Unit-3

Recruitment, Selection and Placement

Recruitment definition :
“Recruitment is the development and maintenance of adequate
manpower resources. It involves the creation of a pool of available
labour force upon whom the organisation can draw when it needs
additional employees.” —Dale. S. Beach

Purpose and importance:

Some of the most important purposes could be as follows:
1. To determine the present and future requirements of the
organization in conjunction with the personnel planning and job
analysis activities.
2. To enhance the pool of potential job aspirants with minimal cost.
3. To enhance the success rate of the selection process by reducing the
number of, under-qualified or overqualified job applicants.
4. To effectively reduce the probability of job applicants, once
recruited and selected, will leave the organization only after a short
period of time.
5. To meet the organization’s legal and social obligations regarding the
composition of its workforce.
6. To start identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will
be appropriate candidates.
7. To increase organizational and individual effectiveness in the short
and long-term.
8. To evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and
sources for all types of job applicants.
9. To support and form the basis of the manpower retention plan of
the organization.
10. To form the basis of the manpower development process by hiring
the future talents.

Factors governing recruitment

The factors affecting recruitments can be classified as
internal and external which are explained below:
1. Internal Factors:
(i) Organization Policies and Practices:
Policies and practices of the organization affect the system of
recruitment of the organization. Some organizations may adopt the
practice of recruiting from within the organization through promotion,
transfer, lay-off etc., and others may go for external sources. Some
organizations adopt the practice of recruiting the persons from
backward castes and communities, physically handicapped persons
etc., and others may give importance to merit irrespective of caste,
creed and religion.
(ii) Image of the Organization:
Image or the impression that an organization gives to the public
considerably influences on the recruitment process of the
organization. Kind of job environment, benefit it provides to its
employees, employer employee relation that prevails in the
organization enhance the image of the organization. Better the image,
better the quality of applicant and vice-versa.
(iii) Wage and Salary Policies:
Benefits provided by the organization to its employees have a great
influence on its recruitment system. Higher salaries and wages
consistent with the merit and experience of the employees will
certainly attract meritorious and experienced employees towards the
organization.
(iv) Promotion and Retirement Policies:
Company which provides better promotion prospects to its dedicated
and meritorious employees and offers retirement benefits like pension
or gratuity to those who are serving in the company for a minimum
fixed period also affect the recruitment policy of the organization and
in turn attract meritorious and able persons towards the organization.
(v) Working Conditions:
Good working conditions like proper lighting and ventilation, safety
provisions, welfare measures like bonus, quarter’s facility, subsidized
food, medical facility etc., influence positively on the recruitment
system of the organization.
2. External Factors:
External factors like government regulations, trade union restrictions,
labour market conditions, legal factors, economic factors, cultural
factors, location of the organization etc., also influence the recruitment
system of the organization.
(i) Government Regulations:
Government regulations towards Backward Caste, Scheduled Caste,
Scheduled Tribes and women have a direct impact on recruiting
practices and hence organisations have to observe these regulations
while recruiting its employees.
(ii) Trade Union Restrictions:
Trade union always wants to protect the interest of its members and
hence interfere in the recruitment process of the organization.
Therefore, while making the recruitment, interest of the trade union
should be kept in mind and process should be continued.
(iii) Labour Market Conditions:
Labour market conditions in India are always volatile i.e., changing. At
any given point of time there may be a surplus or a shortage of well
qualified candidate in a particular category of post for which vacancy
is to be filled up. If well qualified candidates are in short supply
recruitment becomes difficult and if the candidates are excess with
suitable qualification, selection becomes difficult. Therefore, it is
necessary to take a note of labour market condition while recruiting
the employees.
(iv) Legal Factors:
Legal factors like prohibition of employment of children, prohibition
of employment of women in night shift, provision of security to the
workers in underground mines, abolition of bonded labour, regulation
of employment of contract labour, safety of scheduled caste, scheduled
tribe and other weaker sections of society, discrimination in
employment on the basis of religion, caste, sex, etc., influence on the
recruitment practice of the organization.
(v) Economic Factors:
Economic factors like cost of recruitment, capacity of recruiting
competent persons, working conditions in other similar organizations
etc., also affect the recruitment practice of the organization.

Recruitment process
Recruitment process is the first step in creating a powerful
resource base. The process undergoes a systematic procedure
starting from sourcing the resources to arranging and conducting
interviews and finally selecting the right candidates.

Recruitment Planning

Recruitment planning is the first step of the recruitment process,

where the vacant positions are analyzed and described. It
includes job specifications and its nature, experience,
qualifications and skills required for the job, etc.

A structured recruitment plan is mandatory to attract potential

candidates from a pool of candidates. The potential candidates
should be qualified, experienced with a capability to take the
responsibilities required to achieve the objectives of the
organization.

Identifying Vacancy

The first and foremost process of recruitment plan is identifying

the vacancy. This process begins with receiving the requisition
for recruitments from different department of the organization to
the HR Department, which contains −

 Number of posts to be filled

 Number of positions
  Duties and responsibilities to be performed
 Qualification and experience required

When a vacancy is identified, it the responsibility of the sourcing

manager to ascertain whether the position is required or not,
permanent or temporary, full-time or part-time, etc. These
parameters should be evaluated before commencing recruitment.
Proper identifying, planning and evaluating leads to hiring of the
right resource for the team and the organization.

Job Analysis

Job analysis is a process of identifying, analyzing, and

determining the duties, responsibilities, skills, abilities, and work
environment of a specific job. These factors help in identifying
what a job demands and what an employee must possess in
performing a job productively.

Job analysis helps in understanding what tasks are important

and how to perform them. Its purpose is to establish and
document the job relatedness of employment procedures such
as selection, training, compensation, and performance appraisal.

The following steps are important in analyzing a job −

 Recording and collecting job information

 Accuracy in checking the job information
  Generating job description based on the information
 Determining the skills, knowledge and skills, which are
required for the job

The immediate products of job analysis are job

descriptions and job specifications.

Job Description

Job description is an important document, which is descriptive in

nature and contains the final statement of the job analysis. This
description is very important for a successful recruitment
process.

Job description provides information about the scope of job roles,

responsibilities and the positioning of the job in the organization.
And this data gives the employer and the organization a clear
idea of what an employee must do to meet the requirement of his
job responsibilities.

Job description is generated for fulfilling the following processes

−

 Classification and ranking of jobs

 Placing and orientation of new resources
 Promotions and transfers
 Describing the career path
  Future development of work standards

A job description provides information on the following elements

−

 Job Title / Job Identification / Organization Position

 Job Location
 Summary of Job
 Job Duties
 Machines, Materials and Equipment
 Process of Supervision
 Working Conditions
 Health Hazards
Job Specification

Job specification focuses on the specifications of the candidate,

whom the HR team is going to hire. The first step in job
specification is preparing the list of all jobs in the organization
and its locations. The second step is to generate the information
of each job.

This information about each job in an organization is as follows −

 Physical specifications
 Mental specifications
  Physical features
 Emotional specifications
 Behavioral specifications

A job specification document provides information on the

following elements −

 Qualification
 Experiences
 Training and development
 Skills requirements
 Work responsibilities
 Emotional characteristics
 Planning of career
Job Evaluation

Job evaluation is a comparative process of analyzing, assessing,

and determining the relative value/worth of a job in relation to the
other jobs in an organization.

The main objective of job evaluation is to analyze and determine

which job commands how much pay. There are several methods
such as job grading, job classifications, job ranking, etc.,
which are involved in job evaluation. Job evaluation forms the
basis for salary and wage negotiations.
Recruitment Strategy

Recruitment strategy is the second step of the recruitment

process, where a strategy is prepared for hiring the resources.
After completing the preparation of job descriptions and job
specifications, the next step is to decide which strategy to adopt
for recruiting the potential candidates for the organization.

While preparing a recruitment strategy, the HR team considers

the following points −

 Make or buy employees

 Types of recruitment
 Geographical area
 Recruitment sources

The development of a recruitment strategy is a long process, but

having a right strategy is mandatory to attract the right
candidates. The steps involved in developing a recruitment
strategy include −

 Setting up a board team

 Analyzing HR strategy
 Collection of available data
 Analyzing the collected data
 Setting the recruitment strategy
Searching the Right Candidates

Searching is the process of recruitment where the resources are

sourced depending upon the requirement of the job. After the
recruitment strategy is done, the searching of candidates will be
initialized. This process consists of two steps −

 Source activation − Once the line manager verifies and

permits the existence of the vacancy, the search for
candidates starts.

 Selling − Here, the organization selects the media through

which the communication of vacancies reaches the
prospective candidates.

Searching involves attracting the job seekers to the vacancies.

The sources are broadly divided into two categories: Internal
Sources and External Sources.
Internal Sources

Internal sources of recruitment refer to hiring employees within

the organization through −

 Promotion
 Transfers
 Former Employees
 Internal Advertisements (Job Posting)
 Employee Referrals
 Previous Applicants
External Sources

External sources of recruitment refer to hiring employees outside

the organization through −

 Direct Recruitment
 Employment Exchanges
 Employment Agencies
 Advertisements
 Professional Associations
 Campus Recruitment
 Word of Mouth
Screening / Shortlisting

Screening starts after completion of the process of sourcing the

candidates. Screening is the process of filtering the applications
of the candidates for further selection process.

Screening is an integral part of recruitment process that helps in

removing unqualified or irrelevant candidates, which were
received through sourcing. The screening process of recruitment
consists of three steps –

Reviewing of Resumes and Cover Letters

Reviewing is the first step of screening candidates. In this

process, the resumes of the candidates are reviewed and
checked for the candidates’ education, work experience, and
overall background matching the requirement of the job

While reviewing the resumes, an HR executive must keep the

following points in mind, to ensure better screening of the
potential candidates −

 Reason for change of job

 Longevity with each organization
 Long gaps in employment
 Job-hopping
 Lack of career progression
Conducting Telephonic or Video Interview

Conducting telephonic or video interviews is the second step of

screening candidates. In this process, after the resumes are
screened, the candidates are contacted through phone or video
by the hiring manager. This screening process has two outcomes
−

 It helps in verifying the candidates, whether they are active

and available.

 It also helps in giving a quick insight about the candidate’s

attitude, ability to answer interview questions, and
communication skills.

Identifying the top candidates

Identifying the top candidates is the final step of screening the

resumes/candidates. In this process, the cream/top layer of
resumes are shortlisted, which makes it easy for the hiring
manager to take a decision. This process has the following three
outcomes −

 Shortlisting 5 to 10 resumes for review by the hiring

managers
 Providing insights and recommendations to the hiring
manager
  Helps the hiring managers to take a decision in hiring the
right candidate
Evaluation and Control

Evaluation and control is the last stage in the process of

recruitment. In this process, the effectiveness and the validity of
the process and methods are assessed. Recruitment is a costly
process, hence it is important that the performance of the
recruitment process is thoroughly evaluated.

The costs incurred in the recruitment process are to be evaluated

and controlled effectively. These include the following −

 Salaries to the Recruiters

 Advertisements cost and other costs incurred in recruitment

methods, i.e., agency fees.

 Administrative expenses and Recruitment overheads

 Overtime and Outstanding costs, while the vacancies remain

unfilled

 Cost incurred in recruiting suitable candidates for the final

selection process

 Time spent by the Management and the Professionals in

preparing job description, job specifications, and conducting
interviews.
Finally, the question that is to be asked is, whether the
recruitment methods used are valid or not? And whether the
recruitment process itself is effective or not? Statistical
information on the costs incurred for the process of recruitment
should be effective.

Nature of selection
Selection is the process of picking or choosing the right
candidate, who is most suitable for a vacant job position in an
organization. In others words, selection can also be explained as
the process of interviewing the candidates and evaluating their
qualities, which are required for a specific job and then choosing
the suitable candidate for the position.

The selection of a right applicant for a vacant position will be an

asset to the organization, which will be helping the organization
in reaching its objectives.
Different authors define Selection in different ways. Here is a list
of some of the definitions −

 Employee selection is a process of putting a right applicant

on a right job.

 Selection of an employee is a process of choosing the

applicants, who have the qualifications to fill the vacant job
in an organization.

 Selection is a process of identifying and hiring the applicants

for filling the vacancies in an organization.

 Employee selection is a process of matching organization’s

requirements with the skills and the qualifications of
individuals.

A good selection process will ensure that the organization gets

the right set of employees with the right attitude.

Difference between Recruitment and Selection

The major differences between Recruitment and Selection are as

follows −

Recruitment Selection

Recruitment is defined as the Selection is defined as the process of

process of identifying and making choosing the right candidates for the
the potential candidates to apply vacant positions.
for the jobs.

Recruitment is called as a positive Selection is called as a negative

process with its approach of process with its elimination or rejection
attracting as many candidates as of as many candidates as possible for
possible for the vacant jobs identifying the right candidate for the
position.

Both recruitment and selection work hand in hand and both play
a vital role in the overall growth of an organization.

Advantages of Selection

A good selection process offers the following advantages−

 It is cost-effective and reduces a lot of time and effort.

 It helps avoid any biasing while recruiting the right

candidate.

 It helps eliminate the candidates who are lacking in

knowledge, ability, and proficiency.

 It provides a guideline to evaluate the candidates further

through strict verification and reference-checking.
  It helps in comparing the different candidates in terms of
their capabilities, knowledge, skills, experience, work
attitude, etc.

A good selection process helps in selecting the best candidate

for the requirement of a vacant position in an organization.

Selection Process and Steps

A good selection process should comprise the following steps −

 Employment Interview − Employment interview is a

process in which one-on-one session in conducted with the
applicant to know a candidate better. It helps the interviewer
to discover the inner qualities of the applicant and helps in
taking a right decision.

 Checking References − Reference checking is a process

of verifying the applicant’s qualifications and experiences
with the references provided by him. These reference
checks help the interviewer understand the conduct, the
 attitude, and the behavior of the candidate as an individual
and also as a professional.

 Medical Examination − Medical examination is a process,

in which the physical and the mental fitness of the
applicants are checked to ensure that the candidates are
capable of performing a job or not. This examination helps
the organization in choosing the right candidates who are
physically and mentally fit.

 Final Selection − The final selection is the final process

which proves that the applicant has qualified in all the
rounds of the selection process and will be issued an
appointment letter.

A selection process with the above steps will help any

organization in choosing and selecting the right candidates for
the right job.

Organisation for selection

Using Selection Agencies/ Consultants

Some private agencies/consultants in India perform the function

of recruitment and selection so as to enable the organizations to

concentrate on their main functions. They advertise, conduct tests

and interview and provide a short list. Some companies have

started using the services of these agencies as they provide

expertise and reduce work load. The organization has to take

these following factors into consideration in selecting an agency

or a consultant:

1. Reputation, effectiveness, sincerity and punctuality of the

organization.

2. Advertisement copy, design and media plans of various

agencies;

3. Amount of fee, payment period and mode;

4. Objectivity, fair and justice in selection;

5. Selection techniques to be adopted, particularly psychological

tests, interview methods etc,

6. Competence of the human resources of the agency/consulting

firm

The company has to do the following in case of using an

agency or a consultant.
(a) Briefing the agency about the requirements, terms and
conditions and employment;

(b) Providing job and employee specifications and helping the

consultant in modifying them;

(c) Checking and reviewing the draft of the advertisement.

(d) Ensuring that all arrangements are made for conducting test
and interview.

Placement

According to Pigors and Myers “Placement is the

determination of the job to which an accepted candidate
is to be assigned and his assignment to that job. It is a
matching of what the supervisor has reason to think he
can do with the job demands. It is a matching of what he
imposes (in strain, working conditions etc.) and what he
offers (in the form of payroll, companionship with
others, promotional possibilities etc.).”

Essay on the Problems in Placement:

The main problem with placement arises when the recruiters look
at the individual but not at the job. Often, the individual does not
work independent of the others
Jobs in his context are classified into three categories:
1. Independent Jobs:
In independent jobs, non-overlapping routes or territories are
allotted to each employee e.g. in field sales. In such situations, the
activities of one employee have little bearing on the activities of
other workers. Independent jobs do-not pose great problems in
placement. Each employee has to be evaluated between his
capabilities and interests and those required on the job.

The objectives of placement will be:

(a) To fill the job with people who have at least the minimum
required qualifications.

(b) People should be placed on the job that will make the best
possible use of their talents, given available job and HR
constraints.

2. Dependent Jobs:
Dependent jobs may be sequential or pooled. In sequential jobs,
the activities of one employee are dependent on the activities of a
fellow employee. Assembly lines are the best example of such jobs.

In pooled jobs, there is high interdependence among jobs. The

final output is the result of the contribution of all the workers.
In dependent jobs, an employee is placed in a specific sub group.
While placing, care must be taken to match characteristics of the
employee with that of the sub group. Because in such jobs, team
work matters a lot.