Professional Documents
Culture Documents
4 Recruitment and Selection
4 Recruitment and Selection
Structure:
4.1 Introduction
Objectives
4.2 Concept of Recruitment
SAQ’s
4.3 Factors Affecting Recruitment
SAQ’s
4.4 Sources of Recruitment
SAQ’s
4.5 Recruitment & Selection Policies
4.51.1 Selection Policy
4.51.2 Recruitment Policy
SAQ’s
4.6 Recruitment Practices in India
SAQ’s
4.7 Concept of Selection
SAQ’s
4.8 Selection Techniques
4.9 Summary
4.10 TQ’s
4.11 Answers to SAQ’s and TQ’s
4.1 Introduction:
While Human Resources Planning focuses on the planning part of the activity the the
implementation of the plans happen with the effective execution on sound recruitment and
selection processes. This chapter focuses on the need for structured approach to recruitment
and selection activities to ensure that the right number and the right kind of people at the right
places, at the right time, to do things which result in both the individual receiving the
maximum longrange benefit and organizational success.
Objectives:
After studying this unit, you will be able to:
· Understand the critical role of recruitment
· Identify appropriate Recruitment sources
· Selection tools and methods
4.2 Concepts of Recruitment:
Evaluating the abilities of a human being is an extremely difficult task. This fact has not entirely
prevented the use of various techniques of quick appraisal, some of which are well organized can
be called "pseudosciences." Among such practices are phrenology (skull protrusions),
physiognomy (facial features), astrology (birth date), pigmentation (blondebrunette), and graphology
(handwriting).
Most people do not consciously practice any of these pseudosciences, but many have favourite
techniques of their own. We must emphasize that there is no easy shortcut to the accurate evaluation
of a human being under any circumstances. The length and complexity of the modern selection
procedure are tangible evidence of this fact.
Recruitment or manpower selection process is the first step in the employment of labour and the
methods through which labour is brought into industry has much to do with the ultimate success or
failure of such employment. Despite tremendous unemployment it is not easy to find the right type
of labour. Since workers were drawn from the rural population, in the early days of industrial
evolution in India, factories found much difficulty in recruiting the necessary labour due to the
reluctance of workers to leave their villages and work in distant towns cut off from their kith and kin.
Sometimes they could not adjust themselves to industrial life and eventually returned to their native
villages. That is why recruitment has been regarded as the most important function of personnel
administration, because unless the right type of people are hired; even the best plans, organization
charts and control systems would not do much good.
Careful recruitment of employees is particularly important in India for two reasons: First, under the
existing legal conditions, when an industrial worker is discharged, and industrial dispute can be raised
by the workman in regard to such discharge and the Labour Court adjudicating such disputes would
determine whether the termination of service was justified and to order reinstatement if such order was
appropriate. As a precaution against unreasonable discharge by way of punishment, certain rules of
procedure are required to be strictly followed by the employees before the order of discharge is
passed. Failure to carry out this procedure undermines the case if it goes to an industrial court.
Secondly, the chances of mismatching the job and the person are much higher in India. h under the
present labour market conditions in India, the employee's choice is very much limited and he will
accept any job irrespective of his suitability. Under these conditions, the pressure to properly match
man to job is only onesided, that is, from employer's side only.
Self Assessment Questions I
1. Recruitment or manpower selection process is the first step in the employment of
______________
2. Since workers were drawn from the_________________________, in the early
days of industrial evolution in India, factories found much difficulty in recruiting
the necessary labour
3. Matching the job with the suitable applicant is naturally,
a____________________.
4.3 Factors Affecting Recruitment
All organizations, whether large or small, do engage in recruiting activity, though not to the same
extent. This differs with: (i) the size of the organization; (ii) the employment conditions in the
community where the organization is located; (iii) the effects of past recruiting efforts which show the
organization's ability to locate and keep good performing people; (iv) working conditions and salary
and benefit packages offered by the organization which may influence turnover and necessitate
future recruiting; (v) the rate of growth of organization; (vi) the level of seasonality of operations and
future expansion and production programmes; and (vii) cultural, economic and legal factors etc.
Self Assessment Questions II
Match the following:
Self Assessment Questions III
1. In most instances, the jobs are posted on______________, though some carry
listings in the company newspapers.
2. Friends and relatives of present employees are also a good source from which
employees may be drawn, this is done through ______________________.
3. _______________ are firms that are looked upon as 'head hunters', 'raiders' and
'pirates' by organizations which lose personnel through their efforts.
4. ____________is the hiring of relatives which will be an inevitable component
of recruitment programmes in familyowned firms.
4.5 Recruitment & Selection Policies
4.5.1 Selection Policy
In order to initiate the procedure for selection, we must satisfy the three preliminary requirements
depicted in the diagram. First, there must be the authority to select, which comes from the
employment requisition, as developed through analysis of the work load and work force. Secondly,
we must have a standard of personnel with which we can compare prospective employees. This is
represented by the job specification, as developed through job analysis. A planned recruitment
programme provides us with these applicants.
The selection procedure is essentially a series of methods of securing pertinent information about the
applicant. At each step we learn more about the prospect. The information obtained can then be
compared with the job specification, the standard of personnel. If the applicant qualifies, he or she
advances to the next step. Thus, the job specification and the job applicant are interrelated at each step
in the selection procedure.
4.5.2 Recruitment Policy
Once a determination of human resources requirements has been made, the recruitment and selection
process can begin. Very often, recruitment is misunderstood as filling in of vacancies. The real
purpose of recruitment is not to fill up a vacancy but to add a person to the staff whom the
management expects to become important in the future scheme of things. Recruitment is the process
of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization. It is
often termed "positive" in that its objective is to increase the selection ratio, that is, the number of
applicants per job opening.
Dale Yoder and others point out: "Recruitment is a process to discover the sources of manpower to
meet the requirements of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that
manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force". In terms
of Stahl, recruitment is the corner stone of the whole personnel structure.
Sources for recruiting should be periodically evaluated. For this purpose, the criteria may be the cost per
applicant, the applicant/ hiring ratio, tenure, performance appraisals, etc. Recruiting should take into
consideration ethical practices, such as use of "truth in hiring" i.e., telling an applicant all about the firm
and its position, both good and bad, to enable him to decide whether or not to join the firm, is selected.
A successful and effective recruitment programme necessitates a welldefined recruitment
policy, a proper organizational structure, and procedures for locating sources of manpower
resources, suitable methods and techniques for utilizing these and a constant assessment and
consequent improvement.
Self Assessment Questions IV
All public sector enterprises are required to consider candidates sponsored by the Employment
Exchanges and, in most cases, confine the selection to these candidates. However, the private sector
is not under any such formal obligation. Under the Apprentices Act, 1961, young craftsmen having
received preemployment training in Industrial Training Institutes have to be employed by 'specialized'
industries during training period as a percentage of the total number of regular employees. Reservation
of 25% of vacancies for Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes candidates and preferential treatment of
displaced persons is a part of statutory requirement of Government andpublic sector employment in
India.
The recruitment of supervisory personnel in all organized industries is generally by promotion from
within the organization. Some industries first recruit a number of young persons as management trainees
and after 2 or 3 years absorb them completely. Executives too are mostly promoted from within.
Sometimes talented persons are also recruited from Indian Institutes of Technology, Indian Institutes of
Management and from Universities offering MBA courses etc.
The question of preference to "Sons of the Soil" i.e., local population in the matter of employment
within the local area has, of late, assumed a complex character. In this connection, the National
Commission on Labour has observed: "The solution has to be sought in terms of the primary of common
citizenship, geographical mobility and economic feasibility of locating industrial units, on the one hand,
and local aspiration on the other."
Self Assessment Questions V
1. All public sector enterprises are required to consider candidates sponsored by the
__________________________.
2. Executives too are mostly ___________from within.
3. _______________, in other words, local population in the matter of employment within
the local area has, of late, assumed a complex character.
4.8 Selection Techniques
There is no shortcut to an accurate evolution of a candidate. The hiring procedures are therefore,
generally long and complicated. Many employers make use of such techniques and pseudosciences
while coming to hiring decisions. However, in modern times, these are considered to be unreliable
measures.
The following is a popular procedure though it may be modified to suit individual situation:
1 Initial or preliminary interview
2 Application blank or blanks.
3 Check of references.
4 Psychological tests.
5 Employment interview
6 Approval by the supervisor.
7 Physical examination.
8 Induction or orientation.
4.8.1 Preliminary Interview
The more nonselective the recruitment programme, the more likely it is that a preliminary interview
will be required. This initial interview is usually quite short and has as its object the elimination of the
obviously unqualified. In many instances it is a standup interview conducted at a desk or railing. The
more obvious facts and impressions are of the type generally obtained in an initial interview. Many
firms do not bother to initiate any paperwork at this early stage. If the applicant appears to have some
chance of qualifying for existing job openings, he or she is given the application blank to complete.
4.8.2. Application Blank
An application blank is a traditional, widely accepted device for getting information from a prospective
applicant which will enable a management to make a proper selection. The blank provides preliminary
as well as aid in the interview by indicating areas of interest and discussion. It is a good means of
quickly collecting verifiable basic historical data from the candidate. It also serves as a convenient
device for circulating information about the applicant to appropriate members of management and as a
useful device for storing information for, later reference. Many types of application forms are generally
called on the following items: biographical data, educational attainment, work experience, salary,
personal items, and other items such as names and addresses of previous employers, references etc.
An application blank is a brief history sheet of an employee's background and can be used for
future reference, in case of need. In a nutshell, an application blank should be completed
enough to relieve the interviewer of the burden of recording considerable factual data.
A Specimen of a Short Application Form for Unskilled
Manual Employees
ENVISION GRAPHICS PVT.LTD.
BANGALORE560 080
Date
Name
Address
Date of Birth Single/Married/Widowed/Divorced
Position Applied for
Details of previous jobs, including present one, if still employed:
1
2
3
Physical disabilities:
Have you ever worked for this concern before? : Yes/No
Engaged/Not Engaged ............... Department……………………
Due to Start………………….. ......................... Interviewer……………………
4.8.3. Check of References
The use of references is common in most selection procedures, for it involves only a little time and
money, and minimum of effort. The procedure places reliance on the evaluation of former employers,
friends and professional personnel, checks on references are made by mail or telephone, and
occasionally in person, or by using a reference form.
4.8.4. Psychological Tests
The next step in the procedures outlined above is that of testing. If all organizations, large and small, are
considered, it is apparent that most are not using psychological tests. However, there is a direct
relationship between the size and firm and the use of tests in hiring. Most of the larger companies that
can afford to have a more detailed and accurate selection procedure do utilize some form of employment
testing. It is the smaller company that frequently does not bother with tests, but places greater reliance
upon the interview.
4.8.5. Interviewing
Interviewing is probably the most widely used single method of selection. A substantial amount of
subjectivity, and therefore, unreliability, is to be expected from interviewing when used as a tool of
evaluation.
The interview consists of interaction between interviewer and applicant. If handled properly,
it can be a powerful technique in achieving accurate information and getting access to
material otherwise unavailable.
Four kinds of interviews for selection have been identified. These are:
1. Preliminary interview: These interviews are preliminary screening of applicants to decide whether a
more detailed interview will be worthwhile. The applicant is given job details during the interview
to afford him freedom to decide whether the job will suit him. This method saves the company's
time and money.
2. Stress interview: Stress interviews are deliberate attempts to create pressure to observe how an
applicant performs under stress. Methods used to induce stress range from frequent interruptions
and criticism of an applicant's opinion, to keeping silent for an extended period of time. The most
important advantage of the stress interview is that helps to demonstrate important personality
characteristics which would be difficult to observe in tensionfree situations. However, stress
inducing must be done carefully by trained and skilled interviewers.
3. Depth interview: Depth interviews cover the complete life history of the applicant and include such
areas as the candidate's work experience, academic qualifications, health interest, and hobbies. It is
an excellent method for executive selection, performed by qualified personnel.
4. Patterned interview: Patterned interviews are a combination of direct and indirect questioning of the
applicant. The interviewer has certain clues and guidelines to areas which should be probed deeply
and the interview also encourages the candidate to express the relevant information freely.
After the patterned interview is complete, the interviewer should evaluate the candidate on
the basis of practical experience. According to R.N. McCurry and others, certain factors lead
to accurate predictions of the candidate's suitability for a particular position. The factors are:
(1) basic character traits, (2) motivation, and (3) emotional maturity. One advantage of a
patterned interview is that systematic and chronological information is obtained, and hence
this yields to statistical analysis.
Interview Process
Since the interview is one of the most commonly used personal contact methods, great care has to be
taken before, during and after the interview.
Before the actual interview begins, the critical areas in which questions will be asked must be
identified for judging ability and skills for the job. If there is more than one interviewer, some
practice and mock interviews will help calibrate variations in individual interviewers' ratings.
The second step is to scrutinize the information given in the application form to identify
skills, incidents and experiences in the career of the candidate, which may answer questions
raised around the critical areas.
The fundamental step is establishing "rapport", putting the Interviewee at ease; conveying the
impression that the interview is a conversation between two friends, and not a confrontation
of employer and employee. One way to achieve this is by initially asking questions not
directly related to the job that is, chatting casually about the weather journey and so on. Once
the Interviewee is put to ease the Interviewer starts asking questions, or seeking information
related to the job. After this phase, the interviewers should discuss about the interviewee,
identify areas of agreement, and make a tentative decision about the candidate.
Characteristics of "good interviewers: Some studies revealed the characteristics of "good
interviewers" by examining the life histories of those known to be "good" or "bad"
interviewers. The general profile seems to be:
1. Knowledge of the job or other things with which interviews are concerned.
2. Emotional maturity and a stable personality.
3. Sensitivity to the interviewee's feelings and a sympathetic attitude.
4. Extravert behaviour and considerable physical stamina.
Some Issues
Despite the almost universal use of the interview for selection, very little information is available on its
reliability and validity. There are tremendous difficulties in ascertaining the reliability and validity of
interviews. Some of the other issues are discussed below:
1. The most important issue is that of differentiating interview data from interviewer’s data. In most
cases the validity assessed is interviewer’s validity rather than that of interview information. In the
process one evaluates the interviewer's biases and responses instead of evaluating the interview per
se.
2. Inconsistency and lack of standardization in interviewers' behaviour can make a noticeable
difference in the behaviour of interviewees. Highly structured interviews reduce this variability and
permit little individuality.
3. There is great subjectivity in interviews. In fact most of the objective factors are assessed by tests
and application blanks.
4. The interviewer should possess a level of intelligence which is at least equal to the interviewee's.
Sheer glorification of the role is unethical because lack of maturity in decisionmaking can affect
applicants.
5. The length of the interview is important. That is why; many interviews are of predetermined length
due to an appointment schedule.
6. The interviewee is as much entitled to know about the job and his suitability to it as the interviewer.
4.8.6. Approval by the Supervisor
Following the outlined procedure, we should now be of the opinion that a candidate who has
successfully completed all steps so far should be hired. In executing the personnel unit screening
functions, the emphasis tends to be more on formal qualifications and general suitability. When the
supervisor takes over, the emphasis tends to switch toward more specifically job oriented worker
characteristics such as training and relevant past experience.
4.8.7. Physical Examination
The physical examination is an employment step found in most businesses. It can vary from a very
comprehensive examination and matching of an applicant's physical capabilities to job requirements to a
simple check of general physical appearance and wellbeing. In the selection procedure the physical
examination has at least three basic objectives. First, it serves to ascertain the applicant's physical
capabilities.
The second objective of the examination is to protect the company against unwarranted
claims under workers' compensation laws, or against lawsuits for damages. And the final
objective is to prevent communicable diseases from entering the organization.
4.8.8. Induction
Induction is concerned with the problem of introducing or orienting a new employee to the organization.
In as much as various firms report that over half of their voluntary resignations occur within the first 6
months, proper orientation can do much to reduce this problem and its accompanying costs.
Self Assessment Questions I
1. An ……………is a traditional, widely accepted device for getting information from a
prospective applicant
2. ………………is probably the most widely used single method of selection.
3. ………………are deliberate attempts to create pressure to observe how an applicant
performs under stress.
4. ………cover the complete life history of the applicant.
5. ………….. Is a combination of direct and indirect questioning of the applicant?
………..is concerned with the problem of introducing or orienting a new employee to the
organization.
4.9. Summary
· Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply
for jobs in the organization.
· Recruitment or manpower selection process is the first step in the employment of labour
· Sources for recruiting should be periodically evaluated. A successful and effective recruitment
programme necessitates a welldefined recruitment policy, a proper organizational structure, and
procedures for locating sources of manpower resources, suitable methods and techniques for
utilising these and a constant assessment and consequent improvement.
4.10. Terminal Questions
1. Discuss any 3 common sources of Recruitment
2. Why interviews are considered a common method for selection?
3. Discuss the types of interviews
4. What are some unique challenges that India faces?
5. Why is ‘physical examination’ included as part of selection in some companies?
4.11. Answers to SAQs and TQs
Self Assessment Questions I
1labour, 2 rural population, 3 twoway process
Self Assessment Questions II
i) the size of the organization; (ii) the employment conditions in the community where the
organization is located; (iii) the effects of past recruiting efforts which show the organization's ability
to locate and keep good performing people; (iv) working conditions and salary and benefit packages
offered by the organization which may influence turnover and necessitate future recruiting; (v) the
rate of growth of organization; (vi) the level of seasonality of operations and future expansion and
production programmes; and (vii) cultural, economic and legal factors
Self Assessment Questions III
1 Notice boards, 2employee referrals, 3Executive search firms, 4Nepotism
Self Assessment Questions IV
1 Applicant, 2 future scheme, 3evaluated, 4"truth in hiring"
Self Assessment Questions V
1. Employment Exchanges, 2promoted, 3"Sons of the Soil"
Self Assessment Questions VI
1Application blank, 2Interviewing, 3Stress interviews, 4Depth interviews, 5Patterned interviews, 6
Induction
Answers to TQs
1. Refer to 4.4
2. Refer to 4.8
3. Refer to 4.8
4. Refer to 4.6
5. Refer to 4.8