Post on 06-Aug-2015
Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
In this chapter you will become familiar with introduction to recruitment, its objective, scope
and research methodology used .This is important because it throws light on what exactly the
commonly used term “RECRUITMENT” means………...
GENERAL INTRODUCTION OF THE PROJECT
A careful and comprehensive approach towards recruitment can ensure that you select the
right person for the job, both for now and in the future.
Recruitment deals with the forming a pool of applicants for a particular job. In the first part
of the project the various stages of Recruitment a have been defined.
Before coming to details of recruitment, it is useful to note that, contrary to popular
perception, this is an ongoing process and not confined to the formative stages of an
organization. Employees leave the organization in search of greener pastures—some retire
and some die in the saddle. More important an enterprise grows, diversifies, takes over other
units—all necessitating hiring of new and more capable employees. In fact, this function
stops only when the organization ceases to exist.
Recruitment acts as a link between the employers and the job seekers and ensures the
placement of right candidate at the right place at the right time. Using and following the right
recruitment processes can facilitate the selection of the best candidates for the organization.
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OBJECTIVE OF STUDY
Recruitment fulfills the following objectives
1. To understand the recruitment procedure, its importance, role and factors affecting to it in
today’s global scenario.
2. To focus on current issues pertaining to recruitment of employees.
3. To understand the importance of forecasting in recruitment procedure
4. To analyze how does a company enables to advertise itself and attract talented people
5. To provide solution to the human recruitment.
SCOPE OF STUDY
The scope of study is restricted to contemporary issues in human recruitment of only to two
companies which are Jet airway and British airway.
REDASERCH METHODOLOGY
Collection of data
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SOURCES OF DATA
PRIMARY DATA SECONDARY DATA
Primary data:
Primary research (also called field research) involves the collection of data that does not
already exist, which is research to collect original data. Primary Research is often undertaken
after the researcher has gained some insight into the issue by collecting secondary data. This
can be through numerous forms, including questionnaires, direct observation and telephone
interviews amongst others. This information may be collected in things like questionnaires
and interviews.
Secondary data:
The methodology for collection data with reference to the secondary data was taken from the
different published books, journals and relevant company websites.
REASERCH LIMITATIONS
The research limitation of this project is as follows:
The major limitation was the time factor. As time required to complete this project was less.
The scope of study was limited as only two company which is Jet airway and British airway
was taken .so this was also the limitation.
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Chapter 2
RECRUITMENT
In this chapter you will become familiar with Definition and meaning of recruitment and its
need. This is important because it throws light on importance of recruitment in today’s
corporate world.
DEFINITION AND MEANING
Definition
“It is the process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. The process
begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applications are submitted. The
result is a pool of applicants from which new employees are selected.”
Meaning
Recruitment means to estimate the available vacancies and to make suitable
arrangements for their selection and appointment Recruitment is understood
as the process of searching for and obtaining applicants for the jobs, from
among whom the right people can be selected.
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Recruitment is an important part of an organization’s human resource planning and their
competitive strength. Competent human resources at the right positions in the organization
are a vital resource and can be a core competency or a strategic advantage for it.
PURPOSE AND IMPORTANCE
The general purpose of recruitment is to provide a pool of potentially qualified job
candidates. Specifically, the purposes are to:
1. Determine the present and future requirements of the organization in conjunction with its
personnel planning and job analysis activities
2. Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.
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
organization only after a short period of time.
5. Meet the organizations legal and social obligations regarding the composition of its
workforce.
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.
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8. Evaluate the effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and sources for types of job
application.
NEED FOR RECRUITMENT
The need for recruitment may be due to the following reasons
Situation:
Vacancies due to promotions, transfer, ret irement termination,
permanent disabil i ty, death and labour turnover.
Creation of new vacancies due to the growth, expansion and
diversification of business activit ies of an enterprise. In addit ion, new
vacancies are possible due to job specification
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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Chapter 3
FACTORS GOVERNING RECRUITMENT AND ITS PROCESS
In this chapter you will get familiar with the factors affecting recruitment and its process,
describing its different stages in the process which helps in identifying and attracting job
seekers so as to build pool of qualified job applicants.
FACTORS GOVERNING RECRUITMENT
Given its key role and external visibility, recruitment is naturally subject to influence of
several factors. These include external as well as internal forces.
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RECRUITMENT
EXTERNAL FACTORS
- SUPPLY AND DEMAND - UNEMPLOYMENT RATE - LABOUR MARKET - POLITICAL-SOCIAL - IMAGE
INTERNAL FACTORS
- RECRUITMENT POLICY - HRP - SIZE OF FIRM - COST - GROWTH AND EXPANSION
EXTERNAL FACTORS
Supply and Demand
Of particular importance is the Supply and Demand of specific skills in the labour market. If
the demand for a particular skill is high relative to the supply, an extraordinary recruiting
effort may be needed. For instance, the demand for analysts and specialists is likely to be
higher than their supply, as opposed to the demand-supply relationship for non-technical
employees.
Unemployment Rate
When the Unemployment Rate in a given area is high, the increased size of the labour pool
provides better opportunities for attracting qualified applicants. On the other hand, as the
unemployment rate drops, recruiting efforts must be increased and new sources explored.
Political and Legal Considerations
Another external factor is Political and Legal Considerations. Reservation of jobs for SCs,
STs, minorities, and other backward classes (OBCs) is a political decision. There are acts,
which deal with recruitment and selection. 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. The Constitution prohibits
discrimination in matters of employment and also provides for protective discrimination to
the less-privileged sections of the society. Preferences to ‘Sons of the soil’ are another
political factor. These need to be taken into consideration while recruiting.
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The company’s image also matters in attracting large number of job seekers. Blue chip
companies attract large number of applications. Often, it is not the money that is important. It
is the perception of the job seekers about the company that matters in attracting qualified
prospective employees.
INTERNAL FACTORS
In addition to the external factors, there are certain internal forces which deserve
consideration while recruiting personnel. One such internal factor is the recruiting policy of
the organization. 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 know the company well and can recommend candidates
who fit the organization’s culture.
Another related policy is to have temporary and part-time employees. An organization hiring
temporary and part-time employees is in a less advantageous position in attracting sufficient
applications.
In multinational corporations (MNCs), there is the policy relating to the recruitment of local
citizens. MNCs operating in India, China, Japan, etc. may prefer local citizens as they can
understand local languages, customs and business practices well.
A major internal factor that can determine the success of the recruiting program is whether or
not the company engages in HRP. It takes time to examine the alternatives regarding the
appropriate sources of recruits and the most productive methods for obtaining them. Once the
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best alternatives have been identified, recruiting plans may be made. Effective HRP greatly
facilitates the recruiting efforts.
Cost of recruiting is yet another internal factor that has to be considered. Recruiters must
operate within budgets. One cost-saving measure, for instance, is recruiting for multiple job
openings simultaneously. The best solution is to use proactive personnel practices to reduce
employee turnover, thus, minimizing the need for recruiting. Finally, an organization
registering growth and expansion will have more recruiting on hand than the one, which
finds its fortunes declining.
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Employment Planning and Forecasting
Recruitment: Build a pool of CandidatesPersonnel
Needs
Supply of Internal
candidates
Supply of External
candidates
To Selection
RECRUITMENT PROCESS
STAGE 1- Employment Planning and Forecasting
Employment planning is the process of formulating plans to fill future openings based on an
analysis of the positions that are expected to be open and whether these will be filled by
inside or outside candidates. Employment planning, therefore, refers to planning to fill any or
all of the firm’s future positions, from maintenance clerk to CEO. However, most firms use
the term succession planning to refer to the process of planning how the company's most
important executive positions will be filled.
In any case, employment planning is best thought of as an integral part of the firm's strategic
and HR planning processes. For example, plans to enter new businesses, to build new plants,
or to reduce the level of activities all influence the number of and types of positions to be
filled. At the same time decisions regarding how to fill these positions will have to be
integrated with other aspects of the firm's HR plans for instance, with plans for appraising
and training current and new employees.
The fundamental employment planning decision will be whether projected positions will be
filled internally or externally. In other words, should the projected open positions be filled by
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current employees? Or is the situation such that all or some of the openings must or should
be filled by recruiting outside candidates?
Like any good plans, employment plans are built on premises - basic assumptions about the
future. The purpose of forecasting is to develop thesebasic premises. If you are planning for
employment requirements, you'll usually need three sets of forecasts:
one for personnel needs,
one for the supply of inside candidates,
And one for the supply of outside candidates
STAGE -2 Factors in Forecasting Personnel Need
Managers should consider several factors when forecasting personnel needs. From a practical
point of view, the demand for your product or service is paramount. Thus, in a manufacturing
firm, sales are projected first. Then the volume of production required to meet these sales
requirements is determined. Finally, the staff needed to maintain this volume of output is
estimated. In addition to production or sales demand, you will also have to consider several
other factors:
1. Projected turnover (as a result of resignations or terminations).
2. Quality and nature of your employees (in relation to what you see as the changing needs of
your organization).
3. Decisions to upgrade the quality of products or services or to expand.
4. Technological and administrative changes resulting in increased productivity.
5. The financial resources available to your department.
Specific techniques for determining human resource requirements include trend analysis, ratio
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analysis, scatter plot analysis, and computerized forecasting.
STAGE – 3: Recruitment: Build a pool of Candidates
A- Forecasting the Supply of Internal Candidates
The personnel demand forecast only provides half the staffing equation by answering the
question: "How many employees will we need?" Next, supply must be forecast. However,
before determining how many outside candidates to hire, you must forecast how many
candidates for your projected job openings will come from within your organization from the
existing ranks.
A qualifications inventory can facilitate forecasting the supply of inside candidates.
Qualifications Inventories contain summary data like each employee's performance record,
educational background, career and development interests, languages, special skills and
promote ability, compiled either manually or in a computerized system.
Manual Systems and Replacement Charts:
There are several types of manual systems used to keep track of employees' qualifications. In
a personnel inventory and development record, information is complied about each employee
and then recorded on the inventory. This Information can then be used to determine which
current employees are available for promotion or transfer to projected open positions.
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Some employers use Personnel Replacement Charts to keep track of inside candidates for
their most important positions. These show the present performance and promot ability for
each potential replacement for important positions.
Computerized Information Systems:
Many firms computerize qualifications inventories, and a
number of packaged systems are available for accomplishing
this task. In one such system, employees fill out a 12-page
booklet in which they describe their background and
experience. All this information is stored on disk. When a manager needs a qualified person
to fill a position, he or she describes the position (for instance, in terms of the education and
skills it entails) and then enters this information into the computer. After scanning its bank of
possible candidates, the program presents the manager with a computer printout of qualified
candidates.
According to one expert, the basic ingredients of a computerized human resource skills
inventory should include work experience codes, product knowledge, industry experience,
formal education, training courses, foreign language skills, relocation limitations, career
interests, performance appraisals, etc. The data elements in a human resources information
system could range from home address to driver's license number, employee weight, salary,
sick leave used, skills, to veteran status.
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Internal Sources of Candidates
Although recruiting may bring to mind employment agencies
and classified ads, current employees are often the largest
source of recruits. Some surveys even indicated that up to
90% of all management positions are filled internally.
Filling open positions with inside candidates has several advantages. Employees see that
competence is rewarded and morale and performance may thus be enhanced. Having already
been with your firm for some time, inside candidates may be more committed to company
goals and less likely to leave. Promotion from within can boost employee commitment and
provide managers a longer-term perspective when making business decisions. It may also be
safer to promote employees from within, since you're likely to have a more accurate
assessment of the person's skills than you would otherwise. Inside candidates may also
require less orientation and training than outsiders.
Yet promotion from within can also backfire. Employees who apply for jobs and don't get
them may become discontented; informing unsuccessful applicants as to why they were
rejected and what remedial actions they might take to be more successful in the future is thus
essential. Similarly, manager often knows ahead of time exactly whom he or she wants to
hire, and requiring the person to interview a stream of unsuspecting inside candidates is
therefore a waste of time for all concerned. Groups may also not be as satisfied when their
new boss is appointed from within their own ranks as when he or she is a newcomer.
Perhaps the biggest drawback, however, is inbreeding. When an entire management team has
been brought up through the rank, there may be a tendency to make decisions "by the book"
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and to maintain the status quo, when an innovative and new direction is needed. Balancing
the benefits of morale and loyalty with the drawback of inbreeding is thus a challenge.
To be effective, promotion from within requires using job posting, personnel records, and
skill banks. Job posting means posting the open job and listing its attributes like
qualifications, supervisor, working schedule, and pay rate. Some union contracts require job
posting to ensure that union members get first choice of new and better positions. Yet job
posting can also be a good practice even in nonunion firms, if it facilitates the transfer and
promotion of qualified inside candidates. Personnel records are also useful here. An
examination of personnel records (Including application forms) may uncover employees who
are working below their educational or skill levels. Computerized systems can help to ensure
that qualified inside candidates are identified and considered for the opening. Some firms
also develop skill banks that list current employees who have specific skills. For example,
under “aerospace engineers,” the names of all persons with this experience or training are
listed.
Building Employee Commitment Promotion from within Employees tend to be committed to
firms that are committed to them. Two-way communications, guaranteed fair treatment, and
job security are some of the things a firm's HR system can provide to show that the firm is
indeed committed to its employees. But many employees will ultimately measure their firm's
commitment by the degree to which they were able to achieve their career goals. At this point
it's useful to emphasize the fact that internal recruiting and promotion from within can be
central to boosting employee commitment.
To build commitment, the promotion from within program should be comprehensive.
Certainly, firms often associated with committed employees - for example, Delta Airlines
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and Federal Express - have promotion from within policies. At Federal Express, for instance,
"open positions are filled, whenever possible, by qualified candidates from within the
existing work force." But there's more to a successful promotion from within program than
just a strong policy statement. Promotion from within is aided first by careful employee
selection. As one Delta manager explained "First of all, we hire for the future…the
employment process favors applicants who have the potential for promotion. That helps
explain how Chairman R W Allen climbed the ranks at Delta from an entry-level position to
head of personnel and then to CEO and Chairman.
Effective promotion from within also depends on other HR actions. It depends on providing
the education and training needed to help employees identify and develop their promotion
potential. It also requires career-oriented appraisals: The supervisor and the employee are
charged with linking the latter's past performance, career preferences, and developmental
needs in a formal career plan. Finally, it requires a coordinated system for accessing career
records and posting job openings, one that guarantees all eligible employees will be informed
of openings and considered for them. For example, Federal Express has a job posting/career
coordination system called JCATS (Job Change Applicant Tracking System).
Announcements of new job openings via this electronic system usually take place each
Friday. All employees applying for the position get numerical scores based on job
performance and length of service. They are then advised as to whether they were chosen as
candidates. Internal recruiting and promotion from within can thus be a force for creating
employee commitment.
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Succession Planning:
Forecasting the availability of inside or outside candidates is particularly important in
succession planning. In early 1995, for instance, the business press was filled with reports
that General Electric Chairman and CEO Jack Welch had just had open heart surgery. While
Mr. Welch was able to resume his GE duties, many people inside and outside the firm
naturally wanted to know whether GE's board of directors had adequate plans to find a
successor in the event Welch had to step down.
In a nutshell, succession planning refers to the plans a company makes to fill its most
important executive positions. In practice, however, the process often involves a fairly
complicated and integrated series of steps. For example, potential successors for top
management might be routed through the top jobs at several key divisions as well as
overseas. As a result, a more comprehensive definition of succession planning is that it is the
process of ensuring a suitable supply of successors for current and future senior or key jobs
arising from business strategy, so that the careers of individuals can be planned and managed
to optimize the organization's needs and the individuals' aspirations.
B- Forecasting the Supply of Outside Candidates
If there are not enough inside candidates to fill
anticipated openings, the company will
probably focus next on projecting supplies of
outside candidates. This may require
forecasting general economic conditions, local market conditions, and
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occupational market conditions.
General Economic Conditions:
The first step is to forecast general economic conditions and the expected prevailing rate of
unemployment. Usually, the lower the rate of unemployment, the lower the labor supply and
the more difficult it will be to recruit personnel.
Local Market Conditions:
Local labor market conditions are also important. For example, the build-up of computer and
semiconductor programs resulted in relatively low unemployment recently in cities like
Seattle, quite aside from general economic conditions in the country.
Occupational Market Conditions:
Finally, you may want to forecast the availability of potential job candidates in specific
occupations.
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Recruiting External Job Candidates
Introduction
Once you have been authorized to fill a position, the next step is to develop an applicant
pool, probably using internal recruiting and one or more of the recruitment sources.
Recruiting is important, because the more applicants you have the more selective you can be
in your hiring.
Some employers use a recruiting
yield pyramid to calculate the number of
applicants they must generate to hire the
required number of new employees. In
the diagram, the company knows 50 new
entry-level accountants must be hired
next year. From experience, the firm also
knows that the ratio of offers made to actual new hires is 2 to 1; about half the people to
whom offers are made accept. Similarly, the firm knows that the ratio of candidates
interviewed to offers made is 3 to 2, while the ratio of candidates invited for interviews to
candidates actually inter- viewed has been 4 to 3. Finally, the firm knows that the ratio of
new leads generated to candidates actually invited has been 6 to 1. Given these ratios, the
firm knows it must generate 1,200 leads to be able to invite 200 viable candidates to its
offices for interviews.
However, it's not just recruiting but effective recruiting that is important. For
example, consider the results of a recent study of college recruiter effectiveness. Subjects
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were 41 graduating students from four colleges (arts and sciences, engineering, industrial
relations, and business) of an American university. The students were questioned twice
during their spring semester, once just after they'd had their first round of interviews with
employers, and once after their second round of interviews.
The quality of a firm's recruiting process had a big impact on what candidates thought of the
firm. For example, when asked after the initial job interview why they thought a particular
company might be a good fit, all 41 mentioned the nature of the job; however, 12 also
mentioned the impression made by the recruiters themselves. When asked why they judged
some firms as bad fits, 39 mentioned the nature of the job, but 23 said they'd been turned off
by recruiters. For example, some were dressed sloppily; others were "barely literate"; some
were rude; and some made offensively sexist comments. All these recruiters, needless to say,
were incompetent recruiters of their firms.
Line and staff cooperation in recruitment is essential. The HR manager who recruits and
initially screens for the vacant job is seldom the one responsible for supervising its
performance. He or she must therefore know exactly what the job entails, and this, in turn,
means speaking with the supervisor involved. For example, the HR person might want to
know something about the behavioral style of the supervisor and the members of the work
group.
1 - Advertising as a Source of Candidates:
To use help wanted ads successfully, you need to address two issues:
the media to be used and the ad's construction. The selection of the best
medium - be it the local paper, The Wall Street journal, or a technical
journal - depends on the type of positions for which you're recruiting.
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The local newspaper is usually the best source of blue-collar help, clerical employees, and
lower-level administrative employees. For specialized employees, you can advertise in trade
and professional journals. One drawback to this type of trade paper advertising is the long
lead time that is usually required. Yet ads remain good sources, and continue to appear.
Help wanted ads in papers like The Wall Street journal can be good sources of middle or
senior-management personnel. The Wall Street journal, for instance, has several regional
editions so that the entire country or the appropriate geographic area can be targeted for
coverage.
Most firms use newspaper ads, but other media are used too. For example, radio is best when
multiple jobs are involved, such as staffing a new facility.
2 - Employment Agencies as a Source of Candidates
There are various types of private organization that can help to find the
right person for a particular job. Employment agencies exist in many towns
and cities. Some handle all general vacancies from junior up to supervisory
level while others specialize in various occupations such as accountancy,
clerical or computer personnel. Since they maintain a register of job
seekers, they initially attempt to find applicants from this list. They might further promote the
vacancy on their premises, in newspapers on the radio or on television. A shortlist will be
drawn up by reading through applications and conducting interviews on your behalf.
Although fees vary, around 10 to 15 per cent of the annual salary is usually offered if a
suitable person is found. This may be partly refundable if he leaves within a certain period of
time.
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Recruitment agencies are similar to employment agencies in the services that they offer. The
main difference is that recruitment agencies tend to operate at a higher level, concentrating
on technical, managerial and executive appointments. Accordingly, increased time, effort and
expertise are needed to compile a quality shortlist. This is reflected in the fees charged, often
between 18 and 22 per cent of the annual salary. Again, a proportion of this may be
refundable if the employee proves to be unsatisfactory and subsequently departs.
Search consultants, also known as 'headhunters', specialize in finding candidates for senior
positions. They normally headhunt people currently at work in similar posts, possibly at rival
companies. Discreet approaches, perhaps by telephone, are made directly to the persons
involved. Such a process is time-consuming and requires considerable tact and diplomacy if
it is to be successful. Charges may be in excess of 30 per cent of the annual salary.
Some specific situations in which you might want to turn to an agency include the following:
1. The firm does not have its own HR department and is not geared to do recruiting and
screening.
2. The firm has found it difficult in the past to generate a pool of qualified applicants.
3. A particular opening must be filled quickly.
4. There is a perceived need to attract a greater number of minority or female applicants.
5. The recruitment effort is aimed at reaching individuals who are currently employed and who
might feel more comfortable dealing with employment agencies rather than competing
companies.
Employment agencies are no panacea. For example, an employment agency prescreens
applicants for your job, but this advantage can also backfire. The employment agency's
screening may let poor applicants bypass the preliminary stages of your own selection
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process. Unqualified applicants may thus go directly to the supervisors responsible for the
hiring, who may in turn naively hire them. Such errors show up in high turnover and
absenteeism rates, morale problems, and low quality and productivity. Similarly, potentially
successful minority and non-minority applicants may be blocked from entering your
applicant pool by improper testing and screening at the employment agency. To help avoid
such problems, experts suggest the following:
1. Give the agency an accurate and complete job description.
2. Specify the devices or tools that the employment agency should use in screening potential
applicants.
3. Where possible, periodically review data on accepted or rejected candidates.
4. Establish the cost of commissioning the agency - is it in proportion with the importance of
the job to your company?
5. If feasible, develop a long-term relationship with one or two agencies.
Some questions to ask in order to decide which agency is best for your firm:
What is the background of the agency's staff? What are the
levels of their education and experience and their ages? Do
they have the qualifications to understand the sorts of jobs for
which you are recruiting? What is their reputation in the
community?
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3 - Employee Leasing as a source of candidates
Employee leasing means any arrangement whereby a company
(recipient) obtains a labour supply by contracting for the
services of employees on the payroll of another company
(leasing firm). Also defined as temporary workers, part-time
workers and just-in-time employees, such a contingent work
force is big and growing and is broadly defined as workers who
don't have permanent jobs.
Employers find that by tapping temporary help agencies, they can save the time and expense
of personally recruiting and training new workers, as well as the expenses involved in
personnel documentation (such as filing payroll taxes and maintaining absence records). As a
result, the contingent work force is no longer limited to clerical or maintenance staff. In fact,
growing numbers of firms use temporary workers such as engineers and other professionals
to carry out engineering projects, to staff hospitals to meet fluctuating patient loads, and to
serve as short-term chief financial officers, for instance.
The benefits of contingent staffing don't come without a price. While they may be more
productive, and less expensive to recruit and train, contingent workers hired through
temporary agencies generally cost employers 20% to 50% more than comparable permanent
workers (per hour or per week), since the agencies themselves not only do the recruiting,
screening, and paying but also earn a profit. Another concern is that once you put them in the
contingent category, you're saying they're expendable. And one would assume that such
expendable workers are less likely to exhibit the benefits of loyalty that many employers
expect from their permanent workers.
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4 - College Recruiting as a Source of Candidates
Many promotable candidates are originally hired through college
recruiting. This is therefore an important source of management
trainees, as well as of professional and technical employees. There
are two main problems with on-campus recruiting. First, it is
relatively expensive and time-consuming for the recruiters. Schedules must be set well in
advance, company brochures printed, records of interviews kept, and much recruiting time
spent on campus. Second, recruiters themselves are sometimes ineffective, or worse. Some
recruiters are unprepared, show little interest in the candidate, and act superior. Many
recruiters also don't effectively screen their student candidates. Such findings underscore the
need to train recruiters before sending them to the campus.
There are two goals of a campus recruiter. The main function is screening, which means
determining whether a candidate is worthy of further consideration. Exactly which traits you
look for will depend on your specific recruiting needs. Traits to assess include motivation,
communication skills, education, appearance, and attitude. The other aim is to attract them to
the firm. A sincere and informal attitude, respect for the applicant as an individual, and
prompt follow-up letters can help to sell the employer to the interviewee.
Recruiters and schools must be chosen. Employers choose college recruiters largely on the
basis of who can do the best job of identifying good applicants and filling vacancies. Factors
in selecting schools in which to recruit include the school's reputation and the performance of
previous hires from it.
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EXAMPLE
IIM Calcutta-Campus Recruitment Plan for 2001
Final Placements commence on February 27, 2001 and will carry on for 3 to 4 days, until all
the students have been placed.
Till January 31 2001, companies come down to campus to conduct pre-placement talks.
These talks give the students an idea about the recruiting organizations and opportunities
available within these. Based on these talks, students decide if they wish to apply to those
organizations.
The resumes of the interested students will be sent to the companies within a week of the
Pre-placement Talk. The companies would then come out with a shortlist of candidates for
Group Discussion / Interviews preferably well in advance of the scheduled Interview slot.
Companies come to campus for conducting interviews over 3-4 days starting from February
27. Typically, there are 2 slots per day, which means 2 sets of companies per day. The order
in which the companies will come to campus is dependent on the ranks that are given by the
students to the companies. This elaborate Ranking procedure will be conducted in the
beginning of February (after all the pre-placement talks are over) and towards mid-February,
companies will be notified their interview slot.
Finally, companies come down to campus on the allotted slot, conduct their processes and
make their offers.
4 - Referrals and Walk-ins as Sources of Candidates
Some organizations encourage applicants by mounting 'employee referrals' campaigns.
Announcements of openings and requests for referrals are made in the organization's bulletin
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and posted on wall boards. Prizes are offered for referrals that culminate in hiring’s. This sort
of campaign can cut recruiting costs by eliminating advertising and agency fees. It can also
result in higher-quality candidates, since many people are reluctant to refer less qualified
candidates. But the success of the campaign depends a lot on your employees' morale. And
the campaign can backfire if an employee's referral is rejected and the employee becomes
dissatisfied.
Employee referral programs are popular. Of the firms responding to one survey, 40% said
they use an employee referral system and hire about 15% of their employees, through such
referrals. A cash award for referring candidates who are hired is the most common referral
incentive.
Walk-ins are a major source of applicants. All walk-ins should be treated courteously and
diplomatically, for the sake of both the employer's community reputation and the applicant's
self-esteem. Many employers thus give every walk-in a brief interview with someone in the
HR office, even if it is only to get information on the applicant in case a position should open
in the future. Good business practice also requires that all letters of inquiry from applicants
be answered promptly and courteously.
5 - Computerized Employee Data Base
Employers increasingly use computerized resume registries to find candidates. Several of
these computerized data bases are now functioning, but the nature of one - Career Placement
Registry, Inc. (CPR), Virginia, USA - illustrates how they work. CPR is not an employment
agency but rather a company that compiles a data base of resumes from people who are
looking for work. That data base is then available on-line to all businesses, service
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organizations, and government agencies.
The process is fairly simple. CPR compiles resume data bases for both students and recent
graduates and for experienced job seekers. Each applicant fills out data entry forms covering
items such as name, address, career objectives, work experience, type of position desired, and
educational background. Along with the 'personal summary of qualifications,’ the form
presents a fairly complete picture of each candidate's qualifications, occupational
preferences, and desired salary range. The form is then returned to CPR along with a
registration fee. Resumes remain in the CPR data base for six months and are available to
employers 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Candidates can also specify the geographic
areas where they prefer to work.
This particular data base isn't too expensive to access. Employers get a manual explaining
how to access it and can customize their search based on the skills and experience required,
as well as preferred geographic areas.
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Chapter 4
CURRENT TRENDS INFLUENCING RECRUITMENT
In this chapter you will get familiar with current trends and issues faced by HR. This chapter
puts light on challenges and barriers in Human recruitment. It also explains the new
techniques of recruitment used by HR people to recruit.
CURRENT TRENDS INFLUENCING RECRUITMENT AND RETENTION
Ask any company what issues are high on their priority list these days and most will
invariably say “attracting and retaining qualified workers” is one of them. In today’s highly
competitive labor market, traditional recruiting and retention strategies just don’t seem to be
as effective as they once were. National and state workforce studies indicate there are several
primary reasons for this:
Education
Diversity
Demographics
Family Design
Work Culture
Employee Benefits
Technological Advances
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CHALLENGES FACED BY HR
Recruitment is a function that requires business perspective, expertise, ability to find and
match the best potential candidate for the organization, diplomacy, marketing skills (as to sell
the position to the candidate) and wisdom to align the recruitment processes for the benefit of
the organization. The HR professionals – handling the recruitment function of the
organization- are constantly facing new challenges. The biggest challenge for such
professionals is to source or recruit the best people or potential candidate for the
organization. In the last few years, the job market has undergone some fundamental changes
in terms of technologies, sources of recruitment, competition in the market etc. In an already
saturated job market, where the practices like poaching and raiding are gaining momentum,
HR professionals are constantly facing new challenges in one of their most important
function- recruitment. They have to face and conquer various challenges to find the best
candidates for their organizations
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The major challenges faced by the HR in recruitment are:
Adaptability to Globalization
The HR professionals are expected and required to keep in tune with the changing times, i.e.
the changes taking place across the globe. HR should maintain the timeliness of the process
Lack of Motivation
Recruitment is considered to be a thankless job. Even if the organization is achieving results,
HR department or professionals are not thanked for recruiting the right employees and
performers.
Process Analysis
The immediacy and speed of the recruitment process are the main concerns of the HR in
recruitment. The process should be flexible, adaptive and responsive to the immediate
requirements. The recruitment process should also be cost effective.
Strategic Prioritization
The emerging new systems are both an opportunity as well as a challenge for the HR
professionals. Therefore, reviewing staffing needs and prioritizing the tasks meet the changes
in the market has become a challenge for the recruitment professionals.
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ISSUES IN RECRUITMENT
Following are the contemporary issues in recruitment:
Chances of Failure Increases in RPO.
The chances of failure will be high if the RPO do not understand the Vision and recruitment
strategy of an organization. The entire success of organization depends upon people and their
integrity towards employers. Better recruitment begets better results this is true in every
aspects.
Break Down in Collaboration with other Organization in Poaching.
Organization could offer job to which they thought of valuable but it does not means poach
and hunting 100% right perspectives. This spoil the goodwill of an organization to some
extent. The organization might practice Coordinate Recruitment.
Competition Driving up Salary to Unrealistic Level.
This is common in today's scenario of fierce competition.
Resume Check:
Authenticity of resume is questionable in this stiff competitive world. Prospective employers
are using track methodology to judge reliability of the content by references, educational
qualification, talking to candidates over phone, previous employer reputation etc.
Internet and PC Savvy:
This is obstacle in popularizing e recruitment, but rate of enhancement in PC penetration is
our country is quite high so in near future we do not take it as challenges. Lets we have to set
modus operandi for online recruitment which will guide prospective employers and
aspirants/jobseekers both.
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Face to Face Interview, Meet the Candidates in Person:
Technologies have created impact on every function of an organization and Recruitment and
Selection is not an exception. An employer prefers to contact or interact people to feel and
understand would be HR asset for them. This will help the organization to manage
expectation of would in best possible manner.
Inbreeding ,Nepotism and Old Boy's Network:
We should be very careful in this aspects, referring own people is human tendencies. If it find
we have to re-correct it with intelligences, integrity and interventions
BARRIERS TO EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT
The main objective of selection is to hire people having competence
and commitment. This objective is often defeated because of certain
barriers.
Following are Barriers:
Perception:
Our inability to understand others accurately is probably the most fundamental barrier
recruiting the right candidate. Recruiting demands an individual or a group of people to
assess and compare the respective competencies of others, with the aim of choosing the right
ones for the jobs. But our limited perceptual ability tends to be a stumbling block to the
objective and rational selection of people.
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Fairness:
Fairness in recruitment requires that no individual should be discriminated against on the
basis of religion, region, race or gender.
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 fail to predict job performance with
precision.
Pressure:
Pressure may be brought on the recruiters by politicians, bureaucrats, relatives, friends and
peers to select particular candidates. Candidates selected because of compulsions are
obviously not the right ones. Appointments to public sector undertakings generally take place
under such pressures.
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Chapter 5
INTERNATIONAL HIRING AND RECTRUITMENT BUDGET
In this chapter you will get familiar with how peopled are hired internationally, what is the
cost involved in recruiting the people and various technologies used to recruit them. Study of
various companies is done as to how people are recruited in various companies.
INTERNATIONAL HIRING
With increasing globalization, the problem of international
hiring assumes relevance. The issue that bothers the foreign
employer is whether to fill top posts with citizens of the host
country or to send people from the home country. Using host-
country citizens reduces relocation expenses, lessens the
likelihood of nationalization, and frees the employer from economic exploitation. Such
incumbents are familiar with the local customs and they quickly understand local business
practices. But the problem is to find host-country people with talents and abilities to occupy
senior positions.
Other factors which need to be considered while solving the problem are:
Type of parent-subsidiary relationship: - a wholly owned subsidiary, a minority owned
subsidiary, or a joint venture.
Duration of foreign operation: - long-term, short-term or permanent.
Type of industry: high technology, standardized technology, labor intensive manufacturing,
service industry, distributorship, etc.
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Type of product or service: technological and high cost, low priced and mass produced,
custom made machinery, insurance, etc.
Organizational structure: - of the parent firm and subsidiary-product division, geographic
area of organization, etc.
Degree of control and management style required to meet the corporate needs: ethnocentric,
polycentric or geocentric management.
The environment of the host country.
RECRUITMENT BUDGET
Below is a list of cost categories that should be taken into
consideration while developing a recruitment budget. It is
important to remember that costs and what/how things are
budgeted vary depending on the organization.
Advertising Costs: You should take into consideration the amount of money you will be
spending on advertising throughout the budget period. This should include:
1. Print
2. Television
3. Radio
4. Job Fairs
5. Online Services
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Agency Costs:
If your organization uses search firms, employment agencies, or contract/outside recruiter,
than you should allocate a portion of your budget to these types of costs.
Technology Costs:
If the Company employs any software packages or any other technology to enhance the
recruitment process, then this would form a major component of the recruitment budget.
Testing Costs:
If screening tools or tests are used during the recruitment process, they should also be
considered when developing the budget.
Internal Recruiter Costs:
The salary and benefits for internal recruiters should also be budgeted for. This area
generally covers just those directly involved in the interviewing and hiring activities and does
not generally include administrative staff.
Travel Costs:
Travel costs for recruiters and reimbursed travel costs for candidates should also be taken
into consideration. This can include travel to and from career fairs or mileage reimbursement
for going to and from offsite interviews.
Relocation Costs:
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This category covers the amount of the budget allocated for the relocation of new hires.
Some of the factors to consider for this area of the budget are:
1. House Hunting Costs
2. Moving Expenses
3. Temporary Housing
4. Miscellaneous Expenses
Referral Bonus:
If your organization has a referral bonus program you should budget money for it.
Sign-On Bonus:
If your organization provides employees with sign on bonuses you should also budget for this
category.
Miscellaneous:
An additional 10% of the total should be allocated for miscellaneous costs.
Standardizing the Recruitment Process
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In practice, many companies have several departments
who routinely interview candidates for positions
without advising HR or having the applicant complete
an application. They often even have offers extended to
people without a job opening being available. This can
create a nightmare for the company, especially for the
HR Department. It therefore becomes imperative that the recruitment and selection processes
are standardized and applied throughout the company.
The best thing that a company can do in regards to standardizing the interview
process is to create a policy stating when they are to be conducted, by whom, based on what
criteria, and the corresponding paperwork that must be completed. In addition, one might
want to include a provision stating the HR department's role in the selection process.
One thing that might help is to create a policy on Job Postings (in addition to the
general recruitment policy). This policy can state that all vacant positions will be posted
internally, prior to or at the same time that the position is posted externally. Make sure that
everyone understands the potential problems that such hiring mistakes could have on the
company and the candidate.
Chapter 6
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COMPANY STUDY
JET AIRWAYS
ABOUT COMPANY
Jet Airways is a major Indian airline based in Mumbai, Maharashtra. It is India's largest
airline and the market leader in the domestic sector.
It operates over 400 flights daily to 67 destinations worldwide. Its main domestic hubs are
Mumbai and Delhi. It has an international hub at Brussels Airport, Belgium.
Jet Airways is owned by the London-based billionaire Naresh Goyal.
The Recruitment Procedure followed by is as JET AIRWAYS is as follows (Some steps
may be interchanged in order, depending on the situation
1. A Need Analysis is done to determine the Number of people required and for what jobs.
2. Advertisements are then placed in Newspapers for Recruitment purposes.
3. Applications are then received from the candidates.
4. The candidates are screened on the basis of their applications.
5. The shortlisted candidates are then called for the first Interview, which is generally
conducted by the HR manager and the concerned line manager,
6. General Medicals are then conducted to check on the physical fitness of the candidates.
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7. A second round of interview may be conducted if required, depending on the post and quality
of candidates.
8. If selected, the candidate is then made a Job Offer.
9. If the candidate accepts the offer, he is given the appointment letter.
10. Training is then given to the employee, relevant to his / her post. The Induction / Orientation
program is also conducted.
BRITISH AIRWAYS
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British Airways is the UK's largest international scheduled airline, flying to over 550
destinations at convenient times, to the best located airports.
Whether customers are in the air or on the ground, British Airways takes pride in providing a
full service experience.
The British Airways group consists of British Airways Plc and a number of subsidiary
companies including in particular British Airways Holidays Limited.
The British Airways website displays the following Recruitment Process:
The Recruitment team is comprised of experienced recruitment professionals with diverse
backgrounds gained in blue chip businesses and from within British Airways itself. When
recruiting, they ensure taking an objective view and following best practice guidelines laid
down by The British Psychological Society (BPS) and the Chartered Institute of Personnel
and Development (CIPD). They also carefully adhere to Equal Opportunities legislation.
The recruitment methodology is based on looking at capabilities - also known as
competencies. These capabilities are sets of behaviours, skills and knowledge that can be
determinants of job success and focus on what the role involves. They're a valuable tool in
ensuring consistency and accuracy in assessments and increase the reliability of the selection
process.
The selection process may involve up to three stages depending on the position for which
applied. Stage One includes the application form, and if the candidate meets the first set of
criteria here, he / she is invited to attend a second stage: One Day Assessment. For some
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roles the candidates may be required to sit tests and other exercises before progressing to the
final stage.
The assessment methods used include group exercises, interviews, psychometric tests,
presentations, fact-finding exercises and one-to-one role plays.
Group Exercises:
Group exercises look at how the candidates work with other people, in particular examining
their influencing, communication and teamwork skills.
The Interview:
Candidates are asked for examples of how they behaved in different situations drawing on
examples from work, university, school, a club or home.
Psychometric Tests:
Psychometric tests are timed exercises that look at their ability and potential. The tests they
use most often focus on verbal and numerical skills. They may also include a personality
assessment. It adds to their understanding, but is not the sole basis of a decision as to whether
the candidate would be successful or not. Normally the candidates would sit two tests, but for
senior roles they may be required to participate in more.
Presentations:
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The presentation is a chance for the candidate to show his / her ability to communicate to a
group of people. They are given the topic on the day and time to prepare.
Fact-Finding:
The fact-finding exercise looks at the candidate’s ability to interact with someone else and
obtain information from them.
Role Plays:
Role plays usually involve an assessor acting as the client or customer in a simulation of a
negotiation exercise, interview or performance appraisal.
FINDINGS AND CONCLUSION
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The success of every organization lies in its people, more than any other factor. In today’s
scenario, downsizing has become common practice for companies all over the world, and
apparently the job market may seem to be a buyer’s market. However, given the substantial
cost of hiring and training competent employees, employers must consider the needs of the
employees if they wish to attract and retain top talent.
Further, the most pressing challenges faced by human resource managers in recruitment
today include:
Attracting people with multi-dimensional experiences and skills
Inducting outsiders with a new perspective to lead the company
Developing a culture that attracts people to the company
Locating people whose personalities fit the company’s values
Seeking out unconventional development grounds of talent
Search for talent globally, not just within the country
Today, HR Managers are asking questions like,”How can I hire more people like my top
performers and reduce turnover?”, “How can I be sure I am hiring the right person for the
right job?”, “How can I reduce hiring costs and save interview time?”
Gone are the days when companies simply hired fresh graduates or MBAs, started
them off as trainees, paternally oversaw their vertical progress, and repeated the process
every year. A recruitment revolution has arrived in the business world. Abandoning old
policies of hiring only at the bottom level, companies are now inducting new talent at every
level. Even the search for CEOs has intensified as companies look for team captains and new
qualities not available in-house.
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And while companies develop innovative techniques to beat competition at recruitment
hotspots like campuses, they are now also looking outside their conventional hunting
grounds. This is where people with unorthodox winning ideas come from. CEOs looking for
breakthrough marketers are recruiting them from other industries to provide a fresh
perspective, since everyone people in the sector only offer tired ideas.
Today, recruitment of managers focuses not on functional expertise, but on attitudes and
approaches that fit the corporate goals and culture. Companies are now preparing
psychological profiles of ideal candidates and are increasingly using psycho graphical testing
techniques and unconventional tools like graphology.
The world economy today is in the process of a dramatic transition from the industrial age to
the information society. The workplace and the worker are increasingly centered on
information and knowledge, making use of information society tools and services. In the past
few years we have already seen the explosion of mobile communications; the exponential
growth of the Internet; the increasing contribution of digital industries to growth and
employment; the restructuring of businesses in all sectors to make the most of the Internet.
These factors influence and will continue to influence the recruitment methods used by
companies and the level of sophistication they attain.
Compensation today is a crucial factor, but so also is a corporate culture that cares for people
and gives them room to grow. CEOs have to ensure that their line managers and human
resource department design unconventional jobs and daring responsibilities to create offers
that their targets cannot refuse. And if pursuing the right person and convincing him to agree
is taking time, so be it. After all, in the knowledge economy, the corporate quest for
intellectual capital is a continuous process.
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BIBLOGRAPHY
Reference Books and Magazines:
Human Resources and Personnel Management – K Ashwathappa
Managing People – V S P Rao
International Human Resource Management – Anne-Wil Harzing, Jorin Van Ruysseveldt.
Websites:
Online Recruitment: http://www.onrec.com
HR.com: http://www.hr.com
British Airways Jobs Website: http://www.britishairwaysjobs.com/recruitment
IIM Calcutta campus Recruitment web-site: http://www.iimcal.ac.in/corporates/recprocess
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