A

RESEARCH REPORT
ON
‘RECRUITMENT & SELECTION PROCESS
SUBMITTED IN THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF COURSE FOR THE
AWARD OF
THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF BUSINESS ADMMINISTRATION

2018-20
Submitted To Submitted By
Dr. Ashfaq Ali Priti Devi

(H.O.D.) Roll no-1869570023

MBA 4th Sem.

SHRI RAM COLLEGE OF

MANAGEMENT
(Affiliated to Dr. A.P.J Abdul Kalam Technical University, Lucknow)

1
 CONTENTS

1. Declaration
2. Acknowledgement
3. Preface
4. Certificate
5. Introduction
6. Objectives of study
7. Review of Literature
8. Research Methodology
9. Analysis of Data
10. Findings
11. Limitations
12. Conclusion
13. Recommendation & Suggestion
14. Bibliography
15. Annexure

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ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

3
A single person alone can never be credited for performing any extraordinary

work successfully. It is only possible with the continuous and constant help and

guidance that they receive from others.

This research report too has taken its shape because of the valuable and precious

guidance of our professor. We are gratefully acknowledged.

I further personally feel that making of this project provided us with good

exposure to the subject of H.R the Indian insurance sector and it was a very

good learning experience.

My sincere thanks are also due to Dr. Ashfaq Ali (H.O.D. of MBA), for their

significant help extended for the successful completion of the project. I highly

acknowledge the help I got from them in providing me and lot of information

regarding the functioning of this organization.

Priti Devi

4
 DECLARATION

I, Priti Devi, a student of Master Of Business Administration, would like to

declare the Project Report titled “RECRUITMENT & SELECTION” in
partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of M.B.A. is my own work
and it is not submitted anywhere else for award of any degree/
diploma/certificate.

Priti Devi

Preface

5
We can not achieve anything worthwhile in any field of knowledge solely on

the basis of theoretical knowledge from books to order to achieve practical,

positive and concrete results, the classroom learning needs to be effectively

wedded to the reality of the situation outside the classroom.

Project work is conducted as an integral part of a management course. It

provides an opportunity to apply the theoretical aspect in practical. It gives an

excellent opportunity to a student to apply his ability, capability, interest,

knowledge, brief reasoning and mantle by giving a solution to the assigned

problem, which reflects his caliber. 

Today, each and every organization wants efficient and effective work force.

They want their employees to be sincere, involved in the work and attached to

the organization that is why they want committed people. Therefore, there is

need to study what exactly commitment means? How people view it? What are

the variables related?

INTRODUCTION

6
The human resources are the most important assets of an organization. The success or failure
of an organization is largely dependent on the caliber of the people working therein. Without
positive and creative contributions from people, organizations cannot progress and prosper.
In order to achieve the goals or the activities of an organization, therefore, they need to
recruit people with requisite skills, qualifications and experience. While doing so, they have
to keep the present as well as the future requirements of the organization in mind.

Recruitment is distinct from Employment and Selection. Once the required number and kind
of human resources are determined, the management has to find the places where the required
human resources are/will be available and also find the means of attracting them towards the
organization before selecting suitable candidates for jobs. All this process is generally known
as recruitment. Some people use the term “Recruitment” for employment. These two are not
one and the same. Recruitment is only one of the steps in the entire employment process.
Some others use the term recruitment for selection. These are not the same either. Technically
speaking, the function of recruitment precedes the selection function and it includes only
finding, developing the sources of prospective employees and attracting them to apply for
jobs in an organization, whereas the selection is the process of finding out the most suitable
candidate to the job out of the candidates attracted (i.e., recruited).Formal definition of
recruitment would give clear cut idea about the function of recruitment.
Recruitment is defined as, “a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the
requirements of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that
manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of an efficient workforce.”
Edwin B. Flippo defined recruitment as “the process of searching for prospective employees
and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organization.” Recruitment is a ‘linking
function’-joining together those with jobs to fill and those seeking jobs. It is a ‘joining
process’ in that it tries to bring together job seekers and employer with a view to encourage
the former to apply for a job with the latter.
In order to attract people for the jobs, the organization must communicate the position in such
a way that job seekers respond. To be cost effective, the recruitment process should attract
qualified applicants and provide enough information for unqualified persons to self-select
themselves out.

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Thus, the recruitment 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.

PURPOSES AND IMPORTANCE

8
  The general purpose of recruitment is to provide a pool of potentially qualified job
candidates. Specifically, the purposes are to:
 Determine the present and future requirements of the organization in conjunction with
its personnel-planning and job-analysis activities.
 Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.
 Help increase the success rate of the selection process by reducing the number of
visibly, under qualified or overqualified job applicants.
 Help reduce the probability that job applicants, once recruited and selected, will leave
the organization only after a short period of time.
 Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate
candidates.
 Induct outsiders with a new perspective to lead the company.
 Infuse fresh blood at all levels of the organization.
 Develop an organizational culture that attracts competent people to the company.
 Search or head hunt/head pouch people whose skills fit the company’s values.
 Devise methodologies for assessing psychological traits.
 Search for talent globally and not just within the company.
 Design entry pay that competes on quality but not on quantum.
 Anticipate and find people for positions that do not exist yet.
 Increase organizational and individual effectiveness in the short term and long term.
 Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and sources for all types of
job applicants.
Recruitment represents the first contact that a company makes with potential employees. It is
through recruitment that many individuals will come to know a company, and eventually
decide whether they wish to work for it. A well-planned and well-managed recruiting effort
will result in high-quality applicants, whereas, a haphazard and piecemeal effort will result in
mediocre ones. High-quality employees cannot be selected when better candidates do not
know of job openings, are not interested in working for the company and do not apply. The
recruitment process should inform qualified individuals about employment opportunities,
create a positive image of the company, provide enough information about the jobs so that
applicants can make comparisons with their qualifications and interests, and generate
enthusiasm among the best candidates so that they will apply for the vacant positions.

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The negative consequences of a poor recruitment process speak volumes about its role in an
organization. The failure to generate an adequate number of reasonably qualified applicants
can prove costly in several ways. It can greatly complicate the selection process and may
result in lowering of selection standards. The poor quality of selection means extra cost on
training and supervision. Furthermore, when recruitment fails to meet the organizational
needs for talent, a typical response is to raise entry-level pay scales. This can distort
traditional wage and salary relationships in the organization, resulting in avoidable
consequences. Thus, the effectiveness of a recruitment process can play a major role in
determining the resources that must be expended on other HR activities and their ultimate
success

OBJECTIVE

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1. To study the recruitment and selection procedure followed.

2: To study the various sources of recruitment followed

3: To learn what is the process of recruitment and selection that should be followed.

4: To search or headhunt people whose skill fits into the values.

Literature Review Recruitment and Selection

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All the techniques and ways which are used in process of recruitment are
being critically evaluated in this research. For the selection of the
employees, every organization uses different ways and techniques for
selection. All the theories, methods and techniques which are used in
process of recruitment, will be analyzed critically, in this research.
Investigation, validity and reliability will be completely defined in this
research. Data, interviews and selection of principal application process
will also be describe. Identification of methods which are helpful during
the assessment of candidates will be analyzed in upcoming chapter. The
goals, which are important for the success of an organization, now both
internal and external techniques are being used by the organization in the
recruitment process (Saurabh, 2008).
Recruitment Draft of ABC Courier
Recruitment process of ABC is discussed here. Orientation and
recruitment of new work force is described in this research. The process
of recruitment in small companies is discussed. Different techniques of
recruitment from advertisement, recommendation and final selection of a
candidate are also stated here. The process of recruitment is of great
importance for the success of any organization. There will be suffering if
selection of employees will be based on wrong decisions. Small business
lacks behind instead of large business during recruitment, but on the other
hand. Low needs, low cost, less expertise, specific in needs and less time
are some of the plus points of small organization (Williams, 2008).

DEFINITION AND CONCEPT

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 RECRUITMENT
DEFINITION :
Recruitment is the discovering of applicants for actual or anticipated organizational
vacancies.
“Recruitment is a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the
recruitment of staffing schedule and to employee effective measures for attracting
that manpower in adequate number to facilitate effective selection of an efficient
working force”.

“Recruitment process is said to end with the receipt of applications, in practice the activity
extends to screening of applications so as to eliminate those who are not qualified for the
job”.

CONCEPT :
Recruitment has been regarded as the most important function of personnel administration,
because unless the right types of people are hired, even the best plan, organization charges
and control system would not do much good.
Recruitment forms the first stage in the process which continues with selection and ceases
with the placement of candidates. It is the next step in the procurement function, the first
being the manpower planning. Recruitment makes it possible to acquire the number and type
of people necessary to ensure the continued operation of the organization.

SELECTION

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DEFINITION :
Selection process is concerned with securing relevant information about an application. This
information is secured in a number of steps and stages.

The objective of selection process is to determine whether an applicant meets the

qualification for a specific job and to choose the applicant who is most likely to be perform
well in that job.

CONCEPT :
An effective selection program is a non-random process because those selected have been
chosen on the basis of the assumption that they are more likely to be “better” employees than
those who have been rejected.

The traditional selection process include preliminary screening interview; completion of

application form; employment test; comprehensive interview; background investigation;
physical examination and final employment decision to hire.

ROLE OF SELECTION

14
The role of selection in an organization’s effectiveness is crucial for at least,
two reasons.

FIRST,
Work performance depends on individuals. The best way to improve
performance is to hire people who have the competence and the willingness to
work.

SECOND,

Cost incurred on recruiting and hiring personnel speaks volumes about the role
of selection.

15
 TYPES OF
RECRUITMENT

TYPES OF RECRUITMENT
Recruitment is divided into four parts :-

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 1- Internal method

2- Direct method

3- Indirect method

4- Third party method

(1) Internal method is further divided into various parts -

(A) PROMOTION AND TRANSFERS: This is a method of filling vacancies

from within through transfers and promotions.

A transfer is an internal movement within the same grade, from one job to
another. It may lead to changes in duties and responsibilities, working
conditions, etc, but not necessarily salary.

Promotion, on the other hand, involves movements of employee from a lower

level position to a higher-level position accompanied by (usually) changes in
duties, responsibilities, status and values.

(b) JOB POSTING: Job posting is another way of hiring people from within.
In this method, the organization publicizes job openings on bulletin boards,
electronic media and similar outlets.

(C) EMPLOYEE REFERRALS:- Employee referral means using personal

contact to locate job opportunities. It is a recommendation from a current
employee regarding a job applicant. The logic behind employee referrals is that
“it takes on to know one”.

(d) PREVIOUS APPLICANTS:- Although not truly an internal source, those

who have previously applied for job can be contacted by mail, a quick and
inexpensive way to fill an unexpected opening.

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(2) Direct method includes sending traveling recruiters to educational and
professional institutions, employee's contacts with public manned exhibits. It
can he further divided as-

(a) CAMPUS RECRUITMENT:- It is a method of recruiting by visiting and

participation in college campuses and their placement centers. Here the
recruiters visit reputed educational institutions such as IIT's, IlM's, colleges and
universities with a view to pick up jobs aspirants having requisites technical or
professional skills.

Sometimes, firms directly solicit information from the concerned professors

about students with an outstanding record.

(b) CONSULTANTS COMPANIES:- The DCM, TATA's, and other

enlightened firms maintain continuing contacts with institutions' placement
officials with a view lo recruiting staff regularly for different responsible
position.

(3) Indirect method involves mostly advertising in news paper, on the radio, in
trade, technical and professional journals and brochures. These are explained as-

(a) ADVERTISEMENT:- In recent times, this medium has become just has
colorful, imaginative and lively as consumer advertising. The ads generally give
a brief outline of the job responsibilities, compensation package, prospects in
the organization, etc. This method is appropriate when

(i) The organization intends to reach a large target group,

(ii) The organization wants a fairly good number of talented people who are
geographically spread out to apply for the advertised vacancies

(iii) There is wide variety of alternatives available to a company as far as ads

are concerned.

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(b) NEWS PAPER ADS:- Here it's easy place job ads without much of a lead
time. It has flexibility in terms of information and can conveniently target a
specific geographic location.

(C) TELEVISION AND RADIO ADS:- These ads are more likely to reach
individuals who are not actively seeking employment, they are more likely to
stand out distinctly, they help the organization to target the audience more
selectively and they offer considerable scope for designing and creatively.

(4) Third party method includes the use of commercial agencies. All the
agencies are defined as –

(a) PRIVATE EMPLOYEMENT AGENC1ES:- These are widely used. They

charge a small fee from an applicant. They specialize in specific occupation
general office help, salesman, technical workers, computers staff, engineers and
executives. These private agencies are brokers who bring employer and
employees together.

The specification to these agencies enhances their capacity to interpret the needs
to their clients, to seek out particular types of persons and to develop
proficiency in recognizing the talent of specialized personnel.

(b) STATIC OR-PUBLIC EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:- These are also

known as employment or labor- exchanges. These agencies provide a wide
range of services-counseling, assistance in getting a job, information about labor
market, labor and wages rates.

(C) SCHOOLS, COLLEGES AND PROFESSIONAL INSTITUTIONS:-

These institutions generally provide blue-collar applicants, while-collar

applicants and managerial personnel.

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(d) PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS OR RECRUITING FIRMS OR
EXECUTIVE RECRUITERS:- These are maintain complete information
records about employed executives. These consulting firms recommended
persons of high caliber for managerial, marketing and production engineers
post.

(e) TRADE UNIONS:- These provide manual and skilled workers in

sufficient numbers

(f) INDOCTRINATION SEMINARS:- These seminars are arranged for the

college professors to discuss the problems of companies and employees. Visits
to plants and banquets arc arranged so that the participants professors may he
favorably impressed. They may later speak well of a company and help ii in
getting a required personnel.

(g) CASUAL LABOUR OR APPLICANT AT THE CATE:- Most industrial

units rely to some extent to the casual labor which presents itself daily at the
factory gate or employment office.

(h) UNCONSOLIDATED APPLICATIONS:-The companies may gain in

keeping files of applications received from candidates who make direct
enquiries about possible vacancies on their own, or may send unconsolidated
applications.

(i) VOLUNATRY ORGANISATIONS:- Such as private clubs, social

organization, might also provide employees-handicaps, widowed or married
women, old people, retired hands etc. in response to advertisements.

(j) COMPUTER DATA BANKS:- When a company desire a particular type

of employee, job specification and requirements are fed in to a computer, where
they are matched against the resumed data stored there in.

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21
 TYPES OF
SELECTION

TYPES OF SELECTION

Selection is divided into two parts:-

(1) Unscientific methods

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(2) Scientific methods

Unscientific methods can be divided as:-

(a) PHYSIOGNOMY:- Physical features such as shape of the face, colour etc,
some times influence in the selection of workers.

(b) GRAPHOLOGY:- Selection is made on the basis of handwriting. For e.g.

small letters indicate miserliness, self-centeredness and paying attention to
minute details.

Scientific method can be divided as;-

(a) PHOTOGRAPHS:- It is not correct to judge menial abilities and qualities

only from a photograph without conducting any interviews and tests,

(b) LETTER OF APPLICATION;- The letter of application is a good basis of

prediction about the job success of the individual, which gives sufficient
information about the applicant.

(c) REFERENCES AND RECOMMENDATIONS:- Documentary evidences

in favor of satisfactory performance in the past are provided by references and
recommendations from the previous employer.

(d) INTERVIEW:- Interview techniques are extensively used for the selection
of employees in any and every job. This is a very popular and traditional
technique of selection.

By this technique, the interviewer gets an idea about the overall personality of
the interviewee. It is definitely to good source of obtaining information about
the person seeking a job

(e) APPLICATION BLANKS:- They provide useful information bout the

employee such as age, sex, number of dependents, social security etc.

23
Application blanks provide information about job applicants, which the
personnel officer consider necessary to the hiring process. It requires the
personal history of the applicant.

24
 SIGNIFICANCE OF
RECRUITMENT

SIGNIFICANCE OF RECRUITMENT
Recruiting is the discovering of potential applicants for actual or anticipated
organizational vacancies. The various importance of recruitment are :-
1. Help in increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.
2. Determine the present and future requirements of the organization in
conjunction with its personnel-planning and job analysis activities.

25
3. Help increase the success rate of the selection process by reducing the
number of visibly, under qualified or overqualified job applicants.
4. Help reduce the probability that job applicants, once recruited and
selected, will leave the organisation only after a short period of time.
5. Meet the organization's legal and social obligations regarding the
composition of its work -force.
6. Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be
appropriate candidates.
7. Increase organizational and individual effectiveness in the short term and
long term.
8. Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and sources
for all types of job applicants,

26
 SIGNIFICANCE OF
SELECTION

SIGNIFICANCE OF SELECTION

Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify

mid hire those with & great likelihood of success in a job. The various
significances of selection are:-

27
1. Help in choose the most suitable candidates for a given job among the
prospective employees,

2. Help in gelling, the goals and objectives of an organization by selecting

the right candidates for right job.

3. Helps in minimizing the absenteeism and lanour turnover in organization

as the employees will right job according to their qualification,

4. It helps operating managers to concentrate on their operating

responsibilities. This is especially helpful during peak hiring periods.

5. It can provide for better selection because hiring is done by specialists

trained in staffing techniques.

6. Hiring costs may be cut because duplication of effort is minimized.

28
 FACTORS AFFECTING
RECRUITMENT

FACTORS AFFECTING RECRUITMENT

Factors affecting recruitment are divided into two parts

(1) External factors.

29
(2) Internal factors.

External factors includes:-

a) Demand and supply factors.
b) Unemployment rate factors
c) Labour-market condition.
d) Political, legal and governmental factors.
e) Information system like employment exchange.
f) Social economic factors.

(a) DEMAND AND SUPPLY FACTORS:- If the demand of a particular skill

is high relative to the supply an extraordinary recruiting effort may be needed.

(b) UNEMPLOYMENT RATE:- If the unemployment rate is high, the

company's recruitment process may be simpler. The number of unsolicited
applicants is usually greater, and increased size of the labour pool provides
better opportunities for attracting qualified applicants. On the other hand, as the
unemployment rate dropes, recruiting efforts must be increased and new sources
explored.

(c) LABOUR-MARKET CONDITION:- Labour- market condition in a local

area of primary importance in recruiting for most non-managerial, supervisory
and middle management positions However, so far as recruitment

(d) POLITICAL, LEGAL AND GOVERNMENTAL FACTORS:-

Reservation of jobs for SCs, STs, minorities and other backward classes (OBCs)
is a political decision. There is a strong case for giving preferences to people
hailing from less advantaged section of the society. Reservation has been

30
accepted as inevitable by all sections of the society. The Supreme Court also has
agreed upon 50 percent reservation of seats and jobs.

(e) INFORMATION SYSTEM LIKE EMPLOYMENT EXCHANGES:-

Like (Compulsory Notification of Vacancies) Act, 1959, which mandates that

employers ( industrial establishments employing 25- workers each and above)
must notify the vacant positions to the employment exchanges. The Apprentices
Act, 1961r the inter- State Migrant Workmen (Regulation of Employment and
Conditions of Service) Act. 1979, the Factories ACT. 1948, and the Mines Act,
1952, also deal with recruitment

Preferences to sons of the soil is another political factor.

The company's image also matters in attracting large number of jobs seekers.

W have central and state acts dealing with labour. Like Child Labour
(Prohibition and Regulation) Act 1986, for instance, prohibits employment of
children in certain employments, and seeks to regulate their working conditions
in certain other employments.

Internal factors includes:-

a) Companies pay package.

b) Quality of work life

c) Organizational culture.

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 d) Career planning and growth

e) Company's size.

f) Companies product/ service,

g) Geographical spread of the company's operations.

h) Company's growth rate.

i) Role of trade union.

j) Cost of recruitments.

k) Company's name and lame.

l) Recruiting policies.

(1) RECRUITING POLICIES:- Most organizations have a policy on

recruiting internally (from own employees) or externally (from outside the
organization). Generally, the policy is to prefer internal sourcing. as own
employees known the company well and recommend candidates who fits the
organization’s culture

Another related policy is to have temporary and part-time employees. An

organization hiring temporary and pan-time employees is in a less
advantageous position in attracting sufficient applications. In multinational
corporation! (MNCs), there is the policy relating lo the recruitment of local
citizens.

(2) A major internal factor that can determine the success of the recruiting
programme is whether or not the company engages in HRP. In most cases, a
company cannot attract prospective employee in sufficient numbers and with
required skills overnight. Effective HRP greatly facilitates the recruiting efforts.

(3) COMPANY’S SIZE : Size of the companies having its influence on the
recruitment process. An organisation with one hundred thousand employees will

32
find recruiting less problematic than an organization with just one hundred
employees.

(4) COST OF RECRUITING:- Recruiting costs art calculated per new hire
and figure is considerable now-a-days. Recruiters must, therefore, operate
within budgets. Careful HRP and forethought by recruiters can minimize
recruitment costs.

33
FACTORS
AFFECTING
SELECTION

34
 FACTOR AFFECTING SELECTION ARE
Factors affecting selection are

(a) Profit matching.

(b) Organizational and social environment.

(c) Successive hurdles.

(d) Multiple co-relation.

(a) PROFIT MATCHING:- Tentative decision regarding the selection o1

candidates (who are known) is taken in advance. Possible care is also taken to
match the candidate's bio-data with the job specifications.

(b) ORGANISATIONAL AND SOCIAL ENVIRONMENT:- Some

candidates who are eminently suitable for the job, may Tail as successful
employee due varying organizational and social environment.

(c) SUCCESSIVE HURDLES:- In this method hurdles are created at ever}

stage of selection process.

(e) MULTIPLE CO- RELATION:- Multiple co-relation is based on the

assumption that a deficiency in one factor can be counter, balanced by an excess
amount of another.

35
PROCEDURE OF
THE
RECRUITMENT

36
 PROCEDURE OF THE RECRUITMENT

Various steps for the process of recruitment are>

(a) Personal human resource planning

(b) Recruiting needed personnel:-

(i) Developing sources,

(ii) Search for potential employees

(iii) Evaluating recruiting effectiveness,

(c) Selecting qualified personnel.

(d) Placing new employees on job.

(a) PERSONAL HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING:- One of the first step

in planning for the recruitment of employees in to the organization is to
establish proper policies and procedure. A recruitment policy indicates the
organizations code of conduct in this area of activity. A good recruitment policy
must contain these elements:

1) Government policies.

2) Organizational personnel policies.

3) Recruitment sources.

4) Recruitment needs.

5) recruitment cost.

(b) RECRUITING NEEDED PERSONNEL :-

i) Developing sources of potential employees by internal and external sources.

37
ii) Search for potential employees by personal research, job posting, employee-
referrals, advertising and scouting,

iii) Evaluating recruiting effectiveness.

(c) SELECTING QUALIFIED PERSONNEL:- In find and employ the best

host qualified persons for each jobs. To provide programmes and facilities for
personal growth on the job.

(d) PLACING NEW EMPLOYEE ON THE JOB:- when we select the

qualified person than place the new employee on the job according to their
qualification.

38
PROCEDURE
OF SELECTION

39
 PROCEDURE OF SELECTION

Various steps for the .selection process are :-

(a) Reception.

(b) screening of the applicants.

(c) Application blank.

(d) Selection test.

(e) interview.

(f) Physical examination.

(g) Checking of references, (h) Hiring decision, (i) Placement.

(a) RECEPTION:- It is not correct to judge mental abilities and qualities only
from a photograph without conducting any interviews & tests.

(b) SCREENING OF THE APPLICANTS:- Prospective employees have lo

fill up some sort of applications forms, These forms have variety of information
about the applicants like their personal bio-data, achievements, experience, etc.
Such information is used to screen the applicants who are found to be qualified
for the consideration of employment.

Based on the screening of applications, only those candidacies are called for
further process of selection that arc found to he meeting the job standards of the
organization.

(c) APPLICATION BLANK:- An application blank is prepared from the

application form, for different jobs different application blanks are prepared &

40
given to the applicants before the interview to fill up the necessary
requirements.

They provide useful information about the employee according to the

requirements of the company, such is the age. sex, number of dependants, social
security, marital status, etc.

Application blanks provide information about job applicant, which the

personnel officer consider necessary to hiring process.

(d) SELECTION TEST:- Many organizations hold different kinds of selection

tests to know more about the candidates or lo reject the candidates who cannot
be called for interview, etc. Selection tests normally supplement the information
provided in ihe application forms. Such forms may contain factual information
about candidates. Like

i) intelligent test

ii) Aptitude test

iii) Interest test

iv) Personality test

v) Achievement test

(e) INTERVIEW:- The basis idea here is to find out overall suitability of
candidates for the jobs. It also provides opportunity to give relevant information
about the organisation to the candidates. In many cases interview of preliminary
nature can be conducted before the selection tests.

(f) PHYSICAL EXAMINATION:- Physical examination is carried out to

ascertain the physical standards & fitness of prospective employees. Some
organization only have general chock-up of applicants to find the major
physical problems, which may come in the way of affective discharge of duties.

41
In the context of timing also, some organizations locate the physical
examination near the end of the selection process, other places it relatively early
in the process.

(g) CHECKING OF REFERENCES:- Many organizations ask the candidates

to provide the name of referees from whom more information about the
candidates can be solicited. Such information may be related to character,
working, etc. The usual referees may be previous employers, person's associated
with the educational institutions from where the candidates have. received
education, or other person's of prominence who may aware of candidates
behavior & ability.

(h) HIRING DECISION:- On the basis of above steps, suitable candidates arc
recommended for selection by the selection committee or personnel department.
Though such a committee or personnel department may have authority to select
the candidates finally, often it has staff authority to recommend the candidates
for selection to the appropriate authority.

Organization may designate the various authorities for approval of final

selection of candidates for different categories of candidates. When
approval is received, the candidate’s arc informed about their selection & asked
to report for duty to specified persons.

(i) PLACEMENT:- After all the formalities completed, the candidates arc
placed on Their jobs initially on probation basis. The probation period may
from 3 months to 2 years. During this period, they arc observed keenly, & when
they complete this period successfully, they become the permanent employees
of the organization.

42
RECRUITMENT AND
SELECTION
PROCESS CHART OF
THE COMPANY

43
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION PROCESS
CHART

PREPARATION OF AN ORGANIZATION CHART

INVITING APPLICATION

INITIAL SCREENING OF APPLICATION

2ND INTERVIEW

44
 SELECTION PROCESS

Initial Final Authority

nd
Inviting screening of Preliminary 2 Approving for issue of
Category application application interview interview authority appointment
letter
Shop Concerned Concerned
Workmen / Supervisor / Dept. Mgr & GM & Sr.
DET/GET Plant HR section incarge AM-HR -- Mgr- Director
HR/DGM-
HR
Supervisors & Concerned Concerned Concerned
Engineers Plant HR Mgr & AM- Dept. Mgr & -- GM & Sr. Director
HR AM-HR Mgr-HR
Sr Concerned Concerned
Engineers/Sr. Plant HR Mgr & AM- Dept. Mgr & -- Plant Head Director
Officer, Asst. HR AM-HR
Mgr
Dy, Mgr to
Mgr for plant Concerned Concerne
& all upto Corporate Concerned Dept. Mgr & d GM + ED/COO/ Director
Mgr-Level for HR Mgr & AM- AM-HR Dr Mgr- GCFO+Sr
HO /RO HR Hr GM HR
Sr. mgrs. & Corporate Concerned Concerned ED/COO/ ED/COO/G
Above HR Gm/Sr GM- GM, Sr GM- GCFO CFO Director
HR HR

ABOVE CHART IS EXPLAINED AS BELOW ONE BY ONE :-

45
PREPARATION OF AN ORGANIZATION CHART :-

Recruitment is a ‘linking function’ joining together those with jobs to fill and
those seeking jobs. Recruitment applies to the process of attracting potential
employees to the company. It is a systematic means of finding and including
available candidates to apply to the company or enterprise for employment.
Recruitment is said to be positive in its approach as it seeks t attract as many
candidates as possible.

The organization prepares the chart regarding various vacancies to be filled by

new candidate in different departments. Whenever there is any vacancy in any
department, department head tells the HR manager about the free vacancy in his
department. Then HR manager makes the chart related to the vacancies
available in all the department. Then HR manager makes the chart related to the
vacancies available in all the departments. This chart is made by HR members
by conducting a meeting with other departmental heads.

After completing the meeting final decision regarding the organization chart is
taken by chief manager of HR department.

ADVERTING IN NEWS PAPER

46
After preparing the organization chart the second and main source of
Recruitment is advertising in News Paper.

The requirement job is given. And various qualification and work – experience
are also mentioned in this Advertisement

INVITING APPLICATIONS
47
The various source for providing the manpower recruitment are :-

(I) ONLINE :- with the help of computer we can arrange various online
interviews. By attending the interview one can fill the required job
vacancy. Today internet is very essential for arranging various
functions in the organization. One of the bet example is online
recruitment .

(II) INTERNAL REFERENCES:- internal references mean recruitment

the employee for the required job within the organization. Various
internal method used here are promotions and transfers: job posting:
employee referral.

(III) DATA BANK :- when a company desire a particular type of

employee, job specifications and requirements are fed into a computer
or put into manually arranged files, when they are matched against the
resumed data stored therein.

INITIAL SCREENING OF APPLICATIONS

48
Prospective employees have to fill up some sort of application forms. These
forms have variety of information about the applicants like bio-data,
achievements, experience, post job salary etc.

When the number of applicants meeting the job standards for exceeds the
actual requirement, the organization decides a suitable number of candidates
who will be called for further selection process.

In this company the different department decide a suitable number of candidates

for their department. Like, shop supervisor/ section incharge decide the suitable
number of workmen for further selection process, Concerned Mgr AM-HR
decide the suitable number of Sr. engineer / Sr. officer / Ass. Mgr & for further
election process.

49
 PRELIMINARY INTERVIEW WITH
FUNCTIONAL HEADS AND HR

Hear interview of preliminary nature can be conducted before the selection test.
It provides opportunity to give relevant information about the organization to
the candidates. The basic idea is to find out the overall suitability of candidates
for job. Selection testes are normally followed by the personnel interview of the
candidates.

Selection test may give information about candidate’s aptitude, interests,

personality, achievements, intelligence etc. which can not be known by the
application forms.

In this organization first round of interview includes interaction of interview

with interview contains functional heads like Concerned Dept. Mgr. & AM-HR,
concerned Gm, Sr. GM-HR.

50
 2ND & FINAL INTER INTERVIEW WITH
DIRECTOR OF THE CO.

It includes top level management members. After clearing the first round of
interview with functional heads and HR then second round of interview is
conducted. This round includes interviewer as top level management people and
interview as applicant.

Personal interview is conducted here. It provides opportunity to give relevant

information about the organization to the candidate.

If employee is able to clear the second round of the interview then he or she
sends to the next step for further investigation.

51
 3rd & FINAL APPROVAL WITH DIRECTOR

Then all the documents related to the interview are sending to the top level
management for the approval process. If top-level management find al the
documents fitted in required vacancy then approval is done in the favour in the
interview otherwise reject it also.

If the approval process is in favour in interview then approval decision

regarding the selection of interview is done by the top-level management is the
next step.

52
 ISSUE OF APPOINTMENT LETTER

An appointment letter is issue to the applicant which includes the confirmation

of job to the interview.

This letter include :

 Personal information like name, address, contact number etc.

 Offer of appointment
 Salary package
 Place of posting
 Job is transferable or not
 Joining time
 Survey
 Service termination term
 Resignation term
 Character criteria.

53
JOINING FORMALITIES

Joining formalities include various reference check are as follows :-

 Previous company leaving letter

 Investigation of documents provided by him
 Attested documents
 Fill up the PF form
 Fill up the superannuation form
 Joining report.
 Character certificate.

54
 INDUCTION OF THE NEW JOINEE

The last step includes induction of the new joining. It includes the training
regarding the rules and regulations, policies of the organizations to the
interview.

After completion the training job evaluation regarding the understanding the
working style, atmosphere, policies, rules and regulation of the organization is
done. If trainee is found to perfect in h is work then job is confirm. If there is a
need of little change in trainee then one more chance is given to him. If
performance is not up to the mark then he/ she may leave the organization.

55
 SUB-SYSTEMS OF RECRUITMENT

The recruitment process consists of the following four sub-functions:-

 Finding out and developing the sources where the required number and
kind of employees will be available.
 Developing suitable techniques to attract the desirable candidates.
 Employing the techniques to attract candidates.
 Stimulating as many candidates as possible and asking them to apply for
jobs of the number of candidates required.

Management has to attract more candidates in order to increase the selection

ratio so that the most suitable candidate can be selected out of the total
candidates available. Recruitment is positive as it aims at increasing the number
of applicants and selection is somewhat negative as it selects the suitable
candidates in which process; the unsuitable candidates are automatically
eliminated. Though, the function of recruitment seems to be easy, a number of
factors make performance of recruitment a complex one.

FACTORS AFFECTING RECRUITMENT

The following are the 2 important factors affecting Recruitment:-

INTERNAL FACTORS

Recruiting policy
Temporary and part-time employees
Recruitment of local citizens
Engagement of the company in HRP
Company’s size
Cost of recruitment
Company’s growth and expansion

2) EXTERNAL FACTORS

Supply and Demand factors

Unemployment Rate
Labour-market conditions
Political and legal considerations
Social factors
Economic factors
Technological factors
56
 INDUCEMENTS

Organisational inducements are all the positive features and benefits offered by
an organization that serves to attract job applicants to the organisation. Three
inducements need specific mention here, they are:-

Compensation: Starting salaries, frequency of pay increases, incentives and

fringe benefits can all serve as inducements to potential employees.

Career Opportunities: These help the present employees to grow personally

and professionally and also attract good people to the organization. The feeling
that the company takes care of employee career aspirations serves as a powerful
inducements to potential employees.

Image or Reputation: Factors that affect an organisation’s reputation include

its general treatment of employees, the nature and quality of its products and
services and its participation in worthwhile social endeavors.

CASE EXAMPLE (inducements):

INFOSYS: The Software Powerhouse

Infosys Technologies Limited (ITL), one of the country’s best known software
exporting house, treats its employees as partners and co-owners. It provides
them challenging assignments, allows flexible working hours, rewards them
solely on the basis of performance and conducts regular training programmes to
upgrade their skills. It has an “Employee Stock Option Plan” (ESOP) to share
its wealth with employees on the basis of their performance. Even lower level
employees are proud owners of the prized stock worth 25 to 40 lakh rupees,
according to Narayan Murthy, the CEO of ITL. Apart from increasing
shareholder value, ESOP has greatly enhanced the image of the company in the
information technology industry where employee attrition rates are very high. It
is small wonder companies like Procter & Gamble, Johnson & Johnson,
Citibank have reposed their faith in ESOP as a way of attracting and retaining
talent in a highly competitive environment.

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 CONSTRAINTS

If a firm has a poor image in the market, many of the prospective candidates
may not even apply for vacancies advertised by the firm. If the job is not
attractive, qualified people may not even apply. Any job that is viewed as
boring, hazardous, anxiety producing, low-paying, or lacking in promotion
potential seldom will attract a qualified pool of applicants. Recruiting efforts
require money. Sometimes because of limited resources, organizations may not
like to carry on the recruiting efforts for long periods of time, this can,
ultimately, constrain a recruiter’s effort to attract the best person for the job.
Government policies often come in the way of recruiting people as per the rules
of the company or on the basis of merit/seniority, etc. For example, reservations
to specific groups (such as scheduled castes, scheduled tribes, backward castes,
physically handicapped and disabled persons, ex-servicemen, etc.) have to be
observed as per constitutional provisions while filling up vacancies in
government corporations, departmental undertakings, local bodies, quasi-
government organizations, etc.

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RECRUITMENT- Relationship with other activities

CORPORATE MISSION, OBJECTIVES, STRATEGIES AND TACTICS

(MOST)
Corporations have started linking their Mission, Objectives, Strategies and
Tactics (MOST) to the functions of recruitment and selection. The economic
liberalizations and consequent competition through quality and services
necessitated the companies to search for and attract competent human resources.
Corporations focusing on new business development will have to seek
entrepreneurial abilities, companies planning to withdraw from diversifications
must look for pragmatists and companies chasing growth alliances should
employ people comfortable in different cultural backgrounds. Above all,
companies must hire for the future, anticipating jobs that may not be in
existence yet. Recruitment managers must focus for attitudes and approaches
that fit the corporate goals and culture.

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 RECRUITMENT POLICY

Recruitment policy of any organization is derived from the personnel policy of

the same organization. In other words the former is a part of the latter.
However, recruitment policy by itself should take into consideration the
government’s reservation policy, policy regarding sons of soil, etc., personnel
policies of other organizations regarding merit, internal sources, social
responsibility in absorbing minority sections, women, etc. Recruitment policy
should commit itself to the organisation’s personnel policy like enriching the
organisation’s human resources or servicing the community by absorbing the
retrenched or laid-off employees or casual/temporary employees or dependents
of present/former employees, etc.

The following factors should be taken into consideration in formulating

recruitment policy. They are:-

Government policies
Personnel policies of other competing organizations
Organisation’s personnel policies
Recruitment sources
Recruitment needs
Recruitment cost
Selection criteria and preference

60
RECRUITMENT- Matching the of the organization & applicants
IMPACT OF PERSONNEL POLICIES ON RECRUITMENT POLICIES
Recruitment policies are mostly drawn from personnel policies of the
organization. According to Dale Yodar and Paul D. Standohar, general
personnel policies provide a wide variety of guidelines to be spelt out in
recruitment policy. After formulation of the recruitment policies, the
management has to decide whether to centralize or decentralize the recruitment
function.

CENTRALISED V/s DECENTRALISED RECRUITMENT

Recruitment practices vary from one organization to another. Some

organizations like commercial banks resort to centralized recruitment while
some organizations like the Indian Railway resort to decentralized recruitment
practices. Personnel department at the central office performs all the functions
of recruitment in case of centralised recruitment and personnel departments at
unit level/zonal level perform all the functions of recruitment concerning to the
jobs of the respective unit or zone.

MERITS OF CENTRALISED RECRUITMENT

 Average cost of recruitment per candidate/unit should be relatively less
due to economies of scale.
 It would have more expertise available to it.
 It can ensure broad uniformity among human resources of various
units/zones in respect of education, skill, knowledge, talent, etc.
 It would generally be above malpractices, abuse of powers, favouritism,
bias, etc.
 It would facilitate interchangeability of staff among various units/zones.
 It enables the line managers of various units and zones to concentrate on
their operational activities by relieving them from the recruiting
functions.
 It enables the organization to have centralised selection procedure,
promotional and transfer procedure, etc.
 It ensures the most effective and suitable placement to candidates.
 It enables centralised training programmes which further brings
uniformity and minimizes average cost of staff.

61
MERITS OF DECENTRALISED RECRUITMENT

The unit concerned concentrates only on those sources/places wherein normally

gets the suitable candidates. As such the cost of recruitment would be relatively
less.
The unit gets most suitable candidates as it is well aware of the requirements of
the job regarding culture, traditional, family background aspects, local factors,
social factors, etc.
Units can recruit candidates as and when they are required without any delay.
The units would enjoy freedom in finding out, developing the sources, in
selecting and employing the techniques to stimulate the candidates.
The unit would relatively enjoy advantage about the availability of information,
control and feedback and various functions/processes of recruitment.
The unit would enjoy better familiarity and control over the employees it
recruits rather than on employees selected by the central recruitment agency.

Both the systems of recruitment would suffer from their own demerits. Hence,
the management has to weigh both the merits and demerits of each system
before making a final decision about centralizing or decentralizing the
recruitment. Alternatively management may decentralize the recruitment of
certain categories of employees preferably middle and top level managerial
personnel and centralize the recruitment of other categories of employee’s
preferably lower level positions in view of the nature of the jobs and suitability
of those systems for those categories of positions. The management has to find
out and develop the sources of recruitment after deciding upon centralizing or
decentralizing the recruitment function.

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CASE STUDY:-
WHICH IS MORE IMPORTANT –
RECRUITING OR RETAINING

Uptron Electronics Ltd is an internationally reputed electronics firm. It attracted

employees from internationally reputed institutes and industries by offering
high salaries, perks, etc. It had advertised for the position of an Electronics
engineer some years back. Nearly 150 candidates working in various electronics
firm applied for the job. Mr. Sashidhar, an Electronics Engineer Graduate from
Indian Institute of Technology with 5 years of working experience in a small
electronics firm was selected among those interviewed. The interview board
recommended an enhancement in his salary by Rs.500 more than his present
salary at his request. He was very happy and was congratulated by his previous
employer for his brilliant interview performance and good luck.

Mr. Sashidhar joined the company with great enthusiasm and also found
his job to be quite comfortable and challenging one. He found that his
colleagues and superiors were friendly and co-operative. But this didn’t last
long. After one year of his service, he slowly learnt about a number of
unpleasant stories about the company, management, the superior-subordinate
relations, rate of employee turnover, etc. But still he decided to continue with
the promise that he made in the interview. He wanted to please and change the
attitude of management through his performance, commitment and dedication.
Looking at his great contributions and efforts, the management got the
impression that he is well settled will remain in the company for a long time.
After sometime they all started taking undue advantage of him and overloaded
him with multifarious jobs and thereby ridded over him. As a result, his
freedom in deciding and executing was cut down to size; his colleagues started
assigning their responsibilities to him. Consequently, there were imbalances in
his family, social and organization life.

It was quite surprising to the general manager to see the resignation letter
of Mr. Sashidhar one fine morning. The general manager failed to convince him
to withdraw his resignation. The general manager wanted to appoint a
committee to go into the matter immediately, but dropped the idea later so that
the company’s image doesn’t get spoiled.

ANALYSIS

Thus, from this case study it is clear that retaining is much more important than
recruiting. What’s the use and benefits of recruiting quality employees if they
cannot be retained by the organization in a proper manner. The purpose of
recruitment is fulfilled when the employees selected from a pool of qualified

63
applicants are retained in the company by keeping them satisfied in all aspects.
They must be provided with better working conditions, better pay scales,
incentives, recognition, promotion, bonus, flexible working hours, etc. They
should treat the employees as co-owners and partners of the company.

SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

The sources of recruitment may be broadly divided into two categories: internal
sources and external sources. Both have their own merits and demerits. Let’s
examine these.

Internal Sources:-

Persons who are already working in an organization constitute the ‘internal

sources’. Retrenched employees, retired employees, dependents of deceased
employees may also constitute the internal sources. Whenever any vacancy
arises, someone from within the organization is upgraded, transferred, promoted
or even demoted.

External Sources

External sources lie outside an organization. Here the organization can have the
services of : (a) Employees working in other organizations; (b) Jobs aspirants
registered with employment exchanges; (c) Students from reputed educational
institutions; (d) Candidates referred by unions, friends, relatives and existing
employees; (e) Candidates forwarded by search firms and contractors; (f)
Candidates responding to the advertisements, issued by the organization; and
(g) Unsolicited applications/ walk-ins.

64
Merits and Demerits of ‘Recruiting people from ‘Within’
Merits
1) Economical: The cost of
recruiting internal candidates is
minimal. No expenses are incurred
on advertising.
2) Suitable: The organization can
pick the right candidates having the
requisite skills. The candidate can
choose a right vacancy where their
talents can be fully utilized.
3) Reliable: The organization has
the knowledge about suitability of a
candidate for a position. ‘Known
devils are better than unknown
angels!’
4) Satisfying: A policy of
preferring people from within offers
regular promotional avenues for
employees. It motivates them to
work hard and earn promotions.
They will work with loyalty
commitment and enthusiasm.
The merits and demerits of recruiting candidates from outside an organization
may be stated thus:
65
Demerits
1) Limited Choice: The
organization is forced to select
candidates from a limited pool. It
may have to sacrifice quality and
settle down for less qualified
candidates.
2) Inbreeding: It discourages entry
for talented people, available outside
an organization. Existing employees
may fail to behave in innovative
ways and inject necessary dynamism
to enterprise activities.
3) Inefficiency: Promotions based
on length of service rather than
merit, may prove to be a blessing for
inefficient candidate. They do not
work hard and prove their worth.
4) Bone of contention:
Recruitment from within may lead to
infighting among employees aspiring
for limited, higher level positions in
an organization. As years roll by, the
race for premium positions may end
up in a bitter race.
Merits and Demerits of External sources of Recruitment
Merits
Wide Choice: The organization has
the freedom to select candidates from
a large pool. Persons with requisite
qualifications could be picked up.
Infection of fresh blood: People
with special skills and knowledge
could be hired to stir up the existing
employees and pave the way for
innovative ways of working.
Motivational force: It helps in
motivating internal employees to
work hard and compete with external
candidates while seeking career
growth. Such a competitive
atmosphere would help an employee
to work to the best of his abilities.
Long term benefits: Talented
people could join the ranks, new
ideas could find meaningful
expression, a competitive
atmosphere would compel people to
give out their best and earn rewards,
etc.
66
Demerits
Expenses: Hiring costs could go up
substantially. Tapping multifarious
sources of recruitment is not an easy
task either.
Time consuming: It takes time to
advertise, screen, to test and test and
to select suitable employees. Where
suitable ones are not available, the
process has to be repeated.
De-motivating: Existing employees
who have put in considerable service
may resist the process of filling up
vacancies from outside. The feeling
that their services have not been
recognized by the organization,
forces then to work with less
enthusiasm and motivation.
Uncertainty: There is no guarantee
that the organization, ultimately will
be able to hire the services of
suitable candidates. It may end up
hiring someone who does not fit and
who may not be able to adjust in the
new setup.
METHODS OF RECRUITMENT

The following are the most commonly used methods of recruiting people.

INTERNAL METHODS:

Promotions and Transfers

This is a method of filling vacancies from within through transfers and

promotions.

A transfer is a lateral movement within the same grade, from one job to another.
It may lead to changes in duties and responsibilities, working conditions, etc.,
but not necessarily salary. Promotion, on the other hand, involves movement of
employee from a lower level position to a higher level position accompanied by
(usually) changes in duties, responsibilities, status and value. Organisations
generally prepare badli lists or a central pool of persons from which vacancies
can be filled for manual jobs. Such persons are usually passed on to various
departments, depending on internal requirements. If a person remains on such
rolls for 240 days or more, he gets the status of a permanent employee as per the
Industrial Disputes Act and is therefore entitled to all relevant benefits,
including provident fund, gratuity, retrenchment compensation.

Job Posting

Job posting is another way of hiring people from within. In this method, the
organisation publicises job opening on bulletin boards, electronic method and
similar outlets. One of the important advantages of this method is that it offers
a chance to highly qualified applicants working within the company to look for
growth opportunities within the company to look for growth opportunities
within the company without looking for greener pastures outside.

67
Employee Referrals

Employee referral means using personal contacts to locate job opportunities. It

is a recommendation from a current employee regarding a job applicant. The
logic behind employee referral is that “it takes one to know one”. Employees
working in the organization, in this case, are encouraged to recommend the
names of their friends, working in other organizations for a possible vacancy in
the near future. In fact, this has become a popular way of recruiting people in
the highly competitive Information Technology industry nowadays. Companies
offer rich rewards also to employees whose recommendations are accepted –
after the routine screening and examining process is over – and job offers
extended to the suggested candidates. As a goodwill gestures, companies also
consider the names recommended by unions from time to time.

External (direct) Methods

Campus Recruitment

It is a method of recruiting by visiting and participating in college campuses and

their placement centres. Here the recruiters visit reputed educational
institutions such as IITs, IIMs, colleges and universities with a view to pick up
job aspirants having requisite technical or professional skills. Job seekers are
provided information about the jobs and the recruiters, in turn, get a snapshot of
job seekers through constant interchange of information with respective
institutions.
A preliminary screening is done within the campus and the short listed
students are then subjected to the remainder of the selection process. In view of
the growing demand for young managers, most reputed organizations (such as
Hindustan Lever Ltd., Proctor & Cable, Citibank, State Bank of India, Tata and
Birla group companies) visit IIMs and IITs regularly and even sponsor certain
popular campus activities with a view to earn goodwill in the job market.
Advantages of this method include: the placement centre helps locate applicants
and provides resumes to organizations; applicants can be prescreened;
applicants will not have to be lured away from a current job and lower salary
expectations. On the negative front, campus recruiting means hiring people
with little or no work experience.

The organizations will have to offer some kind of training to the applicants,
almost immediately after hiring. It demands careful advance planning, looking
into the placement weeks of various institutions in different parts of the country.
Further, campus recruiting can be costly for organizations situated in another

68
city (airfare, boarding and lodging expenses of recruiters, site visit of applicants
if allowed, etc.).
If campus recruitment is used, steps should be taken by human resource
department to ensure that recruiters are knowledgeable concerning the jobs that
are to be filled and the organizations and understand and employ effective
interviewing skills.

Guidelines for campus recruiting: companies using college campuses as

recruitment source should consider the following guidelines:

Identify the potential candidates early: The earlier that candidate with top
potential can be identified, the more likely the organization will be in a position
to attract them.
Employ various means to attract candidates: These may include providing
research grants; consulting opportunities to faculty members, funding university
infrastructural requirements, internships to students, etc. in the long run these
will enhance the prestige of the company in the eyes of potential job seekers.
Use effective recruitment material: Attractive brochures, films, computer
diskettes, followed by enthusiastic and effective presentations by company
officials, correspondence with placement offices in respective campus in a
friendly way – will help in booting the company image in the eyes of the
applicants. The company must provide detailed information about the
characteristics of entry – level positions, especially those that have had a major
positive impact on prior applicants’ decisions to join the company.
Offer training to campus interviews: Its better to devote more time and
resources to train on campus interviewers to answer specific job –related
questions of applicants.
Come out with a competitive offer: Keep the key job attributes that influence
the decisions of applicants such as promotional avenues, challenging
assignments, long term income potential, etc., while talking to candidates.

Indirect methods:-

Advertisements:-
These include advertisements in newspapers; trade, professional and technical
journals; radio and television; etc. in recent times, this medium has become just
as colourful, lively and imaginative as consumer advertising. The ads generally
give a brief outline of the job responsibilities, compensation package, prospects
in organizations, etc. this method is appropriate when (a) the organization
intends to reach a large target group and (b) the organizations wants a fairly
good number of talented people – who are geographically spread out. To apply

69
for advertised vacancies let’s briefly examine the wide variety of alternatives
available to a company - as far as ads are concerned:
Newspaper Ads: Here it is easy to place job ads without much of a lead time. It
has flexibility in terms of information and can conveniently target a specific
geographic location. On the negative side, newspaper ads tend to attract only
those who are actively seeking employment at that point of time, while some of
the best candidates who are well paid and challenged by their current jobs may
not be aware of such openings. As a result, the company may be bombarded
with applications from a large number of candidates who are marginally
qualified for the job – adding to its administrative burden. To maintain secrecy
for various reasons (avoiding the rush, sending signals to competitors, cutting
down expenses involved in responding to any individual who applies, etc.),
large companies with a national reputation may also go in for blind-box ads in
newspapers, especially for filling lower level positions. In a blind-box ad there
is no identification of the advertising organization. Job aspirants are asked to
respond to a post office box number or to an employment firm that is acting as
an agent between the job seekers and the organization.
Television and radio ads: These ads are more likely to each individual who are
not actively seeking employment; they are more likely to stand out distinctly,
they help the organization to target the audience more selectively and they offer
considerable scope for designing ads creatively. However, these ads are
expensive. Also, because the television or radio is simply seen or heard,
potential candidates may have a tough time remembering the details, making
application difficult.
Third Party Methods

Private Employment Search Firms:-

As search firm is a private employment agency that maintains computerized

lists of qualified applicants and supplies these to employers willing to hire
people from the list for a fee. Firms like Arthur Anderson, Boble and Hewitt,
ABC consultants, SB Billimoria, KPMG; Ferguson Associates offers
specialized employment-related services to corporate houses for a fee,
especially for top and middle level executive vacancies. AT the lower end, a
number of search firms operate – providing multifarious services to both
recruiters and the recruitees.

Employment Exchanges:-

AS a statutory requirement, companies are also expected to notify (wherever the

Employment Exchanges Act, 1959, applies) their vacancies through the
respective Employment Exchanges, created all over India for helping

70
unemployed youth, displaced persons, ex-military personnel, physically
handicapped, etc. AS per the Act all employers are supposed to notify the
vacancies arising in their establishments form time to time – with certain
exemptions – to the prescribed employment exchanges before they are filled.
The Act covers all establishments in public sector and nonagricultural
establishments employing 25 or more workers in the private sector. However,
in view of the practical difficulties involved in implementing the provisions of
the Act (such as filing a quarterly return in respect of their staff strength,
vacancies and shortages, returns showing occupational distribution of their
employees, etc.) many organizations have successfully fought court battles
when they were asked to pick up candidates from among those sponsored by the
employment exchanges.

Gate Hiring and Contractors:-

Gate hiring (where job seekers, generally blue collar employees, present
themselves at the factory gate and offer their services on a daily basis), hiring
through contractors, recruiting through word-of-mouth publicity are still in use
– despite the many possibilities for their misuse – in the small scale sector in
India.

Unsolicited Applicants / Walk-ins:-

Companies generally receive unsolicited applications from job seekers at

various points of time; the number of such applications depends on economic
conditions, the image of the company and the job seeker’s perception of the
types of jobs that might be available etc. Such applications are generally kept in
a data bank and whenever a suitable vacancy arises, the company would
intimate the candidates to apply through a formal channel. One important
problem with this method is that job seekers generally apply to number of
organizations and when they are actually required by the organizations, either
they are already employed in other organizations or are not simply interested in
the position.

Alternatives to Recruitment:-

Since recruitment and selection costs are high (search process, interviewing
agency fee, etc.) firms these days are trying to look at alternatives to recruitment
especially when market demand for firm’s products and services is sluggish.
Moreover, once employees are placed on the payroll, it may be extremely
difficult to remove them if their performance is marginal. Some of the options
in this regard may be listed thus:

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Evaluation of Alternative Sources

Companies have to evaluate the sources of recruiting carefully – looking at cost,

time, flexibility, quality and other criteria – before earmarking funds for the
recruitment process. They cannot afford to fill all their vacancies through a
particular source. To facilitate the decision making process in this regard,
companies rely on the following:

Time lapse data: They show the time lag between the dates of requisition for
manpower supply from a department to the actual date of filling the vacancies
in that department. For example, a company’s past experience may indicate that
the average number of days from application to interview is 10, from interview
to offer is 7, from offer to acceptance is 10 and from acceptance to report for
work is 15. Therefore, if the company starts the recruitment and selection
process now it would require 42 days before the new employee joins its ranks.
Armed with this information, the length of the time needed for alternative
sources of recruitment can be ascertained – before pinning hopes on a particular
source that meets the recruitment objectives of the company.

Yield ratios: These ratios indicate the number of leads / contacts needed to
generate a given number of hires at a point at time. For example, if a company
needs 10 management trainees in the next six months, it has to monitor past
yield ratios in order to find out the number of candidates to be contacted for this
purpose. On the basis of past experience, to continue the same example, the
company finds that to hire 10 trainees, it has to extend 20 offers. If the
interview-to-offer is 3:2, then 30 interviews must be conducted. If the invitees
to interview ratios are 4:3 then, as many as 40 candidates must be invited.
Lastly, if contacts or leads needed to identify suitable trainees to invite are in
5:1 ratio, then 200 contacts are made.

Surveys and studies: Surveys may also be conducted to find out the suitability
of a particular source for certain positions. For example, as pointed out
previously, employee referral has emerged as popular way of hiring people in
the Information Technology industry in recent times in India. Correlation
studies could also be carried out to find out the relationship between different
organizational positions. Before finally identifying the sources of recruitment,
the human resource managers must also look into the cost or hiring a candidate.
The cost per hire can be found out by dividing the recruitment cost by the
number of candidates hired.

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Introduction
The size of the labour market, the image of the company, the place of
posting, the nature of job, the compensation package and a host of other factors
influence the manner of aspirants are likely to respond to the recruiting efforts
of the company. Through the process of recruitment the company tries to locate
prospective employees and encourages them to apply for vacancies at various
levels. Recruiting, thus, provides a pool of applicants for selection.

Definition
To select mean to choose. Selection is the process of picking individuals
who have relevant qualifications to fill jobs in an organisation. The basic
purpose is to choose the individual who can most successfully perform the job
from the pool of qualified candidates.

Purpose
The purpose of selection is to pick up the most suitable candidate who
would meet the requirements of the job in an organisation best, to find out
which job applicant will be successful, if hired. To meet this goal, the company
obtains and assesses information about the applicants in terms of age,
qualifications, skills, experience, etc. the needs of the job are matched with the
profile of candidates. The most suitable person is then picked up after
eliminating the unsuitable applicants through successive stages of selection
process. How well an employee is matched to a job is very important because it
is directly affects the amount and quality of employee’s work. Any mismatched
in this regard can cost an organisation a great deal of money, time and trouble,
especially, in terms of training and operating costs. In course of time, the
employee may find the job distasteful and leave in frustration. He may even
circulate ‘hot news’ and juicy bits of negative information about the company,
causing incalculable harm to the company in the long run. Effective election,
therefore, demands constant monitoring of the ‘fit’ between people the job.

The Process
Selection is usually a series of hurdles or steps. Each one must be
successfully cleared before the applicant proceeds to the next one. The time and
emphasis place on each step will definitely vary from one organisation to
another and indeed, from job to job within the same organisation. The sequence
of steps may also vary from job to job and organisation to organisation. For
example some organisations may give more importance to testing while others
give more emphasis to interviews and reference checks. Similarly a single brief
selection interview might be enough for applicants for lower level positions,

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while applicants for managerial jobs might be interviewed by a number of
people.

Steps in Selecting Process

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Reception
A company is known by the people it employs. In order to attract people with
talents, skills and experience a company has to create a favourable impression
on the applicants’ right from the stage of reception. Whoever meets the
applicant initially should be tactful and able to extend help in a friendly and
courteous way. Employment possibilities must be presented honestly and
clearly. If no jobs are available at that point of time, the applicant may be asked
to call back the personnel department after some time.

Screening Interview
A preliminary interview is generally planned by large organisations to cut
the cost of selection by allowing only eligible candidates to go through the
further stages in selection. A junior executive from the Personnel Department
may elicit responses from the applicants on important items determining the
suitability of an applicant for a job such as age, education, experience, pay
expectations, aptitude, location, choice etc. this ‘courtesy interview’ as it is
often called helps the department screen out obvious misfits. If the department
finds the candidate suitable, a prescribed application form is given to the
applicants to fill and submit.

Application Blank

Application blank or form is one of the most common methods used to

collect information on the various aspects of the applicants’ academic, social,
demographic, work related background and references. It is a brief history sheet
of employee’s background, usually containing the following things:
Personal data (address, sex, telephone number)
Marital data
Educational data
Employment Experience
Extra-curricular activities
References and Recommendations

Usefulness of Application Blank or Form

Application blank is highly useful selection tool, in that way it serves
three important purposes:
It introduces the candidate to the company in a formal way.
It helps the company to have a cross-comparison of the applicants; the company
can screen and reject candidates if they fail to meet the eligibility criteria at this
stage itself.

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It can serve as a basis to initiate a dialogue in the interview.

Selection Testing
In this section let’ examine the selection test or the employment test that
attempts to asses intelligence, abilities, personality trait, performance simulation
tests including work sampling and the tests administered at assessment centres-
followed by a discussion about the polygraph test, graphology and integrity test.
A test is a standardized, objective measure of a person’s behaviour,
performance or attitude. It is standardised because the way the tests is carried
out, the environment in which the test is administered and the way the
individual scores are calculated- are uniformly applied. It is objective in that it
tries to measure individual differences in a scientific way giving very little room
for individual bias and interpretation. Over the years employment tests have not
only gained importance but also a certain amount of inevitability in employment
decisions. Since they try to objectively determine how well an applicant meets
the job requirement, most companies do not hesitate to invest their time and
money in selection testing in a big way. Some of the commonly used
employment tests are:
Intelligence tests
Aptitude tests
Personality tests
Achievement tests
Miscellaneous tests such as graphology, polygraphy and honesty tests.

Intelligence Tests: These are mental ability tests. They measure the
incumbent’s learning ability and the ability to understand instructions and make
judgements. The basic objective of such test is to pick up employees who are
alert and quick at learning things so that they can be offered adequate training to
improve their skills for the benefit of the organization. These tests measure
several abilities such as memory, vocabulary, verbal fluency, numerical ability,
perception etc. Eg. Standford-Binet Test, Binet-Simon Test, The Wechsler
Adult Intelligence Scale are example of standard intelligence test
Aptitude Test: Aptitude test measure an individual’s potential to learn certain
skills- clerical, mechanical, mathematical, etc. These tests indicate whether or
not an individual has the capabilities to learn a given job quickly and efficiently.
In order to recruit efficient office staff, aptitude tests are necessary. An aptitude
tests is always administered in combination with other tests like intelligence and
personality tests as it does not measure on-the-job-motivation
Personality Test: Of all test required for selection the personality tests have
generated a lot of heat and controversy. The definition of personality, methods
of measuring personality factors and the relationship between personality
factors and actual job criteria has been the subject of much discussion.

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Researchers have also questioned whether applicants answer all the items
truthfully or whether they try to respond in a socially desirable manner.
Regardless of these objections, many people still consider personality as an
important component of job success.
Achievement Tests: These are designed to measure what the applicant can do
on the job currently, i.e., whether the testee actually knows what he or she
claims to know. A typing test tests shows the typing proficiency, a short hand
tests measures the testee ability to take dictation and transcribe, etc. Such
proficiency tests are also known as work sampling test. Work sampling is a
selection tests wherein the job applicant’s ability to do a small portion of the job
is tested. These tests are of two types; Motor, involving physical manipulations
of things(e.g., trade tests for carpenters, electricians, plumbers) or Verbal,
involving problem situation that are primarily language-oriented or people-
oriented(e.g., situational tests for supervisory jobs).
Since work samples are miniature replicas of the actual job requirements, they
are difficult to fake. They offer concrete evidence of the proficiency of an
applicant as against his ability to the job. However, work sample tests are not
cost effective and every candidate has to be tested individually. It is not easy to
develop work samples for each job. Moreover, it is not applicable to all levels of
the organisation
Simulation Tests: Simulation exercise is a tests which duplicate many of the
activities and problems an employee faces while at work. Such exercises are
commonly used while hiring managers at various levels in an organisation. To
asses the potential of a candidate for managerial positions assessment centres
are commonly used.
Assessment Centre: An assessment centre is an extended work sample. It uses
procedures that incorporate group and individual exercises. These exercises are
designed to stimulate the type of work which the candidate will be expected to
do. Initially a small batch of applicants comes to the assessment centre (a
separate room). Their performance in the situational exercise is observed and
evaluated by a team of 6-8 assessors. The assessors’ judgement on each exercise
are complied and combined to have a summary rating for each candidate being
assessed.

Difference between Work Sample method and Assessment Centre

WORK SAMPLE ASSESSMENT CENTRE
Suitable for routine, repetitive jobs Suitable for managerial jobs, the
with visible outcomes outcomes are not behaviourally
Takes a few minutes to test the observable
applicant Takes days to conduct various
Evaluated by one supervisor exercise
Can be done on location where the Evaluated by a team of trained
applicant performs a small segment observers

77
of the job Requires a separate facility. The
Usually completed on one applicant centres are conducted for a variety of
at a time task segments( that may not be the
real job) that may be included in the
real job
Usually performed on groups of
applicants at the same time

Evaluation of Assessment Centre Technique:

The assessment centre technique has a number of advantages. The flexibility of
form and content, the use of variety of techniques, standardised way of
interpreting behaviour and pooled assessor judgements accounts for its
acceptance as a valuable selection tool for managerial jobs. It is praised for
content validity and wide acceptance in corporate circles. By providing a
realistic job preview, the techniques helps an candidate make an appropriate
career choice. The performance ratings are more objective in nature and could
be used for promotions and career development decisions readily. However, the
method is expensive to design and administer. Blind acceptance of assessment
data without considering other information on candidates (past and current
performance) is always not advisable.

Graphology Test: Graphology involves using a trained evaluator to examine

the lines, loops, hooks, stokes, curves and flourishes in a person’s handwriting
to assess the person’s personality and emotional make-up. The recruiting
company, may, for example, ask the applicants to complete the application
forms and write about why they want a job. These samples may be finally sent
to graphologist for analysis and the result may be put use while selecting a
person. The use of graphology, however, is dependent on the training and
expertise of the person doing the analysis. In the actual practice, questions of
validity and just plain skepticism have limited in use.

Polygraph (Lie-Detector) tests: the polygraph records physical changes in the

body as the tests subject answers a series of questions. It records fluctuations in
respiration, blood pressure and perspiration on a moving roll of graph paper.
The polygraph operator forms a judgement as to whether the subject’s response
was truthful or deceptive by examining the biological movements recorded on
the paper. Critic, however, questions the appropriateness of the polygraphs in
establishing the truth about an applicant’s behaviour. The fact is that the
polygraph records the biological reaction in response to stress and does not
record lying or even conditions necessarily accompanying lying. Is it possible to
prove that the responses recorded by the polygraph occur only because a lie has
been told? What about those situations in which a person lies without guilt

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(pathological liar) or lies believing the responses to be true? The fact of the
matter is that polygraphs are neither reliable nor valid. Since they invade the
privacy of those tested, many applicants vehemently oppose the use of
polygraph as a selection tool.

Integrity Test: These are designed to measure employee’s honestly to predict

those who are more likely to steal from an employer or otherwise act in a
manner unacceptable to the organization. The applicants who take these tests
are expected to answer several ‘yes’ or ‘no’ type questions such as:
Typical Integrity Questions
Typical Integrity Questions Yes No

Have you ever told a lie?

Do you report to your boss if you know of
another employee stealing from the store?
Do you carry office stationary back to your
home for occasional use?
Do you mark attendance for your colleagues
also?

Often these tests contain questions that repeat themselves in some way and the
evaluator then examines the consistency in responses. Companies that have
used integrity tests have reported success in tracking employees who indulge in
‘theft’. However, these tests ultimately suffer from the same weakness as
polygraph and graphology test.

Tests as Selection Tool:

Test are useful selection devices in that they unover qualifications and
talents that can’t be detected otherwise. They can be used to predict how well
one would perform if one is hired, why one behaves the way one does, what
situational factors influence employee productivity, etc. Tests also provide
unbiased information that can be put to scientific and statistical analysis.
However, tests suffer from sizeable errors of estimate. Most
psychological tests also have one common weakness, that is, we can’t use scales
which have a know zero point and equal intervals. An intelligence test, for
example starts at an arbitrary point, where a person may not be able to answer
question properly. This does not mean that the person is totally lacking in
intelligence. Likewise, a person who is able to answer all the 10 questions
correctly cannot be called twice as intelligent as the one who was able to answer
only 5. If the test has commenced at some other point, where there easier
questions, their score might have been different. Test also fails to elicit truthful
responses from testees. To compound the problem further, test results are

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interpreted in a subjective was by testers and unless these testers do their
homework well, the results may not be reliable.

Standards for Selection Tests

To be useful as predictive and diagnostic selection tools, test must satisfy
certain basic requirements:
Reliability: Test scores should not vary widely under repeated conditions. If a
test is administered to the same individual repeatedly, he should get
approximately identical score. Reliability is the confidence that an indicator will
measure the same thing every time.
Validity: Validity is the extent to which an instrument measures what it intends
to measure. In a typing test validity measures a typist’s speed and accuracy. To
determine whether it really measures the speed and accuracy of a typist is to
demonstrate its validity. The question if determining the validity of a selection
test, thus, has a lot to do with later performance on the job.
Qualified People: Test require a high level of professional skills in their
administration and interpretation. Professional technicians are needed for skilled
judgmental interpretations of test scores.
Preparation: A test should be well prepared. It should be easy to understand and
simple to administer.
Suitability: a test must fit the nature of the group on which it is applied. A
written test comprising difficult words would be fruitless when it is
administered on less educated workers.
Usefulness: Exclusive reliance on any single test should be avoided, since the
results in such a case are likely to be criticized. To be useful, it is always better
to use a battery of test.
Standardization: Norms for finalising test scores should be established. There
must be prescribed methods and procedures for administering the test and for
scoring or interpreting it.

Selection Practices:
The following throws light on how the global giants use selection testing
as a basis for picking up the right candidates to fill up the vacancies arising
internally:

Siemens India: It uses extensive psychometric instruments to evaluate short-

listed candidates. The company uses occupational personality questionnaire to
understand the candidate’s personal attributes and occupational testing to
measure competencies.
LG Electronics India: LG Electronics uses 3 psychometric tests to measure a
person’s ability as a team player, to check personality types and to find a
person’s responsiveness and assertiveness.

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Arthur Anderson: while evaluating candidates, the company conducts critical
behaviour interviewing which evaluates the suitability of the candidate for the
position, largely based on his past experience and credentials
PepsiCo India: The Company uses India as a global recruitment resource. To
select professionals for global careers with it, the company uses a competency-
based interviewing technique that looks at the candidate’s abilities in terms of
strategizing, lateral thinking, problem solving, managing the environment. This
apart, Pepsi insists that to succeed in a global posting, these individuals possess
strong functional knowledge and come from a cosmopolitan background.

Source: Business Today, April 7-21 2004, pg 129.

Selection Interview:

Interview is the oral examination of candidates for employment. This is the

most essential step in the selection process. In this step the interviewer matches
the information obtained about the candidates through various means to the job
requirements and to the information obtained through his own observations
during the interview. Interview gives the recruiter an opportunity –
To size up the candidate personally;
To ask question that are not covered in the tests;
To make judgments on candidates enthusiasm and intelligence;
To assess subjective aspects of the candidate – facial expressions, appearance,
nervousness and so forth;
To give facts to the candidates regarding the company, its policies, etc. and
promote goodwill towards the company.

Types of interviews:

Several types of interviews are commonly used depending on the nature and
importance of the position to be filled within an organization.
In a NON-DIRECTIVE INTERVIEW the recruiter asks questions as they
come to mind. There is no specific format to be followed.
In a PATTERNED INTERVIEW, the employer follows a pre-determined
sequence of questions. Here the interviewee is given a special form containing
questions regarding his technical competence, personality traits, attitudes,
motivation, etc.
In a STRUCTURED OR SITUATIONAL INTERVIEW, there are fixed job
related questions that are presented to each applicant.
In a PANEL INTERVIEW several interviewers question and seek answers
from one applicant. The panel members can ask new and incisive questions
based on their expertise and experience and elicit deeper and more meaningful
expertise from candidates.

81
Interviews can also be designed to create a difficult environment where the
applicant’s confidence level and the ability to stand erect in difficult situations
are put to test. These are referred to as the STRESS INTERVIEW. This is
basically an interview in which the applicant is made uncomfortable by a series
of, often, rude, annoying or embarrassing questions.
In the final category, there is the APPRAISAL INTERVIEW, where a
superior and subordinate sit together after the performance appraisal to discuss
the subordinate’s rating and possible remedial actions.

Steps in interview process:

Interview is an art. It demands a positive frame of mind on part of the

interviewers. Interviewers must be treated properly so as to leave a good
impression about the company in their minds. HR experts have identified
certain steps to be followed while conducting interviews:
PREPARATION:
Establishing the objective of the interview
Receiving the candidates application and resume
Keeping tests score ready, along with interview assessment forms
Selecting the interview method to be followed
Choosing the panel of experts who would interview the candidates
Identifying proper room for environment
RECEPTION:
The candidate should be properly received and led into the interview room.
Start the interview on time.
INFORMATION EXCHANGE:
State the purpose of the interview, how the qualifications are going to be
matched with skills needed to handle the job.
Begin with open ended questions where the candidate gets enough freedom to
express himself.
Focus on the applicant’s education, training, work experience, etc. Find
unexplained gaps in applicants past work or college record and elicit facts that
are not mentioned in the resume.
EVALUATION:
Evaluation is done on basis of answers and justification given by the applicant
in the interview.
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION:
After the selection decision and before the job offer is made, the candidate is
required to undergo a physical fitness test. A job offer is often contingent upon
the candidate being declared fit after the physical examination.

Medical examination:

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Certain jobs require physical qualities like clear vision, perfect hearing, unusual
stamina, tolerance of hard working conditions, clear tone, etc. Medical
examination reveals whether or not a candidate possesses these qualities.
Reference Checks

Once the interview and medical examination of the candidate is over, the
personnel department will engage in checking references. Candidates are
required to give the names of 2 or 3 references in their application forms. These
references may be from the individuals who are familiar with the candidate’s
academic achievements or from the applicant’s previous employer, who is well
versed with the applicant’s job performance and sometimes from the co-
workers. In case the reference check is from the previous employer, information
in the following areas may be obtained.
They are job title, job description, period of employment, pay and
allowances, gross emoluments, benefits provided, rate of absence, willingness
of previous employer to employ the candidate again, etc. Further, information
regarding candidate’s regularity at work, character, progress, etc. can be
obtained. Often a telephone call is much quicker. The method of mail query
provides detailed information about the candidate’s performance, character and
behavior. However, a personal visit is superior to the mail or telephone methods
and is used where it is highly essential to get a detailed, first hand information
which can also be secured by observation. Reference checks are taken as a
matter of routine and treated casually or omitted entirely in many organizations.
But a good reference check, when used sincerely, will fetch useful and reliable
information to the organization.

Hiring decision:

The line manager has to make the final decision now – whether to select or
reject a candidate after soliciting the required information through different
techniques discussed earlier. The line manager has to take adequate care in
taking the final decision because of economic, behavioral and social
implications of the selection decisions. A careless decision of rejecting a
candidate would impair the morale of the people and they suspect the selection
procedure and the very basis of selection in a particular organization.
A true understanding between line managers and personnel managers should be
established so as to facilitate good selection decisions. After taking the final
decision, the organization has to intimate this decision to the successful as well
as unsuccessful candidates. The organization sends the appointment order to the
successful candidates either immediately or after sometime depending upon its
time schedule.

Interviewing Mistakes:

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Favors applicants who share his own attitudes;
Not be asking right questions and hence not getting relevant responses;
Resort to snap judgments, making a decision as to the applicant’s suitability in
the first few minutes of the interview. Too often interviewers form on early
impression and spend the balance of interview looking for evidence to support
it;
May have been influenced by ‘cultural noise.’ To get the job, the applicants try
to get by the interviewer. If they reveal wrong things about themselves, they
may not get the job, so they try to give the interviewer responses that are
socially acceptable, but not very revealing. These types of responses are known
as cultural noise – responses the applicant believes are socially acceptable rather
than facts;
May have allowed him to be unduly influenced by associating a particular
personality trait with a person’s origin or cultural background and that kind of
stereotyping/generalizing ultimately determining the score of a candidate. For
example, he may feel that candidate from Bihar may find it difficult to read,
write and speak English language and hence not select them at all;
May conclude that a poorly dressed candidate is not intelligent, attractive
females are good for public dealings, etc. This is known as ‘Halo Effect’ where
a single important trait of a candidate affects the judgment of the rather. The
halo effect is present if an interviewer allows a candidate’s accomplishments in
athletics overshadow other aspects and leads the interviewer to like the
applicant because ‘athletes make good sales people’;
Have been influenced more by unfavorable than favorable information about or
from the candidate. Unfavorable information is given roughly twice the weight
of favorable information. According to Dobmeyer and Dunette, a single
negative characteristic may bar an individual from being accepted, while no
amount of positive features will guarantee a candidate’s acceptance;
Have been under pressure to hire candidates at short notice;
Have been influenced by the behavior of the candidates (how he has answered,
his body language), his or her dress (especially in case of female candidates)
and other physical factors that are not job related.

Barriers to effective selection:

The main objective of selection is to hire people having competence and
commitment. This objective is often defeated because of certain barriers. The
impediments which check effectiveness of selection are perception, fairness,
validity, reliability, and pressure.

PERCEPTION: Our inability to understand others accurately is probably the

most fundamental barrier to selecting right candidate. Selection demands an
individual or a group to assess and compare the respective competencies of

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others, with the aim of choosing the right persons for the jobs. But our views are
highly personalized. We all perceive the world differently. Our limited
perceptual ability is obviously a stumbling block to the objective and rational
selection of people.

FAIRNESS: Fairness in selection requires that no individual should be

discriminated against on the basis of religion, region, race or gender. But the
low number of women and other less privileged sections of society in the
middle and senior management positions and open discrimination on the basis
of age in job advertisements and in the selection process would suggest that all
the efforts to minimize inequity have not been very effective.

VALIDITY: Validity, as explained earlier, is a test that helps predict job

performance of an incumbent. A test that has been validated can differentiate
between the employees who can perform well and those who will not. However,
a validated test does not predict job success accurately. It can only increase
possibility of success.

RELIABILITY: A reliable method is one which will produce consistent results

when repeated in similar situations. Like a validated test, a reliable test may fall
to predict job performance with precision.

PRESSURE: Pressure is brought on the selectors by politicians, bureaucrats,

relatives, friends, and peers to select particular candidate. Candidates selected
because of compulsions are obviously not the right ones. Appointments to
public sector undertakings generally take place under such pressure.

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 RESEARCH
METHODOLOGY

86
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY

RESEARCH PROBLEM
Research is the systematic search in effort to gain knowledge. It is the discovery
of known to unknown. Research is thus systematic procedure of investigation n
any field of inquiry.

It is very important part of the project study, which contains various important
heading like :

 Research Design
 Universe
 Sampling
 Aims and objectives of study

RESEARCH DESIGN

The research work designed in such a way that whole study related to the topic
was carried through sample study provided with the help of survey’s of different
companies for collection data.
Research design can be grouped in to three categories :

 EXPLORATORY RESEARCH : An exploratory research focuses on

the discovery of ideas and is generally based on secondary data. It is
preliminary investigation, which does not have a rigid design.

 DESCRIPTIVE RESEARCH : A descriptive study is undertaken

when the researcher wants to know the characteristics of certain groups

87
 such as age, sex, educational level, income, occupation, etc. in contrast
to exploratory studies, description studies are well structured.

 CASUAL RESEARCH : A casual research is undertake when the

researcher is interested in knowing the cause and effect relationship
between two or more variables.

In may project, I select Exploratory research design.

UNIVERSE
The total universe was divided in certain specific units. Here universe means
different departments/shops of the organization where survey was conducted.
Sample size : 75 employees
Method : Questionnaire Method

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 SAMPLING

For system study, I have used secondary data with the help of survey of
company. As there is no limit for data collection but it is not possible for
conducting survey to all topic. So I decided to take a sample consisting of the
recruitment and selection process in the organization.

SAMPLING UNIT : HR Department

SAMPLING SIZE : Sampling size is 75 employees

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METHOD OF
DATA
COLLECTION

90
91
 METHOD OF DATA COLLECTION

Collection of data can be done in two ways –

(1) Primary data collection
(2) Secondary data collection

Primary data is the collection of first had information through various sources.

These sources are as follows :-

 Survey method
 Observation method interviews method
 Document review method
 Questionnaire method
 Internet method
 Electronic data reporting method.

Secondary data collection is done with the hep of published magazines, papers,
reports etc. such information are already investigated and complied by certain
people or agencies or government organization.

In my project, method user for collecting data is primary and secondary data.
Primary data is collected through questionnaire method. Secondary data is
collected through magazines, internet, the theoretical aspect of HRM is mainly
based on the book of subject.

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 ANALYSIS AND
INTERPRETATION OF
DATA

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Q.1. To what extent, you have got the knowledge about existing
recruitment and selection?

No. of executive Percentage

50 75%

Partially knowledge 20 17.5%

Nil 5 7.5%
Total 75 100%

Knowledge about existing recruitment and selection

8%
Full knowledge
18%
Partially
knowledge
75%
Nil

Conclusion :-
75% of employees have full knowledge about the recruitment and
selection process. 15% of employees have partial and 5% of employees
have no knowledge about policy.

Q.2. Are you satisfied from the recruitment and selection process?

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 No. of executive Percentage
Basic
Agree 45 75%
Partly Agree 25 30%
Disagree 2 5 5%
Total 75 100%

Satisfaction of executives for recruitment & selection process

5%

Agree
30%
Partly Agree
65% Disagree 2

Conclusion :-
75% of employees are satisfied and agreed with the recruitment &
selection process. 30% of employees are partly Agree and 5% of
employees are Disagree about the process.

Q.3. Is the communication system for recruitment and selection process is

as per your expectation?

95
 No. of executive Percentage
Basic
Fully satisfied 60 67.5%
Partially satisfied 10 27.5%
Not satisfied 5 5%
Total 75 100%

Satisfaction of communication system for recruitment &

selection process

28% 5%

68%

Fully satisfied Partially satisfied Not satisfied

Conclusion :-
67.5% of employees are fully satisfied with the communication system.
27.5% of employees are partially satisfied and rest 5% of employees are
not satisfied with the communication system.

Q.4. Recruitment and selection process used in KSFR is transparent to all

level of organization.

No. of executive Percentage

Basic
Yes 70 87.5%

96
No. 5 12.5%
Total 75 100%

Recruitment & Selection process is transparent at all level of

the organization

13%

Yes No.

88%

Conclusion :-
Approx. 87.5% of employees says yes the Recruitment & selection
process is transparent to all level of organization while 12.5% says no.

Q5. Which source according to you is the best source of recruitment?

News papers 60%

Advertisement 40%

Percentage of source of recruitment according to executives

97
 70%
60%
60%
50%
40%
40%
30%
20%
10%
0%
News papers Advertisement

Conclusion :-
In about 60% source is News Paper and 40% through Advertisement.

Q6. Does the better recruitment and selection process plays in important
role in increasing the productivity of the organization?

Basic No. of executive Percentage

70 95%
Yes

No 5 5%
Total 75 100%

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Effect of recruitment & Selection process on the productivity
of the organization

5%

Yes
No

95%

Conclusion :-
95% of employees says yes, that the recruitment & selection process
increases the productivity of the organization and 5% says No.

Q.7. Should the dependents of a deceased employee be given priority at the

time of recruitment / selection?

Partially agree Disagree

Area
75% 27.50% 7.5%

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Dependent of deceased employee be given priority at the time
of recruitment & selection
65.00%
70%
60%
50%
40% 27.50%
30%
20% 7.50%
10%
0%
Area Partially agree Disagree

Conclusion :-
75% employees agree, that the dependents of a deceased employee be
given priority at the time of recruitment / selection. 27.5% of employees
are partially agree and 7.5% are Disagree.

Q.8. Decision taken regarding recruitment and selection process by the top level
are systematically communicated to you for further process or implementation.

No. of executive Percentage

Basic
Yes 75 77.5%
No 10 22.5%
Total 75 100%

100
 Decision taken regarding recruitment and selection process
by the top level are systematically communicated to you

23%

78%

Yes No

Conclusion :-
77.5% employees says yes, that the top level are communicated while
22.5% are says no.

Q.9. Do you think that outside interference influence the recruitment process in
company ?

No. of executive Percentage

Yes 35 45%
No 40 55%
Total 75 100%

45%
55%
Influence the recruitment process in company

101

Yes No
Conclusion :-
55% of employees says that No., the outside interference not influences.
While 45% says Yes, the outside interference influenced the recruitment
process.

FINDING
102
 FINDING
(1) 75% of employees are satisfied with the knowledge about existing
recruitment and selection .

(2) 75% of employees are satisfied with the recruitment & Selection proces

(3) 75% of employee are satisfied with communication system of the

company.

(4) I found that recruitment selection policy is transparent at all level of the
organization.

103
 (5) I found that newspapers & advertisement is the best source for
recruitment the best candidate.

(6) 95% of employees satisfied that recruitment & selection process helps
increasing the productivity of the organization.

(7) 75% of employees agreed that, dependents of a deceased employee be

given priority at the time of recruitment / selection.

(8) 77.5% of employees are satisfied that the top level are communicated
with employees for further process.

(9) 55% of employees says that No, the outside interference not influenced
the recruitment process.

Limitation of the Study

 Manpower requirement for each department in the company is identified well in advance.

 If the manpower requirement is high and the recruitment team of the HR department
alone cannot satisfy it, then help from the placement agencies is needed.

 Time management is very essential and it should not be ignored at any level of the
process..

 The recruitment and selection through placement agencies as the last resort and is utilised
only when need.

 The recruitment and selection procedure should not to lengthy and time consuming.

104
 The candidates called for interview should be allotted timings and it should not overlap
with each other.

105
 SUGGESTIONS

SUGGESTIONS

(1) Since, finding 8 suggest that 22.5% of employees are not systematically
communicated regarding the recruitment & selection process. .

So, I would like to suggest them the communication of

recruitment & selection process should be proper to make this process more
efficient.

(2) Since, finding 9 suggest that 45% of the respondents thinks that
recruitment process is interfered by outsiders.

106
 So , I would like to suggest that the outside interference which
influence the recruitment process should be minimize so that better result
can be obtained from recruitment process.

(3) Finding 3 suggest, that 5% of responds thinks that the communication

for recruitment & selection as per no. of the expectations.

These 5% of employees should be encouraged to give their advice

to make improvement in the communication system.

107
RECOMMENDATIONS

108
 RECOMMENDATIONS

1) Recruitment and selection process should be shorter.

2) Policies should be clearly defined.

3) Number of sources should be increased and utilize them carefully.

4) It is highly recommended that the official website should have a

suggestion option by the employees so that they can give their valuable
suggestions for the betterment of recruitment and selection process or any
other issue for that matter.

109
QUESTIONNAIRE

110
 QUESTIONNAIRE

Q1. To what extent, you have got the knowledge about existing recruitment
and selection in company?

Full knowledge Partially knowledge Nil

Q2. Are you satisfied from the recruitment and selection process of
company?

Agree Partly Agree Disagree

Q3. Is the communication system for recruitment and selection process is

as per your expectation?

Fully satisfied Partially satisfied Not satisfied

Q4 Recruitment and selection process used in KSFR is transparent to all

level of organization.

Yes No

Q5. Which source according to you is the best source of recruitment?

News papers Advertisement College campus & Institutions

111
Q6. Does the better recruitment and selection process plays in important
role in increasing the productivity of the organization?

Yes No

Q.7. Should the dependents of a deceased employee be given priority at the

time of recruitment / selection?
Area Partially agree Disagree

Q.8. Decision taken regarding recruitment and selection process by the top
level are systematically communicated to you for further process or
implementation.

Yes No

Q.9. Do you think that outside interference influence the recruitment

process in company ?

Yes No

SWOT ANALYSIS

STRENGTH :

1- As DJ is a Hindi newspaper and state of UP is also a Hindi Loving

state so it is easy for DJ to spread its network for and wide.

112
 2- All the readers are within reach, so it is easy for DJ to distribute its
newspaper in time.

3- Latest Technology is another advantage.

4- Staff is very cordial.

WEAKNESS :
1- Lack of new quality.

2- Less national/international news as compared to national newspapers.

3- It has got the image of regional newspaper.

4- Poor paper quality as compared to national Dailies.

5- Price is also a considering factor as compares to other national dailies.

6- Less promotional expenditure as compared to Amar Ujjala.
7- Distribution channel is also need to be improved.

BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Macario R.C.V, editors, Cellular Radio Systems, Artech House,
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MAGAZINES:

Selection India page of HT paper.

Cowards India.

WEBSITES:

www.google.com

www.R&Sworld.com
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www.india.com

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