Recruitment, Selection & Interview

Learning-
• Objective of Recruitment.
• Factors affecting Recruitment.
• Sources of Recruitment.
• Recruitment Technique.
• Modern Source of Recruitment.
• Selection Procedure.
• Interview Process.
• Frequently asked question.
• Interview format.
 RECRUITMENT
“A process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing
schedule and to employ effective measures for efficient workforce.”

“The process searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in
the organization.”
- Edwin B. Flippo
RECRUITMENT

To attract people with multi-dimensional skills and experience that suit the present and future
organizational strategies.

To induct outsiders with a new perspective to lead the company.

To infuse fresh blood at all levels of the organization.

To develop an organizational culture that attracts competent people to the company.

To search or head hunt/head pouch people whose skills fit the company’s values.

To devise methodologies for assessing psychological traits

To seek non-conventional development grounds for talent.

To search for talent globally and not just within the company.

To design entry pay that competes on quality but not on quantum.

To anticipate and find people for positions that do not exist yet.
RECRUITMENT

Factors Affecting Recruitment

Internal Factors External Factors

• Company’s Pay Package • Socio-economic Factors

• Quality of Worklife • Supply and Demand Factors
• Organizational Culture • Employment Rate
• Career Planning and Growth • Labor Market Conditions
• Company’s Size • Political, Legal and
Governmental Factors like
• Company’s Products/Services
reservations for SC/ST/BC and
• Geographical Spread of the sons-of-soil.
Company’s Operations
• Information System like
• Company’s Growth Rate Employment Exchanges/Tele-
recruitment like Internet.
• Role of Trade Unions
• Cost of Recruitment
• Company’s Name and Fame
RECRUITMENT

Sources of Recruitment

Internal Sources External Sources

• Present permanent employees • Campus Recruitment

• Present temporary/casual • Private Employment / Agencies
employees / Consultants
• Retrenched or retired • Public Employment Exchanges
employees
• Professional Associations
• Dependents of deceased,
• Data Banks
disabled, retired and present
employees • Casual Applicants
• Similar Organizations
• Trade Unions
• Poaching
• E-Recruitment
RECRUITMENT

Why do Organizations Prefer Internal Source?

Internal recruitment can be used as a technique of motivation.

Morale of the employees can be improved.

Suitability of the internal candidates can be judged better than the external candidates as “known
devils are better than unknown angels.”

Loyalty, commitment, a sense of belongingness, and security of the present employees can be
enhanced.

Employees’ psychological needs can be met by providing an opportunity for advancement.

Employees economic needs for promotion, higher income can be satisfied.

Cost of selection can be minimized.

Cost of training, induction, orientation, period of adaptability to the organization can be reduced

Trade unions can be satisfied.

Social responsibility towards employees may be discharged.

Stability of employment can be ensured.

RECRUITMENT

Why do Organizations Prefer External Source?

The suitable candidates with skill, knowledge, talent etc., are generally available.

Candidates can be selected without any pre-conceived notion or reservations.

Cost of employees can be minimized because employees selected from this source are generally
placed in minimum pay scale.

Expertise, excellence and experience in other organizations can be easily brought into the
organization.

Human resources mix can be balanced with different background, experience, skill etc.

Latest knowledge, skill, innovative or creative talent can also be flowed into the organization.

Existing will also broadens their personality.

Long-run benefit to the organization in the sense that qualitative human resources can be
brought.
RECRUITMENT

Recruitment Techniques

For internal candidates:

Promotions
Transfers

For external candidates:

Present Employees
Scouting
Advertising
RECRUITMENT

Modern Sources and Techniques of Recruitment

• Walk-In
• Consult-In
• Head-hunting
• Body Shopping
• Business Alliances
• Tele-Recruitment
• Poaching
• E-Recruitment
RECRUITMENT

THE FIT THE PROBES

• A winner’s mindset
• An ability to lead dramatic change
• Hands-on
• An ability to stretch
• An ability to deal with ambiguity
• An orientation towards the
business
STARTER PROBES: To build a rapport with the
candidate, give the interviewer immediate control of
the interview, and probe what the interviewer
believes is the major issue in the candidate’s
background
JOB FIT PROBES: Probes the candidate’s
educational background, work experience, career
expectations, preferences on national – and
international – mobility, and the expected
compensation package

• A certain impact and presence

SUCCESS FACTOR PROBES: Looks at the
• Flair and style candidate’s ability to be successful at his or her job.
Executive maturity, ability to lead and manage
• Open and informal people, excecutional excellence, and knowledge of
the business are probed
• Aggression
FATAL FLAW PROCESS: If a candidate exhibits
• Innovation
certain traits – lack of drive, a penchant for playing
office politics, losing cool under pressure, promoting
• High achievement
self-interest, and low integrity – these automatically
disqualify him
RECRUITMENT

YOUTH: As Reebok’s consumers are young, the company stresses youth. So the
average age at Reebok is 28 years

A SPORTY INFORMAL:
ATTITUDE:
HANDS-ON: Employees
Employees must have an
should have a As Reebok has ability to cope
passion for the only 29 with
fitness employees, the informality, a
business and ability to get flat
reflect the one’s hands organization,
company’s dirty is crucial and absence
aspirations of hierarchies

EMPOWERED: Employees must be able to take decisions independently and perform

consistently with their clearly-defined roles
 SELECTION
“The selection procedure is the system of functions and devices adopted in a given
company to ascertain whether the candidates’ specifications are matched with the job
specifications and requirements or not.”

The selection procedure cannot be effective until and unless:

1. Requirements of the job to be filled have been clearly specified (Job
analysis, etc.)
2. Employee specifications (physical, mental, social, behavioral, etc.) have
been clearly specified.
3. Candidates for screening have been attached
SELECTION

1 Job Analysis 2 Recruitment

3 Application Form 4 Written Examination

5 Preliminary Interview 6 Business Games

7 Tests 8 Final Interview

9 Medical Examination 10 Reference Checks

11 Line Manager’s Decision 12 Employment

a) Aptitude Test.
b) Interest Test.

c) Intelligence Test.

d) Performance or achievement test.

i) Test for measuring job knowledge

ii) Work sample test
a) Personality Test.

i) Objective test
ii) Personality test
iii) Situation test
 According to Scott- An interview is a
purposeful exchange of ideas, the answering
of questions and communication between two
or more persons.
 According to Dr.Biswanath Ghosh- The
interview is a face to face ,oral, observational
and personal appraisal method of evaluating
the applicant. It can also be described as a
conversation with a purpose and is used
almost universally in the staffing process.
SELECTION

a Preparation for the Interview Appropriate type of interview

The areas to be tested

Type and number of interviews

Review the information

b Conduct the Interview Open the interview

Get complete and accurate information

Record observations and impressions

Guide the interview

Check the success of the interview

c Close the Interview

d Evaluate Interview Results

 Preliminary interview.
 Extensive / Depth interview.
 Stress interview.
 Discussions interview.
 Structural interview.
 Non-Structural interview.
 Group interview
 Final interview
 Panel
Panel
Individuals
Individuals Interviews
Interviews

Interviews
Interviews

Video
Video Team
Team
Interviewing
Interviewing Interviews
Interviews
 Personal bias.
 Halo effect.
 Constant errors.
 Leniency
 Projection.
 Stereotyping.
 Conducting an Effective Interview
◦ Planning the interview
◦ Controlling the interview
◦ Using proper questioning techniques
 Question types to avoid in interviews
◦ Yes/No questions
◦ Obvious questions
◦ Questions that rarely produce a true answer
◦ Leading questions
◦ Illegal questions
◦ Questions that are not job related
SELECTION

What goals have you set for yourself? How are you planning to achieve them?

What factors did you consider in choosing your majors?

Tell me how do you perceive your strengths. Your weaknesses. How do you evaluate yourself?

What was the most useful criticism you ever received, and who was it from?

How do you motivate people?

Why did you choose the extra-curricular activities you did? What did you gain? What did you contribute?

Give an example of a situation in which you failed. How you handled it?

What two or three accomplishments have given you the most satisfaction?

What idea have you developed and implemented that was particularly creative or innovative?

Describe a situation where you had to work with someone who was difficult. How was the person difficult, and how
did you handle it?

Describe a leadership role of yours and how you committed time to it?

What work experience has been the most valuable to you and why?

What are your team player qualities? Give examples

Describe a situation were you had a conflict with another individual, and how you dealt with it.

Tell me about your expectations from your future employer?

SELECTION

Candidate’s Name Date

Source Direct Computer Institute Internet

Referral Advertisement Placement Agency Campus

Position Test Score

Parameter 0 1 2 3 4 5
No Data Deficient Average Capable Strong Exceptional

Functional Ability / Computer Skills

Work Exp. Value Addition

Mental Acumen

General Knowledge

Assertiveness / Initiative

Leadership Capability

Team Work & Adaptability

Maturity

Personal Impact / Communication

Potential

Overall Rating
SELECTION

Strengths Development Areas

Recommendation Financial Information Processing Technology Call Centers

Allocation
Collections Sales

Work Experience Weightage: 0% 25% - 50% 75% 100%

Candidate open to: Staggered Hours Sunday working Overnight Shift working

Overall Comments:

Recommendation Hire Hold for Comparison Turndown

Interviewer’s Name Signature Date

 Recruitment – The Cisco Way

“Our philosophy is very simple – if you get the best people in the industry
to fit into your culture and you motivate them properly,
then you’re going to be an industry leader.’

John Chamber
CEO, Cisco Systems
RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

The Case:

The case examines various changes brought about by global networking major.
Cisco, in its recruitment policies in the mid-1990s

Background of Cisco:

Cisco was founded in 1984 by a group of computer scientists at Stanford, who

designed an operating software called IOS (Internet Operating System)

In 1985, the company started a customer support site from where customers
could download software over FTP and also upgrade the downloaded software. It
provided technical support to its customers through emails
RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

Introduction to the case:

In 1995, global networking major, Cisco, found that despite hiring an average of 1,000 people
every three months during the year, the company still had hundreds of openings.

Cisco hired more than 1,000 employees every quarter – around 10 percent of the total jobs
generated through Internet in the Silicon Valley.

The management realized that they had to adopt innovative recruitment measures to get the best
people and remain the leader in the Internet era. Foremost among these was the first of its kind
online recruitment called the ‘Friends program’

In 2001, the company recruited around 40-50% of its employees through ‘Make a friend @ Cisco’
online program and other such initiatives

“Friends is designed to put some grace into the hiring process.”. Cisco recruiters have also began
to target passive job seekers, who were content and successful in their existing jobs.

- Michael McNeal, Director, Corporate Employment

RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

Cisco’s Vision Statement:

“Attracting, growing and retaining great talent is critical to sustaining Cisco’s competitive
advantage.”

Cisco sources revealed that the company had a policy of attracting the ‘top 10-15 percent’ people
in the networking industry. It believed that if it could get the best people in the industry and retain
them, it would remain the industry leader

Cisco’s recruiting team identified the candidates whom they felt that the company ‘should hire,’
and then figured out ways those potential candidates did their job hunting and designed hiring
processes to attract them to the company.

“The top 10 percent are not typically found in the first round of layoffs from other companies, and
they usually aren’t cruising through the want ads.”

- Barbara Beck, Vice President, Human Resources

RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

Since the most sought after employees were not accessible, Cisco deviced a strategy to lure
them.

As part of its strategy to attract the best talent, Cisco changed the way it used wanted
advertisements in newspapers. Instead of listing specific job openings, the company featured its
Internet address in its ads and invited prospective candidates to apply.

The company learned to attract happily employed people through focus groups. For example, it
was found that most professionals like to watch movies in their free time, websites on ‘corporate
cartoon Dilbert’ were extremely popular and most professionals hated job hunting.

Cisco linked its website to the Dilbert web page, which registered around 2.5 million hits per day,
mainly from engineers and Internet-savvy managers.
RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

The focus group’s exercise made Cisco realize that a candidate would approach the company if
he had been informed by a friend about better opportunities at Cisco.

Cisco also reached out to potential applicants through a variety of routes which were unusual in
recruiting. It began frequenting art fairs, beer festivals and certain annual events in which people
from Silicon Valley participated. These places proved to be very ‘fruitful hunting venues’ as they
attracted young achievers from various successful infotech companies.

Cisco recruiters mingled with the crowd, collected business cards from prospective candidates
and spoke to them informally about their careers. The Cisco employees then called the prospects
to inform them in their own words about life at the company.

By 1999, about one third of new recruitments were made through the Friends program, Cisco
launched a tool called Profiler on the employment page of its website to accelerate and
standardize online resume submission.
RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

To avoid applicants from being caught by their current employers while using Profiler, Cisco
designed each screen with an escape button that opened web page about gift suggestions for co-
workers.

To speed up the hiring process, Cisco hired in-house headhunters to identify qualified candidates
for managers.

Cisco also encouraged internal referrals for recruitment through a program called ‘Amazing
People.’ This system allowed Cisco employees to refer their friends, acquaintances for positions
in Cisco. Employees were given bonus if the company hired the person they referred.

Every new recruit was assigned a ‘buddy’ who clarified all doubts and answered questions about
Cisco and work in general.
RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

Cisco believed that its new recruitment philosophy should be made a part of the overall corporate
culture. By last 2000, Cisco’s job page was recording around 500,000 hits per month.

Cisco, which was hiring approximately 8,000 people a year, received 81 percent of the resumes
were from the web.

Eventually, 66 percent of the new recruits were the candidates who had sent their resumes
through the Cisco website.

It was also reported that about 45 percent of the company’s new recruits came from the Amazing
People program.

Cisco’s hiring cycle also came down to 45 days from 68 days.

The recruitment costs in this ‘direct mode’ was around 40 percent below the industry average.
RECRUITMENT - THE CISCO WAY

Referral rates at Cisco were twice the industry norm and that created a performance edge, as
most recruits were qualified employees with vast experience.

By 2002, referrals and the friends program accounted for 50-60 percent of new employees. Most
importantly, the retention rate at the company had also increased.

According to the company sources on average Cisco employees accessed the corporate e-HR
site 16 times a day for information about job cuts.

Analysts claimed that Cisco’s innovative and aggressive recruiting initiatives were to a large
extent responsible for the company’s expansion at 40 percent every year and recruiting 250
employees every week despite the global dot-cum slump.

Industry observers felt that other players should also change their recruitment policies to keep up
with Cisco’s ‘power-staffing’ recruitment.
Placement- Actual placement of an
employee to an specific job-with rank and
responsibility attached to it.
Benefit of Proper Placement:- The
Employee is able to-
1. Show good result in the job.
2. Get along with people easily.
3. Keep his spirits high, report for duty
regularly.
4. Avoid mistakes and accidents.
Induction-Introduction of a person to the job and the
organization.
Objectives-Induction serves the following purposes:
• Remove fears:-Assist him knowing more about-
a) The job, its content,policies,rules and regulations.
b) The people with whom he is supposed to interact.
c) The terms and conditions of employment.

• Creates a good impression:-It helps him to-

a) Adjust and adapt to new demands of the job.
b) Get along with people.
c) Get off to a good start.
• Acts as a valuable source of Information.
• Welcome to the organization.
• Explain about the company.
• Show the location/dept.,where the new recruits will work.
• Give the company’s manual to the new recruit.
• Provide details about various work groups and the extent of
unionism within the company.
• Give details about pay,benefit,holydays,leave etc.Emphasis the
importance of attendance or punctuality.
• Explain about future training opportunities and career prospects.
• Clarify doubts by encouraging the employee to come out with
questions.
• Take the employee on a guided tour of buildings, facilities
etc.Hand him over to his supervisor.
Employee movement that occurs when an employee is
moved from one job to another that is relatively equal in
pay, responsibility and/or organizational level.

Purpose of Transfer:-

 To meet the organizational requirements.

 To satisfy the employee needs.
 To utilize employees better.
 To make the employee more versatile.
 To adjust the work force.
 To provide relief.
 To reduce conflicts.
 To punish employees.
A. Production transfers:- Transfer caused due to
changes in production.
B. Replacement transfer:-Transfer caused due to
replacement of an employee working on the same
job for a long time.
C. Rotation transfer:-Transfers initiated to increase
the versatility of employees.
D. Shift transfer:-Transfer of an employee from one
shift to another.
E. Remedial transfer:-Transfer initiated to correct the
wrong placements.
F. Penal transfers:- Transfer initiated as a
punishment for in disciplinary action of employees.
Employee movement from current job to another that is higher in pay,
responsibility and/or organizational level.
Bases of Promotion:- Organizations adopt different bases of
promotion depending upon their nature,size,management,etc. The
different bases are-
Merit-based Promotions: Merit based promotions occur when an
employee is promoted because of superior performance in the current
job.
Merit denotes an individual’s knowledge,skills,abilities and efficiency as
measured from his educational qualifications,experience,training and
past employment record.
Advantages:-
• Motivate employees,knowledge improvement, acquire new skills etc.
• Helps employer to focus attention on talented people,recognise and
rewards their meritorious contribution in an appropriate way.
• Inspire the employees to improve their standards of performance
through active participation in all developmental initiatives.
Seniority based promotions:-Seniority refers to the relative
length of service in the same organisation.Promoting an
employee through the longest period of services rendered in
the organization and there is no chances of discrimination or
favoritism etc.Unions are generally supported this base of
promotion.
Limitations:
• Assumptions that the employees learn more with length of
service is not valid as employees may learn up to a certain
stage.
• Demotivates the young and more competent employees and
results in greater employee turnover.
• It kills the zeal and interest to develop as everybody will be
promoted without showing any all round growth and promise.
• Judging the seniority theoretical its seems to be easy but in
practice its highly difficult.
Employee movement that occurs when an employee
is moved from one job to another that is lower in
pay, responsibility and/or organizational level.
The several factors are responsible for demotions:-
• A promote is unable to meet the challenges posed
by anew job(technically superior, administratively
complex, involving much responsibility etc)
• Due to adverse business conditions, organizations
may decide to lay off some and downgrade other
jobs.
• Demotions may be used as disciplinary tools
against errant employees.
 The Service agreement between the employee and
the employer comes to an end and the employee
decides to leave the organizations. Separations can
take several forms such as:
1. Resignation:-A voluntary separation initiated by the
employee himself. The reason may be showing as
getting a better job, changing careers, wanting to
spend more time with family, or leisure activities.
Sometimes it can be employee’s dis-
pleasure,pay,working condition,colegues
etc,Sometimes employer initiated to employee due to
various reason etc.
2. Retirement:-Termination of services on reaching the age of
superannuation.
• Compulsory Retirement- Govt.employees retire compulsorily
after attaining the age of superannuation (either 58 or 60).In
the private sector the retirement age may well go beyond
60,depending on a person’s ability to perform well in a
competitive scenario.
• Voluntary retirement- In case of this the normal retirement
benefits are calculated and paid to all such employees who
put in a minimum qualifying service.
• Death:- Some employees may die in service. When the death
is caused by occupational hazzards,the employee gets
commission as per the provisions of Workmen’s
Compensation Act,1923.On compassionate grounds, some
organizations offer employment to the
spouse/child/dependent of the employee who dies in
harness.
3. Lay off:-A lay off entails the separation of employee
from the organization temporarily for economic or
business reason.
The purpose of lay off is to trim the extra fat and make
the organization lean and competitive.
4. Retrenchment:- A permanent lay off for reasons
other than punishment but not retirement but not
retirement or termination owing to ill-health.

Out placement:- Efforts made by the employer to help

a recently separated employees find a job.