Effectively Carrying Out the Recruitment and Selection functions

Spread the love

Every strategic business plan give impetus to human resource planning
and it is supported by a recruitment programme which could be based on
the policy to recruit externally or promote within (both options have their merits and demerits). Effective planning and good understanding of the nuances of recruitment and selection functions and processes have great bearings on the organisation as it determines how far the entity can travel.

It is a fact that the people make the organisation – they decide if the organisation would grow or not. The people are the most important factor in any company. As a matter of fact, Companies place more premium on her employees’ acquisition, development, motivation and maintenance.

The primary aim of recruitment is to obtain the quantity and quality of employees the organization requires to fulfill its objectives. The recruitment effort assembles job-seekers/ finds job applicants and the selection exercise screens, evaluate and decides through interview/ tests whom to engage.

Recruitment provides opportunities to organizations/ departments to align staff skill-sets to initiatives and goals, and for group and individual growth. It is not just an attempt to fill in vacant positions in an organization but a deliberate plan to match the needs of the organization with the requisite skills and aspirations of individual applicants in an optimal form.

Recruitment may occur as a result of transfer, resignation, death of incumbent job holder, strategy implementation and redirection, organizational expansion, advancement in technology or otherwise. It is a positive action by management. She goes into the labour market to shop for competent candidates (internal/ external), communicating opportunities and information and generating interest. Proper planning and evaluation of the need will lead to hiring the right person, at the right cost for the role and team.

The process involves writing out the job description, developing job specifications, analyzing sources of potential employees and attracting potential employees. Thus recruitment is only one of the steps involved in selection.

Selection means determining among the so-recruited, the best hands for the positions advertised. It is an aspect that involves choosing/ screening, evaluating applicants for jobs and deciding through interviews/ tests whom to engage. It is largely a negative process as it involves weeding out people who are considered unsuitable for the job or the organization and or whom the job or organisation might be unsuitable for.

It is aimed at:

a). measuring the ability, mental alertness or intelligence of the job
candidates;
b). reducing the costs of training new employees through the selection of applicants who can learn to work;
c). also reduces favouritism in hiring and places the opportunity of securing a job on an objective basis rather than sentiment.

Selection is a rigorous exercise involving a number of steps. The process goes beyond the actual attraction of people, picking among them and placing them on the job.

Selection includes job analysis, recruitment and the steps below:
– application blank
– Second interview,
– Psychological testing,
– Work history,
– Referencing checks,
– Medical examination,
– Recommendation,
– Offer.

In selection, the ratio of applicants to available job position (selection ratio) is crucial.

Selection ratio = No of vacant position
No of applicants
This ratio determines the possibility of selection error which can occur in two ways:
a). rejecting those who have potentials for the job
b). accepting or employing those who will not perform on the job.

It is better therefore to draw as many job applicants as possible to ensure that the ratio tends away from unity i.e ratio= 1 (no selection has taken place).

Ratio < I (probability of mistake reduced).

A selection ratio of 1/10 is better than 1/5.

My experiences as a recruiter over the years has revealed to me that there is need to take into cognizance the relevance of selection ratio as it minimizes the incidence of selection errors.

Again, we must beware of undue biases and irrelevant sentiments and adhere strictly to the dictates of the recruitment and selection requirements as flouting this could have its dire consequences on the long run. Objectivity is the key word and must be taken seriously.