Recruitment is the process of attracting and determining a pool of candidates, from which some will be selected for employment.

Table of Content

1 What is Recruitment?
2 Recruitment Meaning
3 Recruitment Definition
4 Recruitment Process4.1 Job Design
4.2 Opening Job Position
4.3 Collecting and Presenting Job Resumes
4.4 Job Interviews
4.5 Job Offer
9.1 Internal Sources9.1.1 Transfers
9.1.2 Promotions
9.1.3 Retired and Retrenched Employees
9.1.4 Employee Referrals
9.1.5 Job Postings
9.1.6 Deceased and Disabled Employees
9.4.1 Campus Recruitments
9.4.2 Management Consultants
9.4.3 Advertisements
9.4.4 Trade Associations
9.4.5 Walk in Interview
9.4.6 Job Fairs
10.1 Overtime
10.2 Temporary Employees
10.3 Sub-contracting
10.4 Employee Leasing
10.5 Outsourcing
11.1 Person Specifications11.1.1 Seven Point Plan
Personnels are the most crucial possessions of a company. The success or failure of an organization is largely dependent on the caliber of the people working therein. Without favorable and innovative contributions from individuals, companies can not advance and flourish.
In order to achieve the objectives or carry out the activities of an organization, therefore, we require to recruit people with requisite skills, qualifications and experience. While doing so, we have to keep today in addition to the future requirements of the organization in mind.
Organizations need to recruit people with requisite skills, certifications and experience if they have to make it through and flourish in an extremely competitive environment.
Recruitment Definition
According to Edwin B Flippo, "Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and promoting them to get tasks in the organization".
DeCenzo and Robbins specify it as "Recruitment is the process of finding possible prospects for real or awaited organizational jobs. Or from another point of view, it is a connecting activity-bringing together those with jobs to fill and those looking for tasks."
According to Plumbley, "Recruitment is a matching process and the capacities and inclinations of the prospects need to be matched against the demand and rewards intrinsic in a provided task or career pattern."
Recruitment Process
The major steps of the recruitment process are stated as:
Job Design
Opening Job Position
Collecting and Presenting Job Resumes
Job Interviews
Job Offer
Job Design
Job style is the most vital part of the recruitment procedure. The task style is a stage about the style of the task profile and a clear contract in between the line manager and the HRM Function.
The Job Design has to do with the agreement about the profile of the perfect job candidate and the arrangement about the abilities and proficiencies, which are vital. The information gathered can be used throughout other steps of the recruitment procedure to speed it up.
Opening Job Position
The Opening of the Job Position is usually the job of the HR Recruiter. Skilled and knowledgeable HR Recruiter ought to choose about the best mix of recruitment sources to find the very best candidates for employment the job position. This is another crucial step in the recruitment procedure.
Collecting and Presenting Job Resumes
The next step is gathering of task resumes and their pre-selection. This step in the recruitment procedure is very important today as numerous organizations lose a lot of time in this step.
Today, the company can not wait with the pre-selection of the job resumes. Generally, this must be the last step done purely by the HRM Function.
Job Interviews
The task interviews are the primary step in the recruitment process, which must be clearly designed and agreed between HRM and line management.
The job interview need to find the task prospect, who satisfies the requirements and fits best the corporate culture and the department.
Job Offer
The job offer is the last step of the recruitment process, which is done by the HRM Function, it completes all the other steps and the winner of the job interviews gets the deal from the company to sign up with.
Recruitment Techniques

Recruitment methods are the ways or media by which management contacts prospective workers or provide essential info or exchange ideas or promote them to obtain tasks.
Recruitment methods are:
Internal Methods: They are for hiring internal prospects. These consist of approaches like:
( a) Promotion & Transfers
( b) Job Posting
( c) Employee Referrals
Direct Methods: These consist of sending travelling recruiters to instructional and professional institutions and employees' contacts with the public.
( a) Campus Recruitment
Nature of Recruitment
Recruitment includes the following features:
- Recruitment is the first step of appointment.
- It is a constant procedure.
- It is a procedure of determining sources of human force, bring in and inspiring them to make an application for jobs in companies.
- It is a development workforce or to work at the last phase.
- It is a favorable procedure.
- It satisfies requirements, both the present, and the future.
Purpose of Recruitment
- Discovering and developing the source here needed number and sort of employees will be readily available.
- Developing ideal strategies to draw in the preferable prospect.
- Employing the method to draw in workers.
- Stimulating as numerous candidates as possible and asking to make an application for tasks regardless of the variety of candidates required in order to increase the choice ratio (i.e., number of application per one job vacancy) due to lower yield ratio.
Difference Between Recruitment and Selection
- Recruitment indicates looking for sources of labor and stimulating individuals to make an application for tasks, whereas selection indicates selecting of right type of individuals for different tasks.
- Recruitment is a favorable procedure whereas choice is a negative process.
- It creates a large pool of candidates whereas selection leads to a screening of unsuitable prospects.
- Recruitment is a simple process, it involves contracting the different sources of labor whereas choice is a complex and time-consuming procedure. The candidate needs to clear a number of obstacles before they are picked for a task.
Sources of Recruitment
A source from where candidates are recognized, drew in and picked can be categorized into 2: Internal Sources and External Sources.
Modes of Recruitment are:
Transfers.
Promotions.
Retired and Retrenched Employees.
Employee Referrals.
Job Postings.
Deceased and Disabled Employees.
Campus Recruitments.
Management Consultants.
Advertisements.
Trade Associations.
Walk in Interview.
Job Fairs.
Internal Sources
This technique consists of recruiting, establishing and promoting the workers from within the organization. Internal recruitments are affordable, more trusted as the organization is conscious of the candidate's skillset and knowledge and it likewise motivates the staff members and increases their dedication towards the organization. Internal sourcing can be performed in the following methods:
Transfers
An employee might be shifted from one task to another internally normally of the exact same level. The roles and obligations of the workers may change however not always the salary. This assists the employees to get inspired and attempt something new, helps them break the dullness of the old task and motivates them to grow by acquiring more knowledge.
Promotions
As acknowledgment of their performance and experience the staff members are moved from a position to a higher position. There is a modification in their tasks and duties accompanied with a change in wage and status. It helps the worker to grow vertically in the organization. It refrains him from leaving the company for greener pastures.
Retired and Retrenched Employees

Retired and retrenched employees might likewise be hired back in case there is high demand and scarcity of supply in the industry or there is sudden boost in workload. These staff members are currently familiar with the processes, procedures and culture of the organization for this reason they show to be cost reliable.
In this case each worker of the business serves as an employer. The workers are motivated to advise the names of their friends or family members working in other companies. For this they are even rewarded monetarily.
The benefit of employee recommendation is that the possible candidate gets initially hand info about the task and company culture from the currently working worker. Since he knows what he is entering he is anticipated to stay longer in the company. Also given that the credibility of those who suggest is at stake, they tend to recommend those who are extremely inspired and qualified.
Job Postings
The Company posts the current and employment anticipated vacancy on publication boards, electronic media and similar common portals. This offers a chance to the workers to carry out profession shift and help them grow within the business.
Deceased and Disabled Employees
In order to make the households of the deceased and handicapped staff members self-dependent their relatives or dependents may be used a job in case of any vacancy.
Advantage of Internal Sourcing
- Internal recruitment is less time consuming and economical.
- It is trustworthy as the organization is conscious of the staff member's understanding and ability.
- There is no need of induction and training as the worker is currently mindful of the processes, treatments and culture of the company.
- It increases the inspiration level of the employees as they anticipate getting a greater task in the organization instead of looking for greener pastures outside.
- It enhances the spirits of the workers, employment enhances their relations with the company and decreases staff member turnover.
- It establishes the spirit of loyalty in the employees, ensures connection of work and organizational stability.
Disadvantage of Internal Sourcing
- Internal sourcing avoids new members, creativity and ingenious ideas from entering the company.
- The scope is restricted as not all the vacancies can be filled by the restricted pool of skill readily available in the company.
- The position of the person who is moved or promoted falls uninhabited.
- It can create dissatisfaction amongst the rest of the employees as there can be bias or partiality in promoting a worker in the organization.
External Sources
New prospects are recruited from outside the organization by various ways and methods. It is more typically used than internal sources. External recruitments are practical in obtaining skills that are not had by the existing workers; it also helps to bring onboard staff members from various backgrounds that get a variety of concepts on the table.
Campus Recruitments
When companies are in search of fresh talents and are focusing on knowledge, interaction ability and skill than experience, they approach management colleges, technical institutes etc. The business makes a presentation about its company in order to bring in the trainees.
Whoever finds it matching with their profession strategies obtains the task. These candidates are then made to go through series of choice processes like analytical and mental tests, seminar, interviews and so on before the final selection is done.
Management Consultants
Management experts function as representatives of the employer. They carry out the recruitment function on behalf of the customer business by charging them charges or commissions. These experts have the ability to tailor their services according to the specific requirements of the clients therefore eliminating the line supervisors from their recruitment function.
Advertisements
This media of recruitment is really popular and frequently utilized as it reaches out a large range of individuals. It can also be targeted at a particular group or a particular geographical area by selecting a particular newspaper, radio channel etc e.g Business journal.
In certain ads business name, task description and salary packages are mentioned. There are blind advertisements also where no recognition of the firm is offered. These ads are released mainly when the company wants to fill an internal job or preparing to displace an existing employee.
Trade Associations
There are associations that develop a database of task hunters and offer it to its members throughout regional or national conventions. They also release classified ads for employers thinking about recruiting their members.
Walk in Interview
Another upcoming approach of recruitment is walk-in interviews. There is no time and conference schedule for each person. An advertisement relating to the time and the area of the interview is offered in the newspaper. The candidates are required to carry their CVs and straight stand for the interview. It is an extremely typical mode of recruitment amongst BPOs and call centres.
Job Fairs
Job fairs are an efficient way of connecting with potential staff members and prospects. There are HR hiring supervisors of various companies under one roofing. Information and service cards can be exchanged and resumes can be sent by the candidates.
Employers can identify the best applicants, similarly the candidates can use in many organizations together, wherever they feel the deal is finest and matches their interest.
Advantage of External Sourcing
- New and young blood goes into the organization, which have innovative concepts, brand-new approaches that can help to stir up the existing employees.
- It provides a larger pool for choice. Companies can get prospects with requisite certification.
- It creates a competitive environment as it assists the existing employees to work harder in order to match the standard that the new employees bring in.
- It results in long term benefits to the company. Talented pools of individuals bring together with them brand-new methods of working and brand-new approaches to scenarios that assists the organization to remain abreast with the competitive world outside.
Disadvantage of External Sourcing
- It is a time consuming procedure as it involves drawing in the ideal prospects, evaluating them, going through a series of tests and interviews etc. When appropriate candidates are not offered this process needs to be repeated once again and once again.
- This procedure shows to be very pricey for the company as the companies need to resort to ads, employing experts etc for drawing in the ideal swimming pool of talent.
- It can lower the spirits and demotivate the existing staff members as they can feel that their services have not been acknowledged.
- It is less trusted than internal sourcing. Since the companies employ prospects on the basis of their resumes, tests, interviews and so on they may not turn out to be as anticipated. It might end up hiring someone who ends up being a misfit and might not have the ability to adjust in the new established.
Alternatives to Recruitment
Recruitment and selection is an expensive and time-consuming process. Moreover, it gets onboard permanent staff members which are difficult to be separated in case they do not perform based on the requirement or if there is overstaffing due to less work due to market demand changes.
Hence to eliminate back the short-term phases of high market demand for firm's products, companies might turn to alternatives to recruitment that are specified below:
Overtime.
Temporary Employees.
Sub-contracting.
Employee Leasing.
Outsourcing.
Overtime
In order to fulfill the extra need of the company's items which result in excess work load, some staff members are asked to work overtime under some terms. Overtime is the amount of time that somebody works beyond the working hours.

In such a case worker gets extra salaries based on the agreement signed in between the employee and the employer. The disadvantage is that the employee might not work to his complete potential during the day in order to make overtime.
Temporary Employees
A short-lived employee is appointed for a duration that does not last for long. It is to fill a short-term position which is scheduled to be terminated within several years for factors as the conclusion of a specific task or peak workload.
This assists the company in avoiding costs of recruitment, conserves time involved, and assist prevent the unfavorable effect of labor turnover etc. However short-lived workers might not be extremely loyal to the company, their inexperience might affect the work output and they tend to take time to change.
Sub-contracting
To finish a specific task or satisfy an abrupt short-lived increase in the demand of the company's products, the company might resort to subcontracting. It is the practice of appointing part of the responsibilities, tasks and obligations to another celebration under an agreement understood as subcontractor.
Hiring an outside specialist company to carry out part of the work leads to shared benefits in such cases as the company wish to broaden on its own only when the increased demand lasts for a given amount of time.
Employee Leasing
An employee leasing company concentrates on recruitment, training, personnel management, payroll accounting and danger administration. The leasing firm likewise takes care of the work guidance, daily responsibilities and other regular aspects of work.
For instance a nursing services firm employs lots of nurses and provides them to hospitals on an agreement basis. It provides a benefit to the company to alter its workers without actual layoffs.
Outsourcing
Under outsourcing a company procedure is contracted out to a 3rd party, the factor behind outsourcing are numerous. It reduces the requirement to employ and train customized personnel as it is sourced out to somebody specializing in that location possessing the resources and competence that leads to competitive supremacy gradually.
It also assists to decrease capital and operating costs and assists avoid troublesome regulations, high taxes, labour union agreements and so on.
Role Profiles for Recruitment Purposes
Role profiles, specify the general purpose of the role, its reporting relationships and key result locations. They might also consist of the list of proficiencies required. They might be technical (abilities and understanding required to do a specific task) and behavioral proficiencies connected to the function.
The profile likewise consists of the conditions (pay, advantages, hours of work, mobility, taking a trip, transfers, employment training, development and career chances). The recruitment function supplies the basis for person spec.
Person Specifications
A person specification also understood as recruitment, task or personnel spec is the vital component on which the selection procedure is based. It is the amount total of education, training, experience, qualification an individual has to perform the task appointed to him.
When the job requirement have been defined, they should be categories under suitable heads. The standard classifications include credentials, technical and behavioural proficiencies.
There are likewise a variety of traditional schemes. The most popular include the seven-point plan established by Alec Rodgers in 1952 and the five-point grading system established by Munro Fraser in 1954. These give specific headings under which qualities of a perfect candidate can be categorized.
Seven Point Plan
- Physical make up: Health, physique, appearance, bearing and speech
- Attainments: Education, credentials, experience
- General intelligence: Fundamental intellectual capability
- Special abilities: Mechanical, manual dexterity, center in usage of words or figures
- Interest: Social, intellectual, physically active, constructional
- Disposition: Acceptability, influence over others, steadiness, dependability, selfreliance
- Circumstances: Domestic situations, professions of household.
Five-fold Grading System
Influence on others: Physical make-up, appearance, speech and way
Acquired understanding or certification: Education, occupation training, work experience
Innate abilities: Natural speed of understanding and aptitude for discovering
Motivation: The sort of objectives set by the person, his or her consistency and decision in following them up, and success in accomplishing them
Adjustment: Emotional stability, capability to stand tension and ability to get on with individuals.
Attracting Candidates
Attracting candidates is mainly a matter of identifying, examining and using the most suitable sources of applicants. However, where appropriate sources of recruitment are not there, then the analysis of factors contributing to the recruitment in an organization need to be evaluated. Various elements to be taken under consideration are as follows:
Internal Factors
- Company's pay bundle
- Quality of Work Life
- Organizational culture
- Career preparing & development
- Company's size
- Company's products/services
- Company's development rate
- Role of trade union
- Cost of recruitment
- Company's name & popularity
External Factors
1. Socio-economic aspects
2. Supply and demand elements
3. Employment rate
4. Labour market condition
5. Political, Legal & Govt. factors
6. Information System
Recruitment needs to be quick, but a careful process. A wrong relocation can have a dreadful impact on the endeavor. A few procedures can be taken to minimize the unfavorable impact. They are:
Brand Image Creation
Stating clear Definition of Employee Requirements
Applications Receiving Sources
Screening of Applications
Selection Process
Maintain a Prospect Pool
Recruitment Policy
Internal and External Sources
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Human Resource Management
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How to Create Training Program
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Performance Appraisal Process
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Management by Objectives
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Competency Based Training
Human Resource Planning
Personnel Planning Process
Personnel Demand Forecasting
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Methods of Performance Appraisal
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What is Job Design?
Recruitment Meaning
Effective Recruiting
Selection Process
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International Human Resource Management
Cross Cultural Theories
Dimensions of Culture
HRM Practices
International Selection Process
Expatriate Training
International Compensation
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Challenges of Personnel Development
Methods of Human Resource Development
Steps for Designing HRD Intervention
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Realistic Job Review
360 Degree Assessment
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Kinds Of OD Interventions
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