CONCEPT OF RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is the 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 applicants from which new employees are selected. The recruitment process is said to end with the receipt of applications , in practice the activity extends to the screening of applications So as to eliminate those who are not qualified for the job. Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating and encouraging them to apply for jobs in an organization.

PURPOSE & IMPORTANCE

Determine the present & future requirements of the organization in conjunction with its personnel planning & job-analysis activities. Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost. Help increase the success rate of selection process by reducing the no of visibly under qualified and 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. Begin identifying & preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate candidates Increase organizational & individual effectiveness in the short term & long term. Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques & sources for all types of job applicants.

The recruitment process should inform qualified individuals about Employment opportunities , create positive image of the company And provide enough information about the job. A recruitment programme helps the firm in at least four ways:Attract highly qualified and competent people Ensure that the selected candidates stay longer in the company. Make sure that there is a match b/w cost and benefit Help the firm create more culturally diverse work force The failure to generate an adequate no. of reasonably qualified applicants can prove costly Lowering selection standards Extra cost on T&D Raise of entry level pay scales.

 High quality of employees may not be selected because of

they do not know of job-openings. are not interested in working for the company they do not apply.

Negative Consequences of Poor Recruitment Process

The failure to generate adequate number of reasonably qualified applicants can prove costly in several ways such as
Selection standards may be lowered in absence of qualified applicants It leads to extra cost in training and supervision. It can affect compensation structure of the organisation.

Wrong choice of media may result in inadequate number of applicants

FACTORS GOVERNING RECRUITMENT

EXTERNAL FACTORS Supply & Demand Unemployment rate Labor market Political-Legal :- Employment Exchange ( compulsory notification of Vacancies , Act 1959 Sons of soil Image INTERNAL FACTORS Recruitment Policy HRP Size of the firm Cost Growth & Expansion

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Recruitment refers to the process of identifying and attracting job seekers so as to build a pool of qualified job applicants. The process comprises five interrelated stages:1. PLANNING 2. STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT 3. SEARCHING 4. SCREENING 5. EVALUATION AND CONTROL

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Recruitment Planning :- The first stage in the recruitment process is planning. Planning involves 1. number and 2. type of applicants to be contacted. NUMBER OF CONTACTS :- Organizations , plan to attract more applicants than they will hire .Companies calculate yield ratios which express the relationship of applicant inputs to outputs at various decision points. TYPE OF CONTACTS:-This refer to the type of people to be informed about job openings. The type of people depends on the tasks and responsibilities involved and the qualifications and experience expected. These details are available through job description and job specification.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
STRATEGY DEVELOPMENT :- Once it is known how many and what type of recruits are required , serious considerations need to be given to:1. Make or Buy 2. Technological Sophistication 3. Where to look 4. How to look : There are several sources and they may be categorized into 1. Internal and 2. External Internal Recruitment seeks applicants for positions from those who are currently employed. It includes present employees, employee referrals, former employees, and former applicants.

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Merits and demerits of hiring people from within

Merits (i) Economical: The cost of recruiting internal candidates is minimal. No expenses are incurred on advertising. (ii) Suitable: The organization can pick the right candidates having the requisite skills. The candidates can choose a right vacancy where their talents can be fully utilized. (iii) Reliable: The organization has knowledge about the suitability of a candidate for a position. Known devils are better than unknown angels!. (iv) Satisfying: A policy of preferring people from within offers regular promotional avenues for employees. It motivates them to work hard and earn promotions. They will work with loyalty, commitment and enthusiasm. Demerits (i) Limited choice: The organization is forced to select candidates from a limited pool. It may have to sacrifice quality and settle for less qualified candidates. (ii) Inbreeding: It discourages entry of talented people, available outside an organization. Existing employees may fail to behave in innovative ways and inject necessary dynamism to enterprise activities. (iii) Inefficiency: Promotions based on length of service rather than merit, may prove to be a blessing for inefficient candidates. They do not work hard and prove their worth. (iv) Bone of contention: Recruitment from within may lead to infighting among employees aspiring for limited, higher-level positions in an organisation. As years roll by, the race for premium positions may end up on a bitter note.

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Merits and demerits of hiring people from outside

Merits Wide choice: The organisation has the freedom to select candidates from a large pool. Persons with requisite qualifications could be picked up. Injection of fresh blood: People with special skills and knowledge could be hired to stir up the existing employees and pave the way for innovative ways of working. Motivational force: It helps in motivating internal employees to work hard and compete with external candidates while seeking career growth. Such a competitive atmosphere would help an employee to work to the best of his abilities. Long term benefits: Talented people could join the ranks, new ideas could find meaningful expression, a competitive atmosphere would compel people to give of their best and earn rewards, etc. Demerits Expensive: Hiring costs could go up substantially. Tapping multifarious sources of recruitment is not an easy task, either. Time consuming: It takes time to advertise, screen, to test and to select suitable employees. Where suitable ones are not available, the process has to be repeated. Demotivating: Existing employees who have put in considerable service may resist the process of filling up vacancies from outside. The feeling that their services have not been recognised by the organisation, forces them to work with less enthusiasm and motivation. Uncertainty: There is no guarantee that the organisation, ultimately, will be able to hire the services of suitable candidates. It may end up hiring someone who does not fit and who may not be able to adjust in the new set-up.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS Present Employees:- Promotions and transfers from

among the present employees can be a good source of recruitment. Promotions to higher positions has several advantages. They are 1) it is a good public relations 2) It builds morale 3) It encourages competent individuals who are competent and ambitious 4) it is cheaper than going outside to recruit. Promotions also results in inbreeding which is not good for the organization. Promotion to be effective , requires using job posting , personnel records , and skill banks. Another way to recruit from present employees is transfer without promotion. Transfers are often important in providing employees with a broad based view of the organization, necessary for future promotions.

RECRUITMENT PROCESS
Employee Referrals :- Referrals from existing personnel may be a good source of internal recruitment. When employees recommend successful referrals, they are paid monetary incentives which are called finder fees.
Adobe India runs a referral scheme where all employees who have successfully referred a candidate are eligible for a lucky draw where they can win a luxury car.

Former Employees :- Some retired employees may be willing to come back to work on a part time basis or may recommend someone who would be interested in working for the company. Previous Applicants :-Although not truly an internal source, those who have previously applied for jobs can be contacted by mail, a quick & inexpensive way to fill an unexpected opening.

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Possible benefits and costs of employee referrals

Recommender gives a realistic picture about the job. The applicant can weigh the pros and cons carefully before handing over the CV. The applicant is more likely to accept an offer if one is made and once employed, to have a higher job survival. Its an excellent means of locating potential employees in those hard-to-fill positions. The recommender earns a reward and the company can avoid expensive recruiting search in case the candidate gets selected. Recommenders may confuse friendship with job competence. Factors such as bias, nepotism, and eagerness to see their friends in the company may come in the way of hiring a suitable candidate.

EVALUATION OF INTERNAL RECRUITMENT

There are three major advantages of internal recruitment :1. It is less costly than external recruiting 2. Organizations have a better knowledge of the internal candidates skills and abilities than the ones acquired through external recruiting. 3. An organizational policy of promoting from within can enhance employees morale, organizational commitment and job satisfaction. DEMERITS 1. They often lead to inbreeding and discourages new blood from entering into an organization 2.Some organizations complain of unit raiding in which divisions compete for the same people. 3. The politics probably has a greater impact on internal recruiting and selection than does external recruiting.

Trade Associations Advertisements Employment Exchange Campus Recruitment Walk ins and Write ins Consultants Contractors

External Sources

Internal Sources

Present employees Employee Referrals Former Employees Previous Applicants

recruitment

Displaced Persons Acquisition and Mergers Competitors E-Recruiting

EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT EXTERNAL SOURCES:- External sources constitute all those avenues through which an organization makes contact with prospective candidates, other than its own internal candidates, either directly or indirectly. Such a contact may be made in different modes such as directly contacting candidates like educational campus recruitment, contacting them indirectly through advertisements or through certain agencies such as employment exchange, consultants, etc

ADVERTISEMENT:- These constitute a popular method of seeking recruits as many recruiters prefer advertisements because of their wide reach. Want ads describe the job & the benefits , identify the employer,& tell those who are interested & how to apply. They are the most familiar form of employment advertising . For highly specialized recruits, advertisements may be placed in professional/ business journals. Newspaper is the most common medium. Advertisements must be effectively drafted before publishing/ releasing them.

BLIND AD :- The identity of an organization is not disclosed. Respondents are asked to reply to a post box number or to a consulting firm that is retained. When an organization doesn't wish to publicize the fact that it is seeking to fill a position, or seeking to recruit a person to displace the present incumbent with which it is not satisfied, blind advertisement is more appropriate. Sometime blind advertisement is used to test the position of availability of personnel even though the position is not available, to build application pool , or just to identify those current employees who are likely to fly away.

EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT
Experienced advertisers use a four point guide called AIDA to construct their advertisements. First , attract attention, next develop interest in the job, next create desire & then instigate action on the part of the onlooker. Advertisements must contain :The job content ( primarily tasks & responsibilities ) A realistic description of working conditions Information about the organizations location of the job Compensation, including the fringe benefits Job specifications Growth prospects To whom one applies.

EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT
Employment Exchanges :- They have been set up all over the country in deference to the provisions of the Employment Exchanges ( Compulsory Notification of Vacancies ) Act 1959. The Act applies to all industrial establishments having 25 workers or more each. The Act requires all the industrial establishments to notify the vacancies before they are filled. CAMPUS RECRUITMENT :- Colleges , universities, institutes ,research laboratories are fertile ground for recruiters, particularly the institutes. The campus recruitment is so much sought after by the recruiters that each college , university department or institute will have to have a placement officer to handle recruitment functions.

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Guidelines for campus recruiting

Shortlist campuses Choose recruiting team carefully Pay smartly, not highly Present a clear image Do not oversell yourself Get in early Not everyone fits the bill

CONSULTANTS :-In many cases the companies do not conduct the recruitment exercise themselves. Instead , they take help of consulting firms. E.g. ABC Consultants, Human Resource Consultants, Head Hunters,Omam Consultants. These search firms provide recruitment service for middle & higher levels of management by charging fees in terms of %age of the annual basic salary for the job varying b/w 15-20. CONTRACTORS:- They are used to recruit the casual workers. DISPLACED PERSONS :- Siting and implementation of a project in an area would result in displacement of several hundred inhabitants. Such people are a source of recruitment , not only for the project which caused the displacement , but also for the company located else where. RADIO AND TELEVISION

COMPETITORS ;- Rival firms can be a source of recruitment. Popularly called poaching or raiding , this method involves identifying the right people in rival companies , offering them better terms and luring them away. INTERNET RECRUITING :- Internet recruiting involves adv. of vacancies through internet .Company benefits through cost savings , speed enhancement and extended world wide candidate reach. To the job seekers the internet allows for searches over a broader array of geographic and company postings . EVALUATION OF EXTERNAL RECRUITMENTS

EVALUATION OF EXTERNAL RECRUITMENTS

External sources of recruitment have merits like :1. The organization will have the benefit of new skills , new talents and new experiences. 2. The management will be able to fulfill reservation requirements. 3. Scope of resentment, heartburn and jealousy can be avoided by recruiting from outside . Demerits External recruitment is costly. Better motivation and increased morale associated with promoting own employees are lost to organizations.

SEARCHING
Once a recruiting plan and strategy are worked out , the search process can begin. The search involves 2 steps 1. Source activation 2. Selling SOURCE ACTIVATION :- Sources and search methods are activated by the issuance of an employee requisition. If the organization has planned well and done a good job of developing its sources and search methods , activation soon results in a flood of applications. SELLING:- A second issue to be addressed in the searching process concerns communications. In selling the organizations , both the message and the media deserve attention.

SCREENING
The purpose of screening is to remove from the recruitment process those applicants who are visibly unqualified for the job. Effective screening can save a great deal of time and money. EVALUATION AND CONTROL It is necessary as considerable costs are incurred. Statistical information on the cost of advertisement , time taken for the process etc should be gathered and evaluated. Evaluation and control is necessary as considerable costs are incurred in the recruitment process. The costs are:-

1. Salaries for recruiters 2. Management and professional time spent preparing job descriptions , job specification, advertisement , agency liaison and so forth. 3. Cost of advertisement. 4. Cost of producing supporting literature. 5. Recruitment overheads and administrative expenses EVALUTAION OF RECRUITMENT PROCESS :The evaluation might include :1. Application pool 2. Number of suitable candidates for selection 3. Retention and performance of the candidates selected 4. Cost of the recruitment process 5. Time lapsed data 6. Cost on image projected. EVALUATION OF RECRUITMENT METHODS 3. Number of initial enquiries received which resulted in completed application form. 4. Number of candidates at various stages of the recruitment and selection process. 5. Number of candidates recruited 6. Number of candidates retained in the organization after six months.

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Alternatives to recruiting
Temporary employees: Employees hired for a limited time to perform a specific job are called temporary employees. They are particularly useful in meeting short term human resource needs. A short term increase in demand could be met by hiring temporary hands from agencies specialising in providing such services. Its a big business idea in United States these days ($3-$4 billion industry). In this case the firm can avoid the expenses of recruitment and the painful effects of absenteeism, labour turnover, etc. It can also avoid fringe benefits associated with regular employment. However, temporary workers do not remain loyal to the company; they may take more time to adjust and their inexperience may come in the way of maintaining high quality. Employee leasing: Hiring permanent employees of another company who possess certain specialised skills on lease basis to meet short-term requirements although not popular in India is another recruiting practice followed by firms in developed countries. In this case, individuals work for the leasing firm as per the leasing agreement/arrangement. Such an arrangement is beneficial to small firms because it avoids expense and problems of personnel administration.
Cont

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Alternatives to recruiting
Outsourcing: Any activity in which a firm lacks internal expertise and requires on unbiased opinion can be outsourced. Many businesses have started looking at outsourcing activities relating to recruitment, training, payroll processing, surveys, benchmark studies, statutory compliance etc., more closely, because they do not have the time or expertise to deal with the situation. HR heads are no longer keeping activities like resume management and candidate sourcing in their daily scrutiny. This function is more commonly outsourced when firms are in seasonal business and have cyclical stuffing needs.

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Evaluation of the sources of recruitment

Time lapse data: they show the time lag between the date of requisition for manpower supply from a department to the actual date of filling the vacancies in that department Yield ratios: they show the number of contacts required to

generate a given number of hires at a point of time. Surveys and studies: they could be carried out to find out the suitability of a particular source for certain positions.

Whats the recruitment ideology at Infosys? Our recruitment process is aligned to business requirements. One of the key factors we look for in a prospective employee is what we refer to as learn ability the ability to derive generic knowledge from specific experiences and apply the learning to new situations. Some of the other qualities we look for include analytical ability, teamwork and leadership potential, communication and innovation skills with a practical and structured approach to problem solving. We also place importance on professional competence and academic excellence. Whats the selection process like? Typically about 75% of our recruits are fresh graduates who are hired from various campuses as well as off-campus recruitment initiatives. The selection process for fresh graduates is a combination of resume screening, written test on analytical thinking, logical reasoning and communication and personal interview. For experienced hires, Infosys follows a competency-based recruitment philosophy, wherein all the steps starting with the requirement definition to the final selection, maps onto a role and competency matrix. All processes are geared to achieve our objective of attracting and selecting the best and brightest talent, while ensuring a best fit of the profiles.

Formerly known as the Tata Administrative Service, TAS was conceived by JRD Tata, the late chairman of the Tata group, in the 1950s. His dream was to select and groom some of the best young Indians, provide them opportunities for professional growth, and use that pool of talent as a group resource, one that could be tapped by companies across the Tata organisation. Most companies today allow a degree of job rotation for career growth. TAS, essentially a training programme, is perhaps the only employment brand in Indian business that consciously recruits for lifelong mobility, across companies, industries and functions, in order to impart that macro view of business which is critical in preparing young professionals for general management. To grow and renew the Tata talent pool continuously, TAS recruits young postgraduates from leading business schools each year and puts them through an intensive 12-month programme. The TAS manager has, as his or her career canvas, India's largest business house, with the widest range of industries and functions around which to plan and build a lifetime career of professional and personal growth.

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Recruitment Policies And Procedures

A recruitment policy indicates the organisations code of conduct in a specific area.

Recruitment policy statement

In its recruitment activities, the company will: Advertise all vacancies internally Reply to every job applicant promptly Inform job applicants the basic details and job conditions of every job advertised Process all applications with efficiency and courtesy Seek candidates on the basis of their qualifications Aim to ensure that every person invited for interview will be given a fair and thorough hearing

Cont

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Recruitment Policies And Procedures

The company will not: Discriminate unfairly against potential applicants on the basis of sex, race, religion, caste, etc.; Knowingly make any false or exaggerated claims in its recruitment literature or job advertisements

A recruitment procedure will lay down a clear path to be followed by the HR department while hiring people. Of course, the procedures have to be framed in a flexible manner so as to permit the HR department to respond to the requests made by various departments and by potential candidates quickly.

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Questions to be asked while hiring people

Has the vacancy been agreed by a responsible manager? Is there an up-to-date job description for the vacancy? What are the conditions of employment for the vacancy (salary, hours of work, fringe benefits, perquisites, holidays, etc.)? Has a personnel specification/candidates profile (in terms of physique, intelligence, aptitude, qualifications experience, etc.) been prepared? Has a notice of the vacancy been circulated internally? Has a job advertisement been agreed? Have details of the vacancy been forwarded to relevant agencies? Do all potential candidates (internal or external) know where to apply and in what form? What are the arrangements for drawing up a shortlist of candidates? What about the interviewing dates and arrangements for selection of candidates? Have the shortlisted candidates or waitlisted candidates been informed sufficiently in advance and asked to furnish detailed references? Have unsuitable candidates or waitlisted candidates been informed of their position in a polite way thanking them for their interest and attendance?

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Recruitment: Indian Experiences Recruitment of trainees: expectations of Indian companies

Pepsi: Pepsi is a flat organisation. There are a maximum of four reporting levels. Executives here emphasise achievement, motivation, the ability to deliver come what may. As the Personnel Manager of Pepsi Foods remarked we hire people who are capable of growing the business rather than just growing with the business. Recruitees must be capable of thinking outside the box, cutting the cake of conventional barriers whenever and wherever necessary. They must have a winners mindset and a passion for creating a dynamic change. They must have the ability to deal with ambiguity and informality.

Cont

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Recruitment of trainees: expectations of Indian companies

Reebok: As Reeboks customers are young, the company places emphasis on youth. The average age at Reebok is 26 years. Employees are expected to have a passion for the fitness business and reflect the companys aspirations. Recruitees should be willing to do all kinds of job operations. The willingness to get ones hands dirty is important. They must also have an ability to cope with informality, a flat organisation and be able to take decisions independently and perform consistently with their clearly defined goals. Indian Hotels: The Taj group expects the job aspirants to stay with the organisation patiently and rise with the company. Employees must be willing to say yes sir to anybody. Other criteria include: communication skills, the ability to work long and stressful hours, mobility, attention to personal appearance and assertiveness without aggression.

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Recruiters these days expect Bschool graduates to possess certain skills: Skills recruiters want in India
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. Ability to work in a team Analytical and problem solving skills Communication and other soft skills Creativity and resourcefulness Leadership potential General Managerial skills Entrepreneurial skills