Chapter 4

Staffing Organizational Jobs

Overview of Staffing Organizational Jobs
The achievement of organizational objectives largely depends on effective utilization of human
resources. In today's highly competitive market, the selection of the right person in terms of
quality and quantity, have far-reaching implications for any organization. Hence, the
maintenance of staffing system becomes the important management functions.
Staffing refers to the process of attracting, selecting, and placing of employee in the position. It
begins with job analysis. In addition to its other roles in human resource management, job
analysis has a role in staffing by specifying the requirements of job, which helps identify the
kind of candidates required for vacant positions (Scarpello & Ledvinka, 1988).
Recruitment
The Recruitment Process
Recruitment is the process of attracting individuals on a timely basis, in sufficient numbers and
with appropriate qualifications, and encouraging them to apply for jobs with an organization. It
is one of the means of meeting the organization's staffing requirements. As can be seen in the
figure (Werther & Davis, 1996) next page, the groundwork for successful recruiting effort lies
on human resource planning and job analysis information. Once organizations identify job
openings, thorough human resource planning, managers need to design and implement
recruitment programs to attract qualified applicants, because the type of people selected are the
one who determine the success or failure of the organization. However, in large organization,
human resource department is responsible for the recruitment process. On the other hand, in
small organization, recruitment is likely the responsibility of recruitment and selection
committee or the individual manager.
The recruitment process of an organization aims at organizing recruitment activities in terms of
who does the recruiting, how they do it, and where they seek recruits. As mentioned earlier,
human resource planning indicated the job vacancies now and in the future. In other words,
before a recruitment decision can be made, the organization must reflect upon any vacancy that
occurs and link the decisions to the objectives set by the human resource plan of the
organization. Once vacant positions have been identified, management initiates an employee
requisition. As the figure (Mondy & Noe, 1990) below illustrates, the employee requisition is a
document that specifies job title, department, the date the employee is needed for work and
other related details. With this information, the recruiter can refer to the job description to
determine what each job requires.
1
 job job SOURCE METHODS
Human job analysis
opening requireme S OF
resource Manager'
information
identified nts OF RECRUIT
plannin s
RECRUIT MENT
g comment
The Recruitment Process
s MENT
The next major decision concerning recruitment is to
identify the sources of recruitment. This is a means of determining whether competent
personnel are available within the organization (the internal source) or must recruit externally.
Sources of Recruitment
The objective of recruitment is to provide a sufficient group of qualified candidates for
employment. In order to realize this recruitment objective, organizations make use two sources
of recruitment. These are internal and external sources.
Internal Recruitment
Internal employees are a major source for vacant positions in an organization. This usually
takes the form of employee promotion or transfer within an organization. Internal recruiting
improves the probability of a good selection, since all the necessary information on employ's
performance and behavior is readily available. Moreover, it has the following advantages.
1. It can be a motivating factor for employees, since; it lets them know that hard work can
lead to better jobs.
2. Internal candidates do not need the extensive familiarization with organizational policies.
3. Internal recruiting efforts are much less expensive than external efforts.
However, a policy of filling vacant positions using the internal recruiting approach has its own
disadvantages. Some of the major ones are:
1. 'Inbreeding' is a drawback. The employee tends to demonstrate on the job only what he/she
has learned in the organization and has few new ideas.
2. Inadequacy of supply would also arise since fewer people would be available to choose
from as opposed to external recruitment.
3. Recruiting friends/ relatives of present employees may often create unnecessary tensions
and charges of favoritism, nepotism, etc. It often leads to serious erosion of discipline as
well (Chattterjee, 1995).
In order to acquire candidates within the organization, who are capable of filling vacancies,
organizations, use an approach called job posting and bidding.
Job Posting

2
Job posting is a method of internal recruitment, which can facilitate promotion and transfer
within the organization. It is a procedure used to notify the current employees that job
openings exist. Job bidding, on the other hand, is a technique that permits employees who
believe that they possess the required qualifications to apply for a posted job (Mondy & Noe,
1990). In organizations vacant positions are posted on a bulletin board. Any staff who can
satisfy the criteria is encouraged to apply.
It is important here to remember that qualifications and other facts typically are drawn from the
job analysis information. Then, through self-nominations or the recommendation of a
supervisor, employees who are qualified and interested in the posted opening report to the
human resource department and apply (Werther & Davis, 1996).
External Recruitment
When vacant positions cannot be filled internally, the desired employees must be attract from a
number of external sources. In other words, according Mondy and Noe (1990), at times, a firm
must look beyond itself to find employees, particularly when expanding its workforce. The
following circumstances require external recruitment:
1. to fill entry- level jobs;
2. to acquire skills not possessed by current employees, and
3. to obtain employees with different backgrounds to provide new ideas
External recruiting can offer many advantages. Among the advantages of external recruiting
are:
1. Outside people can often bring new and innovative ideas to the workplace.
2. New recruit is less susceptible to conformity pressures and other negative group
phenomenal that adversely affect employee morale and productivity.
3. It is less expensive to hire a well-trained specialist or professional from outside the
organization than to train and develop existing personnel (Scarpello & Ledvinka, 1988).
Depending on the type of educational qualifications desired, individuals may be attracted from
a number of external sources. These are:
High Schools and Vocational Schools
High schools and vocational schools are excellent sources for hiring clerical and other entry-
level operative employees. For example, many vocational schools in Ethiopia have outstanding
training programs for specific occupational skills, such as auto-mechanics, wood-works,
electricity, and the like.
Colleges and Universities

3
This is a major source of entry-level administrative, technical, and professional talent. College
and university recruiting provide a good opportunity for both graduates and organizations.
According to Chatterjee (1995), for students coming out of educational institutions, this form of
recruitment is very convenient and satisfying. For employers, it serves a great deal of time and
processing costs and they get access to a large number of bright, young people at one place
from among whom they can choose and with whom interviews can be fixed at short notice.
Walk-ins and Write-ins
These are inexpensive sources of qualified job seekers. Walk-ins are job candidates who
physically arrive at the organization in search of a job. Write-ins are job seekers who send
application letter to an organization's employment office.
Self-employed Workers
This may also be a good potential recruit. The self-employed workers constitute a source of
job applicants for any number of jobs requiring managerial, technical or professional within an
organization.
External Methods of Recruitment
Once recruitment sources are identified, organizations then seek to attract job seekers by
specific recruitment methods. Advertising, employee referrals and employment agencies are
external recruitment methods most commonly used by many organizations.
Advertising
Many job seekers are attracted through advertising. It is a means of communicating the
organization employment requirements to the general public. To this effect, various media are
used such as daily newspapers, magazines, television and radio broadcasts. The advertisements
should provide a clear and honest picture of the job and also the organization to the prospective
employees. In other words, a good, carefully worded advertisement can help in building the
image of the organization since very often, potential candidates are first introduced to the
organization through advertisements in the media (Chatterjee, 1995).
Employee Referrals
This is a technique in which current employees refer job seekers from out side the organization.
The technique is inexpensive and effective when organizations are looking for candidates in
particular job skills that may be urgently required within the organization. According to
Werther and Davis (1996), employee referrals have several advantages including the following:
1. Employees with hard-to-find job skills may know others who do the same work.
2. New recruits already know something about the organization from the employees who
referred them.
4
3. Employees tend to refer their friends, who are likely to have similar work habits and
attitudes.
Although employee referrals appear to be an easy and quick way to attract potential candidates
to an organization, they tend to maintain the status quo of the workforce in terms of race,
religion, sex, and other characteristics, possibly leading to charges of discrimination (Werther
& Davis, 1996).

Employment Agencies
An employment agency is an organization that helps firms to recruit employees and, at the same
time, aids individuals in their attempts to locate jobs (Mondy & Noe 1990). They conduct
recruitment and selection activities for many organizations. For example the main public
employment agency in Ethiopia is the Ministry of Civil Service which coordinates recruitment
and selection functions for service organizations, whereas the Ministry of Social Affairs is
responsible for all labor cases regarding workers in the production organizations.
Alternatives to Recruitment
Recruitment is not always the best method to fill vacant positions in an organization.
Recruitment and selection are not only time consuming activities but also expensive.
Moreover, they don't solve the immediate employee demand of an organization. Therefore, an
organization should carefully consider all viable alternatives before involving in recruitment
functions. Alternatives to recruitment include overtime, temporary employees, subcontracting
and employee leasing.
Overtime
Overtime is the most commonly used technique to deal with temporary increase in work
volume. It benefits both the organization and the employee. The Organization is able to satisfy
employee demand while avoiding recruitment, selection and training costs. The employee who
is employed on overtime basis may benefit from a higher rate of pay. Although organizations
benefit by using overtime, they should carefully check their use of overtime as it also has its
own problems. Some of major problems of related to the use of overtime include the
following.
1. Employees may become fatigued and lack the energy to perform at a normal rate, especially
when excessive overtime is required.
2. Employees may, consciously or not, pace themselves so that overtime will be assured.

5
3. Employees may elevate their standard of living to the level permitted by the additional
income. Then, when overtime is no longer required, and the paycheck shrinks, employees
may become disgruntled (Mondy & Noe, 1990).
Temporary Employees
The total cost of permanent employees is usually high. To minimize costs and maintain
flexibility as work volume varies, most organizations make use of temporary employees. The
costs of recruitment, selection and employee benefits are avoided since organizations will agree
with the employee to only pay wage for a specific period of time.
It is important here to note that unless the tasks that the temporary employee is asked to do are
simple and easy to learn, however, the organization may encounter quality control problems
and additional training expenses. Further, management should recognize that a temporary
person is not going to posses the same degree of loyalty to the organization that a permanent
employee has (Scarpello & Ledvinka, 1988).
Subcontracting
Another alternative of meeting increases in demand for employees is choosing someone else as
a sub contract to perform tasks. According to Mondy and Noe (1990), this approach has a
special appeal when the subcontractor actually has greater expertise in producing certain goods
or services.
Employee Leasing
In this method, organizations acquire certain employees by contracting for the services of
employees from another organization. Instead of the organization having to recruit, select and
hire employees, they simply lease employees. Employee leasing is desirable for small business
organizations because it eliminates the problem human resources management.
Selection
What is Selection?
The human resource planning indicates that additional employees are required to get
organizational job done, hence, recruitment process takes place. This process provides a group
of potential candidates to enable the organization select and hire the best person or persons
from the group. Selection is the process of choosing from a group of applicants the individual
best suited for a particular position Mondy and Noe, (1990). The purpose of selection is to
identify the recruits that most likely help the organization in achieving its objectives. Selection
is affected by, and also affects other human resource management activities. For instance:
¨ Job analysis identifies the personal attributes to seek out among job candidates.

6
¨ Human resource planning can play a role in employee selection by providing a forecast of
position openings.
¨ Recruiting is related to selection in that a high selective selection procedure requires the
recruitment program to generate a larger or more qualified candidate pool.
¨ Training is, in one sense, a substitute for selection: if selection neither does nor results in
hiring employees with the necessary skills, training might be used to impart those skills.
¨ Career management focuses on internal selection. If a career management system is in
operation, the selection system should identify employees with the aptitude to benefit from
the career sequence that is planned. If there is no formal career planning system, then the
selection system should focus more on identifying candidates who already have the skills
that would be developed through a well-planned career in the organization.
¨ Compensation is critical aid in selection because if pay is not high enough, the organization
will not attract enough candidates who can pass the selection requirements.
¨ Labor relations are important in selection because an effective selection process can
contribute of a positive union-management relationship. Although union contracts often
specify promotion based on seniority, if the organization does a better job of selection in its
initial hiring, it is less likely to have to promote less-qualified people later on (Scarpello &
Ledvinka, 1988).
The Selection Process
The selection process as shown in the figure below is a series of specific steps through which
job candidates pass. Although the sequence of steps may differ from one organization to
another, the process ends in acquiring the right person for the right job.
Preliminary Reception of Applications
Selection process often starts with preliminary reception of applications. At this stage, the job
seekers may visit the organization in person or send job application letter. The organization
then examines the applications to check whether there is a match between the applicants'
qualification and the vacant position.
Although the information requested on application forms vary from one job type to another and
even from organization to organization, it generally contains sections for personal data, job
interest, education and training and work-related history. Those applicants who best satisfy the
selection criteria will be selected for selection tests.
Selection Tests

7
Selection tests are instruments that enable organizations to assess the match between the
prospective employees and the requirement of job opening. They enable the management to
make rational hiring decision. On the other hand, ability and motivation to perform a task
determine employee job performance. Selection tests, therefore, may accurately predict an
applicant's ability to perform the job, but be less successful in indicating the extent to which the
individual will want to perform it.
According to Glueck (1978), there are various kinds of tests. Of which performance tests,
simulations of performance and paper-and-pencil tests will very briefly be discussed below.
Performance Tests
A performance test is an experience that involves actually doing a sample of the work the job
involves in a controlled situation. Examples of this type of tests include typing tests for
secretarial position.
Performance Simulations
A performance simulation is a non-paper-and-pencil experience designed to determine abilities
related to job performance. The simulation is not direct performance of part of the job, but it
comes close to that through simulation. For example, drivers may have learned to drive by
performing first on simulation machines.
Paper-and-Pencil Tests
The paper-and-pencil tests are designed to measure general intelligence and aptitudes.
Intelligence and mental ability tests attempt to sample intellectual and mental development or
skills. Examples of paper-and-pencil tests include mathematics test for a bookkeeper.
EXTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

INTERNAL ENVIRONMENT

Preliminary reception R
Of applications e
J
e
Selection tests ct
e
Selection interview d

A
References and background p
p
checks l
i
Hiring Decision c
a
n
Medical examination ts

8
 Employed individual

Steps in the Selection Process (Mondy & Noe, 1990 Modified)

Characteristics of Selection Tests
Well-designed and properly administered tests have the following characteristics. These are:
- Standardization - Reliability
- Objectivity - Validity
- Norms
Standardization
This refers to the uniformity of the procedures and conditions related to administering tests
(Mondy & Noe, 1990). In order to compare test results of candidates, it is important to ensure
uniform conditions. For example, if a group of candidates takes a test in a hall where the light
is dim and another group takes the same test in a hall where the light is bright, differences in
performance are likely to occur. Management, therefore, should strictly observe that
standardized conditions are provided when test is administered.
Objectivity
Objectivity in testing is achieved when everyone scoring a test obtains the same results (Mondy
& Noe, 1990). The job candidates taking objective tests either choose the best answer or do
not. Multiple-choice questions and true-false questions are examples of objective test.
Norms
A norm provides a frame of reference for comparing an applicant's performance with that of
others (Mondy & Noe, 1990). It indicates the distribution of many scores obtained by people
similar to the applicant being tested.
Reliability
The term reliability refers to the extent to which a test provides dependable or consistent
results. Reliability data reveal the degree of confidence that can be placed in a test. If a test
has low reliability, its validity as a predictor will also be low. But the existence of reliability
does not in itself guarantee validity (Mondy & Noe, 1990).
Validity
In personnel measurement, the term validity refers to how well a test measures what it is
supposed to measure. In other words, validity means that test scores relate significantly to job
performance or to another job-relevant criterion (Werther & Davis, 1996) if a selection test
cannot be used to assess a candidate's suitability for employment; it has no value as a predictor.
Hence, validity should be a concern of organizations that use tests as one of the selection tool.
9
Selection Interview
Interview is a formal conversation conducted to assess the suitability of candidate for a
particular job. According to Werther and Davis (1996), the interviewer seeks to answer three
broad questions. These are:-
- Can the applicant do the job?
- Will the applicant do the job?
- How does the applicant compare with others who are being considered for the job?
Interviews are the most common selection technique. They can be used to evaluate candidate
acceptability for all types of employment in an organization. Moreover, selection interviews
allow two-way face-to-face communication in which organizations not only obtain additional
information from the candidates but also provide information concerning the organization.
The selection interview is especially significant because the applicants who reach this stage are
the most promising candidates (Mondy & Noe, 1990). They have successfully passed the
preliminary screening and obtained good results on selection tests. Hence, the candidates seem
to be qualified for the jobs in question. The specific content to be used in selection interviews
varies from organization to organization and the level of the job. However, the following
general topics (Mondy & Noe, 1990) appeal consistently in interviews:
 Academic Achievement. The interviewer needs to try to discover any underlying factors
related to academic performance.
 Personal Qualities. Personal qualities normally observed during the interview include
physical appearance, speaking ability and assertiveness.
 Occupational Experience. Exploring an individual's experience requires finding out
about the applicant's skills, abilities, and willingness to handle responsibility.
 Interpersonal Competence. The interviewer should ask questions regarding the
applicant's interpersonal relationships with family and friends and how he/ she behaves
in other social and civil situations.
 Career Orientation. Questions about a candidate's career objectives may enable the
interviewer to determine whether the applicant's aspirations are realistic.
Types of Interviews
Interviews have to be appropriate for the job and the candidate. They are tools used by many
organizations to predict applicant future success. Moreover, interviews solicit the following
types of information from applicants. These are:-
- ability to perform the job;

10
 - motivation to stay on the job; and
- adaptability to the job situation
There are different interview types. Organizations may use one or more of the interview types
to select the best among applicants. In general, interview types that are used are:-
¨ Structured interview ¨ Behavioral interviewing
¨ Unstructured interview ¨ Stress interview
¨ Mixed interview
Structured Interview
Structured or directive interview depends on a predetermined set of job-related questions. List
of questions is prepared before the interview begins and the interviewer is not allowed to
deviate from it. In this type of interview, interviewers should follow a structured, systematic
interview procedure in order to obtain the information necessary to evaluate the candidate fairly
and objectively (Mondy & Noe, 1990). The interviewers use a standardized evaluation form to
note the candidate's responses to the questions. A structured job interview typically contains
four types of questions (Mondy & Noe, 1990). These are:
- Situational questions pose a hypothetical job situation to determine what the applicant
would do in that situation.
- Job knowledge questions probe the applicant's job-related knowledge. These questions
may relate to basic educational skills or complex scientific or managerial skills.
- Job-sample simulation questions involve situations in which an applicant may be
required to actually perform a sample task from the job.
- Worker requirement questions seek to determine the applicant's willingness to confirm
to the job requirements. For example, the applicant's willingness to work in the rural
part of the country.
The problem with the structured interviews is that it is very restrictive. The information
obtained is confined within certain parameters only and the interviewer has no chance of
displaying either his own talents or skills nor adapt to the individual candidate (Chatterjee,
1995). The rigid format is equally constraining to the candidate, who is not in a position to
elaborate or qualify on answer to the questions.
Unstructured Interview
The unstructured interview consists of open-ended questions such as:
- What do you believe are your primary strengths and main weaknesses?
- How will our organization benefit by having you as an employee?

11
In this type of interview, the interviewer can prepare questions while the interview is in
progress. The overriding advantage of the unstructured type is the freedom it allows the
interviewer to adapt to the situation and to the changing stream of applicants (Glueck, 1978).
Unfortunately, this method, which also is called non-directive interviewing, lacks the reliability
of structured interview because each applicant is asked a different series of questions. Even
worse, this approach may overlook key areas of the applicant's skills or background (Werther &
Davis, 1996).
Mixed Interview
This is an interviewing method in which the interviewers use harmonious combination of
structured and unsaturated set of questions. According to Werther and Davis (1996), the
structured questions provide a base of information that allows comparisons between candidates;
the unstructured questions make the interview more conversational and permit greater insights
into the unique differences between applicants.
Behavioral Interviewing
Behavioral interviewing focuses on problem or a hypothetical situation that the applicant is
asked to solve (Werther & Davis, 1996). In this type of interviewing, questions are limited to
hypothetical situations and the candidate is asked what should be done. The purpose is to
understand the candidate's analytic abilities and reasoning. Here not only the candidate's
answer but his/her approach is also evaluated. The interview might consist of situations similar
to the following:
Suppose you had to decide between candidates for a promotion. Candidate A is loyal,
cooperative, punctual, and hardworking. Candidate B is a complainer and is tardy and
discourteous but is the best producer in your department. Whom would you recommend for
promotion to supervisor? Why? (Werther & Davis, 1996).
Stress Interview
The idea of using this type of interviewing is to understand the candidate's ability to cope with
stress on the job. Chatterjee (1995) noted that stress interview is a deliberate attempt to create
tension and pressure in an applicant to see how well he/ she responds to these tensions and
pressures. For example, candidates for police duty are selected using a stress interview in
connection with other relevant interview formats.
The major purpose of interviewing is to increase the effectiveness of selection by:
- Identifying the basic qualities necessary for success on the job and using those qualities
to evaluate candidates.
- Standardizing the interview method, and
12
 - Training interviewers to gather, interpret, and relate data to qualities of success on the
job (Scarpello & Ledvinka, 1988).
Interview needs to identify the application and job description. Moreover, the entire nature of
interview is directly related to the job. The following summary indicates the type of interviews
(Werther & Davis 1996) discussed earlier.
References and Background Checks
Is the applicant a good, reliable worker? Are the job accomplishments, titles, educational
background, and other facts on the resume' or application true? What type of person is the
applicant? Most important, what information is relevant to matching the applicant and the job?
(Werther & Davis 1996).
In order to provide answer to these questions, organizations use references and background
investigation. Checking references and investigating the candidate's background history are
important tools that enable organizations to determine whether past work experience is related
to qualification required for the new job. Moreover, candidates may also be required to submit
recommendation letters. The letters reveal past behavior, the candidate's job interest, relation
with immediate boss and co-workers, and reason for termination. According to Glueck (1978),
for a letter of recommendation to be useful, it must meet certain conditions:
- The writer must have to know the applicant's performance level and be competent to
assess it.
- The writer must communicate the evaluation effectively to the potential employer.
- The writer must be truthful.
Another major reason for conducting references and background checks is to verify candidate's
credential. It is important to bear in mind that some people are not what they present
themselves to be and not even whom they say they are. Background checks can confirm or
disprove claims made by job applicants (Mondy & Noe,1990).
Hiring Decision
After obtaining and evaluating information about the finalists, the manager must take the most
critical step of all: making the actual hiring decision (Mondy & Noe, 1990). Manager's
decision to select those individuals best suited for employment must be based on reliable and
valid information. Moreover, since the success of any organization largely depends on
employee performance, the manager before making the final employment decision must:
- be familiar the job requirements.
- organize a forum with the selection committee or human resource department, whereby
the entire selection process is reviewed.
13
 - be convinced that rational decision is made at every stage of the selection process.
- obtain information from the immediate supervisor of the new employee concerning the
match between their qualifications and the requirements of the new vacant position.
Among the candidates decided to be hired, some of them may not accept the job offer or may
even fail the physical examination, it is, therefore, important to keep a waiting list. This,
among other things, enables the organization to fill the vacancy immediately rather than
starting the recruitment process and it also avoids additional cost of recruitment and selection.
Medical Examination
After the hiring decision has been made, the next process of selection involves a medical
examination for the successful candidate. In most cases, a job offer is conditional upon
presentation of a medical certificate that testifies the applicant is both mentally and physically
capable of performing the job in question. If there is no disqualifying medical problems during
the examination, the candidate can now be employed and be given a letter of employment.
Environmental Factors Affecting the Selection Process
The following environmental factors (Mondy & Noe, 1990) can affect the selection process.
Legal Considerations
Legislation, executive orders and court decisions have had a major impact on selection.
Speed of Decision Making
The time available to make the selection decision can have a major effect on selection process.
An organization may only conduct an interview to fill a vacant position if a certain department
can not operate unless that particular position is immediately filled. On the other hand, speed
may not be crucial to select a deputy dean of a college. Here a careful attention need to be
devoted to study the application, intensive reference and background checking and time for the
interview.
Organizational Hierarchy
Different techniques to selection are required for filling job openings at different levels in the
organization. For instance, consider the variations in hiring a Head of Finance and
Administration Department and in hiring a person to fill a secretarial position. Extensive
reference, background checks and in-depth interviewing needs to be carried out to verify the
character and capabilities of the applicant for a high-level position. However, an applicant for a
secretarial position would most likely take only a word processing test and perhaps have a short
selection interview.
Application Pool

14
The number of available people to be recruited from the labour market for a particular job can
affect the selection process. If there are many candidates as compared to the number of people
to be hired, the selection process can be complicated and takes a long period of time. On the
contrary, if there is only two candidates for one vacant position, the selected process is
relatively easy and it also takes a short duration. This can best be illustrated using selection
ratio (Werther & Davis, 1996):

Numberof applicantshired
Selectionratio =
Totalnumber of applicants
Thus, if the selection ratio is 1:40, the selection process is detailed and high. High selection
ratio, among other things, implies that either the job is attractive or the inability of the labour
market to match would-be-employees to jobs. On the other hand, if the selection ratio is 1:3,
the selection process is short and unsophisticated. A low selection ratio means that there are
few applicants from which to select. In many instances a low selection ratio also means a low
quality of recruits (Werther & Davis, 1996).
Type of Organization
The public, private or not-for-profit sectors of the economy for which people are to be hired
can also affect the selection process. A government in the public sector is heavily service
oriented. Civil servants are hired with regard to how they can help accomplish service goals.
In business organizations selection process largely depends on how employees are able and
motivated in achieving the organization's profit objectives. On the other hand, not-for-profit
organizations in most cases provide free services to the community. Their salary schemes may
not be attractive as compared with business and public sectors. Therefore, a person who is
going to apply in these organizations must be dedicated to their objectives.
Probationary Period
Many organizations use a probationary period to check the employee's ability and motivation to
work. This may be either a substitute for or a supplement to, the use of interview and/or tests.
If an individual is found to be productive during the probation period, the management will
confirm for the permanent.
Orientation
Once suitable applicants have been selected to join the organization, it is desirable to integrate
them into the organization and the job to which they are responsible. Helping new employees
fit in, i.e. designing orientation program is one of the functions of human resource department.
Orientation, therefore, is a formal program of indoctrination to introduce new employees to

15
their job responsibilities, organizational policies, co-workers, and work environment (Holt,
1993). The orientation program is composed of two elements. The first involves general topics
of interest to most employees which includes organizational issues and employee benefits, and
job-related issues of concern only to specific jobholders. "Organizational issues" like history
of the organization, names and titles of key executives, organization policies and rules, and
"employee benefits" like salary scales, training and education benefits, retirement, vacations
and other similar fringe benefits are explained by the human resource department. On the other
hand, the employee's immediate boss presents job-related matters such as the job and its
objectives, tasks, safety requirements, and the like.
Purposes of Orientation
Orientation serves a number of purposes if effectively done. In general, the orientation process
is similar to what sociologists call socialization (Glueck, 1978). The major purposes of
orientation (Holt, 1993) are as follows:
¨ It develops realistic job expectation. ¨ It improves employment stability
¨ It impervious productivity ¨ It reduces conflict
¨ It saves time and effort

16