RECRUITMENT


Recruitment is an important part of an organization’s human resource planning and their competitive strength. Competent human resources at the right positions in the organisation are a vital resource and can be a core competency or a strategic advantage for it.

The objective of the recruitment process is to obtain the number and quality of employees that can be selected in order to help the organisation to achieve its goals and objectives. With the same objective, recruitment helps to create a pool of prospective employees for the organisation so that the management can select the right candidate for the right job from this pool. Recruitment acts as a link between the employers and the job seekers and ensures the placement of right candidate at the right place at the right time. Using and following the right recruitment processes can facilitate the selection of the best candidates for the organisation. 
Meaning Of Recruitment
According to Edwin B. Flippo, recruitment is the process of searching the candidates for employment and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation”. Recruitment is the activity that links the employers and the job seekers. A few definitions of recruitment are:  
•       A process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. The process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applications are submitted. The result is a pool of applications from which new employees are selected.
•       It is the process to discover sources of manpower to meet the requirement of staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force. 
Recruitment of candidates is the function preceding the selection, which helps create a pool of prospective employees for the organisation so that the management can select the right candidate for the right job from this pool. The main objective of the recruitment process is to expedite the selection process.
Recruitment is a continuous process whereby the firm attempts to develop a pool of qualified applicants for the future human resources needs even though specific vacancies do not exist. Usually, the recruitment process starts when a manger initiates an employee requisition for a specific vacancy or an anticipated vacancy.

  
RECRUITMENT NEEDS ARE OF THREE TYPES

·         PLANNED
i.e. the needs arising from changes in organization and retirement policy.
·         ANTICIPATED
Anticipated needs are those movements in personnel, which an organization can predict by studying trends in internal and external environment.
·         UNEXPECTED
Resignation, deaths, accidents, illness give rise to unexpected needs. 
Purpose & Importance Of Recruitment
The Purpose and Importance of Recruitment are given below:

  • Attract and encourage more and more candidates to apply in the organisation.
  • Create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best candidates for the organisation.
  • 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  

    Recruitment Process
    The recruitment and selection is the major function of the human resource department and recruitment process is the first step towards creating the competitive strength and the recruitment strategic advantage for the organisations. Recruitment process involves a systematic procedure from sourcing the candidates to arranging and conducting the interviews and requires many resources and time. A general recruitment process is as follows:
    Ø   Identifying the vacancy:
    The recruitment process begins with the human resource department receiving requisitions for     recruitment from any department of the company. These contain:

    • Posts to be filled
    • Number of persons
    • Duties to be performed
    • Qualifications required
    Ø     Preparing the job description and person specification.
    Ø Locating and developing the sources of required number and type of employees (Advertising etc). 
    Ø Short-listing and identifying the prospective employee with required characteristics. 
    Ø    Arranging the interviews with the selected candidates. 
    Ø    Conducting the interview and decision making

     

    1.   Identify vacancy 
    2. Prepare job description and person specification 
    3. Advertising the vacancy 
    4. Managing the response 
    5. Short-listing 
    6. Arrange interviews 
    7. Conducting interview and decision making
The recruitment process is immediately followed by the selection process i.e. the final interviews and the decision making, conveying the decision and the appointment formalities.



Sources Of Recruitment

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



Some Internal Sources Of Recruitments are given below:
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 organisations as the people are already aware of the organisational 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)
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 organisation.
  4. EMPLOYEE REFERRALS / RECOMMENDATIONS
    Many organisations have structured system where the current employees of the organisation can refer their friends and relatives for some position in their organisation. Also, the office bearers of trade unions are often aware of the suitability of candidates.     Recruitment 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.
  5. 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.

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)
  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 organisation.
  4. EMPLOYEE REFERRALS / RECOMMENDATIONS
    Many organisations have structured system where the current employees of the organisation can refer their friends and relatives for some position in their organisation. Also, the office bearers of trade unions are often aware of the suitability of candidates.     Recruitment 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.
  5. 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
    The recruitment function of the organisations is affected and governed by a mix of various internal and external forces. The internal forces or factors are the factors that can be controlled by the organisation. And the external factors are those factors which cannot be controlled by the organisation. The internal and external forces affecting recruitment function of an organisation are: 

    Internal Factors Affecting Recruitment

    The internal factors or forces which affecting recruitment and can be controlled by the organisation are 1. RECRUITMENT POLICY
    The     recruitment policy of an organisation 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.
  6. 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.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. GROWTH AND EXPANSION
    Organization will employ or think of employing more personnel if it is expanding it’s operations.
  10. GROWTH AND EXPANSION
    Organization will employ or think of employing more personnel if it is expanding it’s operations.    The external factors which affecting recruitment are the forces which cannot be controlled by the organisation. The major external forces are:

    The external factors which affecting recruitment are the forces which cannot be controlled by the organisation. The major external forces are: 

    1.   SUPPLY AND DEMAND
    The availability of manpower both within and outside the organization is an important determinant in the     recruitment process. If the company has a demand for more professionals and there is limited supply in the market for the professionals demanded by the company, then the company will have to depend upon internal sources by providing them special training and development programs.
    2.   LABOUR MARKET
    Employment conditions in the community where the organization is located will influence the recruiting efforts of the organization. If there is surplus of manpower at the time of recruitment, even informal attempts at the time of recruiting like notice boards display of the requisition or announcement in the meeting etc will attract more than enough applicants.
    3.    IMAGE / GOODWILL
    Image of the employer can work as a potential constraint for     recruitment. An organization with positive image and goodwill as an employer finds it easier to attract and retain employees than an organization with negative image. Image of a company is based on what organization does and affected by industry. For example finance was taken up by fresher MBA’s when many finance companies were coming up.
    4.   POLITICAL-SOCIAL- LEGAL ENVIRONMENT
    Various government regulations prohibiting discrimination in hiring and employment have direct impact on recruitment practices. For example, Government of India has introduced legislation for reservation in employment for scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, physically handicapped etc. Also, trade unions play important role in recruitment. This restricts management freedom to select those individuals who it believes would be the best performers. If the candidate can’t meet criteria stipulated by the union but union regulations can restrict recruitment sources.
    5.    UNEMPLOYMENT RATE
    One of the factors that influence the availability of applicants is the growth of the economy (whether economy is growing or not and its rate). When the company is not creating new jobs, there is often oversupply of qualified labour which in turn leads to unemployment.
    6.    COMPETITORS
    The     recruitment policies of the competitors also effect the recruitment function of the organisations. To face the competition, many a times the organisations have to change their recruitment policies according to the policies being followed by the competitors.

    Recruitment Policy Of a Company

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

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

    COMPONENTS OF THE RECRUITMENT POLICY
    The general recruitment policies and terms of the organization 
    Recruitment services of consultants 
    Recruitment of temporary employees 
    Unique recruitment situations 
    The selection process 
    The job descriptions 
    The terms and conditions of the employment
    A recruitment policy of an organisation 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 organisational needs.


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

    Recent Trends in Recruitment

    The following trends are being seen in recruitment:

    OUTSOURCING

    In India, the HR processes are being outsourced from more than a decade now. A company may draw required personnel from outsourcing firms. The outsourcing firms help the organisation by the initial screening of the candidates according to the needs of the organisation and creating a suitable pool of talent for the final selection by the organisation. Outsourcing firms develop their human resource pool by employing people for them and make available personnel to various companies as per their needs. In turn, the outsourcing firms or the intermediaries charge the organisations for their services.

    Advantages of outsourcing are:
    1. Company need not plan for human resources much in advance.
    2. Value creation, operational flexibility and competitive advantage  
        3. turning the management's focus to strategic level processes of HRM
    3. Company is free from salary negotiations, weeding the unsuitable          resumes/candidates.
    4. Company can save a lot of its resources and time

    • POACHING/RAIDING
      “Buying talent” (rather than developing it) is the latest mantra being followed by the organisations today. Poaching means employing a competent and experienced person already working with another reputed company in the same or different industry; the organisation might be a competitor in the industry. A company can attract talent from another firm by offering attractive pay packages and other terms and conditions, better than the current employer of the candidate. But it is seen as an unethical practice and not openly talked about. Indian software and the retail sector are the sectors facing the most severe brunt of poaching today. It has become a challenge for human resource managers to face and tackle poaching, as it weakens the competitive strength of the firm.
    • E-RECRUITMENT
      Many big organizations use Internet as a source of recruitment. E-recruitment is the use of technology to assist the recruitment process. They advertise job vacancies through worldwide web. The job seekers send their applications or curriculum vitae i.e. CV through e mail using the Internet. Alternatively job seekers place their CV’s in worldwide web, which can be drawn by prospective employees depending upon their requirements.

      Advantages of recruitment are:
    - Low cost.
    - No intermediaries
    - Reduction in time for recruitment.
    - Recruitment of right type of people.
    - Efficiency of recruitment process.

    Recruitment Vs Selection

    Both recruitment and selection are the two phases of the employment process. The differences between the two are:
    1.   The recruitment is the process of searching the candidates for employment and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation WHEREAS selection involves the series of steps by which the candidates are screened for choosing the most suitable persons for vacant posts.
    2.   The basic purpose of recruitments is to create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best candidates for the organisation, by attracting more and more employees to apply in the organisation WHEREAS the basic purpose of selection process is to choose the right candidate to fill the various positions in the organisation.
    3.    Recruitment is a positive process i.e. encouraging more and more employees to apply WHEREAS selection is a negative process as it involves rejection of the unsuitable candidates.
    4.    Recruitment is concerned with tapping the sources of human resources WHEREAS selection is concerned with selecting the most suitable candidate through various interviews and tests.
    5.   There is no contract of recruitment established in recruitment WHEREAS selection results in a contract of service between the employer and the selected employee.

    Types Of Job Seekers

    Types Of Job Seekers
    1.   Quid Pro Que
    These are the people who say that “ I can do this for you, what can you give me” These people value high responsibilities, higher risks, and expect higher rewards, personal development and company profiles doesn’t matter to them.
    2.   I will be with you
    These people like to be with big brands. Importance is given to brands. They are not bothered about work ethic, culture mission etc.
    3.    I will do you what you want
    These people are concerned about how meaningful the job is and they define meaning parameters criteria known by previous job.
    4.    Where do you want me to come
    These people observe things like where is your office, what atmosphere do you offer. Career prospects and exciting projects don’t entice them as much. It is the responsibility of the recruiter to decide what the employee might face in given job and thus take decision. A good decision will help cut down employee retention costs and future recruitment costs.

    Recruitment Management System

    Recruitment management system is the comprehensive tool to manage the entire recruitment processes of an organisation. It is one of the technological tools facilitated by the information management systems to the HR of organisations. Just like performance management, payroll and other systems, Recruitment management system helps to contour the recruitment processes and effectively managing the ROI on recruitment.
    The features, functions and major benefits of the recruitment management system are explained below:
    - Structure and systematically organize the entire recruitment processes.
    - Recruitment management system facilitates faster, unbiased, accurate and reliable processing of applications from various applications.
    - Helps to reduce the time-per-hire and cost-per-hire.
    - Recruitment management system helps to incorporate and integrate the various links like the application system on the official website of the company, the unsolicited applications, outsourcing recruitment, the final decision making to the main recruitment process.
    - Recruitment management system maintains an automated active database of the applicants facilitating the talent management and increasing the efficiency of the recruitment processes.
    - Recruitment management system provides and a flexible, automated and interactive interface between the online application system, the recruitment department of the company and the job seeker.
    - Offers tolls and support to enhance productivity, solutions and optimizing the recruitment processes to ensure improved ROI.
    - Recruitment management system helps to communicate and create healthy relationships with the candidates through the entire recruitment process.
    - The Recruitment Management System (RMS) is an innovative information system tool which helps to sane the time and costs of the recruiters and improving the recruitment processes.
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