages of
selection process. How well an employee is matched to a job is very important because
it is directly affects the amount and quality of employee’s work. Any mismatched in this
regard can cost an organisation a great deal of money, time and trouble, especially, in
terms of training and operating costs. In course of time, the employee may find the job
distasteful and leave in frustration. He may even circulate ‘hot news’ and juicy bits of
negative information about the company, causing incalculable harm to the company in
the long run. Effective election, therefore, demands constant monitoring of the ‘fit’
between people the job.
The Process
Selection is usually a series of hurdles or steps. Each one must be successfully cleared
before the applicant proceeds to the next one. The time and emphasis place on each
step will definitely vary from one organisation to another and indeed, from job to job
within the same organisation. The sequence of steps may also vary from job to job and
organisation to organisation. For example some organisations may give more
importance to testing while others give more emphasis to interviews and reference
checks. Similarly a single brief selection interview might be enough for applicants for
lower level positions, while applicants for managerial jobs might be interviewed by a
number of people.

Steps in Selecting Process

Reception
A company is known by the people it employs. In order to attract people with talents,
skills and experience a company has to create a favourable impression on the
applicants’ right from the stage of reception. Whoever meets the applicant initially
should be tactful and able to extend help in a friendly and courteous way. Employment
possibilities must be presented honestly and clearly. If no jobs are available at that point
of time, the applicant may be asked to call back the personnel department after some
time.
Screening Interview
A preliminary interview is generally planned by large organisations to cut the cost of
selection by allowing only eligible candidates to go through the further stages in
selection. A junior executive from the Personnel Department may elicit responses from
the applicants on important items determining the suitability of an applicant for a job
such as age, education, experience, pay expectations, aptitude, location, choice etc.
this ‘courtesy interview’ as it is often called helps the department screen out obvious
misfits. If the department finds the candidate suitable, a prescribed application form is
given to the applicants to fill and submit.

Application Blank
Application blank or form is one of the most common methods used to collect
information on the various aspects of the applicants’ academic, social, demographic,
work related background and references. It is a brief history sheet of employee’s
background, usually containing the following things:
ƒ Personal data (address, sex, telephone number)
ƒ Marital data
ƒ Educational data
ƒ Employment Experience
ƒ Extra-curricular activities
ƒ References and Recommendations

Usefulness of Application Blank or Form

Application blank is highly useful selection tool, in that way it serves three important
purposes:
ƒ It introduces the candidate to the company in a formal way.
ƒ It helps the company to have a cross-comparison of the applicants; the company
can screen and reject candidates if they fail to meet the eligibility criteria at this
stage itself.
ƒ It can serve as a basis to initiate a dialogue in the interview.
Selection Testing
In this section let’ examine the selection test or the employment test that attempts to
asses intelligence, abilities, personality trait, performance simulation tests including work
sampling and the tests administered at assessment centres- followed by a discussion
about the polygraph test, graphology and integrity test.
A test is a standardized, objective measure of a person’s behaviour, performance or
attitude. It is standardised because the way the tests is carried out, the environment in
which the test is administered and the way the individual scores are calculated- are
uniformly applied. It is objective in that it tries to measure individual differences in a
scientific way giving very little room for individual bias and interpretation. Over the years
employment tests have not only gained importance but also a certain amount of
inevitability in employment decisions. Since they try to objectively determine how well an
applicant meets the job requirement, most companies do not hesitate to invest their time
and money in selection testing in a big way. Some of the commonly used employment
tests are:
ƒ Intelligence tests
ƒ Aptitude tests
ƒ Personality tests
ƒ Achievement tests
ƒ Miscellaneous tests such as graphology, polygraphy and honesty tests.

1. Intelligence Tests: These are mental ability tests. They measure the incumbent’s
learning ability and the ability to understand instructions and make judgements. The
basic objective of such test is to pick up employees who are alert and quick at
learning things so that they can be offered adequate training to improve their skills
for the benefit of the organization. These tests measure several abilities such as
memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, numerical ability, perception etc. Eg. Standford-
Binet Test, Binet-Simon Test, The Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale are example of
standard intelligence test

2. Aptitude Test: Aptitude test measure an individual’s potential to learn certain skills-
clerical, mechanical, mathematical, etc. These tests indicate whether or not an
individual has the capabilities to learn a given job quickly and efficiently. In order to
recruit efficient office staff, aptitude tests are necessary. An aptitude tests is always
 administered in combination with other tests like intelligence and personality tests as
it does not measure on-the-job-motivation

3. Personality Test: Of all test required for selection the personality tests have generated
a lot of heat and controversy. The definition of personality, methods of measuring
personality factors and the relationship between personality factors and actual job
criteria has been the subject of much discussion. Researchers have also questioned
whether applicants answer all the items truthfully or whether they try to respond in a
socially desirable manner. Regardless of these objections, many people still consider
personality as an important component of job success.

4. Achievement Tests: These are designed to measure what the applicant can do on
the job currently, i.e., whether the testee actually knows what he or she claims to
know. A typing test tests shows the typing proficiency, a short hand tests measures
the testee ability to take dictation and transcribe, etc. Such proficiency tests are also
known as work sampling test. Work sampling is a selection tests wherein the job
applicant’s ability to do a small portion of the job is tested. These tests are of two
types; Motor, involving physical manipulations of things(e.g., trade tests for
carpenters, electricians, plumbers) or Verbal, involving problem situation that are
primarily language-oriented or people-oriented(e.g., situational tests for supervisory
jobs). Since work samples are miniature replicas of the actual job requirements, they
are difficult to fake. They offer concrete evidence of the proficiency of an applicant
as against his ability to the job. However, work sample tests are not cost effective and
every candidate has to be tested individually. It is not easy to develop work samples
for each job. Moreover, it is not applicable to all levels of the organisation

5. Simulation Tests: Simulation exercise is a tests which duplicate many of the activities
and problems an employee faces while at work. Such exercises are commonly used
while hiring managers at various levels in an organisation. To asses the potential of a
candidate for managerial positions assessment centres are commonly used.

6. Assessment Centre: An assessment centre is an extended work sample. It uses

procedures that incorporate group and individual exercises. These exercises are
designed to stimulate the type of work which the candidate will be expected to do.
 Initially a small batch of applicants comes to the assessment centre (a separate
room). Their performance in the situational exercise is observed and evaluated by a
team of 6-8 assessors. The assessors’ judgement on each exercise are complied and
combined to have a summary rating for each candidate being assessed.

Difference between Work Sample method and Assessment Centre

WORK SAMPLE
• Suitable for routine, repetitive jobs with
visible outcomes
• Takes a few minutes to test the
applicant
• Evaluated by one supervisor
• Can be done on location where the
applicant performs a small segment of
the job
• Usually completed on one applicant at
a time
ASSESSMENT CENTRE
• Suitable for managerial jobs, the
outcomes are not behaviourally
observable
• Takes days to conduct various exercise
• Evaluated by a team of trained
observers
• Requires a separate facility. The
centres are conducted for a variety of
task segments( that may not be the
real job) that may be included in the
real job
• Usually performed on groups of
applicants at the same time

Evaluation of Assessment Centre Technique:

The assessment centre technique has a number of advantages. The flexibility of form and
content, the use of variety of techniques, standardised way of interpreting behaviour
and pooled assessor judgements accounts for its acceptance as a valuable selection
tool for managerial jobs. It is praised for content validity and wide acceptance in
corporate circles. By providing a realistic job preview, the techniques helps an candidate
make an appropriate career choice. The performance ratings are more objective in
nature and could be used for promotions and career development decisions readily.
However, the method is expensive to design and administer. Blind acceptance of
assessment data without considering other information on candidates (past and current
performance) is always not advisable.
1. Graphology Test: Graphology involves using a trained evaluator to examine the lines,
loops, hooks, stokes, curves and flourishes in a person’s handwriting to assess the
person’s personality and emotional make-up. The recruiting company, may, for
example, ask the applicants to complete the application forms and write about why
they want a job. These samples may be finally sent to graphologist for analysis and
the result may be put use while selecting a person. The use of graphology, however,
is dependent on the training and expertise of the person doing the analysis. In the
actual practice, questions of validity and just plain skepticism have limited in use.

2. Polygraph (Lie-Detector) tests: the polygraph records physical changes in the body
as the tests subject answers a series of questions. It records fluctuations in respiration,
blood pressure and perspiration on a moving roll of graph paper. The polygraph
operator forms a judgement as to whether the subject’s response was truthful or
deceptive by examining the biological movements recorded on the paper. Critic,
however, questions the appropriateness of the polygraphs in establishing the truth
about an applicant’s behaviour. The fact is that the polygraph records the biological
reaction in response to stress and does not record lying or even conditions necessarily
accompanying lying. Is it possible to prove that the responses recorded by the
polygraph occur only because a lie has been told? What about those situations in
which a person lies without guilt (pathological liar) or lies believing the responses to
be true? The fact of the matter is that polygraphs are neither reliable nor valid. Since
they invade the privacy of those tested, many applicants vehemently oppose the
use of polygraph as a selection tool.

3. Integrity Test: These are designed to measure employee’s honestly to predict those
who are more likely to steal from an employer or otherwise act in a manner
unacceptable to the organization. The applicants who take these tests are expected
to answer several ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type questions such as:
Typical Integrity Questions
Typical Integrity Questions Yes No

Have you ever told a lie?

Do you report to your boss if you know of another
employee stealing from the store?
Do you carry office stationary back to your home for
 occasional use?
Do you mark attendance for your colleagues also?

Often these tests contain questions that repeat themselves in some way and the
evaluator then examines the consistency in responses. Companies that have used
integrity tests have reported success in tracking employees who indulge in ‘theft’.
However, these tests ultimately suffer from the same weakness as polygraph and
graphology test.

Tests as Selection Tool:

Test are useful selection devices in that they unover qualifications and talents that can’t
be detected otherwise. They can be used to predict how well one would perform if one
is hired, why one behaves the way one does, what situational factors influence
employee productivity, etc. Tests also provide unbiased information that can be put to
scientific and statistical analysis.
However, tests suffer from sizeable errors of estimate. Most psychological tests also have
one common weakness, that is, we can’t use scales which have a know zero point and
equal intervals. An intelligence test, for example starts at an arbitrary point, where a
person may not be able to answer question properly. This does not mean that the person
is totally lacking in intelligence. Likewise, a person who is able to answer all the 10
questions correctly cannot be called twice as intelligent as the one who was able to
answer only 5. If the test has commenced at some other point, where there easier
questions, their score might have been different. Test also fails to elicit truthful responses
from testees. To compound the problem further, test results are interpreted in a subjective
was by testers and unless these testers do their homework well, the results may not be
reliable.

Standards for Selection Tests

To be useful as predictive and diagnostic selection tools, test must satisfy certain basic
requirements:
• Reliability: Test scores should not vary widely under repeated conditions. If a test is
administered to the same individual repeatedly, he should get approximately
 identical score. Reliability is the confidence that an indicator will measure the same
thing every time.
• Validity: Validity is the extent to which an instrument measures what it intends to
measure. In a typing test validity measures a typist’s speed and accuracy. To
determine whether it really measures the speed and accuracy of a typist is to
demonstrate its validity. The question if determining the validity of a selection test,
thus, has a lot to do with later performance on the job.

• Qualified People: Test require a high level of professional skills in their administration
and interpretation. Professional technicians are needed for skilled judgmental
interpretations of test scores.

• Preparation: A test should be well prepared. It should be easy to understand and

simple to administer.

• Suitability: a test must fit the nature of the group on which it is applied. A written test
comprising difficult words would be fruitless when it is administered on less educated
workers.

• Usefulness: Exclusive reliance on any single test should be avoided, since the results in
such a case are likely to be criticized. To be useful, it is always better to use a battery
of test.

• Standardization: Norms for finalising test scores should be established. There must be
prescribed methods and procedures for administering the test and for scoring or
interpreting it.
Selection Practices:

The following throws light on how the global giants use selection testing as a basis
for picking up the right candidates to fill up the vacancies arising internally:

1. Siemens India: It uses extensive psychometric instruments to evaluate short-listed

candidates. The company uses occupational personality questionnaire to
understand the candidate’s personal attributes and occupational testing to measure
competencies.
2. LG Electronics India: LG Electronics uses 3 psychometric tests to measure a
person’s ability as a team player, to check personality types and to find a person’s
responsiveness and assertiveness.
3. Arthur Anderson: while evaluating candidates, the company conducts critical
behaviour interviewing which evaluates the suitability of the candidate for the
position, largely based on his past experience and credentials
4. PepsiCo India: The Company uses India as a global recruitment resource. To select
professionals for global careers with it, the company uses a competency- based
interviewing technique that looks at the candidate’s abilities in terms of strategizing,
lateral thinking, problem solving, managing the environment. This apart, Pepsi insists
that to succeed in a global posting, these individuals possess strong functional
knowledge and come from a cosmopolitan background.

Selection Interview:

Interview is the oral examination of candidates for employment. This is the most essential
step in the selection process. In this step the interviewer matches the information
obtained about the candidates through various means to the job requirements and to
the information obtained through his own observations during the interview. Interview
gives the recruiter an opportunity –
• To size up the candidate personally;
• To ask question that are not covered in the tests;
• To make judgments on candidates enthusiasm and intelligence;
• To assess subjective aspects of the candidate – facial expressions, appearance,
nervousness and so forth;
• To give facts to the candidates regarding the company, its policies, etc. and
promote goodwill towards the company.

Types of interviews:

Several types of interviews are commonly used depending on the nature and
importance of the position to be filled within an organization.
In a NON-DIRECTIVE INTERVIEW the recruiter asks questions as they come to mind. There is
no specific format to be followed.
In a PATTERNED INTERVIEW, the employer follows a pre-determined sequence of
questions. Here the interviewee is given a special form containing questions regarding his
technical competence, personality traits, attitudes, motivation, etc.
In a STRUCTURED OR SITUATIONAL INTERVIEW, there are fixed job related questions that
are presented to each applicant.
In a PANEL INTERVIEW several interviewers question and seek answers from one applicant.
The panel members can ask new and incisive questions based on their expertise and
experience and elicit deeper and more meaningful expertise from candidates.
Interviews can also be designed to create a difficult environment where the applicant’s
confidence level and the ability to stand erect in difficult situations are put to test. These
are referred to as the STRESS INTERVIEW. This is basically an interview in which the
applicant is made uncomfortable by a series of, often, rude, annoying or embarrassing
questions.
In the final category, there is the APPRAISAL INTERVIEW, where a superior and
subordinate sit together after the performance appraisal to discuss the subordinate’s
rating and possible remedial actions.

Steps in interview process:

Interview is an art. It demands a positive frame of mind on part of the interviewers.
Interviewers must be treated properly so as to leave a good impression about the
company in their minds. HR experts have identified certain steps to be followed while
conducting interviews:

PREPARATION:
Establishing the objective of the interview
Receiving the candidates application and resume
Keeping tests score ready, along with interview assessment forms
Selecting the interview method to be followed
Choosing the panel of experts who would interview the candidates
Identifying proper room for environment

RECEPTION:
The candidate should be properly received and led into the interview room. Start the
interview on time.

INFORMATION EXCHANGE:
State the purpose of the interview, how the qualifications are going to be matched with
skills needed to handle the job.
Begin with open ended questions where the candidate gets enough freedom to express
himself.
Focus on the applicant’s education, training, work experience, etc. Find unexplained
gaps in applicants past work or college record and elicit facts that are not mentioned in
the resume.

EVALUATION:
Evaluation is done on basis of answers and justification given by the applicant in the
interview.

PHYSICAL EXAMINATION:
After the selection decision and before the job offer is made, the candidate is required
to undergo a physical fitness test. A job offer is often contingent upon the candidate
being declared fit after the physical examination.

MEDICAL EXAMINATION:
Certain jobs require physical qualities like clear vision, perfect hearing, unusual stamina,
tolerance of hard working conditions, clear tone, etc. Medical examination reveals
whether or not a candidate possesses these qualities.

REFERENCE CHECKS:
Once the interview and medical examination of the candidate is over, the personnel
department will engage in checking references. Candidates are required to give the
names of 2 or 3 references in their application forms. These references may be from the
individuals who are familiar with the candidate’s academic achievements or from the
applicant’s previous employer, who is well versed with the applicant’s job performance
and sometimes from the co-workers. In case the reference check is from the previous
employer, information in the following areas may be obtained.

They are job title, job description, period of employment, pay and allowances, gross
emoluments, benefits provided, rate of absence, willingness of previous employer to
employ the candidate again, etc. Further, information regarding candidate’s regularity
at work, character, progress, etc. can be obtained. Often a telephone call is much
quicker. The method of mail query provides detailed information about the candidate’s
performance, character and behavior. However, a personal visit is superior to the mail or
telephone methods and is used where it is highly essential to get a detailed, first hand
information which can also be secured by observation. Reference checks are taken as a
matter of routine and treated casually or omitted entirely in many organizations. But a
good reference check, when used sincerely, will fetch useful and reliable information to
the organization.

HIRING DECISION:

The line manager has to make the final decision now – whether to select or reject a
candidate after soliciting the required information through different techniques discussed
earlier. The line manager has to take adequate care in taking the final decision because
of economic, behavioral and social implications of the selection decisions. A careless
decision of rejecting a candidate would impair the morale of the people and they
suspect the selection procedure and the very basis of selection in a particular
organization.
A true understanding between line managers and personnel managers should be
established so as to facilitate good selection decisions. After taking the final decision, the
organization has to intimate this decision to the successful as well as unsuccessful
candidates. The organization sends the appointment order to the successful candidates
either immediately or after sometime depending upon its time schedule.
Apart from following the detailed procedure mention above there are areas where few
mistakes are possible, which are listed below. These mistakes may results in selection of
wrong candidates, which in turns can cause a loss to organization.

Interviewing Mistakes:
9 Favors applicants who share his own attitudes;
9 Not be asking right questions and hence not getting relevant responses;
9 Resort to snap judgments, making a decision as to the applicant’s suitability in the first
few minutes of the interview. Too often interviewers form on early impression and
spend the balance of interview looking for evidence to support it;
9 May have been influenced by ‘cultural noise.’ To get the job, the applicants try to
get by the interviewer. If they reveal wrong things about themselves, they may not
get the job, so they try to give the interviewer responses that are socially acceptable,
but not very revealing. These types of responses are known as cultural noise –
responses the applicant believes are socially acceptable rather than facts;
9 May have allowed him to be unduly influenced by associating a particular
personality trait with a person’s origin or cultural background and that kind of
stereotyping/generalizing ultimately determining the score of a candidate. For
example, he may feel that candidate from Bihar may find it difficult to read, write
and speak English language and hence not select them at all;
9 May conclude that a poorly dressed candidate is not intelligent, attractive females
are good for public dealings, etc. This is known as ‘Halo Effect’ where a single
important trait of a candidate affects the judgment of the rather. The halo effect is
present if an interviewer allows a candidate’s accomplishments in athletics
overshadow other aspects and leads the interviewer to like the applicant because
‘athletes make good sales people’;
9 Have been influenced more by unfavorable than favorable information about or
from the candidate. Unfavorable information is given roughly twice the weight of
favorable information. According to Dobmeyer and Dunette, a single negative
characteristic may bar an individual from being accepted, while no amount of
positive features will guarantee a candidate’s acceptance;
9 Have been under pressure to hire candidates at short notice;
9 Have been influenced by the behavior of the candidates (how he has answered, his
body language), his or her dress (especially in case of female candidates) and other
physical factors that are not job related.
Barriers to effective selection:
The main objective of selection is to hire people having competence and commitment.
This objective is often defeated because of certain barriers. The impediments which
check effectiveness of selection are perception, fairness, validity, reliability, and pressure.

PERCEPTION: Our inability to understand others accurately is probably the most

fundamental barrier to selecting right candidate. Selection demands an individual or a
group to assess and compare the respective competencies of others, with the aim of
choosing the right persons for the jobs. But our views are highly personalized. We all
perceive the world differently. Our limited perceptual ability is obviously a stumbling
block to the objective and rational selection of people.

FAIRNESS: Fairness in selection requires that no individual should be discriminated against

on the basis of religion, region, race or gender. But the low number of women and other
less privileged sections of society in the middle and senior management positions and
open discrimination on the basis of age in job advertisements and in the selection
process would suggest that all the efforts to minimize inequity have not been very
effective.

VALIDITY: Validity, as explained earlier, is a test that helps predict job performance of an
incumbent. A test that has been validated can differentiate between the employees
who can perform well and those who will not. However, a validated test does not predict
job success accurately. It can only increase possibility of success.

RELIABILITY: A reliable method is one which will produce consistent results when repeated
in similar situations. Like a validated test, a reliable test may fall to predict job
performance with precision.

PRESSURE: Pressure is brought on the selectors by politicians, bureaucrats, relatives,

friends, and peers to select particular candidate. Candidates selected because of
compulsions are obviously not the right ones. Appointments to public sector undertakings
generally take place under such pressure.
 Case Study: Recruitment & Selection in Private Sector

Infosys:

Infosys Technologies Ltd. (NASDAQ: INFY) was started in 1981 by seven people with US$
250. Today, we are a global leader in the "next generation" of IT and consulting with
revenues of over US$ 4 billion.

Infosys defines designs and delivers technology-enabled business solutions that help
Global 2000 companies win in a Flat World. Infosys also provides a complete range of
services by leveraging our domain and business expertise and strategic alliances with
leading technology providers. They offerings span business and technology consulting,
application services, systems integration, product engineering, custom software
development, maintenance, re-engineering, independent testing and validation
services, IT infrastructure services and business process outsourcing.

Infosys pioneered the Global Delivery Model (GDM), which emerged as a disruptive
force in the industry leading to the rise of offshore outsourcing. The GDM is based on the
principle of taking work to the location where the best talent is available, where it makes
the best economic sense, with the least amount of acceptable risk.

Infosys has a global footprint with over 50 offices and development centers in India,
China, Australia, the Czech Republic, Poland, the UK, Canada and Japan. Infosys and its
subsidiaries have 105,453 employees as on September 30, 2009. Infosys takes pride in
building strategic long-term client relationships. Over 97% of our revenues come from
existing customers.

Infosys has a vision of where they want to go, and it's really exciting with an annual
compounded growth rate of around 60% in the last 5 years, and branches across the
world, Infosys is forging ahead in the global market. To achieve their vision, they are
always looking out for talented, learnable individuals who are ambitious, who love
challenges and who have a passion to excel!
Towards this objective, Infosys participates in campus hiring programs and also conducts
a number of off-campus initiatives throughout the year at various locations. Apart from
college hiring, they also hire experienced professionals from the industry at various mid-
level and senior positions.

Last year, over 1.3 million people applied for a job at Infosys. Only 1% of them were hired.
In comparison, Harvard College took in 9% of candidates.
Infosys has always focused on inducting and educating the best and the brightest. With
global hiring practices, coupled with ever-expanding university programs such as
Campus Connect and development centers across the globe, Infosys is able to source
and nurture talent while delivering lasting value to clients.
Infosys, which trains over 15,000 new recruits every year, is well prepared to win the battle
for top-notch talent.

SOURCES ON MAN POWER SUPPLY:

INTERNAL:
Infosys upgrades from within only for managerial positions, but only to some extent.
Because upgrading from within is considered better as the employee is already familiar
with the organization, reduces training cost, helps in building morale and promotes
loyalty.
If no one capable for managerial position is found in its internal source, it looks out for
external sources. It selects only the best employee for the organization

TYPES:

Former Employees:-
They ask the retired employees who are willing to work on a part-time basis, individuals
who left work and are willing to come back for higher compensations. Even retrenched
employees are taken up once again.
Retirements: -
If it’s not able to find suitable candidates in place of the one who had retired, after
meritorious service. Under the circumstances, management decides to call retired
managers with new extension.
Internal notification (advertisement): -
Most employees know from their own experience about the requirement of the job and
what sort of person the company is looking for. Often employees have friends or
acquaintances who meet these requirements. Suitable persons are appointed at the
vacant posts.

EXTERNAL:
For the posts of technicians, engineers, floor managers etc, it looks out for external
sources which include.
Agencies: TAPL
Institutions: Like B Schools, colleges, Management Institutes, etc.
Websites: www.indiatimesjob.com, www.monster.com, www.naukri.com

Of the above three web sites given most widely used by the Infosys is the
www.monster.com with the success rate of 80% followed by www.indiatimesjob.com at
60% and www.naukri.com at the success rate of 50%.

External recruitment enables the company to get the best candidate.

Infosys prefers external recruitment and mainly takes help from agencies and institutions
as it’s a giant company and internal recruitment proves to be inadequate as its yearly
targets are very high.

Recruitment Targets for Infosys:

Year No. of employees (per year)
2004 15000
2005 18000
2006 25000
2007 25500
2008 26000

CAMPUS:
Campus recruitment is so much sought after that each college; university department or
institute will have a placement officer to handle recruitment functions. However, it is
often an expensive process, even if recruiting process produces job offers and
acceptances eventually. A majority leave the organization within the first five years of
their employment. Yet, it is a major source of recruitment for prestigious companies.

Infosys is the company of choice for campus recruitment programs in most major
engineering institutes such as IITs, RECs etc. and at premier management institutes such
as the IIMs.

Engineering Institutes:
Campus hiring at engineering institutes typically starts in May and continues through
September. Senior managers and officers from Infosys actively participate in this hiring, to
bring on board the next generation of bright, young and talented leaders for the
company. We encourage current students at the campuses we visit to use this
opportunity to interact with the Infosys recruitment teams during the hiring process to
understand the company and our people philosophy. We hire engineering graduates
and post-graduates from all disciplines, and MCA students at the campuses.

Management Institutes:
Campus hiring at management institutes typically starts in December and continues
through March. We hire management graduates from all disciplines, with or without prior
work experience in software or other fields.
All applications are pre-screened based on academic credentials. Short-listed
candidates are usually invited for an interview as part of the selection process.

OFF CAMPUS:
It is the event for those candidates who do not get selected during campus recruitment.
The process remains the same; it just aims at giving those candidates a chance that
were not able to go through the process before. These candidates also go through the
same two rounds, here only the scale and basis on which they are evaluated changes.

JOB FAIRS:
What is job fair?

Job fair is where several companies come under one roof for seeking eligible candidates
who can join their company, after going through certain recruitment process followed by
them.
PROCESS FOLLOWED BY INFOSYS:
Initially they advertise about the job fair in the local newspapers of all the states
specifying the venue and date of the job fair.

On the specified date, Infosys banners are put up at the venue. They have around 3 to 4
counters. Initially these counters are used for registrations. Once the number of
registrations is equal to the total capacity of all the counters, the registrations are
stopped and the registered candidates fill the application forms at the counter.

Next a logic test of 45 minutes is conducted and an English test of 15 minutes is

conducted where in one is suppose to write an essay, to check their handwriting,
vocabulary and sentence framing ability.

Once the test is over, registrations for the next group start. At the same time the previous
papers are evaluated and the candidates are selected for interview based on the cut-
off marks.

The candidates who are selected in the interview are informed then and there by
displaying the list and are given the offer.

The process is repeated for the next set of candidates.

Job fair takes place for 3 to 4 days.

ADVERTISEMENTS:-
It is a popular method of seeking recruits, as many recruiters prefer advertisements
because of their wide reach.

Infosys advertises in:

NEWS PAPERS:
Times of India
The economic times
Indian express
Hindustan times
The financial express
Employment papers

MAGAZINES:
Business world
Business Today
India Today
capital market
Business journals
IT magazines
Computer and technical journals

WEB:
www.infosys.com
www.indiatimesjob.com
www.monster.com
www.naukri.com
Advertisements contain proper information like the job content, working conditions,
location of job, compensation including fringe benefits, job specifications, growth
aspects, etc.
The advertisement sells the idea that the company and job are perfect for the
candidate.

WALK-INS, WRITE-INS AND TALK-INS:

Walk-ins are the most common and least expensive approach for candidates is direct
applications, in which job seekers submit unsolicited application letters or resumes. Direct
applications provide a pool of potential employees to meet future needs.
Write-ins are those who send written enquiries. These jobseekers are asked to complete
application forms for further processing.
Talk-ins involves the job aspirants meeting the recruiter (on an appropriated date) for
detailed talks. No application is required to be submitted to the recruiter.

CONSULTANTS:
Infosys also seeks the help of consultants who are in the profession for recruiting and
selecting managerial and executive personnel. They are useful as they have nationwide
contacts and lend professionalism to the hiring process.
INDUSTRIES:
Infosys also hires experienced professionals from the industry at various mid-level and
senior positions.

SELECTION PROCESS OF INFOSYS:

Steps:

1. Initial screening of interviews:

Initial Screening is done on the basis of applicants and applications. A preliminary
interview is conducted so as to select the suitable candidate who can go through further
stages of interviews.
Normally for the posts of engineers degree cutoff is decided like say 60% on an average.

2. Completion of application forms:

Application form establishes the candidate’s general details like name, address,
telephone number, education, job- related training, work-experience with dates,
company names, and job details, professional or industrial involvement, hobbies and
recreational pursuits.
Application forms are such framed that, they provide the necessary details to the
organization without affecting the sentiments and feelings of the candidate.

3. Employment tests:
Logical test
English test
Vocabulary
Reasoning
Essay writing
Mental or intelligence tests
Mechanical aptitude tests
Intelligence test
Personality Test
Graphology Test
Medical Test
4. Interview
Formal Interview:
Interviews are held in the employment office in a more formal atmosphere, with the help
of well structured questions.

Patterned Interview:
A patterned interview is also a planned interview, but it is more carefully pre-planned to
a high degree of accuracy, precision and exactitude. With the help of job and man
specifications, a list of questions and areas are carefully prepared which will act as the
interviewer’s guide.

Non-directive Interview:
Here the interviewee is allowed to speak his mind freely. The interviewer has no formal or
directive questions, but his all attention is to the candidate. He encourages the
candidate to talk by a little prodding whenever he is silent e.g. “Mr. Ray, please tell us
about yourself after you’re graduated from high school”.
The idea is to give the candidate complete freedom to “sell” himself, without the
encumbrances of the interviewer’s question.

Depth Interview:
It is designed to intensely examine the candidate’s background and thinking and to go
into considerable detail on particular subjects of an important nature and of special
interest to the candidates. For example, if the candidate says that he is interested in
tennis, a series of questions may be asked to test the depth of understanding and interest
of the candidate.

Stress Interview:
It is designed to test the candidate and his conduct and behavior by him under
conditions of stress and strain. The interviewer may start with “Mr. Joseph, we do not think
your qualifications and experience are adequate for this position,’ and watch the
reaction of the candidates. A good candidates will not yield, on the contrary he may
substantiate why he is qualified to handle the job.
What INFOSYS practice is that if interview is planned at 5pm, it will start candidate’s
interview at 6.30pm and watch the candidate’s behavior and stress level.
Panel Interview:
A panel or interviewing board or selection committee interviews the candidate, usually in
the case of supervisory and managerial positions.

Mixed Interview:
In practice, the interviewer while interviewing the job seekers uses a blend of structured
and structured and unstructured questions. This approach is called the Mixed interview.
The structured questions provide a base of interview more conventional and permit
greater insights into the unique differences between applicants.

Second Interviews:
Job seekers are invited back after they have passed the first initial interview. Middle or
senior management generally conducts the second interview, together or separately.
More in-depth questions are asked to the candidate and the employer expects a
greater level of preparation on the part of the candidates.

5. Background Information:
INFOSYS requests names, addresses, and telephone numbers of references for the
purpose of verifying information and perhaps, gaining additional background
information on an applicant.
References are not usually checked until an applicant has successfully reached the
fourth stage of a sequential selection process.
Previous employers are preferable because they are already aware of the applicant’s
performance.
It normally seeks letters of reference or telephone references. The latter is advantageous
because of its accuracy and low cost.

6. Physical Examination:
After the selection decision and before the job offer is made, the candidate is required
to undergo a physical fitness test. A job offer is, often, depends upon the candidate
being declared fit after the physical examination. The results of the medical fitness test
are recorded in a statement and are preserved in the personnel records.
 There are several objectives behind a physical test:

ƒ One reason for a physical test is to detect if the individual carries any infectious
disease.
ƒ Secondly, the test assists in determining whether an applicant is physically fit to
perform the work.
ƒ Thirdly, the physical examination information can be used to determine if there are
certain physical capabilities, which differentiate successful and less successful
employees.
ƒ Fourth, medical check-up protects applicants with health defects from undertaking
work that could be detrimental to them or might otherwise endanger the employer’s
property.
ƒ Finally, such an examination will protect the employer from workers compensation
claims that are not valid because the injuries or illness were present when the
employee was hired.

7. Final Employment decision:

It is a final step. In this step company makes a very important decision.
After all these processes follow up is done i.e., the selected person is induced and
placed at the right job. Training is provided on regular basis that is monthly, quarterly.
These trainers have the experience of about 15-20 yrs. In one batch there are 60
employees who are sent to Bangalore for training.
 Case Study: Recruitment & Selection in Public Sector

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. is the acknowledged flag-bearer of native corporate success
in downstream petroleum business. Born from the vision of achieving self-reliance for the
nation, the company came into being on 1st September 1964 with the merger of Indian
Refineries Ltd. with Indian Oil Company Ltd., which was set up in 1959 for spearheading
petroleum retailing in Indian.

Indian Oil Corporation Ltd. is the largest National Oil Company in Asia Pacific with a sale
with a sales turnover of Rs. 1,19,848 Crore and profits of Rs. 6,115 Crore for fiscal 2004

Beginning with sales of 32,000 kiloliters of petroleum products in 1960-61, Indian Oil
marketed 47.56 million metric tones of petroleum products in 2002-03. From a humble
marketing share of 2.2% in 1960, the company has carved out a market participation of
about 52% in fiscal 2004

Indian Oil is the only Indian corporate in the Fortune ‘Global 500’ listing of world’s mega
corporate with a ranking of 189 in 2004. The 17th largest petroleum company in the
world, Indian oil is ranked 325th and tops the list among the five Indian petroleum
companies in Forbes ‘Global 2000’ list, a newly introduced classification of the world’s
biggest enterprises in term of a composite ranking of sales, profits, assets and market
value. Indian Oil has been adjudged second in petroleum trading among the 15
national oil companies operating in the Asia-Pacific region.

Indian Oil owns and operates 10 out of 18 Refineries at Digboi, Guwahati, Baruni, Gujarat,
Haldia, Mathura, PANIPAT, Chennai, Nagapattinam and Bogaigaon with a combined
refining capacity of about 50 million metheirric tones per annum (MMTPA).

As a company, Indian Oil also respect all the steps and procedures of recruitment and
selection discussed above. But, as a Public Sector company it has to prepare its policy
and eligibility criteria of recruitment and selection after considering the rules and
legislations of Central and State Government.

Here to explain the procedure we have studied the recruitment and selection done by
them in their PANIPAT REFINERY.

Follows all normal procedure and steps of regular recruitment and selection, we will focus
on the example on their PANIPAT REFINARY. Here we will focus on
Most job openings are filled with people from within the organization and entry-level
positions are the most likely to be filled by external sources. Methods for internal recruiting
include job posting, skill inventories, job bidding and referrals. Methods of external
recruiting include school and college recruiting, advertising, and using employment
agencies and executive research firms and the Internet.

INTERNAL RECRUITING METHOD

1. Job Positing
Many positions can be filled as a result of posting the job opening on the bulletin boards,
announcing the opening in a company newsletter or posting announcement on the
company’s intranet.

2. Skills Inventory
Another recruiting method is the use of skill inventories. Essentially a skills inventory
includes a list of employee names, their education, training, present position, work
experience, relevant job skills and abilities and other qualifications. The organization can
search through the company skill inventory to identify potential candidates for the
position opening.

3. Job Bidding
These procedures typically specify that all jobs covered by the agreement must be fitted
by qualified applicants from within the bargaining unit. Those interested in the vacancy
bid for the job by applying if they are qualified.
EXTERNAL RECRUITING METHOD

1. Campus Recruitment
Recruiting at high school or vocational schools is often a strategic approach adopted by
organizations with position openings at the entry level or internal training programs.
In college recruiting the organization sends an employee usually called a recruiter, to
campus interview candidates and describes the organization to them.

2. Advertising
Advertising job openings in newspapers, magazines, newsletters and other media
sources is a relatively inexpensive recruiting mechanism.

3. Private Employment Agencies

Private employment agencies vary considerably in size and effectiveness as good
sources of employee and must be chosen carefully by employers and job seeking alike.

4. UTILIZING RECRUITING RESOURCES

Companies frequently use a variety of internal and external recruiting strategies to locate
and hire their workers. By integrating both internal and external recruiting techniques, a
company can develop an overall recruiting plan that is specifically tailored to support its
overall strategy and result in selection of highly qualified applicants.

a. Re-recruitment Strategies
Re-recruitment strategy is a series of steps a company can take and retain key
employees. Once the key employers have been located, the next step is to determine
what can be done to motivate them to remain with the organization. A flexible work
arrangement will mean something different to every employee, so it is important to
dearly delineate what key employees want and need with respect to flexibility.

b. ALTERNATIVES TO RECRUITMENT
Another strategic business decision can be made is not to recruit. Instead they can rely
on alternative staffing options.
Common Alternative Staffing Options
• Traditional temporary help
A potential employee is recruited, tested, screened and employed by a temporary
staffing agency. They assign qualified individuals to work at a client’s site, generally to
support or supplement the current work force.

• Long term temporary assignments

It is becoming increasing popular for an organization to staff part of its work force with
temporary workers on an ongoing basis. These individuals are not considered short-term
replacements, but more a part of the regular work force.

• Part time employees

Workers who work less than 40 hours a week are considered part time employees. They
can be organization's pay roll or assigned via a temporary agency.

• Employee leasing
A Company will transfer some of its employees to a leasing firm. The leasing firm then
leases back the workers to perform the same job they did for the Client Company.

• Independent contractors
Independent contractors are self-employed individuals who market a specific skill they
posses to a variety of companies. A Company will hire them for a specific project or
contract.

INDUCTION LEVEL & ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA

The induction level for all the disciplines in workmen category is salary Grade IV. The
academic qualification, age limit & experience profile etc. prescribed for different
positions. In case induction is necessary to higher grades due to job requirements or to
clear reservation backlogs, specific prior approval of the Unit Head is taken.

ENGAGEMENT OF TRAINEES
In compliance with the provisions of Apprenticeship Act, 1961, Apprentices are engaged
in specified discipline. The academic qualification, age limit & other eligibility criteria for
engagement as apprentices. Management at its absolute discretion, subject to
availability of vacancy may consider candidates with Diploma in Engg. who have
successfully undergone one year apprenticeship training and with B.Sc qualification, who
have successfully undergone 18 months’ apprenticeship training, for engagement as
Trainee or for selection in the regular scale of pay in Grade 'IV' in the relevant discipline
for a period of one year. However, subject to availability of vacancy, candidates with
Matric & ITI qualification who have undergone one-year apprenticeship training are
considered only for engagement as Trainees in the relevant discipline for a period of two
years. During the training period, the above trainees are paid a consolidated fixed
monthly stipend as per rules of the Corporation. After successful completion of training
period, the trainees are considered for selection in regular scale of pay in Grade IV.

RECRUITMENT PROCEDURE

IDENTIFICATION OF VACANCIES
The vacancies proposed to be filled in different departments at induction level are
worked out taking into account the overall sanction of clusters (“B” + “C”) & in-position
strength of workmen in different grades in the respective discipline/department.

RESERVATION POSITION
As per the Reservation Policy applicable for the state of Haryana, 19% & 27% of total
vacancies are reserved for SC & OBC candidates respectively. 3% of the total
sanctioned manpower is reserved for Physically Handicapped candidates. 14½ % of the
total sanctioned manpower is reserved for Ex-Servicemen candidates (Total reservation
position for SC, OBC, PH and Ex-servicemen falls short or in excess as the case may be, of
50% of the vacancy in that category of post filled in that year).

APPROVAL FOR FILLING-UP VACANCIES

The concerned department advises HR department to initiate recruitment action for the
requisite number of vacancies. Based on this requisition, HR department obtains
approval of Unit Head for filling the positions taking into consideration the reservation
positions.

NOTIFICATION/ADVERTISEMENT
HR department is, after obtaining Unit Head’s approval, prepare notification
/advertisement indicating the number of vacancies as well as the positions reserved for
SC, OBC, PH & Ex-Servicemen. The vacancies are notified to State Employment
Exchange, Haryana, and Chandigarh and also in the local press for advertisement.

Apart from notification of vacancies to Employment Exchange, copy of press

advertisement send to Employment Exchange, Panipat, Employment Exchange,
Chandigarh and authorised associations of SC/ST.

RECEIPT OF APPLICATIONS & PROCESSING

List of candidates sponsored by the Employment Exchange, Chandigarh & applications
received against the press advertisement are scrutinized by HR department in
accordance with eligibility criteria prescribed in the notification/advertisement. All
applications received in response to the advertisement, up to the last date (mentioned
in the advertisement for receipt of applications) is registered and record preserved for
future reference. Applications received after the last date doesn't entertain. All
applications received up to the last date are stamped bearing the date of receipt and
serially numbered.

In case it is found that abnormally large number of candidates (>1:100) meet the
minimum eligibility criteria, HR department initiates proposal to shortlist the number of
candidates by adapting higher percentage cut-off marks in the basic academic
qualification such eligibility criteria and obtain approval of Unit Head to this effect. HR
Deptt. after screening prepare a list of eligible candidates to call for written test/trade
test/interview.

FINALISING DATE, TIME & VENUE

HR Department finalises the date, time & venue for conducting written test/trade test &
interview in consultation with the concerned HODs.

SELECTION PROCEDURE

CONSTITUTION OF SELECTION COMMITTEE

HR department initiates the proposal-indicating number of candidates to call for written
test/trade test & interview, date & venue for constituting a Selection Committee
consisting of following representatives and obtain approval of Unit Head:
• DGM of concerned department to act as Chairman
• HOD of the concerned department
• HOD of HR department
• Representative of Minority Community
• Representative of Reserved Community
• State Govt. representative

Members of Selection Committee, once approved by name, by the Unit Head don’t sub-
delegate their responsibilities to any other officer without prior approval of Unit Head.
Only the nominated officers are present during the interview process.

NOMINATION OF EXAMINATION SUPERINTENDENT

The Chairman of the Selection Committee nominates one member from the Selection
Committee to act as Examination Superintendent (under intimation to HR Dept) for
conducting the written test. It is the responsibility of the Examination Superintendent to
ensure that the written test is conducted in fair manner.

NOMINATION OF INVIGILATORS-CUM-EVALUATORS
Depending upon number of candidates, list of adequate number of invigilators for
conducting invigilation during written test and evaluation of test papers prepare
separately by HR department under approval of the Chairman of the Selection
Committee. These officers conduct the invigilation during written test and conduct the
evaluation of test answer papers.

ISSUE OF CALL LETTERS FOR WRITTEN TEST/TRADE TEST/INTERVIEW

Based on approval, call letters for written test/trade test/interview at least 21 days in
advance are sent to eligible candidates.

COMMUNICATION TO SELECTION COMMITTEE REGARDING WRITTEN TEST/ TRADE

TEST/INTERVIEW
HR department communicates date, time & venue for conducting written test &
interview to District Employment Officer and all the members of the Selection
Committee.
WRITTEN TEST
The concerned DGM nominates three officers for setting three different sets of question
papers separately for the written test. Out of these three different sets, one set of final
question paper prepared by the fourth officer who is nominated by the concerned DGM
one day prior to the date of test in his presence. For making final sets, one or two officers
who are required to assist him for typing and making copies, sets of question papers are
also nominated by the concerned DGM simultaneously.

The question papers for written test are objective types with multiple-choice answers. The
officer nominated for setting the final sets of question prepare the sets of questions one
day prior to the date of test and make room-wise packets of question papers. All the
question paper packets are sealed and kept under his custody. The authorized officer
brings all the question paper packets under sealed cover to the test centre.

A certificate indicating that “PACKETS BROUGHT TO THE TEST CENTRE FOUND SEALED AND
OPENED IN MY PRESENCE” is duly signed by the Examination superintendent and kept on
record. The unopened packets/unused question papers are handed over to HR
department after the test.

TRADE TEST/SKILL TEST

For recruitment of certain specified categories of workmen, trade test is conducted in
addition to the written test. The modalities of trade test is decided & conducted by
members of Selection Committee. The performance of the candidates also evaluates by
the members of the selection committee and results are displayed on the same day.
For Steno-Clerk, the skill test (shorthand & typing) is conducted either by engaging some
professional agency or by Panipat Refinery.

PRELIMINARY INTERVIEW
Out of total marks allocated for interview which is normally for 20 marks. The distribution
of marks is as under:
Job knowledge : 8
Aptitude : 8
Personality : 4
Total : 20
SELECTION CRITERIA
The overall performance of candidates is assessed on the basis of marks obtained by
them in written test/trade test & interview. The total marks and minimum qualifying marks
for selection of candidates for various posts are given in the advertisement.
The Selection Committee while finalizing the select list ensure that the selected
candidates have individually scored not less than the qualifying marks separately in
written test/trade/ (wherever applicable) and interview. The final selection of candidates
is done in order of merit based on the overall performance of candidates in the selection
process. The Selection Committee selects no candidate who scores less than the
qualifying marks in any test/interview.

EVALUATION
Only the authorized officers evaluate answer papers of written test on the same day (i.e.,
the day of holding the written test).

The Examination Superintendent ensures cross checking of 100% answer papers by the
same set of evaluators. This is done in consultation with the DGM of the department
concerned who is nominated to act as Chairman in the Selection Committee. In case of
any conflicting evaluations, the Examination Superintendent himself evaluates the
answer paper and his decision is final. The Examination Superintendent is required to
submit a certificate to the Selection Committee that 100% of the answer papers are
checked and cross-checked.

The marks sheet for the marks obtained in the written test are prepared and the
Examination Superintendent countersigns the same.

CRITERIA FOR CALLING CANDIDATES FOR INTERVIEW

Out of total number of candidates scoring minimum qualifying marks, only certain fixed
number of candidates are called for interview. Normally, the number of candidates to
be called for interview shall not exceed the ratio of 1:5. However, the number of
candidates called for interview can be reduced in case sufficient number of candidates
doesn’t score the minimum qualifying marks. In case, no candidate scores the minimum
qualifying marks, the Selection Committee records the same and sign a minutes to this
effect.
The examination Superintendent prepares and approves the list of candidates qualified
for interview for display at the centre. The HOD of HR Deptt. displays the list at the centre
on the same day of holding the written test.

Depending upon number of candidates and availability of time, candidates qualified for
interview are interviewed either on same day or next day.

MINUTES OF INTERVIEWS
The Selection Committee members make individual marking on performance of the
candidates during the interview. The average of the marking is tabulated to finalise the
selection and prepare minutes of the Selection Committee. This is done immediately
after completion of the interview and each member signs the minutes on the same day.
The HR Deptt. representative in the Selection Committee ensures the approval of the Unit
Head on the minutes same day. The Selection Committee may also ensure that the
number of candidates recommended for appointment does not normally exceed 1:3
unless approved in advance by the Unit Head.

Candidates having basic requisite academic qualification but not having required
experience may engage as trainee for a period of one year. During the period of
training, the trainees are paid a consolidated fixed monthly stipend as per rules of the
Corporation. After successful completion of training period, these trainees may consider
for selection in regular scale of pay in Grade ‘IV’.

COMMUNICATION TO SELECTED CANDIDATES/ISSUE OF OFFER OF APPOINTMENT

After approval of the Unit Head on the recommendations of the Selection Committee,
the selected candidates on the same day (i.e. day of holding interview) is advised in
writing to report to Refinery Hospital for medical check-up. However, formal appointment
letters are sent to selected candidates in order of merit by Registered post on the same
day or next working day. Normally, the candidates are expected to join within 30 days of
the issue of the appointment letter.

The panel of candidates found suitable for appointment, normally valid for a period of six
months only. However, the validity of the panel can extend for a further period of six
months, after obtaining Unit Head’s prior approval.
RECEIPT OF ACCEPTANCE OF OFFER OF APPOINTMENT
Candidates who are offered the post send their acceptance for the post in prescribed
format to HR Deptt. within the time limit mentioned in the appointment letter.

REQUEST FOR EXTENSION OF JOINING TIME

Some candidates may seek extension of joining time. Depending upon merit/proper
justification, such request is processed by HR Deptt. for approval of DGM (HR). The total
extension period doesn't exceed further period of 45 days. This process must complete
within two days of receipt of request and communicated to candidate immediately.

REPORTING FOR JOINING

On reporting for duty, HR Deptt. verify and complete induction formalities. After
completing induction formalities, the candidate introduced to his concerned
departmental head.

ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA
The overall Eligibility Criteria for Recruitment & Selection, candidates are assessed on the
basis of Education & Technical Qualification and Experience to appear in written
test/trade test & interview. The details of minimum qualification for appearing the
candidates in written test/trade test & interview for different post are shown in Table No.
4.2 to 4.17.
Public Sector

The public sector is usually composed of organizations that are owned and operated by
the government. This includes federal, provincial, state, or municipal governments,
depending on where you live. Privacy legislation usually calls organizations in the public
sector a public body or a public authority.

The Private Sector

The private sector is usually composed of organizations that are privately owned and not
part of the government. These usually includes corporations (both profit and non-profit),
partnerships, and charities.
In short the private sector includes the organizations that are not owned or operated by
the government. For example, retail stores, credit unions, and local businesses will
operate in the private sector.

Difference between Recruitment & Selection Process in Private & Public Sector.
ƒ The process of selecting a candidate will be based primarily on personality in the
private sector. Since the private sector tends to have a more close-knit working
environment, getting along with your coworkers can be of great importance. Most of
the time, the person interviewing candidates will also be the person working directly
with the new hire. Personality in the public sector is important as well, but a majority of
the time, the person who interviews potential candidates will never work directly with
the new hire, making skill-set the biggest defining factor.
ƒ Firstly, a strict focus on academic qualifications and limited flexibility regarding other
assessment methods in the public sector can exclude potential talents early on, and
put good candidates off at the final selection process.
ƒ A second major difference is that typically, in the private sector, performance is
measured against financial targets and outcomes. But career development based
on performance is tricky in the public sector, where financial outcomes are less
imperative and short cycles of political change make the development of long-term
targets even more difficult.
ƒ These differences and challenges might understandably prevent, or at least
discourage, the public sector from modeling its policies on those of the private
 sector. But does that mean we should write off private sector innovation as not much
use to the public sector?
ƒ Many companies, talent management means nothing more than identifying strong
personalities and profiles. That said, all our research has shown that effective new
talent management tools typically originate from the private sector.
ƒ Given the political climate and the constant – and understandable – scrutiny by the
general public, it is encouraging to see signs that private sector talent innovation is
being seen as a solution to the challenges faced by public sector organizations.
ƒ There are efforts to relax the rigidity of compensation policies and salary ceilings to
recognize rare skills and talents.
ƒ Mobility between private sector and public sector – long feared by public managers
and wrongly interpreted as a retrograde step by private managers – is being
encouraged, with public sector organizations increasingly willing to experiment with
policies and tools that will influence their organizational culture to be more open
when it comes to mobility.
ƒ These are positive signs. And while the war for talent remains, the current economic
situation has created a momentary breathing space. Public sector organizations
have access to talents that, in an upward economic cycle, might not naturally find
their way to them.
ƒ The large availability of applicants does not necessarily mean they are the right
talents for the public sector. Secondly, demographic pressures, unrelated to the
economy, will not change, which means that when the economic pressure eases,
the pressure on talent shortages will continue.
ƒ Nevertheless, the here and now represents an opportunity for the public sector. The
innovation of the private sector will afford the public sector a wider and evolving
selection of talent management policies and instruments.
ƒ The challenge is to find the right way to adapt existing private sector talent
management strategies for the public sector. Time may be running out but with the
right support and advice the public sector, which is already filled with many talented
people, can attract the best – and set itself on course for a successful 21st Century.
Conc lusion:

ƒ Recruitment, as a human resource management function, is one of the activities

that impact most critically on the performance of an organization. While it is
understood and accepted that poor recruitment decisions continue to affect
organizational performance and limit goal achievement.

ƒ Recruitment and Selection are simultaneous process and are incomplete without
each other. They are important components of the organization and are different
from each other.

ƒ The end result of the recruitment process is essentially a pool of applicants. Next
to recruitment, is selection - this process concentrates on differentiating between
applicants in order to identify – and hire- those individuals whose abilities are
consistent with the organization’s requirements.

ƒ Comparisons of public and private sector are tricky and can lead to problematic
assumptions. There are major differences in the culture and management policies
between a public sector entity and a private sector company that have a
significant impact on talent.

ƒ Attracting people into the Public Sector is not an easy task because it provides
low pay comparing to private sectors, the negative image of the Public Sector,
relentless criticism of public officials and stifling bureaucracy with such pervasive
cynicism, the Public Sector has difficulty in attracting the brightest and the best.

ƒ Such difficulty is compounded by the fact that recruitment takes place in the
open labour market, where public sectors have to compete with their private
sector counterparts for trained and skilled employees. The diminishing skills pools,
especially around so-called scarce skills add to the dilemma.

ƒ Public sector enjoys greater exposure to scrutiny than most private sector
organizations; therefore, openness and transparency in recruitment and selection
practices are crucial.
 BIBLIOGRAPHY

Books:

ƒ Human Resource and Personnel Management - K Ashwathappa

ƒ Recruiting the Right Staff - Chris Dukes

News Papers:

ƒ Times of India
ƒ The Economic Times

Magazines:

ƒ Business World
ƒ Business Today
ƒ India Today

WEB:

ƒ www.iocl.com
ƒ www.infosys.com