Chapter 4

Recruitment and Selection

Learning Objectives:

After studying this chapter, students should be able to:

 Define Recruitment and Selection,

 Differentiate between Recruitment and Selection,

 Know the Sources of recruitment,

 Understand the Advantage and Disadvantages of Sources of

recruitment,

 Explain How to Recruit a More Diverse Workforce,

 Discuss the Importance of Careful Selection,

 Explain the Selection Process.

Definition and Meaning of Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment is the process of seeking and attracting a pool of people from which qualified
candidates for job vacancies can be chosen. Most organizations have a recruitment (or, as it
is sometimes called, employment) function managed by the human resource department. In
an era when the focus of most organizations has been on efficiently and effectively running
the organization, recruiting the right person for the job is a top priority.

The magnitude of an organization’s recruiting effort and the methods to be used in that
recruiting effort are determined from the human resource planning process and the
requirements of the specific jobs to be filled. As chapter 2 explained, if the forecasted
human resource requirements exceed the net human resource requirements, the
organization usually actively recruits new employees. Successful recruiting is difficult if the
jobs to be filled are vaguely defined. Regardless of whether the job to be filled has been in
existence or is newly created, its requirements must be defined as precisely as possible for
recruiting to be effective.

Organizations do have options other than recruiting new employees to accomplish the work.
Some of these options include using temporary workers, offering overtime to existing
employees, subcontracting the work to another organization (this approach is often used on
construction projects, or projects that have a fixed time period for completion), and leasing
employees. One final option is outsourcing the work to companies outside the country.

Selection is the process of choosing the individual who can successfully perform the job
from a pool of qualified candidates. Job analysis, human resource planning, and recruitment
are necessary prerequisites to the selection process. A breakdown in any of these processes
can make even the best selection system ineffective.
 Difference between Recruitment and Selection

Basis Recruitment Selection

Meaning It is an activity of establishing contact It is a process of picking up more

between employers and applicants. competent and suitable employees.

Objective It encourages large number of Candidates It attempts at rejecting unsuitable

for a job. candidates.

Process It is a simple process. It is a complicated process.

Hurdles The candidates do not cross over many Many hurdles have to be crossed.
hurdles.

Approach It is a positive approach. It is a negative approach.

Sequence It precedes selection. It follows recruitment.
Economy It is an economical method. It is an expensive method.

Time Consuming Less time is required. More time is required.

Sources of recruitment
Inside Sources include (Internal sources):
1. Present permanent employees
2. Present temporary employees
3. Retired employees

Outside Sources include (External Sources)

1. Advertisements: wanted advertisements in daily newspapers and magazines.
2. Internet recruiting: Posting Advertisement in internet and job websites
3. Educational institutions: Recruiting from colleges, universities etc.
4. Public Employment agencies: government employment agency
5. Private employment agencies

Internal Sources Advantages External Sources Advantages

Company has a better knowledge of strengths and High talented people from different places
weakness of employees
Employees has a better knowledge of company More skills, knowledge available outside
High motivation for employees Cost of employee can be reduced
More productive Latest knowledge, skills, and creative talent
Recruiting a More Diverse Workforce
Recruiting Women

Women still face headwinds in certain male-dominated occupations such engineering. The
most effective strategy is top management driven. Here the employer emphasizes the
importance of recruiting women (as well as men), identifies gaps in the recruitment and
retention of women, and puts in place a comprehensive plan to attract women applicants.
The overall aim is to make it clear that the employer is the sort of place in which women
want to work, and the details of any such plan needn’t be complicated. For example,
particularly for “nontraditional” jobs (like engineering) use the company website to highlight
women now doing those jobs. Emphasize the effectiveness of the employer’s mentoring
program in moving women up, and offer real workplace flexibility. Focus a portion of the
recruiting effort on women’s organizations, women’s employment websites, and career fairs
at women’s colleges. Make sure benefits cover matters such as family planning and parental
care. Maintain a zero-tolerance sexual harassment policy.

Recruiting Single Parents

Being a single parent isn’t easy, and recruiting and keeping them requires understanding
the problems they face. (And keep in mind that many of these issues also apply to families
in which both parents are struggling to make ends meet). Given such concern, the first step
in attracting and keeping single parents is to make the workplace user friendly. Surveys
suggest that a supportive attitude on the supervisor’s part can go far toward making single
parent’s work-home balancing act more bearable. Many firms have flextime programs that
provide employees some schedule flexibility (such as 1-hour windows at the beginning or
end of the day).

Older Workers

When it comes to older workers, employers don’t have much choice. The fastest-growing
labor force segment is those from 45 to 64 years old. On the positive side, a survey by
AARP and SHRM concluded that older workers tend to have lower absenteeism rates, more
reliability, and better work habits than younger workers. It therefore makes sense for
employers to encourage older workers to stay (or come to work at the company). The big
draw is probably to provide opportunities for flexible (and often shorter) work schedule.
As always in recruiting, projecting the right image crucial. For example, writing the ad so
that it sends the message “we’re older-worker friendly” is important. The most ads
emphasize schedule flexibility, and accentuate the firm’s equal opportunity employment
statement, not “giving retirees opportunities to transfer their knowledge” to the new work
setting.

Recruiting Minorities

Similar prescriptions apply to recruiting minorities. First, understand the barriers that
prevent minorities from applying. For example, some minority applicants won’t meet the
educational or experience standards for the job; many employers therefore offer remedial
training. After recognizing the impediments, one turns to formulating plans for remedying
them and to attracting and retaining minorities and women. This may include, for instance,
basic skills training, flexible work options, role models, and redesigned jobs.
Finally, implement these plans. For example, many job seekers check with friends or
relatives when job hunting, so encourage your minority employees to assist in your
recruitment efforts make sense.

The Disables

The research is quite persuasive regarding the fact that in terms of virtually all work criteria,
employees with disabilities are capable workers. Thousands of employers in in the United
States and elsewhere have found disabled employees provide an excellent and largely
untapped source of competent, efficient labor for jobs ranging from information technology
to creative advertising to receptionist.

Employers can do several things to tap this huge potential workforce. The U.S. Department
of Labor’s Office of Disability Employment Policy offers several programs, including one that
helps link disabled college undergraduates who are looking for summer internships with
potential employers. All states have local agencies (such as “Corporate Connections” in
Tennessee) that provide placement services and other recruitment and training tools and
information for employers seeking to hire the disabled. Employers must also use common
sense. For example, employers who only post job openings in the paper may miss potential
employees who are visually impaired.

Importance of Careful Selection

Selecting the right employees is important for three main reasons: performance, costs, and
legal obligations.
1. Performance: First, your own performance always depends in part on your
subordinates. Employees with the right skills will do a better job for you and the
company. Employees without these skills or who are abrasive or obstructionist won’t
perform effectively, and your own performance and the firm’s will suffer.
2. Cost: It is important because it’s costly to recruit and hire employees. The total cost
of hiring includes search fees, interviewing time, reference checking, and travel and
moving expenses etc.
3. Legal Obligations: It’s important because of two legal implications of incompetent
hiring. First, equal employment laws require nondiscriminatory selection procedures
for protected groups. Second, courts will find the employer liable when employees
with criminal records or other problems use access to customers’ homes (or similar
opportunities) to commit crimes. Lawyers call hiring workers with such backgrounds,
without proper safeguards, negligent hiring. Negligent hiring highlights the need to
think through what the job’s human requirements really are.

Selection Process

1. Identify the Position to be Filled: Here the vacant position to filled must be
known with all its details in terms of duties and responsibilities etc.
2. Meet with Work Area to Evaluate the Requirements of the Position: The HR
managers should meet with work area of the vacant position in order to understand
in details what the job is and what qualification the person to be hired should have.
For example, if the vacant position is a sales person then the Marketing Department
(or manager) should be met before any further steps are taken. This will help to
collect more information about both the vacant position and the expected individual
to be hired.

3. Screen the Applicants: This is the initial screening which done by reviewing
candidates’ CVs and short-listing the candidates by accepting candidates who most
match with the requirements of the vacant position and rejecting those who least

match. Some important factors to consider when Reviewing the candidates’

application and Resume, such as: Scan the overall appearance of the application or
resume, Look for any blanks or omissions, Review the applicant’s work history and make
note of any time gaps between jobs, Consider any overlaps in time, Consider the
frequency of job changes, Carefully review the applicant’s reasons for leaving previous
jobs, and Review the application or resume for “red flags”.

4. Acknowledge Receipt of Applications: Both accepted and rejected candidates

should be informed. Accepted candidates will be called for further procedures and
rejected candidates will receive a polite apology for not being qualified for the vacant
position.

5. Conduct Interview Process: Candidates will be interviewed by the organization in

order to select the most qualified candidate for the vacant position. Some
organization may conduct more than one interview and some may also conduct a
test; this will depend on the organization’s selection procedures.

6. Make Reference Checks: While some employers conduct background checks, more
are likely to conduct reference checks that explore previous employment, education,
and possibly personal recommendations. There are different types to make reference

checks such Internet - Based Reference Checking, Telephone References, Written

References, Educational References, and Personal References.
7. Notify Candidates: Candidates who pass the selection process will be notified that
they are accepted for the job, and candidates who do not pass will also be notified
politely.

8. Commence Job Placement Induction (or Orientation): Hired employees are

introduced to organization’s policy, rules, and dos and don’ts.

9. Conduct Follow-up Meeting: Meeting with newly hired employees is conducted in

order to find out how they are coping with the organization, if there is any problem
they are facing, and to listen to their feedback.