Recruitment and Selection Process of Insurance Companies

People are a company’s most important assets. They can make or break the fortunes of a
business. In today’s highly competitive business environment placing the right people in the right
position is very critical for the success of any organization.

The recruitment and selection decision is of prime importance as it is the vehicle for
obtaining the best possible person-to-job fit that will, contribute significantly towards the
Company's effectiveness. It is also becoming increasingly important, as the Company evolves
and changes, that new recruits show a willingness to learn, adaptability and ability to work as
part of a team. The Recruitment & Selection procedure ensures that these criteria are addressed

In this project I have studied Recruitment and Selection process of ICICI Prudential Life
Insurance and attempted to provide some ways so as to make recruitment more effective and to
reduce the cost of hiring an employee.

I am privileged to be one of the students who got an opportunity to do my training with ICICI
Prudential Life Insurance. My involvement in the project has been very challenging and has
provided me a platform to leverage my potential in the most constructive way.

ICICI Prudential Life insurance is one of India's leading financial institutions offering complete
financial solutions that encompass every sphere of life. In a short span of time,ICICI has set an
example by having a steady and confident journey to growth and success.

During the training period I have studied deeply the process of hiring in ICICI Prudential Life
insurance and did a SWOT analysis of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance to find out the existing
shortcomings and potential threats and thereby recommended suggestions. This project however
is an attempt to share as best as possible my experience in corporate world with all my
colleagues and my faculty.

I would be delighted to receive reader’s comments which maybe valuable lessons for my future
projects.
Executive Summary
In today’s rapidly changing business environment, organizations have to respond quickly
to requirements for people. The Financial market has been witnessing growth which is
manifold for last few years. Many private players have entered the economy thereby increasing
the level of competition. In the competitive scenario it has become a challenge for each company
to adopt practices that would help the organization stand out in the market. The competitiveness
of a company of an organization is measured through the quality of products and services offered
to customers that are unique from others. Thus the best services offered to the consumers are
result of the genius brains working behind them.

Human Resource Management in this regard has become an important function in any
organization. All practices of marketing and finances can be easily emulated but the capability,
the skills and talent of a person cannot be emulated. Hence, it is important to have a well-defined
recruitment policy in place, which can be executed effectively to get the best fits for the vacant
positions. Selecting the wrong candidate or rejecting the right candidate could turn out to be
costly mistakes for the organization. Therefore a recruitment practice in an organization must be
effective and efficient in attracting the best manpower.

Coverage –The extent and limitation

With largest number of life insurance policies in force in the world, insurance happens to be a
mega opportunity in India. Its business is growing at 15-20% annually and presently is of the
order of Rs. 450m. Together with banking sector it adds about 7% to the GDP.

Like the case of BPO’s, Insurance sector too faces the problem of attrition. Thus,
recruitment is an ongoing process carried through out the year. The project is based on the study
of recruitment process. The various recommendations suggested have been the result of the
study. The idea is to generate ways of dealing with high attrition and making hiring process
manageable and efficient.

Data Used in Project

There were mainly two sources of data collection

Primary data:

 Survey method
 Personal interview with candidates
 In depth conversation with the placement agency

Secondary data:

 Study of recruitment policy

 Websites
  Published articles

Research methodology used

Study of recruitment and selection at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance by the manual provided by
the HR department;

 Web sites
 Journals
 Magazines
 Books

Findings

 Recruitment is done throughout the year more during the months of May-June and
Oct-Nov;
 Huge investment of time;
 Huge recruitment cost;

To pursue these, I would be going through the recruitment policies of the company. By active
participation in the recruitment process, the areas where improvement can be bought about can
be identified.

Thus the whole research would be done under the guidance of external guide. It will also involve
recruitment and selection processes, reading the material provide internally by the organization,
information from the new employees.

Introduction Of The Insurance Industry

Overview
The story of insurance is probably as old as the story of mankind. The same instinct that prompts
modern businessmen today to secure themselves against loss and disaster existed in primitive
men also. They too sought to avert the evil consequences of fire and flood and loss of life and
were willing to make some sort of sacrifice in order to achieve security. Though the concept of
insurance is largely a development of the recent past, particularly after the industrial era – past
few centuries – yet its beginnings date back almost 6000 years.

The first two decades of the twentieth century saw lot of growth in insurance business.
From 44 companies with total business-in-force as Rs.22.44 crore, it rose to 176 companies with
total business-in-force as Rs.298 crore in 1938. The Insurance Act 1938 was the first legislation
governing not only life insurance but also non-life insurance to provide strict state control over
insurance business.

Some of the important milestones in the life insurance business in India are:
  1818: Oriental Life Insurance Company, the first life insurance company on
Indian soil started functioning.
 1870: Bombay Mutual Life Assurance Society, the first Indian life insurance
company started its business.
 1912: The Indian Life Assurance Companies Act enacted as the first statute to
regulate the life insurance business.
 1928: The Indian Insurance Companies Act enacted to enable the government to
collect statistical information about both life and non-life insurance businesses.
 1938: Earlier legislation consolidated and amended to by the Insurance Act with
the objective of protecting the interests of the insuring public.
 1956: 245 Indian and foreign insurers and provident societies are taken over by
the central government and nationalized. LIC formed by an Act of Parliament,
viz. LIC Act, 1956, with a capital contribution of Rs. 5 crore from the
Government of India.

The General insurance business in India, on the other hand, can trace its roots to the Triton
Insurance Company Ltd., the first general insurance company established in the year 1850 in
Calcutta by the British.

Some of the important milestones in the general insurance business in India are:

 1907: The Indian Mercantile Insurance Ltd. set up, the first company to transact
all classes of general insurance business.
 1957: General Insurance Council, a wing of the Insurance Association of India,
frames a code of conduct for ensuring fair conduct and sound business practices.
 1968: The Insurance Act amended to regulate investments and set minimum
solvency margins and the Tariff Advisory Committee set up.
 1972: The General Insurance Business (Nationalisation) Act, 1972 nationalised
the general insurance business in India with effect from 1st January 1973.

With largest number of life insurance policies in force in the world, Insurance happens to
be a mega opportunity in India. It’s a business growing at the rate of 15-20 per cent annually
and presently is of the order of Rs 450 billion. Together with banking services, it adds about 7
per cent to the country’s GDP. Gross premium collection is nearly 2 per cent of GDP and funds
available with LIC for investments are 8 per cent of GDP.

Yet, nearly 80 per cent of Indian population is without life insurance cover while health
insurance and non-life insurance continues to be below international standards. And this part of
the population is also subject to weak social security and pension systems with hardly any old
age income security. This itself is an indicator that growth potential for the insurance sector is
immense.

A well-developed and evolved insurance sector is needed for economic development as it

provides long term funds for infrastructure development and at the same time strengthens the
risk taking ability. It is estimated that over the next ten years India would require investments of
the order of one trillion US dollar. The Insurance sector, to some extent, can enable investments
in infrastructure development to sustain economic growth of the country.

India has come a full circle from being an open competitive market to nationalization and back to
a liberalized market again. Tracing the developments in the Indian insurance sector reveals the
360 degree turn witnessed over a period of almost two centuries.

Present Scenario

The Government of India liberalized the insurance sector in March 2000 with the passage of the
Insurance Regulatory and Development Authority (IRDA) Bill, lifting all entry restrictions for
private players and allowing foreign players to enter the market with some limits on direct
foreign ownership.

The opening up of the sector is likely to lead to greater spread and deepening of insurance
in India and this may also include restructuring and revitalizing of the public sector companies.
In the private sector 14 life insurance and 8 general insurance companies have been registered. A
host of private Insurance companies operating in both life and non-life segments have started
selling their insurance policies..

Life Insurance Market

The Life Insurance market in India is an underdeveloped market that was only tapped by
the state owned LIC till the entry of private insurers. The penetration of life insurance products
was 19 percent of the total 400 million of the insurable population. The state owned LIC sold
insurance as a tax instrument, not as a product giving protection. Most customers were under-
insured with no flexibility or transparency in the products. With the entry of the private insurers
the rules of the game have changed.

The 12 private insurers in the life insurance market have already grabbed nearly 9 percent of the
market in terms of premium income. The new business premiums of the 12 private players has
tripled to Rs 1000 crore in year 2002- 03. Innovative products, smart marketing and aggressive
distribution. That's the triple whammy combination that has enabled fledgling private insurance
companies to sign up Indian customers faster than anyone ever expected. Indians, who have
always seen life insurance as a tax saving device, are now suddenly turning to the private sector
and snapping up the new innovative products on offer.

The private insurers also seem to be scoring big in other ways- they are persuading people to
take out bigger policies. Buoyed by their quicker than expected success, nearly all private
insurers are fast- forwarding the second phase of their expansion plans.

Major Insurance Players

Licenses have been issued for the following companies

 ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Limited

  ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company Limited
 HDFC Standard Life Insurance Company Limited
 Birla Sun Life Insurance Company Limited
 TATA AIG Life Insurance Company Limited
 Max New York Life Insurance Company Limited
 SBI – Cardiff Life Insurance Company Limited
 ING Vysya Life Insurance Company Limited
 Bajaj Allianz Life Insurance Company Limited
 MetLife Life Insurance Company Limited
 Aviva Life Insurance Company Limited
 AMP Sanmar Life Insurance Company Limited
 Sahara India Life Insurance Limited
 Sri Ram Life Insurance Limited

Protection of the interests of policyholders:

IRDA has the responsibility of protecting the interest of insurance policyholders. Towards
achieving this objective, the Authority has taken the following steps:

 IRDA has notified Protection of Policyholders Interest Regulations 2001 to

provide for: policy proposal documents in easily understandable language;
claims procedure in both life and non-life; setting up of grievance redressal
machinery; speedy settlement of claims; and policyholders' servicing. The
Regulation also provides for payment of interest by insurers for the delay in
settlement of claim.
 The insurers are required to maintain solvency margins so that they are in a
position to meet their obligations towards policyholders with regard to payment
of claims.
 It is obligatory on the part of the insurance companies to disclose clearly the
benefits, terms and conditions under the policy. The advertisements issued by the
insurers should not mislead the insuring public.
 All insurers are required to set up proper grievance redress machinery in their
head office and at their other offices.

The Authority takes up with the insurers any complaint received from the policyholders in
connection with services provided by them under the insurance contract.

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company-Profile :

 ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company is a joint venture between ICICI
Bank, a premier financial powerhouse and Prudential plc, a leading international
financial services group headquartered in the United Kingdom.
 ICICI was established in 1955 to lend money for industrial development.
Today, it has diversified into retail banking and is the largest private bank in the
 country. Prudential plc was established in 1848 and is presently the largest life
insurance company in UK.
 ICICI Prudential is currently the No. 1 private life insurer in the country.
For the financial year ended March 31, 2005, the company garnered Rs 1584
crore of new business premium for a total sum assured of Rs 13,780 crore and
wrote nearly 615,000 policies.
 The Company recognizes that the driving force for gaining sustainable
competitive advantage in this business is superior customer experience and
investment behind the brand. The Company aims to achieve this by striving to
provide world class service levels through constant innovation in products,
distribution channels and technology based delivery. The Company has already
taken significant steps to achieve this goal.
 India's Number One private life insurer, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
Company is a joint venture between ICICI Bank-one of India's foremost
financial services companies-and Prudential plc- a leading international financial
services group headquartered in the United Kingdom. Total capital infusion
stands at Rs. 23.72 billion, with ICICI Bank holding a stake of 74% and
Prudential plc holding 26%.
 ICICI Prudential was the first life insurer in India to receive a National
Insurer Financial Strength rating of AAA (Ind) from Fitch ratings. For three
years in a row, ICICI Prudential has been voted as India's Most Trusted Private
Life Insurer, by The Economic Times - AC Nielsen ORG Marg survey of 'Most
Trusted Brands'. As we grow our distribution, product range and customer base,
we continue to tirelessly uphold our commitment to deliver world-class financial
solutions to customers all over India.
 ICICI Prudential's capital stands at Rs. 23.72 billion with ICICI Bank and
Prudential plc holding 74% and 26% stake respectively. For the first quarter
ended June 30, 2007, the company garnered Rs. 987 crore of weighted retail +
group new business premiums and wrote over 450,000 retail policies in the
period. The company has assets held to the tune of over Rs. 18,400 crore.

Distribution

 ICICI Prudential has one of the largest distribution networks amongst

private life insurers in India. It has a strong presence across India with over 680
branches and over 235,000 advisors.
 The company has over 23 bancassurnace partners, having tie-ups with ICICI
Bank, Federal Bank, South Indian Bank, Bank of India, Lord Krishna Bank,
Idukki District Co-operative Bank, Jalgaon Peoples Co-operative Bank, Shamrao
Vithal Co-op Bank, Ernakulam Bank, 9 Bank of India sponsored Regional Rural
Banks (RRBs), Sangli Urban Co-operative Bank, Baramati Co-operative Bank,
Ballia Kshetriya Gramin Bank, The Haryana State Co-operative Bank and Imphal
Urban Cooperative Bank Limited.

Products Insurance Solutions For Individuals

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance offers a range of innovative, customer-centric products that meet
the needs of customers at every life stage. Its products can be enhanced with up to 4 riders, to
create a customized solution for each policy holder.

Savings Solutions

 Save’n’ Protect is a traditional endowment savings plan that offers life protection
along with adequate returns.
 CashBak is an anticipated endowment policy ideal for meeting milestone
expenses like a child’s marriage, expenses for a child’s higher education or
purchase of an asset.
 LifeTimeSuper offer customers the flexibility and control to customize the policy
to meet the changing needs at different life stages. Each offer 4 fund options —
Preserver, Protector, Balancer and Maximiser.
 LifeLink Super is a single premium Unit Linked Insurance Plan which combines
life insurance cover with the opportunity to stay invested in the stock market.
 Premier Life Gold is a limited premium paying plan that offers customers life
insurance cover till the age of 75.
 InvestShield Life New is a unit linked plan that provides premium guarantee on
the invested premiums and ensures that the customer receives only the benefits of
fund appreciation without any of the risks of depreciation.
 · InvestShield Cashbak is a unit linked plan that provides premium guarantee on
the invested premiums along with flexible liquidity options.

Protection Solutions

 LifeGuard is a protection plan, which offers life cover at very low cost. It is
available in 3 options – level term assurance, level term assurance with return of
premium and single premium.
 HomeAssure is a mortgage reducing term assurance plan designed specifically to
help customers cover their home loans in a simple and cost-effective manner.

Child Plans

 SmartKid education plans provide guaranteed educational benefits to a child

along with life insurance cover for the parent who purchases the policy. The
policy is designed to provide money at important milestones in the child’s life.
SmartKid plans are also available in unit-linked form – both single premium and
regular premium.

Education Insurance Plans

 Education insurance under the SmartKid brand provides guaranteed educational

benefits to a child along with life insurance cover for the parent who purchases
the policy. The policy is designed to provide money at important milestones in the
 child's life. SmartKid plans are also available in unit-linked form - both single
premium and regular premium

Retirement Solutions

 ForeverLife is a retirement product targeted at individuals in their thirties.

 Market-linked retirement products
 LifeTime Super Pension is a regular premium market-linked pension plan.
 Golden Years: is a limited premium paying retirement solution that offers tax
benefits up to Rs 100,000 u/s 80C, with flexibility in both the accumulation and
payout stages.

Health Solution

 Health Assure and Health Assure Plus: Health Assure is a regular premium plan
which provides long term cover against 6 critical illnesses by providing
policyholder with financial assistance, irrespective of the actual medical expenses.
Health Assure Plus offers the added advantage of an equivalent life insurance
cover
 Cancer Care: is a regular premium plan that pays cash benefit on the diagnosis as
well as at different stages in the treatment of various cancer conditions.
 Diabetes Care and Diabetes Care Plus*: 1st ever critical illness insurance cover
for diabetics.
 Hospital Care*: Hospital Care offers a Cashless hospitalization facility in more
then 3000 network hospitals
 Crisis Cover : is a 360-degree product that will provide long-term coverage
against 35 critical illnesses, total and permanent disability, and death

Note (*) products Re-launched on 1st July 2006

Group Insurance Solutions

 ICICI Prudential also offers Group Insurance Solutions for companies seeking to
enhance benefits to their employees.
 ICICI Pru Group Gratuity Plan: ICICI Pru’s group gratuity plan helps employers
fund their statutory gratuity obligation in a scientific manner. The plan can also be
customized to structure schemes that can provide benefits beyond the statutory
obligations.
 ICICI Pru Group Superannuation Plan: ICICI Pru offers a flexible defined
contribution superannuation scheme to provide a retirement kitty for each member
of the group. Employees have the option of choosing from various annuity
options or opting for a partial commutation of the annuity at the time of
retirement.
 ICICI Pru Group Term Plan: ICICI Pru’s flexible group term solution helps
provide affordable cover to members of a group. The cover could be uniform or
 based on designation/rank or a multiple of salary. The benefit under the policy is
paid to the beneficiary nominated by the member on his/her death.

Flexible Rider Options

ICICI Pru Life offers flexible riders, which can be added to the basic policy at a marginal cost,
depending on the specific needs of the customer.

 Accident Benefit: If death occurs as the result of an accident during the term of
the policy, the beneficiary receives an additional amount equal to the rider sum
assured under the policy. If the death occurs while traveling in an authorized mass
transport vehicle, the beneficiary will be entitled to twice the sum assured as
additional benefit.
 Accident & Disability Benefit: This rider option pays 10% the sum assured under
the rider every year till next 10 years on Accidental Permanent Disability of 2
Organs.
 Critical Illness Benefit: protects the insured against financial loss in the event of 9
specified critical illnesses. Benefits are payable to the insured for medical
expenses prior to death.
 Income Benefit: This rider pays the 10% of the sum assured to the nominee every
year, till maturity, in the event of the death of the life assured. It is available on
SmarKid, SecurePlus and CashPlus
 Waiver of Premium: In case of total and permanent disability due to an accident,
the premiums are waived till maturity. This rider is available with SecurePlus and
CashPlus.
 Choice of Six Investment Options :- ICICI prudential offers you the opportunity
of selecting between investment options to match your investment priorities.

1) Protector:-

An Investment Option with investment indebt and money market instruments.

2) Maximiser :-

An investment option with investment in equity and equity related instruments.

3) Balancer :-

An investment option with investment in a mix of equity and debt oriented instruments.

4) Preserver :-

An investment option with investment in low-risk instruments like cash and call money markets.

5) Flexi Growth:-
New Fund (NFO) launched in March 2007, Long term returns from an equity portfolio lare,mid
and small cap companies.

6) Flexi balanced:-

Balance of capital appreciation and stable returns from an equity (large,mid & small cap
companies) & debt portfolio.

Vision and Mission of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company

Their vision is to make ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company the dominant new insurer in
the life insurance industry. This they hope to achieve through their commitment to excellence,
focus on service, speed and innovation, and leveraging our technological expertise.

The success of the organisation will be founded on its strong focus on values and clarity of
purpose. These include:

 Understanding the needs of customers and offering them superior products and
service
 Building long lasting relationships with their partners
 Providing an enabling environment to foster growth and learning for their
employees

And above all building transparency in all our dealings.

They believe that they can play a significant role in redefining and reshaping the sector. Given
the quality of their parentage and the commitment of their team, they feel that there will be no
limits to their growth.

Registered Office : ICICI Towers 9thfloor, Bandra-Kurla Complex, Mumbai - 400 051, Tel:
494 3232

Regional Office : 8th floor EROS Coorporate Tower, Nehru place, New Delhi-
110011.Tel:46554405

Delhi office : 3rd floor, Videocon Towers E-1, Rani Jhansi Road, New Delhi - 110055. Tel: 601
3232

ICICI Prudential Life Insurance opens office in Dubai

In a move to consolidate its position in the Gulf region, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance (ICICI
Prudential), India's No. 1 private life insurance company, also opened its representative office in
Dubai, becoming the first private life insurer from India to open an office in the Emirate.
At ICICI Prudential we offer pragmatic, world-class solutions. Put simply, solutions with a lot of
common sense. Solutions that take care of your four basic financial needs - Earning, Saving,
Investing and Spending. So you live your life to the fullest, sans worries.

OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT

Every task is undertaken with an objective. Without any objective a task is rendered
meaningless. The main objectives for undertaking this project are:

     To understand the internal Recruitment process at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance

     To identify areas where there can be scope for improvement

     To give suitable recommendation to streamline the hiring process

METHODOLOGY

The insurance sector is marked with a high level of attrition and therefore recruitment
process becomes a crucial function of the organization. At ICICI Prudential Life Insurance,
recruitment is all time high during May-June and Oct-Nov. The attrition is high among the sales
managers, unit mangers mostly in the sales profile. The recruitment is high during these months
due to the fact that March and September are half year closing and business is high during Jan-
Mar. Thus it is only after March that people move out of the companies.

Since my summer training was in the months of May-June, it gave me the opportunity of
involving myself directly with the recruitment process and analyzing the process so that suitable
recommendations can be given. This project is centered on identifying best hiring practices in the
insurance industries. It therefore requires great amount of research work. The methodology
adopted was planned in advance so as to collect data in the most organized way.

My area of focus was the recruitment and selection particularly at ICICI Prudential Life
Insurance. I was directly involved with the recruitment for candidates for the sales profile. I was
particularly involved with the sourcing of candidates for the regions outside Delhi such as M.P,
U.P and Rajasthan.

Before any task was undertaken, we were asked to go through the HR policies of ICICI
Prudential Life Insurance so that we get a better understanding of the process followed by them.

     The first task was to understand the various job profiles for which recruitment was
to be done.

     The next step was to explore the various job portals to search for suitable candidates
for the job profile.

     Once the search criteria were put, candidates went through a telephonic interview to
validate the information mentioned in their resume.

     A candidate matching the desired profile was then lined for the first round of Face
to Face interview in their respective cities.

     Firstly the candidate had filled up the personal data form(pdf).

     Then the candidates INTERVIEW EVALUATION SHEET  which is provided by

interviewer was crosschecked by the HR team. If they think that the candidate was
good to hire or not.

     When a candidate cleared his first round, he is then made to take an online aptitude
test. We created the online aptitude test. It the HR department, which has the
exclusive rights to assign test, codes to the candidates. Each code was unique and
could be used only once by a candidate.

     I was involved in assigning codes and administering the test

     Once the candidate completed his first assessment, his scores were checked. If he
cleared his cut-off he was given another test.
      I had the responsibility to make sure that candidates complete all formalities and
had to regularly follow up with them.

     Since we received many resumes, it was essential that a database be maintained to
keep a track. It was convenient method than to stock up piles of papers. ICICI has
their own database named as “PACE”, I update all the records of the new joinees in
that tracker. PACE containes all the information of a candidate such as name, contact
number, location etc.

     The external guide maintained a regular updating of the database.

     Understanding what kinds of database are maintained and how they help in keeping
a record.

     I was also involved in maintaining a track of test codes given, the database for
employee referrals, Database for the resumes received through mails and response of
advertisement.

RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

                                          Date Source

Primary            :-          Through Questionnaires

Secondary        :-          Through Internet, Journals, News papers and Misc.

Data Collection Procedure :- Survey

Research Instrument :- Structured Questionnaire.

Sample Size : - 80 

Sample Area : - work done in Delhi regional Office.

Sample procedure :- Random sampling.

PROJECT SCHEDULE :-

First 1 week                 :-Training program from the company.

Second week               :-Collecting the primary and secondary data.

Third Fourth week        :- Study Recruitment & Selection Process

Fifth week                    :-Designing the questionnaire .

Sixth week                   :-Conducting the survey in RO.

Seventh week               :-Analysis of Data Collection.

Eighth week                  :-Final Report preparation and presentation.

                          Limitations of the study

Every task is undertaken with an objective and accomplishment of this objective

determines our success.

Task:

The recruitment at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance involved a lot search from the
database and calling up candidates to check whether they fit the job specification.

Difficulties:

     Candidates were reluctant to talk at times;

      Candidates who were contacted were not interested in Insurance on many
occasions;

     Candidates who were scheduled for interview would not turn up;

     Run out of database many times since most of them would have already been
contacted;

Task:

Candidates were to be searched from the job portals and called up to be scheduled for
an interview.

Difficulties:

     A summer trainees we could not separate systems to work on;

     At times many people had for couple of hours to work on the computer;

     Since STD calls had to be made, the availability of phone was limited, so
there was greater coordination required with respect to its usage and
maintains a time slot so that other person has a chance to use.

Task:

Inter company analysis through survey and questionnaire filling.

Difficulties:

     Did not secure cooperation easily;

     People asked lot of counter question so convincing them was a major task;

     People did not disclose much about their employee details.
  

Topic Information

RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

 “The art of choosing men is not nearly so difficult as the art of enabling those
one has chosen to attain their full worth”.

Recruitment is the process by which organizations locate and attract individuals

to fill job vacancies. Most organizations have a continuing need to recruit new
employees to replace those who leave or are promoted in order to acquire new skills
and promote organizational growth.

Recruitment follows HR planning and goes hand in hand with selection process
by which organizations evaluate the suitability of candidates. With successful recruiting
to create a sizeable pool of candidates, even the most accurate selection system is of
little use

Recruiting begins when a vacancy occurs and the recruiter receives authorization to fill
it. The next step is careful examination of the job and enumeration of skills, abilities and
experience needed to perform the job successfully. Other steps follow:

     Creating an applicant pool using internal or external methods

     Evaluate candidates via selection

     Convince the candidate

     And finally make an offer

Scope: To define the process and flow of activities while recruiting, selecting and
appointing personnel on the permanent rolls of an organization.
Authorization:

S.No. Authorized Signatory

1 Head- Human resource
2 Managing director

Amendments and deviations:

Any amendments to and deviations from this policy can only be authorized by the
Head-human Resources and the Managing Director.

Exclusions:

The policy does not cover the detailed formalities involved after the candidate joins the
organization.

                        ACTIVITY FLOW

The organization philosophy should be kept in mind while formulating the recruitment
procedure.

The HR department would set the recruitment norms for the organization.
However, the onus of effective implementation and compliance with the process rests
with the heads of the respective functions and departments who are involved in the
recruitment and selection process.

The process is aimed at defining the series of activities that needs to be

performed by different persons involved in the process of recruitment, the checks and
control measures to be adopted and information that has to be captured.

Recruitment and Selection is conducted by:

     HR & Branch Manager

      Functional Head

RECRUITMENT PLANNING

Recruitment planning on the basis of budget

A. The manpower planning process for the year would commence with the
company’s budgeting activity. The respective Functional heads would
submit the manpower requirements of their respective functions/
departments to the board of Directors as part of the annual business plan
after detailed discussion  with the head of human Resource Function
along with detailed notes in support of the projected numbers
assumptions regarding the direct and indirect salary costs for each
position.

B. A copy of the duly approved manpower plan would be forwarded by the

HR department for their further actions during the course of the year. The
annual budget would specify the manpower requirement of the entire
organization, at different levels, in various functions/departments, at
different geographical locations and the timing of the individual
requirements. It would also specify the requirement budget, which is the
cost allotted towards the recruitment of the budgeted staff and the
replacement of the existing employees. The manpower plan would also
clearly indicate the exact time at which the incumbent should be on board
in such a way that the Regional HR has adequate notice for the time lapses
involved in sourcing any other activities.

C. The Regional HR’s would undertake the planning activity and necessary
preparations in advance of the anticipated requirements, as monthly and
 quarterly activities on the basis of the approved budget, estimated
separations and replacements therefore.

D. The vacancies sought to be filled or being filled shall always be within the
approved annual manpower budget and no recruitment process shall be
initiated without the formal concurrence of the Head of the Regional HR
under any circumstance. Head of the Regional HR shall also have the
responsibility to monitor the appointments being considered at any point
of time with specific respect to the duly approved manpower budgets.

Review of Manpower Plans and Additional Manpower

A.    Review of manpower budgets shall take place on a quarterly basis. In the
event of any new position or any deviations to the original plans, details
of the positions maybe forwarded to the VP-HR along with the adequate
supporting information. The recommendations would normally require a
formal approval of the Managing Director. Alternately, VP-HR may
record the summary of his discussion with the Managing Director and the
MD’s approval on the recommendations, to signify the final decision
taken regarding the recommendations.

SOURCING OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES

Selection of Sources

Regional HR would tap various sources/channels for getting the right candidate.
Depending on the nature of the position/grade, volumes of recruitment and any other
relevant factors, the Regional HR would use any one multiple sources such as:

     Existing database (active application data bank);

     Employee referral as per any company scheme that may be approved from
time to time;
      Advertisement in the internet/newspapers/magazines/company’s sites/job
sites or any other media;

     Placement Agencies (particularly for positions of Managers and above);

     Headhunting firms particularly for senior positions, specialist positions and
critical positions;

     Direct recruitment from campuses/academic institutes;

     Job websites and

     Any other appropriate sources.

The norms for using any of the sources are not water tight. Number of positions,
criticality of positions and the urgency of the positions, confidentiality requirements,
relative efficacy and cost considerations would play a role in the choice of the
appropriate sourcing mechanism.

ADVERTISEMENTS

     All recruitment advertisements (in any form and any medium) shall always
conform to the KLI compliance norms and would not be released by any
department or branch without the approval of the VP-HR. depending on the
specifics of each position for which recruitment advertisements are to be
released, Regional HR may obtain assistance from the company’s marketing
department and/or any external advertising agencies for the preparation of
the contents. Key features of the positions as notified by the Functional Heads
would normally form a part of the advertisement text.

     The media for releasing advertisement would depend on the level of the
position being considered and the urgency of the requirements.
      The advertisement mode that could be broadly specified as newspapers (local
or mainline depending on requirements), internet sites and business
magazines.

Placement Agencies/Headhunting Agencies

     Depending upon the vacancies, fresher fitting different description listed
above may be recruited from time to time, from academic institutes of
appropriate standards/reputation/grade, in the requisite numbers and at the
compensation/stipend amounts to be formally approved of the VP-HR. Plans
for such recruitment need specific special approval of VP-HR. norms
regarding the identification of the appropriate institutes, constitution of the
selection panels, timings of the recruitment, number of candidates to be
recruited into different positions, choice of the appropriate selection process
and the tools thereof shall be decided by the Head of the Regional HR in
consultation with the VP-HR, depending on the specific features of the
position.

Screening the candidates

First level screening

The Candidates would be screened by the HR Manager/Branch Manager for the

respective locations. Screening would be on the basis of the profile of the candidate and
the departmental requirements.

This assessment will be with respect to:

a. The general profile of the candidate,

b. Personality fit of the candidate into the profile,
c. Aptitude/attitude of the candidate,
 d. Motives of the person to join the company and whether focus is in the
short term or is a long term player,
e. Basic skill level on our set of requirements, say numerically ability,
networking ability, etc
f. Establish the annual guaranteed cash compensation of the individual and
check whether the person would fit into the system.
g. Explain the role of Sales manager to the applicant and check the
acceptance of the candidate for the same.

In case of need, the Regional HR may take a Tele interview of the candidate for further
assessment process.

Second Level Screening

Aptitude Test

If the first assessment is positive, the candidates will give the aptitude test, once
such test is selected approved by the company. The scoring, interpretation and the
generation of interview probes from that test will also be done at this time. People who
qualify the minimum criteria on this test will be put up on to the Functional Head (VP’s
in case of HO) for functional assessment and suitability into the role.

Tied Agency Sales Manager candidates short listed by the BM have will then take
sales Aptitude test, once such a test is finalized. For the final selection, the regional
Manager (Business Heads for HO) will meet the candidates short listed by the branch
manager/VP. The chart specifying the Minimum approval level for each level of
recruitment is specified below:

Category Branch Area Business Managing

Manager/Chief Manager/AVP/VP Heads Director
Manager
CSE/ADVISOR Yes No No No
 S
BIC Yes Yes No No
BM/CM Yes Yes Yes No
SM Yes Yes Yes Yes

 General Norms regarding interview Process:

A. Interviews should consider the entire data provided by the candidate

either through the formal CV or otherwise before coming to a conclusion
about the candidate. They may insist on seeing the proof of the claims
made by the candidate regarding qualifications, experience and other
achievements. They may, at their discretion, decide to meet the candidate
on more than one occasion or to refer the candidate to another panel.

B. Ratings on various attributes of the candidates shall be recorded in the

interview evaluation sheet, soon after the interview is over. Along with
these numerical ratings, qualitative observations about the candidate and
overall decision regarding selection or otherwise (including a decision to
defer the induction, referral to another panel, considering for another
position) shall be forwarded to the associated Recruitment Manager/
Head of Regional HR. Individual panel members have the option of
appending their additional remarks/observations. No selection will be
treated as final unless the IES form is filled comprehensively. Suitably
appropriate IES formats may be created for specific positions.
C. Any discrepancies noticed by the panel members regarding the
authenticity of the data provided by the candidate should be specifically
and formally recorded on the IES form and suitably high lightened.

D.  Specific points to be probed during the reference check process, if any,

must also be clearly recorded and high lightened on the IES forms.

Administrative Actions Regarding Interviews

 A. Scheduling and the venue of the interviews would be handled by the
recruitment team in consultation with the short listed candidate and the
selection panel members, after taking mutual convenience into account.
For field positions, respective branch/regional heads would undertake
this co-ordination.
B. After the final round, if the candidate is selected, the complete set of
papers Personal Data Form, CV, job requisition no., Interview evaluation
sheet ,reference check details, educational details, along with the
interviewer’s recommendations and Reference check form should be
forwarded by the recruitment managers to recruitment head. Fitment of
the candidate into a grade and compensation fitment shall be on the
assumption of authenticity of the information provided in the
CV/application form.
C. An appropriate formal communication shall be sent to the candidate
whose candidature is not being taken forward, or details of the
verbal/telephonic communications provided to the candidate shall be
recorded on the candidates papers, by the recruitment team/associated
line managers. In the case of interviews taking place at the
branch/regional levels, similar noting should be recorded on the
individual candidate’s papers.

Negotiations of the terms and conditions and other pre-appointment formalities

A. In the case of sales-Tied Agency functions, the branch managers will be

allowed to fix the salary and grade of the incoming sales manager,
provided the compensation does not exceed 20% of the candidates current
cash salary. Any fitment beyond this norms will need the approval of
Head-HR. HR will forward a worksheet to support  the BM’s to evaluate
the appropriate cash CTC of the incumbent. For all other functions, the
compensation and grade would be fixed post a discussion between the
 Head of the Regional HR and the associated AVP/VP. Any candidate
being offered a CTC of more than 4lacs will need the sign off from HEAD-
HR. In appropriate cases, at the discretion of the VP-HR, a deviation may
be referred to the Managing Director, for the MD’s formal approval.

B. Responsibility for negotiations and finalization of the terms shall rest with
the best Branch Manager/Associated Manager. They may seek the
assistance of the recruitment managers, whenever required. Reference
checks process should not normally be initiated unless the candidate has
indicated his firm acceptance of the offer being made by us.

Reference checks

A.    Normal, reference checks should be undertaken with at least one

reference. A second reference check will be done if considered necessary.
Responsible officials from the former employers, academic institutes
and/or any other eminent personalities can be considered as appropriate
references. Close relatives and friends cannot be considered as references.
Wherever feasible and considered appropriate, a reference should be
made with a senior official of the candidate’s current employer. In case the
candidate is currently un-employed, reference should be made with the
latest employer. The format of reference check is to be used as a
framework for conducting the process.

B.     Where the minimum two reference checks are not possible (particularly
with the current employer) or where there is a mixed response from
different sources, the matter may be to the VP-HR for a final decision.
Depending on the seniority and any other considerations about the
positions, VP-HR would normally consult the functional head concerned,
before coming to conclusions. Any candidate whose credentials are
doubtful shall not be recruited.
 C.     In case of recruitment of Management trainees, fresher and life advisors
as sales Managers no reference checks will be required. 

Employment offer letter

A. When a recruitment Manager is fully satisfied about the selection of the

right candidate and about completion of all the formalities connected with
the appointment of candidate including requisite documentation,
satisfactory reference check reports and medical fitness, he/she would
forward the relevant papers listed below to the head of recruitment.

      Personal Data form

      Employee requisition form duly filled by the regional Head/Branch 

Manager

      Interview evaluation sheet filled by the regional head/Branch

manager/interviewer with his/her comments.

      Latest and updated resume of the candidate

      Photocopy of the appointment letter of the last employer or latest salary
slip.

      Employment details.

      Two Professional references.

      Language Proficiency.

B. Document check list for every grade is as follows:

       Authorization Release Form.

      Background check Form.

      Highest Education certificate.

      Highest Education marksheet.

      1 Month Salary Slip of Current Employer.

      1 Month Salary Slip of Last Employer.

      Relieving Letter of last Employment.

      Proof of Residence.

      2 Passport Size Photograph.

C. Regional HR manager will take the signature of Head-HR on the

employee requisition form and forward the papers to the employee
service team for issuance of the offer letter.

D. Employee services team will issue offer letter, to be signed by the National
Recruitment Manager or Chief Manager-HR, and send the same to the
concerned Branch Manager/ HR Manager.

E. It would be the responsibility of the Branch Manager/HR Manager to

ensure that the accepted copy of the offer letter is forwarded to the
employee service team within a week of receipt of the offer letter. Till this
letter is issued, the ‘offer’ has not taken place in formal sense. A copy of
the offer letter shall be duly signed and returned to the candidate.
Candidate would be expected to fulfill various joining formalities, which
 are also formally communicated to him/her in the form of a checklist that
is attached to the letter of offer. The Regional HR head shall have the
overall responsibility and accountability to maintain the templates of the
offer letters and also for drafting of suitable non-standard terms to any
specific candidate.

F. The employee service team will follow up Branch Manager/Regional HR

Manager for the joining of the candidate and will collect all relevant
documents from the candidate including the joining report, before issuing
the appointment letter. The employee service team may enlist the help of the
Branch Manager to ensure that all necessary documents within ten days o the
person joining. After the of all necessary documents, the employee service
team will send the appointment letter to the new joinee.

G. Once the documentation is complete for the new joinee (including the
accepted appointment letter), people who may have joined before 20 th  of
the month but have not been included in the payroll for the month
because of delay in receipt of papers will be given ad-hoc salary advance
(up to maximum of 65% of the pro rated salary). This advance will be
adjusted once the person gets included in the subsequent month’s payroll.

H. If the person does not submit the relieving letter from the previous
organization, where required to be submitted as per the table given above,
within three months of joining, the employee service manager can put
their salary on hold till such time as the said documents are received.

Key tasks of Regional HR Head

Regional HR Head will have the authority and responsibility to

administer/implement the recruitment and selection process as outlined. An illustrative
list of the key deliverables of these incumbents is listed below.
     Ensuring inductions as per quality, numbers, time and cost consideration of
the company in accordance with the approved manpower budget.

     Creation of appropriate sourcing mechanism along with tracking the

performance of these mechanisms.

     Creation of quarterly and monthly recruitment plans

     Effective coordination with external parties such as candidates, placement

agencies, consultants, academic/professional institutes and any other
including the custody of the formal agreements , tracking timely payments
and adjusted thereto

     Creation of comprehensive and appropriate tools, linkages, documents,

templates and any other mechanisms to ensure smooth execution of the
process requirement, along with timely improvements thereto

     Assistance to user department and line managers including in

interviewing/selection support, scheduling etc.

     Effective internal communication with user departments and line managers
including making the standard recruitment formats and other templates
easily available to such users and notifying the modifications to such formats
and templates.

     Creation and maintenance of qualitative information base regarding

candidates, placement agencies, campuses, institutes, and any other
employment-market information.

     Creation and maintenance of appropriate and high-quality MIS for current
and future needs of the organization, including publication/circulation of
appropriate reports there from to the relevant users within the company.
      Monitoring recruitment costs

     Complete documentation for the entire recruitment and selection process for
easy and quick retrieval in a readily auditable format

     Timely and effective communication with all internal and external parties
including the candidates

     Tracking the progress of the selected candidates including resignation,

extensions of probation periods/training period, etc for the purpose of
improvement to recruitment and selection process.

     Effective coordination with the post recruitment arm of the Human Resource
function

     Documentation and creating MIS regarding waiver, deviation, etc and
identifying the key areas for improvement in the formal recruitment and
selection process document.

SWOT Analysis of ICICI Prudential Life

Insurance’s Recruitment Process
 

                  Strengths                Weaknesses

 Brand equity of Kotak Mahindra Bank.  Pre assessment tests are costly.

 Rigorous Pre-Hiring assessment tests  Conversion of footfalls is low.

to understand aptitude and personality
of candidates.  Lengthy pre-offer formalities.

 Proper reference checks to ensure that

 only bonafide candidates are  Huge employee turnover.
appointed.
 
 Adequate number of channel partners
to generate footfalls for each location.

 Footfall MIS being maintained at each

branch locally by Admin.

            Opportunities                       Threats

 Increasing number of private players

 Campus recruitments have huge in insurance sector creates ample
potential for fulfilling manpower choices, frequent and easy mobility for
requirements cost effectively. employees.
 Tie up with recruitment agencies on    Same channel partners are handling
supplying fixed number of footfalls all insurance companies. This leads to
week on week. same pool of candidates being
circulated to all partners.
 Develop exclusive contract with
channel partners to meet the   Increasing spill over as a candidate
manpower requirements. has more than one offer at the time of
making a job shift.
 Make blue form brief and to the point.
  As the insurance industry is small,
 Reduce turn around time of making an senior level candidates hesitate to meet
offer. HR of other companies for the fear of
grapevine.

RECOMMENDATIONS & SUGGESTIONS

 

 Compress the "white space" in your hiring process.

White Spaces are delays in  hiring process that are unproductive, waste time, and
virtually assure you'll lose talented candidates. Often the longest delays occur between
critical selection events. For example, a recruiter may need several weeks to screen a
few hundred resumes from the Web job boards, or candidates who make it through
screening may wait weeks to interview with a hiring manager.

Here at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, the delays occur when the outstation
candidates are called for interviews at Regional branches like Delhi and Mumbai.
Sometimes, because of busy schedule of senior managers and sometimes because of
tight schedule of candidate, the interview has to be postponed. This delay could be
minimized by scheduling interviews in the regional locations. It is recommended to
reduce the turnaround time for the recruitment and selection process. It must be made
mandatory for the candidates to take the test, filling up forms etc within the stipulated
time, this will make sure that the candidates do not hold casual attitude and take the
recruitment process more seriously. Additionally it can send across a positive image
about the company.  White space in recruitment can be compressed by the use of  IT
also. Technology (such as automated or Web-based tracking) is ideal for eliminating
unnecessary steps and reducing delays.

         Tie up with more & more consultants from multiple segments

 Since the limited placement agencies are sourcing candidates to all insurance
companies, there often comes the problem of duplication of data. Therefore it is
recommended that more and more consultants should be tied up from multiple
segments to attract large pool of new and fresh talent.

  Know what you're looking for in candidates.

It is observed that the candidates sourced by placement agencies and send for
further rounds of interviews are rarely found suitable by the hiring managers.
Therefore, in case there is need to utilize the service of a placement agency,
then it is recommended that these placement agencies be given a well drafted
 job description and job specification. This can also be circulated to internal
employees under the employee referral scheme. This will help people to get a
clearer picture and provide for most suitable candidates. Thus making
efficient utilization of the existing resources.

        Reduce the pre offer formalities:

Pre-offer documentation includes filling of a lengthy Blue form which includes all
personal, educational and professional details of candidate. This is very time consuming
and even after taking these details from candidate its not sure that offer will be made or
not. This also becomes frustrating for the candidate sometimes. So, it is recommended
that unnecessary details should not be asked before we make the final offer to the
candidate. Blue form should be made consise.

        One size doesn’t fits all

An effort must be made to study local condition, education levels. Since
applying common test for all candidates across entire country can
overshadow a candidates capabilities. This factor must be given importance
since Indian society is divided on various parameters such as education,
language, infrastructure etc. A test with high level of English and complicated
sentence structure can be a hurdle in areas where language itself is barrier.
An option is to have different tests for different regions.

  Blend technology into every aspect of your recruiting and

hiring process.

Web-based technology lets you increase hiring speed and quality while
reducing costs. Currently, job boards constitute the biggest use of the Web,
offering access to thousands of resumes within hours. But the Web can also be
a powerful tool for screening and qualifying that flood of resumes.
 Companies have begun to use the Web to collect and instantly match data on
candidate skills, motivations, and experiences against job criteria. Other uses
of Web-based technology include online interviewing, candidate assessment
and testing, applicant self-scheduling, and tracking. Work the Web wisely
and you save time for recruiters and hiring managers and nab top candidates
before your competitors can.

     It is recommended that apart from the person-job fit, method must be
devised to check for person-organization fit. A person-organization helps to
assess how well a candidate is suited the organization. Whether the attitude
he/she carries will promote both organizational as well personal goals. This
takes a great importance especially when attrition is high. It will help the
organization to retain its employees for a longer period of time and less
burden on recruitment staff.

  Build and manage your candidate pool as a precious resource.

A "candidate pool" is a group of individuals who have shown interest in

working for your company and are qualified for and ready to fill certain
positions. Rather than undertaking the time-consuming process of filling one
job at a time, you draw on the candidate pool and fill jobs as they become
available. How do you keep a pool active? Some companies send their
newsletters to pool candidates, give them product coupons, and keep in
touch through e-mail. Pool management is not easy in a tight labor market
--good candidates often go elsewhere. But many organizations, especially
those with a reputation as a great place to work, are able to fill positions
quickly using the pool concept.

  Create winning impression even on those who are not selected

 Its very important to create a favorable impression of your organization on all
those who come for interview. Those who are not selected in the first round
of personal interview should also carry this impression that they have missed
the opportunity to work in a great company.  For this, there must a proper
coordination of the interview of the candidate and greater degree of
professionalism. A candidate when invited for a interview must be attended
as soon as possible and should be made to wait for hours together. Interviews
conducted on a scheduled time leave a good impression on the candidate.
Even if he is not selected, a good impression about the will make him
recommend the name to his people.

CONCLUSION

Insurance is confronted with high attrition rate. Therefore it makes  recruitment a

critical function in the organization. In order to grow and sustain in the competitive
environment it is important for an organization to continuously develop and bring out
innovations in all it activities. It is only when organization is recognized for its quality
that it can build a stability with its customers. Thus an organization must be able to
stand out in the crowd.

The first step in this direction is to ensure competitive people come in the
organization. Therefore recruitment in this regard becomes an important function. The
organization must constantly improvise in its recruitment process so that it is able to
attract best in the industry in order to serve the best. Thus the organization must look
out for methods that can enable it to adopt best recruitment practices.

LEARNINGS
Every endeavor undertaken to accomplish challenging goals, can only be successful under the
experienced and encouraging guidance. I am privileged to have undergone training at ICICI
Prudential Life Insurance. As learning never stops, my learning at Kotak has come from a lot of
exposure, on the job training and close interaction with the corporate. In brief my learning and
achievements can be summarized as under:

 Understanding of person and profile fit.

 Convince people about the job profile and to sell the job to the prospective
candidate;
 Following up with the candidates during the entire selection process;
 Learned to convince candidates about the offer rolled out and making them accept
the offer through effective communication;
 Learning about salary fitments.
 Communicating with the corporate;
 Performance appraisals, its various types, implications and significance;
 Handling queries received from various quarters;
 Managing HR department in the absence of HR manager;
 Reply to official mails;
 Prioritize issues according to their importance;
 Field work exposure to tap candidates that further strengthened the learning.
 Q1.Do you have a clearly stated Recruitment & Selection Policy ?
         Yes
         No
         To some extent
  
 2)  What are the quality of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance Company
recruitment System:-
         Quick Response time for requirement
         Bringing in Quality People
         Proper coordination with other team or department
         Efficient Maintenance & Updating of Database
 3)What Recruitment Sources are used?
         Advertisement
         Employee Referral
         Consultant
         Portals
         All of these….
  
 4)Does ICICI Prudential adopt Internal Recruitment Source i.e.
Transfer & Promotion:-
 (i) Yes                                                         (ii) No
 If Yes than for which type of post………………………………….
 5)Which source of Recruitment is better for companies:-
 (i) Internal Source                               (ii) External Source
 (iii) Depends on Situation & Post……………………………………
 6)Rank the Qualities in the order of your preference on the basis of
which you select candidate:-
         Qualification
         Experience
         Skills 
         Personality
         Depend on Job Variety
 7) How many Stages are followed in selection procedure:-
         2
         3
         4
 8) Does ICICI Prudential ask candidates to enter into BONDS with
them:-
         Yes   
         No
 If Yes then what kind of Job or Department………………………….
 Q9. Is the estimation of Recruitment Process cost is done?
         Yes
         No