RECRUITMENT AND

SELECTION PROCESS
IN HUMAN
RESOURCEMANAGEMENT

Abstract
The purpose of this assessment is to talk about the topic of recruitment and selection
to study the modalities that are carried out in these two tasks in various organizations.
The review provided an explanation of both tasks.

Samrina Komal
[email protected]
Introduction:
The HR recruitment and selection process is a strategic function within the Human Resources
department that aims to attract, evaluate, and select the most suitable candidates for job
vacancies. This process plays a vital role in the success of an organization by ensuring the right
talent is hired to fulfill the business objectives. By understanding and implementing an efficient and
effective recruitment and selection process, organizations can improve their ability to hire and
retain high-performing employees.
Recruitment and selection are two distinct yet interconnected processes within the field of Human
Resources (HR).

Recruitment:
Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply
for jobs in the organization. When more persons apply for job then there will be a scope for
recruiting better persons. The job-seekers too on the other hand, are in search of organizations
offering them employment. Recruitment is a linkage activity bringing together those with jobs and
those seeking jobs.

Definitions:
"Recruitment is the process of searching prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for
the jobs in the organization". - Edwin B Flippo
"The term recruitment applies to the process of attracting potential employees of the Company”. -
McFarland
Thus, recruitment may be considered as a positive action as it involves attracting the people
towards organization. The main purpose is to have a rich inventory of eligible persons from amongst
whom the most suitable candidates can be selected for employment in the organization. Let's
explore these processes in detail:

Recruitment involves identifying and attracting potential candidates for job vacancies within an
organization. It consists of several key steps:

1. Identifying Staffing Needs:

The process begins with understanding the organization's workforce requirements and
identifying the specific positions that need to be filled. This may be driven by factors such as
business expansion, employee turnover, or the creation of new roles.

2. Job Analysis and Job Description:

Once the positions are identified, a detailed job analysis is conducted to define the
responsibilities, tasks, qualifications, skills, and experience required for each role. This
analysis forms the basis for creating accurate job descriptions and specifications that will be
used in attracting potential candidates.

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 3. Sourcing Candidates:
Organizations employ various methods to source candidates for job vacancies. These
methods may include internal job postings, employee referrals, online job boards, social
media platforms, professional networks, recruitment agencies, career fairs, and university
campus recruitment. The choice of sourcing channels depends on the organization's
recruitment strategy, budget, and target candidate pool.

4. Candidate Screening:
In this stage, the received applications or resumes are reviewed and screened to identify
individuals who meet the basic qualifications and possess the desired skills and experience.
Screening methods may involve reviewing application

Objectives of Recruitment:
1. To attract with multi-dimensional skills and experience that suite the present and future
organization strategies.
2. To induct outsider with new perspective to lead the company.
3. To infuse fresh blood at all levels of organization.
4. To develop an organizational culture that attracts competent people to the company.
5. To search or headhunt people whose skill fit the company’s values.
6. To seek out non-conventional development grounds of talent
7. To devise methodology for assessing psychological traits.
8. To search for talent globally not just with in the company.
9. To design entry, pay that competes on quality but not on quantum.
10. To anticipate and find people for position that doesn’t exists yet.

Recruitment represents the first contact that a company makes with potential employees. It is
through recruitment that many individuals come to know about the company and eventually decide
whether they wish to work for it. The recruitment process should inform qualified individuals about
the job so that applicant can make comparison with their qualification and interest.

Factors Affecting Recruitment:

There are two types of factors that affect the Recruitment of candidates for the company.

1: Internal Factors:
These includes-

 Company’s pay package

 Quality of work life
 Organizational culture
 Company’s size
 Company’s product
 Growth rate of the company
 Role of trade unions

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  Cost of recruitment
2: External Factors:
These include-

 Supply and demand factors

 Employment rate
 Labor market condition
 Political, legal and government factors
 Information system

Sources of Recruitment:
The finding out where suitable candidates are available and informing them about the openings in
the organization is the most important aspect of recruitment process. The candidates may be
available inside the organization as well outsider it. Recruitment sources in HR refer to the various
channels or methods through which organizations attract and reach out to potential candidates for
job vacancies. These sources are utilized to ensure a diverse and qualified pool of applicants.
Recruitment sources can be described as:

1. Internal Sources
2. External Sources

1. Internal Sources of Recruitment:

Internal sources of recruitment focus on filling job vacancies by considering current
employees within the organization. These sources offer opportunities for internal mobility,
employee development, and career advancement. Here are some common internal sources:

a. Internal Job Postings:

Organizations advertise job openings internally, allowing current employees to apply for
positions that match their skills, experience, and career goals. Internal job postings provide
employees with a chance to explore new opportunities within the organization and can
boost employee morale and engagement.

b. Employee Referrals:
Employee referral programs encourage existing employees to recommend potential
candidates from their personal and professional networks. Referrals often result in high-
quality candidates who are pre-screened by the referring employee. Employee referral
programs can improve employee satisfaction, enhance retention rates, and reduce
recruitment costs.

c. Promotions:
Promotions involve promoting current employees to higher-level positions, recognizing their
performance and potential. A promotion doesn't increase the number of persons in the
organization. A person going to get a higher position will vacate his present position.

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 Promotion avenues motivate employees to improve their performance so that they get
promotions to higher position.

d. Transfers:
Transfers involve moving employees to different departments or locations within the
organization.
These don't involve any change in rank, responsibility and prestige. The numbers of persons
don't increase with transfer but vacant posts may be attended to.

Advantages of Internal Sources:

a) Increase in motivation and morale of employees.

b) Employee commitment.
c) Low cost of recruitment, training and orientation.
d) Trade unions prefer this method.
e) Reduced Labour turnover.
f) Less time consuming.
g) Easy adjustment in new jobs.

Disadvantages of Internal Sources:

a) The decision may be biased.

b) Morale of those not promoted decreases.
c) Lack of new- ideas because entry of new employees is restricted by this method.
d) This source cannot be used for all vacancies.
e) New enterprises cannot use this method.

2. External Sources of Recruitment:

When appropriate candidates are not available from within the organization, the external
sources are resorted to. In external sources, employees are recruited from outside the
organization; These sources provide access to a wider talent pool and can bring fresh
perspectives and skills. Here are some common external sources:

a. Online Job Boards and Career Websites:

Organizations advertise job openings on popular job boards and career websites such as
LinkedIn, Indeed, Glassdoor, and industry-specific platforms. These platforms allow
organizations to reach a large number of job seekers and provide features like resume
databases and applicant tracking systems to streamline the recruitment process.

b. Social Media Platforms:

Social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and professional networks such as
LinkedIn offer opportunities to promote job openings, engage with potential candidates, and
showcase the organization's employer brand. Social media can reach passive candidates
who may not actively search for job opportunities.

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 c. Recruitment Agencies and Headhunters:
Organizations can partner with external recruitment agencies and headhunters who
specialize in sourcing and screening candidates for specific job positions. These agencies
have extensive networks and expertise in identifying qualified candidates, particularly for
specialized or senior-level roles.

d. Campus Recruitment:
Educational institutions provide access to young talent through campus recruitment
initiatives. Organizations can participate in job fairs, career development programs,
internships, and co-op programs to connect with students and recent graduates who may be
suitable for entry-level positions.

e. Direct Applications:
Candidates can submit their applications and resumes directly to the organization through
email, postal mail, or online application forms. Organizations should have a clear process to
manage and review direct applications and ensure fair consideration for all candidates.

Advantages of External:

a) Selection from wider pool can be made.

b) Introduction of new ideas and innovation in organisation.
c) Competition between existing and new employees act as motivational factor and
performance improves.
d) Persons of required eligibility and experience are available.

Disadvantages of External Sources:

a) Costly and time-consuming method.

b) It can become a reason of resentment between existing employees.
c) There is no guarantee of candidates selected from outside the organisation.

Recruitment is not a one-time event but rather an ongoing process that requires continuous
evaluation and improvement. By continuously reviewing and analyzing recruitment metrics,
organizations can assess the effectiveness of their recruitment efforts and make necessary
adjustments to enhance outcomes.
It is important for organizations to continually evaluate and improve their recruitment process.
Regular review of recruitment metrics, feedback from hiring managers and candidates, and
benchmarking against industry best practices can identify areas for enhancement and ensure the
recruitment process remains effective and aligned with organizational goals.
In conclusion, an effective recruitment process enables organizations to attract and select the right
talent, fostering a skilled and diverse workforce that contributes to the organization's success. By

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continuously refining recruitment strategies, leveraging technology, and prioritizing a positive
candidate experience, organizations can improve their ability to identify and hire top talent.

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Selection in HRM:

Selection is the process of choosing the best person for particular job. It leads to employment of
workers. Selection is the negative process as it involves rejection of unsuitable candidates. More
candidates are rejected than are selected.
Selection is a negative process and it starts after the completion of the recruitment process.
Selection is the process by which the qualified personnel can be chosen from the applicants who
have offered their services to the organisation for employment. This process is called a negative
process, since more candidates may be turned away than hired.
Selection is the tool in the hands of the management to differentiate the qualified and unqualified
applicants by applying various techniques such as tests, interviews etc. In this sense, it is a negative
process of employment in which only a few who qualify for the job are offered employment and
others are denied the opportunities.
Selection is the process of logically choosing individuals who possess the necessarily skills, abilities,
qualities to suit the job. As against this, recruitment is called a positive process, as its objective is to
increase the number of applicants.
According to Dale Yoder “Selection process divides the candidates for employment into two
categories, namely those who will be offered employment and those who will not be. Selection of
employees is a decision making process, where the management decides certain norms or
principles on the basis of which, a discrimination between qualified and unqualified desirable and
undesirable candidates can be made. A sound selection policy will ensure the selection of a suitable
candidate. The objective of selection process is to determine whether an applicant meets the
qualifications for a specific job and to choose the applicant who is most likely to perform well on
that job.”
Selection involves several steps to weed out the unsuitable candidates for the job under
consideration. Criteria are laid down at each stage. Those who do not fulfil these criteria are
rejected.
“Selection is the process of choosing from among the candidates from within the organisation or
from the outside, the most suitable person for the current position or for the future position”. –
Dale Yoder
“Selection is a managerial decision making process as to predict which job applicants will be
successful if hired”. – S.P. Robins

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Significance of Selection:
The benefits of selecting right kind of people for various jobs are:

1. Proper selection and placement of personnel go a long way towards building up a suitable
workforce. It will keep the rates of absenteeism and labour turnover low.
2. Component employees will show higher efficiency and enable the organisation to achieve its
objective effectively.
3. The rate of industrial accidents will be considerably low if suitable employees are placed on
various jobs.
4. When people get jobs of their taste and choice, they get higher job satisfaction. This will
build up a contended workforce for the organisation.
5. The morale of the employees who are satisfied with their jobs is often high.

Selection Procedure:
After recruitment, the next important staffing function is selection. Selection of the best
candidates is the next logical task in the execution of procurement function. Selection of
suitable candidates is very essential because wrong selection adversely affects the
organisation.
Investment in an inefficient or misfit employee is a great loss to it. At the same time wrong
adversely affects the employee in the run as he can never get job satisfaction. It increases
the labour turnover and absenteeism. It also reduces the morale among employees.
Therefore it is essential that selecting authorities must be very competent, experts and well
knowledge. The selection procedure must be very efficient and satisfactory. Selection
problem does not have-only the economic aspect but social aspect also.
It affects not only the organisation but the whole community. The subjective, unbalanced,
unsystematic, prejudiced, biased selection may have demoralizing effects on the society.
Therefore selection must be based on merits, and it must be just.
Selection procedure is certainly a negative procedure of screening as many candidates as are
likely to be rejected. It is concerned with securing maximum relevant information about an
applicant.
The main objective of selection procedure is to see whether an applicant’s qualifications
meet the job requirements or not? Who is the right person for job? Who will be successful
on the job? Who is most suitable or desirable for the job? And who is most likely to perform
well on that job?
The selection procedure involves several steps and at each step screening takes place. All
these steps are necessary for screening every candidate. It depends upon the type the job
i.e. operative, managerial, administrative, supervisory etc. Accordingly the steps must be
evolved in selection procedure.

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 Even while selecting the steps, it should be seen whether the job requirements are properly
tested or not. There is a series of steps, and every step is going to secure additional
information of the candidates. At every step, facts must come to light which may lead to the
rejection of the applicant. The applicant has to go through all these steps.
This technique is known as the successive hurdle technique. Thus, an effective selection
programme is a non-random process because those selected have been chosen by assuming
that they are more likely to be “better” employees than those who have been rejected. For
best or ideal selection procedure a selection policy should be formulated.
While formulating selection policy due consideration should be given to organisational
requirements as well as technical and professional dimensions of selection procedures. In
simple words an effective policy must assert the “why” and “what” aspects of the
organisational objectives.
Following are some steps involved in selection procedure.

Steps in the Selection Procedure:

1. Preliminary Interview:
It is generally taken for the executive jobs. It is brief, about three to four minutes and has the
job of eliminating the totally unsuitable candidates. Lack of certain requirements in
education, training or experience may determine unsuitability. The candidates who clear the
interview are asked to fill in the application blank. It is mainly for the management jobs.
2. Screening of Application Forms:
When a candidate comes for an interview, he is given an application form on request to fill.
It asks for a written record of qualifications, Experience and other qualities of the candidate.
The application form should be as simple as possible and incorporate questions having
effect on the suitability of the applicant for the job.
Application forms are processed by the screening committee and properly screened to
select the candidates who are to be given the employment tests and called for an interview.
The purpose of preliminary screening is to reject the totally unsuitable candidates.
This will save a lot of time and money.
3. Selection or Employment Test:
Employment tests are being widely used to select persons for various jobs. These tests help
in matching the characteristics of individuals with the vacant jobs so as to employ right type
of personnel.
The following types of tests are given to the candidates:
(a) Intelligence test
(b) Aptitude test
(c) Occupational or Professional test
(d) Personality test.

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4. Employment Interview:
After an applicant clears the various employment tests. He is then called for final interview.
The interview is taken by the board consisting of the personnel manager and the
representatives of other departments. The interview is held to determine the suitability of
the candidate and to provide them a complete picture of the responsibilities associated with
the job.
It is of great importance to the applicant and the employer. There should be proper physical
arrangement for the interview. It will enhance the reputation of the employers and give
confidence to the candidates. Privacy and comfort should not be forgotten to ensure that
the objectives of interview are achieved.
If this is not done, there would be wastage of money on interviewing and right type of
candidates may not be selected. The interviewers should also come fully prepared for the
interview and should give proper attention to each candidate.
5. Reference Checking:
Many employers request names, addresses and telephone number of reference for the
purpose of verifying information and gaining additional information on an applicant.
Previous employers known persons, teachers and university professors, can act as
references.
6. Medical Examination:
It is given to the selected candidates to ascertain their physical capability and protect the
employer from employing physically unsuitable candidates. Medical test is given by the
medical expert appointed by the employer.
It is important, because the medically fit and healthy employee is likely to work more
efficiently as compared to physically unfit and disabled employee.
It serves to ascertain the applicant’s physical capabilities to meet the job requirements. It
serves to protect the organisation against the unwarranted claims under the Workers
Compensation Act. It helps to prevent contagious diseases entering the organisation.
A proper medical examination ensures higher standard of health and physical fitness of the
employees and reduces the rate of accidents, labour turnover and absenteeism too.
7. Approval of the Supervisor:
After the medical examination, sometimes, the personnel department, which is generally in
the staff nature, submits the candidate so selected to the line superior for his selection and
approval. The reason behind this is, that the organisational relationship often requires that
the supervisor be given the right to pass upon his personnel, otherwise he cannot be held
accountable for their performance.

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 Thus the equality of authority and responsibility of the supervisors is preserved. It is better
to have an appraisal to both the staff employment interviews and the supervisor, who he
better acquainted with the actual job conditions and the type of personnel at present in the
department.
This step may be eliminated either by giving authority of final selection to the personnel
department or the superior concerned may be made the member of the interview
committee, with a good voice in selection or interview.
8. Selection and Placement:
A final list of candidates, who have successfully passed all the hurdles and therefore
selected, is prepared. Such selected candidates are informed about their selection and are
asked to report to the department. They may be given a date before which they are
supposed to report.
This can be divided in two phases. In first phase only the selection list is published either by
displaying it on the notice board or by sending individual letter or through circulars. In
second phase appointment letters are issued to individual candidates.
The candidates may be appointed on probation of six months or more. If during the
probation period, an employee is not found suitable, the management may give him some
training or transfer him to some other job to which he may be expected to do justice. Even
after this if, he is not found fit for the job, he may be asked to leave the job.
9. Appointment Letter or Job Offer:
When a candidate has cleared the above listed hurdles in the selection procedure, he is
given an appointment letter and is requested to join the organisation. When the employee
reports for duty, he is given some sort of orientation and is placed on the job for which he is
appointed.
It is also courteous to inform the rejected candidates expressing the inability to select them.
In this way the selection procedure functions. The procurement programme should be evaluated
from time to time in terms of readability, validity, objectivity, difficulty, reasonableness,
standardization, practicability, independence and economy and appropriate corrective actions
should be taken to improve upon the existing system.

Selecting the right employee is an important goal for the recruitment team and establishing the
correct process can enhance the experience of the Candidate, Interviewer, Hiring Manager and the
HR Department. It can also help increase the effectiveness of your business.

The whole recruiting process is already being altered by technology. Everything is being digitized,
from shortlisting resumes to conducting interviews to employee onboarding.

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HR professionals should ensure that they follow the correct Recruitment and Selection processes
and attract the best workforce for their organization.

Bibliography
Personal Management - Edwin B. Flippo, Recruitment is the process.

Essentials of HRM and IR - Raymond J. Stone (2005)

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