Recruitment_&_Selection_Proceess

2.1 SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT The detailed review of literature regarding the selection procedure exhibits that generally there are two chief sources of recruitment as follows: 1) Internal 2) External INTERNAL SOURCES According to Managing people ( by p.g.aquinas) 2005 Internal sources include personnel already on the pay roll of an organisation. Filling a vacancy from internal sources by promoting people has the advantages of increasing the general level of morale of existing employees and of providing to the company more reliable information about the candidate. Among the internal sources may be included promotions, transfers and response of employees to notified vacancy. ADVANTAGES  The organisation has sufficient knowledge about the candidate and hence can make good choice. There is a saying ‘ known devils are better than unknown angles!’  Internal recruiting offers regular promotional avenues for the employees. They will be more loyal and committed to the organisation and will work with enthusiasm.  A policy of preferring people from within motivates them to work hard and earn promotions. It provides career progression for the employees.  The cost of recruiting internal candidates is the minimum because no expenses are incurred on advertising paying TA/DA on the candidates to attend the written test and advertisement.  The organisation can pick the right candidates having the requisite skills as they (the candidates are very well known to the organisation and we don’t have to make a decision in an interview. DISADVANTAGES  Recruitment form within may lead to infighting among employees aspiring for limited higher-level positions in an organisation.  As the source is very limited we may not be able to get the right type of candidates. The entries of talented people available from outside are discouraged. It results in inbreeding and the organisation may lose out on dynamism.  Promotions based on length of service rather than merit may prove fatal for the organisations. Candidates know that they need not work hard and prove their worth.  There is a possibility of favouritism practiced by higher level officers who may select candidates for higher level positions not based on merit but because of personal consideration.  The internal sources are limited as there may be very limited source from which the organisation has to choose from. Therefore, the organisation may have to settle from what is available to them. TECHNIQUES OF JOB POSTING AND JOB BIDDING According to Managing people ( by p.g.aquinas) 2005Organisations may communicate information about job openings through a process referred to as job posting and bidding. In the past, this process has consisted largely of posting vacancy notices on bulletin boards. In addition, it may also include use of designated posting centres, employee publications, special handouts, direct mail and pub-address messages. Job posting is another way of hiring people form within. In this method, the organisation publicises job openings on bulletin boards, electronic media and similar outlets. One of the important advantages of this method is that it offers a chance to highly qualified applicants working within the company to look for growth opportunities within the company without liking for greener pastures outside. Job posting systems imply that the organisation is more interested in selecting employees from within the company than outside the organisation. Here it is important that all employees have access to the job postings. According to Managing people ( by p.g.aquinas) 2005Guidelines for effective job posting and bidding system include:-  Posting all permanent promotion and transfer opportunities for at least one week before recruiting outside the organisation.  Outlining minimum requirements for the position including specific training courses  Describing decision rules that will be used  Making application forms available  Informing all applicants how and when the job was filled. EXTERNAL SOURCES According to Managing people ( by p.g.aquinas) 2005 These sources lie outside the organisation. They may include: Employee referrals- friends and relatives of present employees are also a good source from which employees may be drawn. Labour contractors- many organisations employ labour contractors to hire workers. This method is usually resorted to when the work is of a temporary nature. Unsolicited applicants- this is another source. Some candidates send in their applications without any invitation from the organisation. Field trips- an interviewing team makes trips to towns and cities, which are known to contain the kinds of employees required. In this method of recruitment, carefully prepared brochures describing the organisation and the job it offers are distributed to the candidates before the interviewer arrives. The arrival dates and the time and venue of interview are given to the candidates in advance. Advertisements- advertising in newspapers, trade journals and magazines is the most frequently used method. In order to be successful, an advertisement should be carefully written. If it is not properly written, it may not draw the right type of applicants or it may attract too many applicants who are not qualified for the job. Campus recruitment- sometimes, recruiters are send to educational institutions where they meet the placement officer or the faculty members who recommend suitable candidates. This system is prevalent in the US where campus recruitment is a major source. However, today the idea of campus recruitment has slowly caught the fancy of Indian employers too. Employment exchanges- an employment exchange is an office set-up for bringing together as quickly as possible candidates searching for employment and employers looking for prospective employees. The main functions of employment exchanges are registration of job seekers and their placement in notified vacancies. ADVANTAGES  It encourages in motivating internal employees to work hard and compete with external candidates while seeking career growth. Such a competitive atmosphere would help an employee to work to the best of his abilities.  These external sources could help in injection of fresh blood. Thus , discourage, inbreeding and help organisations to select people with special skills and knowledge.  There are long term benefits in external sources of recruitment. Talented people could join the organisation with new ideas and this would compel internal people to give their best to the organisation in a competitive atmosphere.  The organisation has the freedom to select candidates from a large pool. Thus the choice is larger and persons with requisite qualifications could be picked up. There will be no compromise on quality. DISADVANTAGES  Existing employees who have put in considerable service in the organisation may feel they are not suitably rewarded. They may feel unmotivated and will work with less enthusiasm.  Though external sources have a wide choice there is no guarantee that the organisation will hire suitable candidates. It might end up hiring someone who does not fit into the organisation culture.  The cost of hiring could go up substantially as advertisements have to be put in the media and candidates paid TA/DA to attend the interview.  External sources of recruitment is very time consuming process. It takes time to advertise, screen, test and select suitable employees. If suitable ones are not available the process has to be repeated after some time which again results in delay in filling up vacancies. INTERNET RECRUITMENT According to Managing people ( by p.g.aquinas) 2005Companies and applicants find internet recruiting cheaper, faster and potentially more effective. A variety of websites are available where applicants can submit their resumes and potential employers can check for qualified applicants. Applicant tracking systems can match the job requirements with the experiences and skills of the applicants. Online recruiting is not just matching candidates with companies. The next generation of web-based tools includes online job fairs in which companies can meet candidates in a virtual environment and chat with them online. The method is cost effective as well. In recent years, most companies have found it useful to develop their own website and list job openings on it. The website offers a fast, convenient and cost effective means for job applicants to submit their resume through the internet. The internet recruiting is effective as it generates fast, cost effective and timely responses from job applicants. But the problem is that the website might be flooded with resumes from unqualified job seekers. Applications may also come from geographic areas spread in different parts of the world which are unrealistically far. From all this we can conclude that there is no hard and fast rule whether the recruitment must be done exclusively through internal or external sources or conjointly to make it most effective. The best management policy regarding recruitment is to first look within the organisation and if no able talent is available, external sources may be looked at.