Recruitment & Selection Process Project Report
Recruitment & Selection Process Project Report
Recruitment & Selection Process Project Report
DEFINITIONS
Thus, the recruitment process begins when new recruits are sought
and ends when their applications are submitted. The result is a pool of
applicants from which new employees are selected.
SUB-SYSTEMS OF RECRUITMENT
The recruitment process consists of the following four sub-functions:-
• Finding out and developing the sources where the required number
and kind of employees will be available.
• Developing suitable techniques to attract the desirable candidates.
• Employing the techniques to attract candidates.
• Stimulating as many candidates as possible and asking them to apply
for jobs irrespective of the number of candidates required.
1) INTERNAL FACTORS
• Recruiting policy
• Temporary and part-time employees
• Recruitment of local citizens
• Engagement of the company in HRP
• Company’s size
• Cost of recruitment
• Company’s growth and expansion
2) EXTERNAL FACTORS
• Government policies
• Personnel policies of other competing organizations
• Organisation’s personnel policies
• Recruitment sources
• Recruitment needs
• Recruitment cost
• Selection criteria and preference
Both the systems of recruitment would suffer from their own demerits.
Hence, the management has to weigh both the merits and demerits of each
system before making a final decision about centralizing or decentralizing
the recruitment. Alternatively management may decentralize the recruitment
of certain categories of employees preferably middle and top level
managerial personnel and centralize the recruitment of other categories of
employee’s preferably lower level positions in view of the nature of the jobs
and suitability of those systems for those categories of positions. The
management has to find out and develop the sources of recruitment after
deciding upon centralizing or decentralizing the recruitment function.
CASE STUDY:-
WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT –
RECRUITING OR RETAINING
ANALYSIS
Thus, from this case study it is clear that retaining is much more
important than recruiting. What’s the use and benefits of recruiting quality
employees if they cannot be retained by the organization in a proper manner.
The purpose of recruitment is fulfilled when the employees selected from a
pool of qualified applicants are retained in the company by keeping them
satisfied in all aspects. They must be provided with better working
conditions, better pay scales, incentives, recognition, promotion, bonus,
flexible working hours, etc. They should treat the employees as co-owners
and partners of the company.
SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT
The sources of recruitment may be broadly divided into two
categories: internal sources and external sources. Both have their own
merits and demerits. Let’s examine these.
Internal Sources:-
External Sources
Merits Demerits
Merits Demerits
METHODS OF RECRUITMENT
The following are the most commonly used methods of recruiting people.
INTERNAL METHODS:
A transfer is a lateral movement within the same grade, from one job to
another. It may lead to changes in duties and responsibilities, working
conditions, etc., but not necessarily salary. Promotion, on the other hand,
involves movement of employee from a lower level position to a higher
level position accompanied by (usually) changes in duties, responsibilities,
status and value. Organisations generally prepare badli lists or a central pool
of persons from which vacancies can be filled for manual jobs. Such
persons are usually passed on to various departments, depending on internal
requirements. If a person remains on such rolls for 240 days or more, he
gets the status of a permanent employee as per the Industrial Disputes Act
and is therefore entitled to all relevant benefits, including provident fund,
gratuity, retrenchment compensation.
2. Job Posting
Job posting is another way of hiring people from within. In this method,
the organisation publicises job opening on bulletin boards, electronic method
and similar outlets. One of the important advantages of this method is that it
offers a chance to highly qualified applicants working within the company to
look for growth opportunities within the company to look for growth
opportunities within the company without looking for greener pastures
outside.
3. Employee Referrals
Campus Recruitment
Indirect methods:-
Advertisements:-
These include advertisements in newspapers; trade, professional and
technical journals; radio and television; etc. in recent times, this medium has
become just as colourful, lively and imaginative as consumer advertising.
The ads generally give a brief outline of the job responsibilities,
compensation package, prospects in organizations, etc. this method is
appropriate when (a) the organization intends to reach a large target group
and (b) the organizations wants a fairly good number of talented people –
who are geographically spread out. To apply for advertised vacancies let’s
briefly examine the wide variety of alternatives available to a company - as
far as ads are concerned:
• Newspaper Ads: Here it is easy to place job ads without much of
a lead time. It has flexibility in terms of information and can
conveniently target a specific geographic location. On the
negative side, newspaper ads tend to attract only those who are
actively seeking employment at that point of time, while some of
the best candidates who are well paid and challenged by their
current jobs may not be aware of such openings. As a result, the
company may be bombarded with applications from a large
number of candidates who are marginally qualified for the job –
adding to its administrative burden. To maintain secrecy for
various reasons (avoiding the rush, sending signals to
competitors, cutting down expenses involved in responding to any
individual who applies, etc.), large companies with a national
reputation may also go in for blind-box ads in newspapers,
especially for filling lower level positions. In a blind-box ad there
is no identification of the advertising organization. Job aspirants
are asked to respond to a post office box number or to an
employment firm that is acting as an agent between the job
seekers and the organization.
• Television and radio ads: These ads are more likely to each
individual who are not actively seeking employment; they are
more likely to stand out distinctly, they help the organization to
target the audience more selectively and they offer considerable
scope for designing ads creatively. However, these ads are
expensive. Also, because the television or radio is simply seen or
heard, potential candidates may have a tough time remembering
the details, making application difficult.
Third Party Methods
• Employment Exchanges:-
AS a statutory requirement, companies are also expected to notify
(wherever the Employment Exchanges Act, 1959, applies) their vacancies
through the respective Employment Exchanges, created all over India for
helping unemployed youth, displaced persons, ex-military personnel,
physically handicapped, etc. AS per the Act all employers are supposed to
notify the vacancies arising in their establishments form time to time – with
certain exemptions – to the prescribed employment exchanges before they
are filled. The Act covers all establishments in public sector and
nonagricultural establishments employing 25 or more workers in the private
sector. However, in view of the practical difficulties involved in
implementing the provisions of the Act (such as filing a quarterly return in
respect of their staff strength, vacancies and shortages, returns showing
occupational distribution of their employees, etc.) many organizations have
successfully fought court battles when they were asked to pick up
candidates from among those sponsored by the employment exchanges.
• Alternatives to Recruitment:-
Since recruitment and selection costs are high (search process,
interviewing agency fee, etc.) firms these days are trying to look at
alternatives to recruitment especially when market demand for firm’s
products and services is sluggish. Moreover, once employees are placed on
the payroll, it may be extremely difficult to remove them if their
performance is marginal. Some of the options in this regard may be listed
thus:
Time lapse data: They show the time lag between the dates of
requisition for manpower supply from a department to the actual date
of filling the vacancies in that department. For example, a
company’s past experience may indicate that the average number of
days from application to interview is 10, from interview to offer is 7,
from offer to acceptance is 10 and from acceptance to report for
work is 15. Therefore, if the company starts the recruitment and
selection process now it would require 42 days before the new
employee joins its ranks. Armed with this information, the length of
the time needed for alternative sources of recruitment can be
ascertained – before pinning hopes on a particular source that meets
the recruitment objectives of the company.
Surveys and studies: Surveys may also be conducted to find out the
suitability of a particular source for certain positions. For example,
as pointed out previously, employee referral has emerged as popular
way of hiring people in the Information Technology industry in
recent times in India. Correlation studies could also be carried out to
find out the relationship between different organizational positions.
Before finally identifying the sources of recruitment, the human
resource managers must also look into the cost or hiring a candidate.
The cost per hire can be found out by dividing the recruitment cost
by the number of candidates hired.
Definition
To select mean to choose. Selection is the process of picking
individuals who have relevant qualifications to fill jobs in an organisation.
The basic purpose is to choose the individual who can most successfully
perform the job from the pool of qualified candidates.
Purpose
The purpose of selection is to pick up the most suitable candidate who
would meet the requirements of the job in an organisation best, to find out
which job applicant will be successful, if hired. To meet this goal, the
company obtains and assesses information about the applicants in terms of
age, qualifications, skills, experience, etc. the needs of the job are matched
with the profile of candidates. The most suitable person is then picked up
after eliminating the unsuitable applicants through successive stages of
selection process. How well an employee is matched to a job is very
important because it is directly affects the amount and quality of employee’s
work. Any mismatched in this regard can cost an organisation a great deal of
money, time and trouble, especially, in terms of training and operating costs.
In course of time, the employee may find the job distasteful and leave in
frustration. He may even circulate ‘hot news’ and juicy bits of negative
information about the company, causing incalculable harm to the company
in the long run. Effective election, therefore, demands constant monitoring
of the ‘fit’ between people the job.
The Process
Selection is usually a series of hurdles or steps. Each one must be
successfully cleared before the applicant proceeds to the next one. The time
and emphasis place on each step will definitely vary from one organisation
to another and indeed, from job to job within the same organisation. The
sequence of steps may also vary from job to job and organisation to
organisation. For example some organisations may give more importance to
testing while others give more emphasis to interviews and reference checks.
Similarly a single brief selection interview might be enough for applicants
for lower level positions, while applicants for managerial jobs might be
interviewed by a number of people.
Screening Interview
A preliminary interview is generally planned by large organisations to
cut the cost of selection by allowing only eligible candidates to go through
the further stages in selection. A junior executive from the Personnel
Department may elicit responses from the applicants on important items
determining the suitability of an applicant for a job such as age, education,
experience, pay expectations, aptitude, location, choice etc. this ‘courtesy
interview’ as it is often called helps the department screen out obvious
misfits. If the department finds the candidate suitable, a prescribed
application form is given to the applicants to fill and submit.
Application Blank
Selection Testing
In this section let’ examine the selection test or the employment test
that attempts to asses intelligence, abilities, personality trait, performance
simulation tests including work sampling and the tests administered at
assessment centres- followed by a discussion about the polygraph test,
graphology and integrity test.
A test is a standardized, objective measure of a person’s behaviour,
performance or attitude. It is standardised because the way the tests is
carried out, the environment in which the test is administered and the way
the individual scores are calculated- are uniformly applied. It is objective in
that it tries to measure individual differences in a scientific way giving very
little room for individual bias and interpretation. Over the years employment
tests have not only gained importance but also a certain amount of
inevitability in employment decisions. Since they try to objectively
determine how well an applicant meets the job requirement, most companies
do not hesitate to invest their time and money in selection testing in a big
way. Some of the commonly used employment tests are:
• Intelligence tests
• Aptitude tests
• Personality tests
• Achievement tests
• Miscellaneous tests such as graphology, polygraphy and honesty tests.
1. Intelligence Tests: These are mental ability tests. They measure the
incumbent’s learning ability and the ability to understand instructions and
make judgements. The basic objective of such test is to pick up
employees who are alert and quick at learning things so that they can be
offered adequate training to improve their skills for the benefit of the
organization. These tests measure several abilities such as memory,
vocabulary, verbal fluency, numerical ability, perception etc. Eg.
Standford-Binet Test, Binet-Simon Test, The Wechsler Adult
Intelligence Scale are example of standard intelligence test
2. Aptitude Test: Aptitude test measure an individual’s potential to learn
certain skills- clerical, mechanical, mathematical, etc. These tests indicate
whether or not an individual has the capabilities to learn a given job
quickly and efficiently. In order to recruit efficient office staff, aptitude
tests are necessary. An aptitude tests is always administered in
combination with other tests like intelligence and personality tests as it
does not measure on-the-job-motivation
3. Personality Test: Of all test required for selection the personality tests
have generated a lot of heat and controversy. The definition of
personality, methods of measuring personality factors and the
relationship between personality factors and actual job criteria has been
the subject of much discussion. Researchers have also questioned
whether applicants answer all the items truthfully or whether they try to
respond in a socially desirable manner. Regardless of these objections,
many people still consider personality as an important component of job
success.
4. Achievement Tests: These are designed to measure what the applicant
can do on the job currently, i.e., whether the testee actually knows what
he or she claims to know. A typing test tests shows the typing
proficiency, a short hand tests measures the testee ability to take dictation
and transcribe, etc. Such proficiency tests are also known as work
sampling test. Work sampling is a selection tests wherein the job
applicant’s ability to do a small portion of the job is tested. These tests
are of two types; Motor, involving physical manipulations of things(e.g.,
trade tests for carpenters, electricians, plumbers) or Verbal, involving
problem situation that are primarily language-oriented or people-
oriented(e.g., situational tests for supervisory jobs).
Since work samples are
miniature replicas of the actual job requirements, they are difficult to
fake. They offer concrete evidence of the proficiency of an applicant as
against his ability to the job. However, work sample tests are not cost
effective and every candidate has to be tested individually. It is not easy
to develop work samples for each job. Moreover, it is not applicable to
all levels of the organisation
5. Simulation Tests: Simulation exercise is a tests which duplicate many of
the activities and problems an employee faces while at work. Such
exercises are commonly used while hiring managers at various levels in
an organisation. To asses the potential of a candidate for managerial
positions assessment centres are commonly used.
6. Assessment Centre: An assessment centre is an extended work sample.
It uses procedures that incorporate group and individual exercises. These
exercises are designed to stimulate the type of work which the candidate
will be expected to do. Initially a small batch of applicants comes to the
assessment centre (a separate room). Their performance in the situational
exercise is observed and evaluated by a team of 6-8 assessors. The
assessors’ judgement on each exercise are complied and combined to
have a summary rating for each candidate being assessed.
Often these tests contain questions that repeat themselves in some way and
the evaluator then examines the consistency in responses. Companies that
have used integrity tests have reported success in tracking employees who
indulge in ‘theft’. However, these tests ultimately suffer from the same
weakness as polygraph and graphology test.
Selection Practices:
The following throws light on how the global giants use selection
testing as a basis for picking up the right candidates to fill up the vacancies
arising internally:
Selection Interview:
Types of interviews:
Several types of interviews are commonly used depending on the nature and
importance of the position to be filled within an organization.
In a NON-DIRECTIVE INTERVIEW the recruiter asks questions as they
come to mind. There is no specific format to be followed.
In a PATTERNED INTERVIEW, the employer follows a pre-determined
sequence of questions. Here the interviewee is given a special form
containing questions regarding his technical competence, personality traits,
attitudes, motivation, etc.
In a STRUCTURED OR SITUATIONAL INTERVIEW, there are fixed
job related questions that are presented to each applicant.
In a PANEL INTERVIEW several interviewers question and seek answers
from one applicant. The panel members can ask new and incisive questions
based on their expertise and experience and elicit deeper and more
meaningful expertise from candidates.
Interviews can also be designed to create a difficult environment where the
applicant’s confidence level and the ability to stand erect in difficult
situations are put to test. These are referred to as the STRESS
INTERVIEW. This is basically an interview in which the applicant is made
uncomfortable by a series of, often, rude, annoying or embarrassing
questions.
In the final category, there is the APPRAISAL INTERVIEW, where a
superior and subordinate sit together after the performance appraisal to
discuss the subordinate’s rating and possible remedial actions.
PREPARATION:
Establishing the objective of the interview
Receiving the candidates application and resume
Keeping tests score ready, along with interview assessment forms
Selecting the interview method to be followed
Choosing the panel of experts who would interview the candidates
Identifying proper room for environment
RECEPTION:
The candidate should be properly received and led into the interview
room. Start the interview on time.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE:
State the purpose of the interview, how the qualifications are going to
be matched with skills needed to handle the job.
Begin with open ended questions where the candidate gets enough freedom
to express himself.
Focus on the applicant’s education, training, work experience, etc. Find
unexplained gaps in applicants past work or college record and elicit facts
that are not mentioned in the resume.
EVALUATION:
Evaluation is done on basis of answers and justification given by the
applicant in the interview.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION:
After the selection decision and before the job offer is made, the
candidate is required to undergo a physical fitness test. A job offer is often
contingent upon the candidate being declared fit after the physical
examination.
Medical examination:
Certain jobs require physical qualities like clear vision, perfect hearing,
unusual stamina, tolerance of hard working conditions, clear tone, etc.
Medical examination reveals whether or not a candidate possesses these
qualities.
Reference Checks
Once the interview and medical examination of the candidate is over, the
personnel department will engage in checking references. Candidates are
required to give the names of 2 or 3 references in their application forms.
These references may be from the individuals who are familiar with the
candidate’s academic achievements or from the applicant’s previous
employer, who is well versed with the applicant’s job performance and
sometimes from the co-workers. In case the reference check is from the
previous employer, information in the following areas may be obtained.
They are job title, job description, period of employment, pay and
allowances, gross emoluments, benefits provided, rate of absence,
willingness of previous employer to employ the candidate again, etc.
Further, information regarding candidate’s regularity at work, character,
progress, etc. can be obtained. Often a telephone call is much quicker. The
method of mail query provides detailed information about the candidate’s
performance, character and behavior. However, a personal visit is superior to
the mail or telephone methods and is used where it is highly essential to get
a detailed, first hand information which can also be secured by observation.
Reference checks are taken as a matter of routine and treated casually or
omitted entirely in many organizations. But a good reference check, when
used sincerely, will fetch useful and reliable information to the organization.
Hiring decision:
The line manager has to make the final decision now – whether to select or
reject a candidate after soliciting the required information through different
techniques discussed earlier. The line manager has to take adequate care in
taking the final decision because of economic, behavioral and social
implications of the selection decisions. A careless decision of rejecting a
candidate would impair the morale of the people and they suspect the
selection procedure and the very basis of selection in a particular
organization.
A true understanding between line managers and personnel managers
should be established so as to facilitate good selection decisions. After
taking the final decision, the organization has to intimate this decision to the
successful as well as unsuccessful candidates. The organization sends the
appointment order to the successful candidates either immediately or after
sometime depending upon its time schedule.
Interviewing Mistakes:
Case Study
Ramoji Rao is in charge of a bindery in Vijaywada, which employs 15
people and 5 of whom work in a factory. 3 of these workers run machines, 1
supervises and the 5th moves the blank paper and the finished paper by
handcar. This 5th position, which demands no skill other than driving a
handcar, needs to be filled and 3 applicants have responded.
The 1st is Mr. Matti Anjaiah who is 35, unmarried and a Navy veteran.
`Anjaiah has a poor work record. During his 5yrs in Vijaywada he has
worked only seasonal labour and occasional odd jobs. He drove a forklift in
the Navy, while working at Vishakapatnam. He has a strong build, which
could help, although the work is generally light.
Mr. Nehal Singh, age 22, came to Vijaywada 2 years back from
Punjab. He has done farm labour for many years and assembly-line work for
one year. His command of English is poor (but can speak the regional
language, Telugu, fluently). He resides with his mother and seems to remain
in the area for some time. After having run farm equipment, he should have
no trouble steering a handcar.
Mr.V.Raja is a local boy who high school two years ago.
Subsequently he got a diploma from a local III and is currently employed as
an assistant in Savani Transport Company Vijaywada. His character
references are excellent. Mr.Raja is small, but he seems quick and was track
star in high school.
Question:
CONCLUSION
Thank you.