STRATEGIC HR PLANNING

Strategic HR planning is an important component of strategic HR management. It links HR management directly to the strategic plan of your organization. Most mid- to large sized organizations have a strategic plan that guides them in successfully meeting their missions. Organizations routinely complete financial plans to ensure they achieve organizational goals and while workforce plans are not as common, they are just as important. Even a small organization with as few as 10 staff can develop a strategic plan to guide decisions about the future. Based on the strategic plan, your organization can develop a strategic HR plan that will allow you to make HR management decisions now to support the future direction of the organization. Strategic HR planning is also important from a budgetary point of view so that you can factor the costs of recruitment, training, etc. into your organization's operating budget.

Strategic HR management is defined as:

Integrating human resource management strategies and systems to achieve the overall mission, strategies, and success of the firm while meeting the needs of employees and other stakeholders.

Introduction to strategic HR planning

The overall purpose of strategic HR planning is to:

Ensure adequate human resources to meet the strategic goals and operational plans of your organization - the right people with the right skills at the right time Keep up with social, economic, legislative and technological trends that impact on human resources in your area and in the sector Remain flexible so that your organization can manage change if the future is different than anticipated Strategic HR planning predicts the future HR management needs of the organization after analyzing the organization's current human resources, the external labor market and the future HR environment that the organization will be operating in. The analysis of HR management issues external to the organization and developing scenarios about the future are what distinguishes strategic planning from operational planning. The basic questions to be answered for strategic planning are:

Where are we going? How will we develop HR strategies to successfully get there, given the circumstances? What skill sets do we need?

The strategic HR planning process

The strategic HR planning process has four steps:

Assessing the current HR capacity

Developing HR strategies to support organizational strategies

SHRP

Forecasting HR requirements

Gap analysis

1. Assessing current HR capacity Based on the organization's strategic plan, the first step in the strategic HR planning process is to assess the current HR capacity of the organization. The knowledge, skills and abilities of your current staff need to be identified. This can be done by developing a skills inventory for each employee. The skills inventory should go beyond the skills needed for the particular position. List all skills each employee has demonstrated. For example, recreational or volunteer activities may involve special skills that could be relevant to the organization. Education levels and certificates or additional training should also be included. An employee's performance assessment form can be reviewed to determine if the person is ready and willing to take on more responsibility and to look at the employee's current development plans.

2. Forecasting HR requirements
The next step is to forecast HR needs for the future based on the strategic goals of the organization. Realistic forecasting of human resources involves estimating both demand and supply. Questions to be answered include:

How many staff will be required to achieve the strategic goals of the organization? What jobs will need to be filled? What skill sets will people need? When forecasting demands for HR, you must also assess the challenges that you will have in meeting your staffing need based on the external environment.

How will the external environment impact on our HR needs?

3. Gap analysis
The next step is to determine the gap between where your organization wants to be in the future and where you are now. The gap analysis includes identifying the number of staff and the skills and abilities required in the future in comparison to the current situation. You should also look at all your organization's HR management practices to identify practices that could be improved or new practices needed to support the organization's capacity to move forward. Questions to be answered include:

What new jobs will we need? What new skills will be required? Do our present employees have the required skills? Are employees currently in positions that use their strengths? Do we have enough managers/supervisors? Are current HR management practices adequate for future needs?

4. Developing HR strategies to support organizational strategies

There are five HR strategies for meeting your organization's needs in the future:

Restructuring strategies

Training and development strategies

Recruitment strategies

Outsourcing strategies

Collaboration strategies

1. Restructuring strategies
This strategy includes:

Reducing staff either by termination or attrition Regrouping tasks to create well designed jobs Reorganizing work units to be more efficient If your assessment indicates that there is an oversupply of skills, there are a variety of options open to assist in the adjustment. Termination of workers gives immediate results. Generally, there will be costs associated with this approach depending on your employment agreements. Notice periods are guaranteed in all provinces. Be sure to review the employment and labour standards in your province or territory to ensure that you are compliant with the legislation. Attrition - not replacing employees when they leave - is another way to reduce staff. The viability of this option depends on how urgently you need to reduce staff. It will mean that jobs performed in the organization will have to be reorganized so that essential work of the departing employee is covered. Careful assessment of the reorganized workloads of remaining employees should include an analysis of whether or not their new workloads will result in improved outcomes. It is important to consider current labour market trends (e.g. the looming skills shortage as baby boomers begin to retire) because there may be longer-term consequences if you let staff go. Sometimes existing workers may be willing to voluntarily reduce their hours, especially if the situation is temporary. Job sharing may be another option. The key to success is to ensure that employees are satisfied with the arrangement, that they confirm agreement to the new arrangement in writing, and that it meets the needs of the employer. Excellent communication is a prerequisite for success.

2. Training and development strategies

This strategy includes:

Providing staff with training to take on new roles Providing current staff with development opportunities to prepare them for future jobs in your organization Training and development needs can be met in a variety of ways. One approach is for the employer to pay for employees to upgrade their skills. This may involve sending the employee to take courses or certificates or it may be accomplished through on-the-job training. Many training and development needs can be met through cost effective techniques. See the HR Toolkit section on Learning, Training and Development for more information.

3. Recruitment strategies
This strategy includes:

Recruiting new staff with the skill and abilities that your organization will need in the future Considering all the available options for strategically promoting job openings and encouraging suitable candidates to apply For strategic HR planning, each time you recruit you should be looking at the requirements from a strategic perspective. Perhaps your organization has a need for a new fundraiser right now to plan special events as part of your fundraising plan. However, if your organization is considering moving from fundraising through special events to planned giving, your recruitment strategy should be to find someone who can do both to align with the change that you plan for the future.

4. Outsourcing strategies
This strategy includes:

Using external individuals or organizations to complete some tasks Many organizations look outside their own staff pool and contract for certain skills. This is particularly helpful for accomplishing specific, specialized tasks that don't require ongoing fulltime work. Some organizations outsource HR activities, project work or bookkeeping. For example, payroll may be done by an external organization rather than a staff person, a short term project may be done using a consultant, or specific expertise such as legal advice may be purchase from an outside source. When deciding to outsource to an individual, ensure you are not mistakenly calling an employee a consultant. This is illegal and can have serious financial implications for your organization. To understand the differences between employees and self-employed people, visit the Canada Revenue Agency's website. Each outsourcing decision has implications for meeting the organization's goals and should therefore be carefully assessed.

5. Collaboration strategies
Finally, the strategic HR planning process may lead to indirect strategies that go beyond your organization. By collaborating with other organizations you may have better success at dealing with a shortage of certain skills. Types of collaboration could include:

Working together to influence the types of courses offered by educational institutions Working with other organizations to prepare future leaders by sharing in the development of promising individuals
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Sharing the costs of training for groups of employees Allowing employees to visit other organizations to gain skills and insight

Documenting the strategic HR plan

Once the strategies for HR in your organization have been developed they should be documented in an HR plan. This is a brief document that states the key assumptions and the resulting strategies along with who has responsibility for the strategies and the timelines for implementation.

Implementing the strategic HR plan

Once the HR strategic plan is complete the next step is to implement it:

1. Agreement with the plan

Ensure that the board chair, executive director and senior managers agree with the strategic HR plan. It may seem like a redundant step if everyone has been involved all the way along, but it's always good to get final confirmation.

2. Communication
The strategic HR plan needs to be communicated throughout the organization. Your communication should include:

How the plan ties to the organization's overall strategic plan What changes in HR management policies, practices and activities will be made to support the strategic plan How any changes in HR management will impact on staff including a timeframe if appropriate How each individual member of staff can contribute to the plan How staff will be supported through any changes How the organization will be different in the future It is impossible to communicate too much (but all too easy to communicate too little), especially when changes involve people. However, the amount of detail should vary depending upon the audience.

3. Legislation and mandate

Ensure that the actions you are considering are compliant with existing laws, regulations and the constitution and bylaws of your organization. To review laws relating to employment, visit the HR Toolkit section on Employment Legislation and Standards

4. Organizational needs
Whether you are increasing or reducing the number of employees, there are implications for space and equipment, and on existing resources such as payroll and benefit plans.

5. Evaluation
HR plans need to be updated on a regular basis. You will need to establish the information necessary to evaluate the success of the new plan. Benchmarks need to be selected and measured over time to determine if the plan is successful in achieving the desired objectives.

RECRUITMENT

Introduction
Recruitment means process of searching employees and selection means select the employees. Recruitment the selection function and it include only finding developing the sources of prospective employees and attractive them to apply for the job in the organization where as the selection is the process of finding out the most suitable candidate to the job out of the candidate attracted.

Definition
Recruitment is define A process to discovered the sources of manpower to meet the recruitment of the staffing schedule and to employee defective measures for attracting them man powering adequate members to facilitate effective selection of and efficient work force. Edwin b. Fillo define recruitment as The process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for the job in the organization

Purpose & importance of recruitment

Attract and encourage more and more candidates to apply in the organization. Create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best candidates for the organization. Determine present and future requirements of the organization in conjunction with its personnel planning and job analysis activities. Recruitment is the process which links the employers with the employees. Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost. Help increase the success rate of selection process by decreasing number of visibly under qualified or overqualified job applicants. Help reduce the probability that job applicants once recruited and selected will leave the organization only after a short period of time. Meet the organizations legal and social obligations regarding the composition of its workforce. Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate candidates. Increase organization and individual effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and sources for all types of job applicants
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Recruiting Process
1. Job analysis
The proper start to a recruitment effort is to perform a job analysis, to document the actual or intended requirement of the job to be performed. This information is captured in a job description and provides the recruitment effort with the boundaries and objectives of the search. Oftentimes a company will have job descriptions that represent a historical collection of tasks performed in the past. These job descriptions need to be reviewed or updated prior to a recruitment effort to reflect present day requirements. Starting recruitment with an accurate job analysis and job description ensures the recruitment effort starts off on a proper track for success.

2. Sourcing
Sourcing involves 1) advertising, a common part of the recruiting process, often encompassing multiple media, such as the Internet, general newspapers, job ad newspapers, professional publications, window advertisements, job centers, and campus graduate recruitment programs; and 2) recruitment research, which is the proactive identification of passive candidates who are happy in their current positions and are not actively looking to move companies. This initial research for so-called passive candidates, also called name generation, results in contact information of potential candidates who can then be contacted discreetly to be screened and approached on behalf of an executive search firm or corporate client (see below).

3. Screening and selection

Suitability for a job is typically assessed by looking for skills, e.g. communication, typing, and computer skills. Qualifications may be shown through rsums, job applications,interviews, educational or professional experience, the testimony of references, or in-house testing, such as for software knowledge, typing skills, numeracy, and literacy, throughpsychological tests or employment testing. Other resume screening criteria may include length of service, job titles and length of time at a job. In some countries, employers are legally mandated to provide equal opportunity in hiring. Business management software is used by many recruitment agencies to automate the testing process. Many recruiters and agencies are using an applicant tracking system to perform many of the filtering tasks, along with software tools for psychometric testing.

4. Lateral hiring
"Lateral hiring" refers to a form of recruiting; the term is used with two different, almost opposite meanings. In one meaning, the hiring organization targets employees of another, similar organization, possibly luring them with a better salary and the promise of better career opportunities. An example is the recruiting of a partner of a law firm by another law firm. The new lateral hire then has specific applicable expertise and can make a running start in the new
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job. In some professional branches such lateral hiring was traditionally frowned upon, but the practice has become increasingly more common. An employee's contract may have a noncompete clause preventing such lateral hiring. In another meaning, a lateral hire is a newly hired employee who has no prior specific applicable expertise for the new job, and for whom this job move is a radical change of career. An example is the recruiting of a university professor to become chairman of the board of a company.

5. On boarding
"On boarding" is a term which describes the process of helping new employees become productive members of an organization. A well-planned introduction helps new employees become fully operational quickly and is often integrated with a new company and environment. On boarding is included in the recruitment process for retention purposes. Many companies have on boarding campaigns in hopes to retain top talent that is new to the company; campaigns may last anywhere from 1 week to 6 months.

The 19 Steps in an Effective Recruiting Process

In this section Ill list each of the 19 distinct steps in the recruiting process, as well as the primary goal and the common cause of failure for each.

Step #1 Determine your ideal recruiting target

The goal of this step is to determine precisely who recruiting efforts should target, including performance level, experience level, and whether or not they are actively looking for a job. If youre targeting top performers or poaching from competitors, the remaining steps of the recruiting process must be designed to fit the needs in the job search process of your targeted candidate if you expect to even gain their attention. At this step many firms prioritize their jobs, so that they focus resources on jobs with the highest business impact. Common reason for failure: defining your target but failing to design the approaches used in a way capable of recruiting and hiring that type of target.

Step #2 Understanding your targets decision criteria

A significant part of any recruiting process is attracting desired talent, which you cannot do effectively without understanding what your targets consider important. This step focuses on identifying the key factors, known as job acceptance criteria, that are necessary in order to convince a qualified prospect to apply for and eventually accept a job at your firm. Common reason for failure: omitting this step altogether and producing messages based on what the recruiting team finds compelling versus what the target talent needs to hear about.

Step #3 Knowing where your target hangs out

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Having defined your target and their decision criteria, the next step aims at identifying where you are most likely to find the target talent, including what communication channels would be effective for recruitment messages. If you dont accurately identify where they spend their time, there will be a low probability of you placing compelling information about the company and the opportunity in a place they will find or pay attention to. Common reason for failure: omitting this step altogether and deploying employment branding and recruitment marketing to channels that are easiest to deploy to.

Step #4 Employment branding

Driving a pipeline of talent is the role of employment branding, a science-driven discipline that produces a consistent flow of qualified talent interested in some day working for your organization. The goal of this step is proactively developing and deploying content about what makes your organization a desirable place to work in the minds of your target talent populations. Obviously, if qualified individuals havent ever heard of your firm or they dont really think that your firm offers any positive or compelling features, you wont get many direct applicants. Common reason for failure: firms present their employer brand message in a perfect corporate format that is not judged to be authentic or believable by the target audience.

Step #5 Learning your targets job search process

At this step you implement a process designed to identify the typical process that your target audience uses once they begin a job search. The goal is to better understand precisely how they look for jobs, so that you can engineer your approach to advertising opportunities to make your jobs visible to them. If for example you learned that top talent often start job searches using Boolean search strings entered into a major search engine versus visiting a major job board, you may focus your attention on making your jobs listing search-engine acceptable and optimized, versus broadcasting to macro and micro job boards. Common reason for failure: again, many recruiting processes omit this step and as result, rely on luck or coincidence in order to be at the right place at the right time.

Step #6 Posting jobs for active candidates

Because active candidates are proactively seeking out job openings, it doesnt take a lot to make your job postings visible. During this step, the goal is to write position postings and place them where active candidates can easily find them. Obviously if the descriptions are written so that they are unappealing or they are placed where your active candidates wouldnt likely see them, you would have a low percentage of active candidates applying. Common reason for failure: many firms refuse to gather data, so they are forced to guess where active candidates look for job openings.

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Step #7 Directly sourcing non-active prospects

Because non-active prospects are not in job search mode, they are unlikely to read any job postings or to visit your corporate career site. Instead, recruiters (or your employees through the referral program) will have to identify them, contact them, build a relationship, and eventually convince them to apply through direct sourcing. Common reason for failure: many recruiting functions do little direct sourcing and as a result, they are forced (often without realizing it) to select from a pool of primarily active candidates.

Step #8 Providing prospects with additional information

At this step potential candidates have decided to consider your firm but want additional information before they decide to actually apply. The goal of this step is to make it easy for potential candidates to find positive information about your firm and its jobs. Many will visit your corporate website for additional information, opting not to apply if what they find isnt immediately compelling. Smart prospects will also look for information about your firm and what its like to work there in places you cant control, including blogs, ratings sites, and via social media. The best firms identify trusted information sources and work proactively to influence information on them. Common reason for failure: lack of interest in identifying what information candidates are most interested in and delivering a candid set of information.

Step #9 The job application process

By this step, potential candidates have been convinced to apply for a position, so the goal is for a large percentage of the qualified individuals who visit the site to complete the application process. Common reason for failure: most application processes are tedious or frustrating and there is no feedback mechanism to find out why applicants drop before they complete the process.

Step #10 Sorting applications by job

Once applications are received, the goal is to ensure that the highest quality applications are sorted relevant to the most appropriate jobs (manually or via software). Common reason for failure: no metric or feedback mechanism to measure the percentage of applications that were routed to the wrong job.

Step #11 The initial screening of applications and resumes

At this step applications are screened to see if they meet minimum qualifications for the job. The goal is to successfully qualify the applicants so that qualified applicants are not sorted out and that only a small percentage of unqualified candidates make it to the next step. Common reason for failure: the absence of a metric or feedback mechanism to measure the percentage of applications that were misclassified or that advanced without meeting minimum standards.
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Step #12 The initial phone screen

Having screened resumes, the next step involves screening the individual behind the application. The goal of this step is to gather additional information on the candidates qualifications and fit, which should help you more accurately determine which candidates advance to an interview. Common reason for failure: no metric or periodic testing to determine the accuracy of the screening process.

Step #13 Interviewing and selling qualified applicants

In this step the most qualified candidates advance to formal interviews and other assessment activities. The primary goal is to rank order the candidates by level of desirability, with a secondary goal of providing a positive candidate experience that effectively sells the best candidates on this job. Common reason for failure: the absence of a feedback mechanism to identify problems and candidate dissatisfaction with the process that leads to top talent opting out before the process is completed.

Step #14 The final interview

The goal of this step is to confirm your initial desirability ranking and set expectations among those most likely to receive an offer. Common reason for failure: the very best candidates have been previously screened out by mistake or voluntarily dropped out of the process, so remaining choices are mediocre.

Step #15 The reference checking process

With your short list vetted and expectations for an offer set, the next step validates the perception of your assessment team using references. The goal is to gather additional information on the finalist(s) and ensure information provided is not erroneous. Common reason for failure: the reference checking process is underfunded and no one is accountable for demonstrating effectiveness.

Step #16 The offer process

The goal of this step is to put together an offer that is within the companys boundaries and that meets as many of the candidates job acceptance criteria as possible. The process should have the sales and influence component that work to improve the likelihood of top candidates accepting. Common reason for failure: no one is held accountable for this step and there is seldom an effective mechanism to analyze failures and to provide feedback on how the offer process can be improved.

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Step #17 The post-offer acceptance process

Once an offer is accepted, it doesnt ensure the candidate will actually show up for work! The goal of this step is to ensure those that accept our offers dont back out (as a result of a counteroffer or second thoughts). That often means continuous communications with the new hire and providing more ties that closely link the individual to the firm prior to their start date. Common reason for failure: this step is often left to chance or is omitted.

Step #18 The on boarding process

Contrary to popular belief, the primary goal of on boarding is not to get employees enrolled in benefits, but rather to provide resources and information that enable new hires to become productive as fast as possible. Common reason for failure: failures often occur because of the week handoff between the recruiting and on boarding functions and no defined budget for on boarding.

Step #19 Feedback and new hire monitoring

If the ultimate goal is continuous improvement of the recruiting process, then this step is the most important of all. The goal of this step is to assess the performance of new hires and to use that performance information to validate or prove that the overall recruiting process is producing quality hires. If a high percentage new hires fail, quit, or are poor performers, you will know that the hiring process needs significant improvement. A secondary goal is using new hires to determine what elements of the recruiting process were and were not effective. Some organizations also consider it a goal for recruiters to work individually with new hires to improve retention. Common reason for failure: this step is skipped altogether.

Sources of Recruitment

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Internal Sources of Recruitment 1. Transfers

The employees are transferred from one department to another according to their efficiency and experience.

2. Promotions
The employees are promoted from one department to another with more benefits and greater responsibility based on efficiency and experience.

3. Others are Upgrading and Demotion of present employees according to their

performance.

4. Retired and Retrenched employees may also be recruited once again in case of
shortage of qualified personnel or increase in load of work. Recruitment such people save time and costs of the organizations as the people are already aware of the organizational culture and the policies and procedures.

5. The dependents and relatives of Deceased employees and Disabled employees are
also done by many companies so that the members of the family do not become dependent on the mercy of others.

External Sources of Recruitment 1. Press advertisements

Advertisements of the vacancy in newspapers and journals are a widely used source of recruitment. The main advantage of this method is that it has a wide reach.

2. Educational institutes
Various management institutes, engineering colleges, medical Colleges etc. are a good source of recruiting well qualified executives, engineers, medical staff etc. They provide facilities for campus interviews and placements. This source is known as Campus Recruitment.

3. Placement agencies
several private consultancy firms perform recruitment functions on behalf of client companies by charging a fee. These Agencies are particularly suitable for recruitment of executives and specialists. It is also known as RPO (Recruitment Process Outsourcing)

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4. Employment exchanges
Government establishes public employment exchanges throughout the country. These exchanges provide job information to job seekers and help employers in identifying suitable candidates.

5. Labour contractors
Manual workers can be recruited through contractors who maintain close contacts with the sources of such workers. This source is used to recruit labour for construction jobs.

6. Unsolicited applicants
Many job seekers visit the office of well-known companies on their own. Such callers are considered nuisance to the daily work routine of the enterprise. But can help in creating the talent pool or the database of the probable candidates for the organization.

7. Employee referrals / Recommendations

many organizations have structured system where the current employees of the organization can refer their friends and relatives for some position in their organization. Also, the office bearers of trade unions are often aware of the suitability of candidates. Management can inquire these leaders for suitable jobs. In some organizations these are formal agreements to give priority in recruitment to the candidates recommended by the trade union.

8. Recruitment at factory gate

Unskilled workers may be recruited at the factory gate these may be employed whenever a permanent worker is absent. More efficient among these may be recruited to fill permanent vacancies.

Factors Affecting Recruitment

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Internal Factors Affecting Recruitment The internal forces i.e. the factors which can be controlled by the organization are 1. Recruitment policy
The recruitment policy of an organization specifies the objectives of recruitment and provides a framework for implementation of recruitment programme. It may involve organizational system to be developed for implementing recruitment programmes and procedures by filling up vacancies with best qualified people. Factors Affecting Recruitment Policy Organizational objectives Personnel policies of the organization and its competitors Government policies on reservations. Preferred sources of recruitment. Need of the organization. Recruitment costs and financial implications.

2. Human resource planning

Effective human resource planning helps in determining the gaps present in the existing manpower of the organization. It also helps in determining the number of employees to be recruited and what qualification they must possess.

3. Size of the firm

The size of the firm is an important factor in recruitment process. If the organization is planning to increase its operations and expand its business, it will think of hiring more personnel, which will handle its operations.

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

5. Growth and expansion

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

External Factors Affecting Recruitment

The external forces are the forces which cannot be controlled by the organization. The major external forces are:

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1. Supply and demand

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

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

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

4. Political-social- legal environment

Various government regulations prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment have direct impact on recruitment practices. For example, Government of India has introduced legislation for reservation in employment for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, physically handicapped etc. Also, trade unions play important role in recruitment. This restricts management freedom to select those individuals who it believes would be the best performers. If the candidate cant meet criteria stipulated by the union but union regulations can restrict recruitment sources.

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

6. Competitors
The recruitment policies of the competitors also effect the recruitment function of the organizations. To face the competition, many a times the organizations have to change their recruitment policies according to the policies being followed by the competitors.

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Recruitment Policy of a Company

In todays rapidly changing business environment, a well defined recruitment policy is necessary for organizations to respond to its human resource requirements in time. Therefore, it is important to have a clear and concise recruitment policy in place, which can be executed effectively to recruit the best talent pool for the selection of the right candidate at the right place quickly. Creating a suitable recruitment policy is the first step in the efficient hiring process. A clear and concise recruitment policy helps ensure a sound recruitment process. It specifies the objectives of recruitment and provides a framework for implementation of recruitment programme. It may involve organizational system to be developed for implementing recruitment programmes and procedures by filling up vacancies with best qualified people

Components of the Recruitment Policy

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

A recruitment policy of an organization should be such that

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

Factors Affecting Recruitment Policy

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

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Difference between Recruitment and Selection

Basis Recruitment Selection

Meaning

It is an activity of establishing contact between employers and applicants.

It is a process of picking up more competent and suitable employees.

Objective

It encourages large number of Candidates for a job.

It attempts at rejecting unsuitable candidates.

Process

It is a simple process.

It is a complicated process.

Hurdles

The candidates have not to cross over many hurdles.

Many hurdles have to be crossed.

Approach

It is a positive approach.

It is a negative approach.

Sequence

It proceeds selection.

It follows recruitment.

Economy

It is an economical method.

It is an expensive method.

Time Consuming

Less time is required.

More time is required.

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SELECTION Introduction
Selection The selection of a candidate with the right combination of education, work experience, attitude, and creativity will not only increase the quality and stability of the workforce, it will also play a large role in bringing management strategies and planning to fruition.

Definition
Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify those with greater likelihood of success in a job. Selection is the process of obtaining and using information about job applicants in order to determine who should be hired for long- or short- term positions.

Selection Process
1 2 3

Preliminary Interviews
Application blanks Written Tests

4 5 6

Employment Interviews Medical examination Appointment Letter

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The Employee Selection Process Takes Place in Following Order 1. Preliminary Interviews
It is used to eliminate those candidates who do not meet the minimum eligibility criteria laid down by the organization. The skills, academic and family background, competencies and interests of the candidate are examined during preliminary interview. Preliminary interviews are less formalized and planned than the final interviews. The candidates are given a brief up about the company and the job profile; and it is also examined how much the candidate knows about the company. Preliminary interviews are also called screening interviews.

2. Application blanks
The candidates who clear the preliminary interview are required to fill application blank. It contains data record of the candidates such as details about age, qualifications, reason for leaving previous job, experience, etc.

3. Written Tests
Various written tests conducted during selection procedure are aptitude test, intelligence test, reasoning test, personality test, etc. These tests are used to objectively assess the potential candidate. They should not be biased.

4. Employment Interviews
It is a one to one interaction between the interviewer and the potential candidate. It is used to find whether the candidate is best suited for the required job or not. But such interviews consume time and money both. Moreover the competencies of the candidate cannot be judged. Such interviews may be biased at times. Such interviews should be conducted properly. No distractions should be there in room. There should be an honest communication between candidate and interviewer.

5. Medical examination
Medical tests are conducted to ensure physical fitness of the potential employee. It will decrease chances of employee absenteeism.

6. Appointment Letter
A reference check is made about the candidate selected and then finally he is appointed by giving a formal appointment letter.

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Employee selection methods

Resume screening

phone interviws Face to face interviews

1. Resume Screening
The first step in the employee selection process is to solicit resumes. A person's resume will provide a recruiter with the initial insight necessary to determine whether a candidate should be taken to the next step. A resume should show academic achievements, experience, and leadership or community involvement. The resume should be free of typos, and if you have lots of candidates to choose from, you should focus on resumes tailored to the job for which you are recruiting.

2. Phone Interviews
Contact the people with resumes that show the most achievement and contain the most relevant experience for the job. Schedule phone interviews with these applicants. Phone interviews can further winnow your pool of applicants. For example, if you are recruiting for a customer service position and applicants sound unprofessional or easily flustered or are poor communicators, thank them for their time and move on to the next candidate. This saves the hiring manager time because only candidates who provide good answers, show that they can think quickly on their feet and behave in a professional manner will be brought in for a face-to-face interview.

3. Face-to-Face Interviews
The face-to-face interview is the final step in the employee selection process. A face-to-face interview allows you to get the best feel for whether a candidate is right for the job. An interview provides further insight as to professionalism, people skills and expertise. Minor issues--whether they are dressed appropriately for the interview, have a firm handshake, and look you in the eye when they first meet you--can all be assessed. In the business world, they make a surprising difference. The resume screening and the phone interview will provide you with most of what you need to know, but a face-to-face interview will provide the nuances necessary to make your final decision.
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Types of Employment Tests

1. Assessment Centers
Assessment centers can be designed to measure many different types of job related skills and abilities, but are often used to assess interpersonal skills, communication skills, planning and organizing, and analytical skills. The assessment center typically consists of exercises that reflect job content and types of problems faced on the job. For example, individuals might be evaluated on their ability to make a sales presentation or on their behavior in a simulated meeting. In addition to these simulation exercises, assessment centers often include other kinds of tests such as cognitive ability tests, personality inventories, and job knowledge tests. The assessment center typically uses multiple raters who are trained to observe, classify, and evaluate behaviors. At the end of the assessment center, the raters meet to make overall judgments about peoples performance in the center.

2. Biographical Data
The content of biographical data instruments varies widely, and may include such areas as leadership, teamwork skills, specific job knowledge and specific skills (e.g., knowledge of certain software, specific mechanical tool use), interpersonal skills, extraversion, creativity, etc. Biographical data typically uses questions about education, training, work experience, and interests to predict success on the job. Some biographical data instruments also ask about an individuals attitudes, personal assessments of skills, and personality.

3. Cognitive Ability Tests

Cognitive ability tests typically use questions or problems to measure ability to learn quickly, logic, reasoning, reading comprehension and other enduring mental abilities that are fundamental to success in many different jobs. Cognitive ability tests assess a persons aptitude or potential to solve job-related problems by providing information about their mental abilities such as verbal or mathematical reasoning and perceptual abilities like speed in recognizing letters of the alphabet.

4. Integrity Tests
Integrity tests assess attitudes and experiences related to a persons honesty, dependability, trustworthiness, reliability, and pro-social behavior. These tests typically ask direct questions about previous experiences related to ethics and integrity OR ask questions about preferences and interests from which inferences are drawn about future behavior in these areas. Integrity tests are used to identify individuals who are likely to engage in inappropriate, dishonest, and antisocial behavior at work.
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5. Interviews
Interviews vary greatly in their content, but are often used to assess such things as interpersonal skills, communication skills, and teamwork skills, and can be used to assess job knowledge. Well-designed interviews typically use a standard set of questions to evaluate knowledge, skills, abilities, and other qualities required for the job. The interview is the most commonly used type of test. Employers generally conduct interviews either face-to-face or by phone.

6. Job Knowledge Tests

Job knowledge tests typically use multiple choice questions or essay type items to evaluate technical or professional expertise and knowledge required for specific jobs or professions. Examples of job knowledge tests include tests of basic accounting principles, A+/Net+ programming, and blueprint reading.

7. Personality Tests
Some commonly measured personality traits in work settings are extraversion, conscientiousness, openness to new experiences, optimism, agreeableness, service orientation, stress tolerance, emotional stability, and initiative or proactively. Personality tests typically measure traits related to behavior at work, interpersonal interactions, and satisfaction with different aspects of work. Personality tests are often used to assess whether individuals have the potential to be successful in jobs where performance requires a great deal of interpersonal interaction or work in team settings.

8. Physical Ability Tests

Physical ability tests typically use tasks or exercises that require physical ability to perform. These tests typically measure physical attributes and capabilities, such as strength, balance, and speed.

9. Work Samples and Simulations

These tests typically focus on measuring specific job skills or job knowledge, but can also assess more general skills such as organizational skill, analytic skills, and interpersonal skills. Work samples and simulations typically require performance of tasks that are the same or similar to those performed on the job to assess their level of skill or competence. For example, work samples might involve installing a telephone line, creating a document in Word, or tuning an engine.

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