CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION TO RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION

Introduction

Human Resource Management involves in a process of enabling the organization to have the right people, doing the right jobs
at the right time. This is in line with the challenges facing managers in staffing organizations. It is about planning for the number and
quality of employees required under different job categories and to make sure that staffing process such as recruitment, selection,
placement, promotions, transfers and downsizing are effective.

The Personnel or Human Resource Department has to initiate the system, process, techniques and tools of individuals, teams
and organizational performance measurement. It has to ensure that performance targets for individual, teams, sections and
departments are set and agreed upon and measures to address performance gaps are in place and are working. This is not an easy
task because it requires a value judgement about employees. Indeed, there no other areas of personnel management that make
personnel office more uncomfortable and unpopular than the appraisal function. This is because whatever process or tool is used to
appraise staff and reward the, accordingly, there is always tacit or explicit dissatisfaction from staff based on the feelings that such
decisions were biased. Progress has been made toward improving staff appraisal systems, which will be covered later under
performance management.

A change in customer taste, fashion and quality of goods to reflect their purchase price put more pressure on the organization
to get the best out of their production systems, process, and employees. This could only be achieved by getting the best people from
the labor market, develop to the organization. In order to achieve these objective, an enabling environment for employee creativity and
innovation became a necessity. This new demand had an impact on recruitment and selection criteria, staff development and reward
systems as well as the roles of personnel specialist vis-à-vis line managers in personnel management functions to that partner in
providing support services to other departments to perform personnel functions.

Competition was also intensified by the organizations that could adopt and adapt flexible specialization technologies to meet
customer needs and expectation. The implication were that organizations had fewer, but better trained people, flexible cope with rapid
technological changes. Continuous learning and adoption based on teams became a natural are if focus on people management.
Information technology destroyed knowledge monopoly. The power of knowledge became how best to use it, rather than who owns it.

The major issue was how personnel management functions could make an impact on the functional level, as part of supporting
other departments, as well as being part of the business strategy. Human Resource managers had to become partners in the business.
As part of improving employees’ utilization, a more rigorous method of assessing the introduction performance management systems
and reward systems based on performance was an indication of changes in Human Resource management practices.

One of the main function of Human Resource is Recruitment and Selection. Effective recruitment is a process that involves
exploration and that will require specialized methods and techniques, short of which no ‘discovery’ of potential people for the job can be
made. Usually, recruitment and selection depends on the organization’s policy guiding recruitment and selection. The recruitment and
selection process starts with organizational analysis. This is the process of evaluating the total organization, its objectives, human
resources, effectiveness and internal environment. The most useful data and information are obtained from the corporate strategic plan
or human resource strategy if available. Other sources are monthly or quarterly reports, management meetings decisions, government
policies and laws, market trends and global patterns.

The next step is job analysis. This is the process of analyzing and listing the tasks that are included in the job, all the steps
taken to perform the different tasks and all the requirements the respective tasks put upon the jobholder. The data on the nature of the
job and requirements can be obtained from the available human resources manuals, job descriptions, making enquiries from
departmental and section managers or supervisors, the person doing the job, moving around to observe how the job is done.

The final step is individual analysis. This involves performance appraisal of individuals doing the job u order to compare
individual knowledge, skills and competence requirements relation to the job objectives and possible potential for development.

Definition of Recruitment and Selection

Recruitment and selection refer to the process of attracting and choosing candidates for employment.

Recruitment is understood as the process of searching and obtaining a pool of potential candidates with the desired
knowledge skills and experience to allow an organization to select the most appropriate people to fill job vacancies against defined
position descriptions and specifications. The purpose of recruitment is to find the widest pool of applicants to provide the greatest
opportunity to select the best people for the required roles in an organization. Acquiring the best applicant for the role can be a
competitive advantage for the company or organization. Likewise, ineffective recruitment and selection can result to work disruption,
reduced productivity, interpersonal difficulties, hampers, poor customer service, and long term costs. Once a pool candidate has been
identified through the recruitment process the appropriate candidate or candidates identified through selection process including but not
limited to interviewing, testing and reference checking so as to eliminate those who are not qualified for the job. The Human Resource
or Personnel Department of larger business often have detailed recruitment and selection policies which should be followed and
responsible for hiring new employees.

Recruitment and Selection is a process of pooling potential candidates with possible knowledge and skills and choosing form the pool
of candidates by using specific instrument that will succeed in the job given management goals and legal requirements. The recruitment
and selection of employees is fundamental to the functioning of organizations and there are compelling reasons to get it right.
Inappropriate selection decisions reduce organizational effectiveness, invalidate reward, and development strategies, are frequently
unfair on the individual recruit and can be distressing for the superiors who have to deal with unsuitable employees.

Recruitment and Selection plays an important role in ensuring worker performance and positive organizational results. It is
often claimed that selection workers occurs not just to replace departing employees or add too workforce but rather to aims to put I
place works who can perform at a high level and demonstrate commitment. Recruitment and selection forms a core part of the central
activities underlying human resource management: namely, the acquisition, development, and rewards of workers. It frequently forms
and important part of the work of human resource managers or designated specialist within work organizations. However, and
importantly, recruitment and selection decisions are often for good reasons by non-specialist, by the line managers. There is, therefore,
an important sense in which it is the responsibility of all managers, and where human resource department exist, it may be the HR
manager play more of supporting advisory role to those people who will supervise or in other ways work with the new employee. The
role of Recruitment and Selection is important in shaping the effectiveness and future performance of the organizations. If the
recruiters, would be able to acquire workers who already possess relevant, knowledge, skills and ability this will shorten the training
process and would save time and money.

Recruiting individuals to fill positions is the most critical HR management function undertaken whether the person is being
recruited form within or outside the organization. Committed, motivated, and qualified employees will help an organization achieve its
purpose and goals. The recruitment process begins defining the job, seeking a pool of qualified individuals, selecting the best individual
for the position , and finally orienting the individual to the positon and to the organization ( if the individuals is hired from outside of the
organization).

When an organization hires, promotes or transfers an employee it is making a commitment to that person. As such,
organization is obligated to ensure that the individual has all reasonable opportunity to perform the job satisfactory; the goal is to recruit,
select and orient the most suitable individuals in the organization.

Employee resourcing is characterized, however, by potential difficulties given the wide selection methods, for instance
interviewing are generally reality. Thus, it is critically important to obtain a realistic evaluation and unsuccessful process from all
concerned, including oath successful and unsuccessful candidates.

Recognizing the Power of Perception in Recruitment and Selection

The quality of accuracy of our perceptions will have a major impact on our response to a situation. There is much data
suggesting that when we perceive other people particularly in an artificial and time constrained situation like interview, we can make key
mistakes, sometimes a subliminal level. One key to enhancing effectiveness in recruitment and selection, therefore, lies in an
appreciation of some core principles of interpersonal perception and in particular of some potential mistakes.

Selective Perception

Our brains cannot process all of the information which our senses pick up so we instead select particular objects or aspects of
people for attention. We furthermore, attribute positive or negative characteristics to the stimuli: known as the “halo” and horns effect
respectively. For example, an interviewee who has stain of coffee on their clothing, but otherwise well presented, may have difficulty in
creating positive overall impression despite the fact that it might be their desire for the mew job that resulted in nervousness and
clumsiness.

Self Centered Bias

A recruiter should avoid evaluating a candidate by reference herself or himself because this may be irrelevant to the post in
question and run the risk of a clone effect in changing business environment. The sentence like “I was like you 5 years or more ago”
may be damaging in a number of respects should not be a basis for employment in most of the situations.

Early Information Basis

We often heard about apocryphal stories of interview panels making very early decisions on candidate’s suitability and
spending the remaining time confirming the decision. Mythical though, some of these tales may be there is danger of over prioritizing
early event. A candidate who has trips over when entering an interview room may thus genuinely be putting themselves at a
disadvantage.

Stereotyping
 This is a common shortcut to understanding an individual’s attributes, which is a difficult and time consuming process,
because we are all unique and complex individual which means one differ from the other. The logic of stereotyping attributes
individual’s characteristics to those of the group belong to. Stereotypes might contain elements of truth; on the other hand they may be
entirely false since we are all unique. Everyone is differently from everyone else. Stereotyping may well irrelevant, therefore if acted on
also discriminatory.

Attracting Candidates

Attracting candidates is primarily a matter of identifying, evaluating and using the most appropriate sources of getting
applicants. However, in cases where there are difficulties in getting the right applicants, there might be a need to conduct organizational
analysis. It is important to know the strengths and weaknesses of your organization including reputation, pay, and employee benefits
and working conditions, attractiveness of the job, location, security of employment, career prospects, etc.

Good Selection Practice

 Detailed job descriptions and job specifications prepared in advance and endorsed by personnel and line
management.
 Trained Selectors
 Determine tools to be use for selection
 Check competency of Recruitment specialist
 Involve line managers at all stage
 Validate process
 Help the appointed candidate to succeed by training and development management

The Importance of Recruitment and Selection for HR Professional

1. Determine the present and future requirements for manpower planning and job analysis activities.
2. Increase success rate of selection process by eliminating under-qualified or over over-qualified applicants.
3. To reduce recruitment cost that may arise as a result of poor selection.
4. Increases organizational effectiveness by employing qualified and competent hands that can meet the requirement of the
organization.
5. Identify and prepare potential job applicants.
6. Evaluate effectiveness of different recruitment techniques.

Recruitment Goals

1. Attract the qualified applicants.

The primary goal of recruitment is to select qualified applicants that possess necessary knowledge and skills that will fill the
positions needed in organizations.

2. Encourage unqualified applicants to self-select themselves out.

Encouraging unqualified applicants would help the company save time and resources since recruiters will only choose from
the qualified applicants who undergo pre-screening process.

Different Career Paths Toward and Professional Associations Involved in Recruitment and Selection Practices

Recruitment assistant

It plays an important role in the recruitment process. They work closely with recruitment specialist and recruitment managers
and provides major support services. Recruitment assistant can work in major recruiting companies and agencies or in every company
that has Human Resource Department.

Recruitment Specialist

Responsible for screening, interviewing and placing workers, as well as keeping up to date on local hiring laws and regulation.
It can also find work in variety of areas including health care, employment services government agencies the recruitment specialist
must be organized and detail-oriented. The individual must have excellent oral and written communication skills.

Recruitment Supervisor

Supervises the activities if the employment department. Oversees a company’s recruiting programs, policies, and procedures.
A level 1 supervisor is considered a working supervisor with little authority for personnel actions. Performs a variety of task and a wide
degree of creativity and latitude is expected. Typically reports to a manager o head pf unit/department.
Recruitment manager

The recruitment manager does not interview job applicants. The manager has no directly assigned job vacancies. The
manager manages and leads the recruitment process and the overall utilization of HR Recruiters. Additionally, the manager is fully
responsible for the development if the recruitment process and the implementation of recruitment innovations.

The recruitment manager dedicates most of the working time to the development of the recruitment process. The manager has
to meet with internal clients in the regular basis as the potential gaps are identified and researched. The manager provides the regular
feedback to HR Recruiters and internal clients.

The recruitment manager is responsible for the full utilization of the social media recruitment and the entire social media
communication of HR. The manager should decide about the targeted niches and the content of the social media messages.

The recruitment manager can be promoted into the general HR Management job position or can specialize in a different HR
area as the experienced specialist.

Key Responsibilities of Recruitment Managers

 Designs, develops and maintain the recruitment process in the organization (including its description, recruitment
measurement definitions, regular measurement reporting, taking proper actions to close gaps)
 Designs the selection matrix for choosing the optimum recruitment channel and recruitment source\
 Builds a quality relationship with the internal customers and external recruitment agencies.
 Monitors and constantly reduces the costs of the recruitment process.
 Sets the social communication strategy for different job profiles and functions in the organization.
 Conducts job interviews for the managerial job positions
 Monitor the labor legislation and implements required changes to keep the process compliant
 Manages and develops the team of HR recruiters.
 Acts as single point of contact for managers regarding recruitment topics
 Designs training recruitment for HR recruiters and line managers.

Strategic Recruiting Agency

Flexible Strategy Description

1. Regular Employment Is continuous, predictable and scheduled employment
of six month or longer.
2. Full-Time Consist of regular schedule 40 hours in a week.
3. Part Time Consist a regular schedule 40 hours below in a week.
4. Contractual Performs service which employment is based on
contract and usually below six month.
5. Independent Contractors Performs specific service on a contract basis used in a
number of areas.
6. Temporary workers This is based on the concept of try it before you buy.
7. Seasonal Employee Seasonal employees are hired to work on a part time
basis by companies need extra help during a particular
season typically Christmas season.

Ethical recruiting Strategy

There are ethical issues around selecting appropriate and by implication rejecting inappropriate candidates for employment.
Many organizations seek to employ people who will fit in with their organizations culture, however, this may be perfectly understandable
and carries important ethical overtones, for example whether an employing organization should be involved in shaping individual’s
identity.

It is important to not discriminate employees by not hiring tem because of one’s sexual orientation or by offering a different pay
rate for similar work due to gender differences. Organizations should ensure that difference in wages when offered are being made
based on the concept of skill, effort, responsibility, seniority systems, where union exist.

Sources of Recruitment

1. Internal sources – includes job posting, promotion and transfer employee referrals, recruiting former employees and
applicants and internal recruiting data base. Internal recruitment promoted employee morale, asses abilities, reduce cost in
some jobs, motivates employees to perform better, and causes for promotion.
2. External sources - external sources includes School colleges and Universities, media sources, employment and government
agencies. As a matter of principle, applicants within the organization should be given an equal opportunity to compete with
external applicants for any post that becomes vacant. The methods that are used for recruitment include advertisement, the
use of recruitment agencies and consultants, executive search consultants, internet and educational establishments. The
method used will depend on the experience, time available, resources, nature of the organization and the job.
Sources of Applicants
1. Employee Referral
Job opportunities are often not advertised and few only know about hidden job vacancies. Most of the companies
implement employee referral program wherein they give token to employee who can refer qualified applicants. Satisfied
employees attract talented applicants.
2. Word Of Mouth
Word of mouth in recruitment is defined as an interpersonal communication independent of the organization's
recruitment activities. Word of mouth will help you select better candidate, keeps recruitment cost down and increases
retention.
3. Advertising
Advertising plays a key part in recruitment process which help helps reach large number of qualified applicants.
Employees should plan and organize their approach considering the design and content of the job and choose the most
suitable media in order to reach its target applicants.
4. Government Job Services
This are government offices to carry out equal employment equal employment opportunities free of charge. Public
Employment Service Office (PESO) and other government placement offices is in closely coordination with private sectors who
are in need of workers and company hiring are posted in their bulletin boards.
5. College or University Placement Offices

Many colleges and universities provide valuable facilities and resources to help students and alumni in searching for
jobs. Companies can take advantage by coordinating with the college of universities in charge of placement.

6. Posting Job Announcement on Bulletin Board

Posting job announcements on company's bulletin boards would also attract passers and employees to fill out
certain positions.
7. Executive Search Films
Is a specialized recruitment service used to source candidates for senior, executive or highly specialized positons in
organization. The methods usually involves commissioning a third party organization, typically an executive search firm, but
possibly standalone consultant to research the availability of suitable candidates working for competitors or related business.
8. The Internet
Is widely used in sourcing and searching for pre- qualified applicants. The immediate goal of internet recruiting is to
find individuals that a recruiter or company can present to hiring managers for the purpose of employment. The recruiter scans
his or her database to see if anyone's resume match the requirements. If not, they proceed to search on the internet.
9. Recommendation from Current Employees

Some employers encourage their employee to refer or recommend someone they know who is qualified for the
vacant positions and had the ability to perform particular task or functions.

10. Job Fairs

Is an event in which recruiters, employers, schools give information to possible employees. Job seekers usually
attend this while trying to make good impression to potential employers by speaking face to face with one another and asking
questions in attempt to get q good feel on the work needed