Everything you need to know about the process of recruitment. Recruitment process involves acquisition of work force.
Recruitment process begins with identification of vacancy in the organisation after which different steps are undertaken to fill up the vacant position.
According to Famularo, “personnel recruitment process involves five elements, viz., a recruitment policy, a recruitment organisation, a forecast of manpower, the development of sources of recruitment, and different techniques used for utilising these sources, and a method of assessing the recruitment programme.”
“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.”
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The recruitment process consists of the following steps.
The steps are:- 1. Identifying Vacancy 2. Recruitment Planning 3. Identifying Sources of Recruitment 4. Selection Process 5. Identifying Sources of Recruitment
6. Attracting Prospective Candidates 7. Application Pool 8. Evaluation and Control of Recruitment 9. Selection 10. Communication 11. Placement.
Process of Recruitment: Steps, Stages and Procedure
Process of Recruitment – Different Steps Undertaken to Fill Up Vacant Position
Recruitment process involves acquisition of work force. Recruitment process begins with identification of vacancy in the organisation after which different steps are undertaken to fill up the vacant position.
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The recruitment process is discussed below:
Step # 1. Identifying Vacancy:
The first step to recruitment process is identification of vacancy in the organisation. The manager or departmental head places requisition for manpower, specifying the job requirement, the qualification, skill, knowledge, ability and experience required of the staff.
Step # 2. Recruitment Planning:
On identification of the vacancy in the organisation the HRM prepares a plan for efficient execution of recruitment process and to ensure availability of appropriate personnel in right time. The plan involves preparing job specification for the vacant post providing information regarding the responsibilities, skills, experience and qualifications needed; the salary structure for the job; the probable date when personnel will be appointed; whether temporary or permanent; and other details related to the job.
Step # 3. Identifying Sources of Recruitment:
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The HRM identifies different sources of recruitment from where personnel may be hired. The sources of recruitment may be internal sources and external sources. The organisation contact different sources to attract job seekers to the organisation.
Step # 4. Providing Information to Job Aspirant Regarding Vacant Positions:
This is an important and complex step in the process of recruitment. The firm has to identify the process through which information regarding the vacant post is to be provided to the job aspirant. Information regarding the vacant post may be provided through advertisement in daily newspaper, journals and magazines, over the official website of the organisation and so on.
The selection of the medium depends upon the type of organization, nature of job, qualifications required of a worker. The medium that has wider reach that can call upon a large number of job aspirants is selected.
Step # 5. Receiving of Application:
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Applications are received from aspiring candidates. The applications are screened. The applications that do not meet the job requirement are removed and selection procedure begins.
Recruitment refers to the process of identifying and attracting job-seekers so as to build a pool of qualified job applicants.
The process comprises of five interrelated stages, viz.:
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(i) Planning,
(ii) Strategy development,
(iii) Searching,
(iv) Screening, and
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(v) Evaluation and control.
According to Famularo, “personnel recruitment process involves five elements, viz., a recruitment policy, a recruitment organisation, a forecast of manpower, the development of sources of recruitment, and different techniques used for utilising these sources, and a method of assessing the recruitment programme.”
The process of recruitment is interdependent on and interlinked with other HR activities. Employee planning and work analysis precedes the process of recruitment. Compensation packages and corporate image all have an impact on the recruitment process.
At the outset, the objectives of the process of recruitment may be retention and satisfaction of the employee. Other aspects like cost of filling jobs, speed of filling jobs, and total number of applications received would all contribute to the retention process.
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The next step would be to design a strategy as to the number and type of people to be recruited and determine the source of recruitment. This also involves an important step, i.e., how to communicate and advertise the fact that an opening exists.
Having completed the above step, the next would be to attain clarity in terms of both sources of recruitment and timeliness of recruitment. Here comes the role of recruiters. Positioning the recruiters by training or outsourcing is important. This will lead to the preliminary step of screening the applications.
Obviously, when we receive a larger number of applications than the number of posts to be filled, it is a good sign that the organization can exercise a good choice. However, care needs to be taken to verify the information provided in the application forms. In some instances, some amount of screening and filtering of the applications can also be done at this preliminary stage if a wide choice is available.
Each organization follows its own pattern of recruitment process. Broadly, the methods may be categorized into internal and external sources of recruitment. What is required is a comparison of objectives of recruitment with outcomes.
Process of Recruitment – Step by Step Procedure: Recruitment Planning, Selection Process, Sources of Recruitment, Sources of Contact and Application Pool
Various activities, through which search of prospective personnel both in quantity and quality as indicated by human resource planning and job description and job specification are performed under the process of recruitment.
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This process includes the following steps:
1. Recruitment Planning:
Recruitment process begins with its planning, the planning involves the determination of number of applicants and type of applicants to be contacted as organisations plan to attract applicants far more in number than what they intend to select they do so because the greater number of candidates make it possible for them to have option in selecting the right candidates.
On the other hand are also to be considered types of contacts this refers to the type of personnel to be informed about the job openings on the basis of on job description and job specification.
2. Selection Process:
The process of making distinction between applicants in order to identify (and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job is termed as selection process. In selection process, highly specialised techniques are required. Therefore in the selection process, only personnel with specific skills like expertise in using selection tests, conducting interviews, etc., are involved.
3. Sources of Recruitment:
After the finalisation of recruitment plan indicating the number and type of prospective candidates, they must be attracted to offer themselves for consideration to their employment. This necessitates the identification of sources from which these candidates can be attracted.
4. Sources of Contact:
After sources from where the prospective candidates will be selected is finalised the process of contacting these sources begins! Recruitment is a two-way street; it engages recruiter and recruitee. On one side a recruiter has the choice of whom to recruit, based on the information about the candidates.
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On the other hand, a recruitee must have information about the organisation to decide whether to join it or not. As such, before making the contact with the sources, particularly the external ones, the organisation must decide the information which must be shared with the candidates.
5. Application Pool:
Due to the purpose to have flexibility in selection, the ultimate objective of an organisation is to attract as many candidates as possible. When the sources of recruitment are contacted, the organisation receives applications from prospective candidates. The number of applications depends on various factors like, the type of organisation, the type of jobs and the conditions in specific human resource market.
Process in Recruitment – 6 Step Process: With Essentials of Recruitment
The recruitment process consists of the following steps:
(i) Recruitment process generally begins when the personnel department receives requisitions for recruitment from any department of the organisation.
The personnel requisitions contain details about the position to be filled, number of persons to be recruited, the duties to be performed, qualifications required from the candidate, terms and conditions of employment and the time by which the persons should be available for appointment etc.
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(ii) Locating and developing the sources of required number and type of employees.
(iii) Identifying the prospective employees with required characteristics.
(iv) Communicating the information about the organization, the job and the terms and conditions of service.
(v) Encouraging the identified candidates to apply for jobs in the organizations.
(vi) Evaluating the effectiveness of recruitment process.
“Recruitment process consists of five elements, namely a recruitment policy, a recruitment organization, developing sources of recruitment, techniques used to tap these sources and a method of assessing the recruitment programme.” —Famulrao
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Essentials of Recruitment:
The recruitment process needs following essentials services:
(1) The recruitment process should be carefully planned, organized, directed and controlled.
(2) Management should encourage staff participation in formulation and implementation of recruitment plans to make them real.
(3)The recruitment process should be linked with the manpower and human resource plan for purpose of economy.
(4) Recruitment should employ fair and impartial criteria to build the confidence of the people. Here both organisational and individual interests should be addressed through responsive and benevolent policy.
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(5) In the recruitment process minimum time and money cost should be incurred. For example, methods and procedures, which help quick disposal of application, should be used. All employed should ensure economy apart from efficiency as also clarity with regard to objectives of the effort or practice.
(6) Recruitment agencies should show positive interest in incorporating theoretical postulates delineated as ideal. Academic and practical world should can join effectively.
(7) The net for recruitment should be cast wide to reach out widest in pursuance of the best available talent to the extent practicable.
(8) All personnel process viz. recruitment, training, career planning and development, performance appraisal etc. are inter-linked and should be appreciated in totality, not piecemeal, for overall improvement of organisation practice.
Process of Recruitment – Recruitment Planning, Attracting Prospective Candidates, Application Pool, Evaluation and Control of Recruitment
Recruitment is the process concerned with the identification of sources from where the personnel can be employed and motivating them to offer themselves for employment.
Werther and Davis have defined this as follows:
“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.”
Recruitment is a process consisting of various activities through which search of prospective personnel — both in quantity and quality — as indicated by human resource planning and job description and job specification is made. This process includes recruitment planning, attracting prospective candidates, and receiving applications from them. These applications are, then, passed on to selection process.
Process # 1. Recruitment Planning:
Recruitment process starts with its planning which involves the determination of number of applicants and type of applicants to be contacted.
(i) Number of Contacts:
Organizations, generally, plan to attract more applicants than what they intend to select as they wish to have option in selecting the right candidates. This option is required because some of the candidates may not be interested in joining the organization; some of them may not meet the criteria of selection.
Therefore, each time a recruitment programme is contemplated, the organization has to plan about the number of applications it should receive in order to fulfil all its vacancies with right personnel. The number of applicants is determined by yield ratio (YR) which expresses the relationship of applicant inputs to outputs at various decision points.
For example, supposing that an organization has received 1,000 applications for certain number of vacancies of a position, yield ratio at various decision points would be as follows (based on assumption)-
Screening of applications (900 qualified) YR = 9:10
Selection tests (700 appeared) YR = 7:9
Test result (300 passed) YR = 3:7
Interview (100 passed) YR =1:3
Jobs offered to 50 YR = 1:2
Joined 40 YR = 4:5
Total yield ratio 40:1,000 or 4:100
Yield ratio helps in determining the number of applications to be solicited to fill-up the vacancies successfully. However, yield ratio is not a static phenomenon but varies in different situations. For example, yield ratio for a job with governments is much lower as compared to campus recruitment programmes where yield ratios are quite high.
ii. Type of Contacts:
This refers to the type of personnel to be informed about the job openings based on job description and job specification. This determines how the prospective personnel may be communicated about the job openings. For example, if an organization requires unskilled workers, mere putting the requirement notice on the factory gates may be sufficient. If it requires qualified and experienced managers, perhaps, it may go for advertisement in national newspapers.
Process # 2. Attracting Prospective Candidates:
After the finalization of recruitment plan indicating the number and type of prospective candidates, they must be attracted to offer themselves for consideration to their employment. In attracting prospective candidates, three issues are involved. First, the organization should decide whether recruitment and selection will be undertaken by it or this process will be undertaken by an outside agency.
In the sources of recruitment, you might have seen that in many cases, recruitment and selection process is undertaken by outside agencies, for example, labour contractors, HR consultants, etc. Second, if the organization undertakes recruitment process, it has to decide from where prospective candidates may be attracted.
There are various alternative sources of recruiting candidates from external sources which the organization can tap and use relevant method for attracting prospective candidates. Third, the organization should decide about the person who will initiate the process of attracting prospective candidates and receiving applications from these candidates. In a large organization having HR department, this is done by HR department and the concerned persons handle all these activities.
Process # 3. Application Pool:
Whatever the method of recruitment is adopted, the ultimate objective is to attract as many candidates as possible so as to have flexibility in selection. When the sources of recruitment are contacted, the organization receives applications from prospective candidates.
The number of applications depends on the type of organization, the type of jobs, and the conditions in specific human resource market. For example, in the case of Indian civil services, the number of applicants runs into many thousands. In the corporate sector, an organization can expect more number of applications when it advertises for the positions of management/executive trainees as compared to when it advertises for experienced personnel.
Similarly, the number of applications depends on the image of the organization. An organization having better perceived image is able to attract more number of applications. Various applications received for a particular job are pooled together which become the basis for selection process.
Process # 4. Evaluation and Control of Recruitment:
Evaluation and control of recruitment is the last stage of a recruitment process. In any process, evaluation and control is required to ensure that the process has gone well in the light of its stated objectives and costs. Thus, evaluation and control of recruitment should be based on its objectives and costs. The basic objective of recruitment is to attract maximum number of suitable applicants.
Costs involved in recruitment include- (i) cost of salary and other perquisites of recruiters, (ii) management and professional time spent on preparing job descriptions, job specifications, advertisements, agency liaison, etc., (iii) cost of advertisement or other recruitment methods such as cost of campus recruitment, consultant’s fee, etc., (iv) cost of producing supporting literature, (v) recruitment overheads and administrative expense, (vi) cost of overtime and outsourcing while the vacancies remain unfilled, and (vii) cost of recruiting unsuitable candidates for the selection process.
For evaluation and control purpose, various qualitative and quantitative criteria can be developed to measure the effectiveness of a recruitment process.
Such criteria may be of the following nature- (i) type of organizational image that has been created in the minds of prospective candidates, (ii) number of applications received, (iii) number of applicants rejected at different stages of recruitment and selection process, (iv) ratio of candidates selected and rejected, (v) ratio of candidates selected and candidates joined, (vi) number of candidates joined and candidates retained over a period time, say six months or one year, (vii) performance of the candidates joined and remained with the organization, and monetary costs involved in recruitment.
Such an evaluation may provide clue to the organization for developing its strategy for further recruitment programmes. For example, if a particular method reveals that candidates selected have either not joined the organization, or they have left it within no time, the organization may be cautious not to adopt the same method in the immediate future.
An application form for employment (also known as application blank) is a structured form to seek relevant information from the candidate which may be helpful in recruitment and selection decision. Its size may vary from a single page to multiple pages depending on the nature of position for which it has been designed.
For example, in the case of an operative, the application form may be of one page, but in the case of managerial position, it may contain many pages.
The contents of an application form should be such that these help:
1. To make judgement on substantive matters such as ‘has the applicant necessary educational qualifications and experience to perform the job effectively’?
2. To draw conclusions about the applicant’s progress and growth in his previous work assignments.
3. To draw conclusions about the applicant’s stability in the organization based on his previous work records.
4. To draw tentative conclusions about the candidate’s success in the job for which he has applied.
5. To have information about the biographical facts for record purpose.
Thus, based on the nature of the position, application form may contain various types of information about the candidate.
Usually, an application form contains the following information:
1. Biographical data such as name, father’s name, date of birth, age, sex, nationality, physical features (height, weight, physical disability, mark of identification, etc.), and address for contact.
2. Educational attainments such as educational qualifications from 10th standard onward (subjects offered and marks obtained), special merit awards and scholarships received, specialized training acquired, etc.
3. Work experience such as nature of positions held with different employers, duration of stay with these employers, salary and other benefits drawn, and reasons for leaving the previous employers.
4. Other relevant items such as extra-curricular activities like participation in sports, NCC/NSS, debates and other competitions, hobbies, information about the candidate’s justification for a fit with the position applied for.
5. Salary expected with other benefits.
6. Names and addresses of previous employers, referees, etc.
7. Declaration by the candidate that the information filled in the application form is correct and space for his/her signature.
Sometimes, companies use unstructured application form which contains various questions whose answers by the candidate are useful in judging his overall suitability for the job. These questions are related, generally, to those items not covered by structured application blank.
American Psychological Association has developed Typical Biographical Inventory Questions’ which include such items as classificatory data, habits and attitudes, health, human relations, parental home, childhood, personal attributes, spouse and children, self-impressions, recreation, hobbies and interest, values, opinions and preferences, and travelling for work.
Process of Recruitment – 7 Step Process: Job Requisition, Designing Application Forms, Advertisement, Scrutiny of Application, Selection, Communication and Placement
The process of recruitment and selection includes a number of different steps which are as follows:
Step # 1. Job Requisition:
It is the essential step, which gives the recruiting agency information regarding each job. Job requisition is done through “job analysis” and “job specification”. Job analysis is the study of all facts relating to a job and its work environment. Job specification is a statement of the physical, mental and temperamental qualities desirable for accomplishing a job.
It helps in categorising the job recruitment what are needed for a job is explained in this step.
1. Personal and physical attributes required for a job.
2. Specific skill, ability or aptitude is required.
3. Qualification required for a job, whether it may be general educational qualification or technical qualification whichever specified.
4. Age and permanent resident are also required for a job.
5. Previous job experience is required.
On the basis of these facts, the recruiting agency selected the staff.
Step # 2. Designing Application Forms:
Application forms are designed to acquire the required information from applicants, as per job descriptions and specifications. A well-designed application form is a prerequisite for the success of the recruitment process. Application and advertisements are tools to achieve the needed balance between organisational and individual goals.
The advertisement should highlight the salient points of the job and lay down the requirements of the Job clearly. Applicants should be able to look at organisational goals and match them with their personal goals.
Job description and specification are being used in developed nation like U.K. to afford equal opportunity in employment to disabled candidate. The extent to which an advertisement includes or excludes disable people depends on the job description and specification listed there in physical, educational and behavioural requirements could be so laid down as to enable or prohibit disabled applicants from applying.
Compliance with the Government policy and enforcement of corporate social responsibility is also secured through advertisements.
Step # 3. Advertisement:
Advertisement is the first step in the recruitment process. Through advertisement, the recruiting agency notified the vacancies of post. It is an attempt to secure best talents candidates for the post and fulfill constitutional requirements by giving equal opportunity to all eligible candidates. It does not mean an obligation that the post will be filled.
In the advertisement, there are many ways in which job vacancies can be announced for the people.
These ways are:
1. Newspapers
2. Employment news
3. Employment exchange
4. Trade or professional journals
5. Employment job centers
6. Notice boards in field offices
7. Department of social welfare
8. Directorate of resettlement, ministry of defense, in respect of vacancies reserved for ex-servicemen.
Technique of Advertising:
The job advertisement agency adopted various techniques to attract the people towards the job or to clarify about the job requirement. Here advertisement should be simple, comprehensible, and clear. All required and relevant information should be supplied to the applicant and also elicited as per organisational requirements. Advertisement should have simple formatting. It should not be over designed or too graphic.
Here job advertisement should be easy to read and includes all relevant categories of information. Also information should be asked for in a logical order in all job advertisement. The aim of the job advert is to attract interest, communicate quickly and clearly the essential points and also provide a clear response process and mechanism.
Step # 4. Scrutiny of Application:
Scrutiny of Application is an important stage of recruitment process. Scrutiny in an organisation which is made to sift out less desirable candidates. When the candidate fulfills all require criteria of eligibility, or information required of a candidate is complete, scrutiny of a candidate is made. If scrutiny indicates that the number of applicants is large, some criteria may be designed to keep the number of candidates to a manageable proportion.
But in case of short-listing eligible candidate, the appointing authority adopted a rational procedure. This can be done either through the written examination or interview or by fixing some other rational criteria. Defect of scrutiny is that in most cases accurate time for scrutiny is not prescribed, as a result there is too much discretion of the management
Step # 5. Selection:
Selection is the act of choosing from eligible candidates. The recruiting agency gets an opportunities to select the candidates. It arranges interview, examination or both to select the suitable candidate. After selection, a list of selected candidate is prepared in the order of merit and published it. Generally the list contains more names than the actual number of vacancies is there. Therefore, some candidates get appointment and some are not get any job.
This list generally remains valid for a period ranging from six months to one year depending upon the rules of the organisation concerned. On the basis of this list selection in an organisation is concerned. Undoubtedly, this is an important emerging branch of human resource management.
Step # 6. Communication:
Communication between, the candidates and the organisation or workplace is essential. Through communication a candidate knows whether he or she has been selected for the post or rejected. Letter of appointment is issued after selection. Through this letter the candidate know that he or she has been selected for the job. The appointment letter is subject to police report and medical examination, as it is based on the rules of the organisation.
The same should be drafted carefully as condition of service or service rules are specified in it. Many legal complications can be avoided if appointment letters are drafted and issued carefully.
Step # 7. Placement:
Placement refers to the putting of recruited persons in the right jobs.
According to Flippo, the success in the function of recruitment can be judged by a number of criteria:
(1) The number of applicants
(2) The number of offers made
(3) The number of hiring
(4) The number of successful placements.
Here appointment is made by the competent authorities of selected recruits. Appointment may be permanent, temporary, provisional or probationary.
As you know, recruitment involves the identification and attraction of job seekers to develop a pool of talented and competent workforce.
Recruitment consists of five interrelated steps, which are as follows:
1. Recruitment planning
2. Strategy development
3. Searching
4. Screening
5. Evaluation and control.
The recruitment process begins with recruitment planning, which involves determining the number and kind of employees required. Recruitment planning lays the foundation for taking strategic decisions in the succeeding step of strategic development, which identifies where, how, and when to look for the potential employees.
This determines the different types of applicants to be contacted, so that the searching process can be activated. The searching process on activation and the strategies adopted to attract and invite the applications from desirable candidates generate a large pool of applicants. These applicants are screened on different parameters, and those who qualify the screening process are selected and hired. The recruitment process is evaluated and controlled continuously to identify the loopholes in the process and correcting them.
The following sections explain the process of recruitment in detail:
1. Recruitment Planning:
Recruitment planning is the first step of the recruitment process. It involves identifying vacancies, preparing job descriptions, and job specifications. This helps in knowing the number and type of the applicants to be contacted. Recruitment planning also involves the decisions regarding the right quantity and quality of human resource. The quantity of human resource is determined from the HR plans (difference between demand and supply of human resource) and quality is estimated by the qualifications and skills expected from an employee to perform the job efficiently.
Recruitment planning involves two sub-steps, determining the number and the type of applicants to be invited.
These two sub steps of recruitment planning are explained as follows:
i. Number of Contacts:
Refers to the number of applicants to be contacted for recruitment. Organizations usually invite more applicants than they actually require or hire because some of the contacted persons would be either uninterested, unqualified, or both. Organizations usually deal with this problem by estimating the number of applicants necessary to fill all the vacant job positions. The number of people to be contacted is estimated by calculating the Yield Ratios (yR). These ratios indicate the number of contacts required to create a specific number of hires at a point of time.
For instance, take a case of an organization requiring 10 management trainees in the marketing domain. The organization may invite the applications by giving advertisements in an employment newspaper. Let’s assume the advertisement generates 800 applications at initial level, out of which 100 applicants are found to be potentially qualified (yR=8:1). These 100 applicants would undergo initial screening and only about 40 would be able to clear the screening round.
The applicants so selected in the initial screening round would be called for the final interview (yR=5:2). Only 30 out of 40 selected candidates would be able to qualify the final interview round and would be given job offers (yR=4:3). Out of the 30 selected candidates, only 10 candidates would probably accept the job offer (yR=3:1). The overall yR for this particular case is 80:1, as out of the initial 800 applications, only 10 applicants would be selected and placed on the job. Similarly, for recruiting 40 hires, an organization needs to invite 3200 applicants for the recruitment.
YRs can be represented with the help of a recruiting yield pyramid, as shown in Figure-4:
ii. Type of Contacts:
Refers to the kind of people to be invited for the vacancies. The basic criteria for consideration in this step are the requisite skills, educational qualification, professional qualification, experience, and competency as required by the job. This information can be obtained by preparing job description and job specification.
2. Strategy Development:
Strategy development constitutes the second step of the recruitment process. After determining the quality and quantity of workforce, the organization requires to give due consideration to various strategic decisions, such as methods/techniques of recruitment; where to look; and what would be the sources of recruitment (internal or external). This will help in developing suitable strategies and plans that will suit the entire process of recruitment. Recruitment strategies should be designed in such a manner that they attract maximum candidates.
These strategies should consider the following points:
i. Make or Buy Decisions:
Deciding whether the organization makes the employees, or buys the employees. The make strategy means hiring less skilled employees and then training and developing them; whereas the buy strategy refers to hiring skilled employees. The make decision usually involves less investment as compared to the buy strategy.
ii. Techniques of Recruitment:
Deciding the method or technique to be used in recruitment. Initially, recruitment is done through traditional methods, such as newspaper advertisement, references, recruitment at the factory gates, and through word of mouth. The selection of recruitment method is greatly influenced by the available technology. With the advent of computers, recruitment has become an easy activity for the employers. Computers have made it possible for employers to scan national and international applicants with less investment.
iii. Where to Look:
Deciding the location of the labor market where an organization is most likely to get the required job seekers. The location selected by an organization mainly depends on the type of employees needed and the budget allocated for the recruitment. For instance, organizations usually explore the national market for managers or executives, regional or local markets for the technical employees, and local markets for blue-collar employees.
iv. How to Look:
Identifying the sources of recruitment, which could be internal or external. The internal sources comprise present employees, employee references, ex-employees, and former applicants. On the other hand, the external sources include the sources that are external to the organization, such as advertisements, employment exchange, professional or trade associations, walk-ins and write-ins, consultants, campus recruitment, management consultants, casual callers, and recruitment at the factory gates.
v. When to Look:
Deciding on the timings of various recruitment events. The timing for recruitment is chiefly determined by using the Time Lapsed Data (TLD). This gives the average time that lapse between major decision events in the recruitment process. In simple words, TLD represents the time lag between the date of employee requisition by a department and the actual date of filling the job positions in that department. Consider a case, in which an organization has a requisition for a management trainee from the finance department.
The organization has analyzed from the past data that the average number of days from advertisement to receipt of applications is 10 days, from application to interview is eight days, from interview to offer is 12, from offer to acceptance is 10, and from acceptance to report is 15 days. Thus, the organization requires 55 days from the starting of the recruitment process until the new employee joins the job position. This analysis suggests an idea that the vacancy must be advertised 55 days before it is required to be filled.
3. Searching:
Searching for the required job seeker begins after the development of the recruitment plan and strategy.
Searching of the potential candidates involves two main activities namely, activation of source and selling, which are explained as follows:
i. Activation of Source:
Starts with the issuance of an employee requisition form by a specific department. In practice, no actual recruitment process begins until a line manager verifies that a vacancy exists.
ii. Selling:
Communicates the organization’s message to the potential employees. This communication mainly addresses two issues, one being the message itself and the other being the media selected for advertising the message. The message represents employment advertisement, including the details of the job vacancy. The information of recruitment is advertized through various media, such as an employment exchange, consultants, advertisement in business magazines, and campus recruitments. The organization can use any of the available media depending upon its urgency and type of candidate required.
4. Screening:
Screening denotes the initial investigation and assessment of the applications received from the applicants. Many academicians and authors have excluded screening from the scope of recruitment and viewed it as a first step of the selection process. However, the inclusion of screening in the recruitment process is valid because the selection process starts only after the applications have been inspected and shortlisted.
The main objective of screening is the elimination of the applicants who are visibly unsuitable for the specific job at an early stage of the recruitment process. It saves time, money, and efforts of the organization in the long run. The selection of screening techniques depends upon the source of the candidate and the recruitment method used. For instance, in case of walk-ins, an organization can use interview and application blank. The best applicants suiting the job requirements are shortlisted and others are sent a letter of regret.
5. Evaluation and Control:
The evaluation and control processes determine the effectiveness of the overall recruitment process. Evaluation of the recruitment process is intended to assess the success of recruitment depending upon various factors, such as carrying out recruitment procedure as per plans, ascertaining the rate of success in generating enough response from the candidates, and incurring reasonable cost for the recruitment process. The control process aims at ensuring the validity and reliability of recruitment methods so used.
Process of Recruitment – 7 Step Process: From Determining the Required Number of Employees to Commencement of Selection Process
In order to perform the recruitment task properly, the process as laid down in it is given here:
Step # 1. Determine the Required Number of Employees:
At the initial stage of recruitment, the HR managers estimates the required number of employees on the basis of present work, nature of work, number of present employees, employees’ turnover and the rate of discontinue of present employees.
Step # 2. Determining the Sources of Recruitment:
While conduct the recruitment task properly, it is needful to determine the sources or the availability of persons who seeks to get recruitment. Broadly, there are two sources of recruitment viz., external sources in that the former employees, employment service agencies, wanted advertising and educational and training institutions etc. are included.
Second, the internal sources having the employees for seeking departmental transfers, promotions, recommended present or new employees to get new task or post and to set up new sections or department.
Step # 3. Determine the Nature and Behaviour of Employees:
Before going to perform a better recruitment programme, there is a need to study and determine the nature, attitudes, personal feelings, level of inspiration, behaviour of the employees. It may be analysed not only for the present or already working employees for getting new status or position or to get new avenues of promotion but also for the new job seekers or newly applicants among the external persons.
Step # 4. Review of the Present Employees:
Within the process of recruitment, it is needful to review the skill and educational status, level of training and experience, interest, motivational aspects and the points to be included in performance appraisals. The personal data, records and evaluation report can be reviewed time to time for getting not only the new recruitment but also for promotion, upgraded transfer of employees as well as to frame out the recruitment policy.
Step # 5. To Study and Evaluate the Aspects Concerning of Job Design:
While developing the recruitment process properly, it is studied and analyse the rights, duties, conditions and experiences as required to perform job. So the job analysis, job description and job specification etc., are being studied and analysed here to set up the job requirements and job profiles for upcoming recruitments task.
Step # 6. To Determine Personnel Policies and Programmes:
The HR managers may determine the personnel policies, objectives and programmes to conduct different methods of recruitment. Within these policies, there are different aspects and points are determined and analysed to be performed properly.
Step # 7. Commencement of Selection Process:
Almost at the last stages invariably relating to the completion of recruitment process, the selection process are being started.