Professional Documents
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Definition
Recruitment is a 'linking function' - joining together those with jobs to fill and those seeking jobs. It is a 'joining process' in that it tries to bring together job seekers and employer with a view to encourage the former to apply for a job with the latter. The basic purpose of recruiting is to develop a group of potentially qualified people. To this end, the organization must communicate the position in such a way that job seekers respond. To be cost effective, the recruitment process should attract qualified applicants and provide enough information for unqualified persons to self-select themselves out. Recruitment involves searching for and obtaining potential job candidates in sufficient numbers and quality so that the organization can select the most appropriate people to fill its job needs.
Aims of Recruitment
The aims of recruitment are:
to obtain a pool of suitable candidates for vacant posts to use and be seen to use a fair process to ensure that all recruitment activities contribute to company goals and a desirable company image to conduct recruitment activities in an efficient and costeffective manner
Positive activity
Negative activity
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Size of the organization Employment conditions in the community where the organization is located The effects of past recruiting efforts which show the organizations ability to locate and keep better performing people Working conditions and salary and benefits offered Rate of growth of organization Level of seasonality of operations Future expansions Cultural, economic and legal factors
The Social Environment Major social changes in the past two decades have caused organizations to place increased emphasis on recruitment. Modem employees look for a satisfying career in place of 'just a job'. If the opportunities for career growth are missing in an organization, they do not hesitate to leave and go in search of greener pastures outside. To ward off such threats, companies nowadays emphasize opportunities for training and development and progression through a series of jobs within the same organization. They also try to present a more realistic picture of the job and the encouraging career openings to prospective employees through innovative recruitment campaigns. If the organization is not aware of and is insensitive to prevailing social values and norms, the recruitment efforts could go off the track.
Recruitment theories
As per Behling and others, there are three ways in which an individual make a decision to join an organization viz. objective factor, subjective factor and critical contact. Accordingly following three theories of recruitment have been evolved: Objective factor theory Subjective factor theory Critical contact theory.
As per this theory the choice of organization by a potential employee depends on objective assessment of certain tangible factors, such as the following:
Pay and perks. Location. Opportunity for career growth. Nature of work Educational opportunities, etc.
According to this theory compatibility of individual personality with the image of organization is a decisive factor in choosing an organization by an individual candidate seeking employment
(c) Critical Factor Theory: there are instances when a candidate is unable to choose an organization, out of alternatives based on objective or subjective factors. This is due to many reasons such as limited contact and insufficient data, in regards to the organization or his own inability to analyze and come to any firm conclusion. In such cases, certain critical factors observed by him during his interview and contact with personnel of the organization will have profound influence in his decision process
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Organizations image Attractiveness quotient Internal organizational policies Union requirements Influence of government
Recruitment policy
Recruitment organization
Manpower forecast
flexible enough to meet the changing needs of an organization. be designed so as to ensure employment opportunities on long term basis to achieve organizational match the qualities of employees Highlight the meeting of established job analysis
Identification of recruitment needs Preferred sources of recruitment Cost of recruitment and selection Criteria of selection techniques Role , if any , assigned to the Union in the formulation and implementation of Rec and selection policies
Sources of recruitment
Internal
External
Present , Permanent employees Present Temp/ Casual Retrenched / Retired Dependents of diseased , disabled , retired and present employees
Educational & Training Institutes Pvt employment agencies / consultants Public employment exchanges , Professional Associations Data banks Trade Unions
(iii) Reliable: The organisation 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.
Methods Of Recruitment
Internal methods
Promotions and transfers: Promotion is the movement of an employee from a lower level position to a higher level position with increase in salary
Transfer, on the other hand, is a lateral movement within the same grade, from one job to another. Job posting: It is a method of publicising job openings on bulletin boards, electronic media and similar outlets by a company. Employee referrals: It is a kind of recommendation from a current employee regarding a job applicant.
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.
Direct methods
Campus recruitment It is a method of recruiting by visiting and participating in college campuses and their placement centres. Possibly the most popular way of hiring the best brains in the country, this method has to be used with lot of care and caution. Campus hiring, of course, is not easy.
The recruiter does not get involved in the development of the new employee: Because the recruiter often has the best rapport with the new employee, he or she should become involved.
Get in early
Not everyone fits the bill
Indirect methods
Newspaper advertisements
Employment exchanges
Gate hiring and contractors Unsolicited applicants/walk-ins Internet recruiting
Alternatives to recruiting
Overtime: Short term fluctuations in work volume could best be solved through overtime. The employer benefits because the costs of recruitment, selection and training could be avoided. The employee benefits in the form of higher pay. However, an overworked employee may prove to be less productive and turn out less than optimal performance. Employees may slow down their pace of work during normal working hours in order to earn overtime daily. In course of time, overtime payments become quite routine and if, for any reason, these payments do not accrue regularly, employees become resentful and disgruntled. Subcontracting: To meet a sudden increase in demand for its products and services, the firm may sometimes go for subcontracting instead of expanding capacities immediately. Expansion becomes a reality only when the firm experiences increased demand for its products for a specified period of time. Meanwhile, the firm can meet increased demand by allowing an outside specialist agency to undertake part of the work, to mutual advantage.
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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.
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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.
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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Entrepreneurial skills