Recruitment & Selection | UGC NET Commerce Preparation Course PDF Download

What is recruitment? 

Recruitment is the process that organizations use to source, attract, and identify candidates for their open positions. The main aim of recruitment is to gather a pool of suitable candidates for the role through various recruitment methods.

Broadly, there are two types of recruitment:

• External Recruitment: Recruiters look for candidates outside their organization. This can involve posting on job sites, using social media, or advertising on their career site. It may also include reaching out to passive candidates who are not actively job hunting.
• Internal Recruitment: This involves considering candidates who already work within the organization in a different role. Many companies prefer to advertise internally before seeking external candidates, as promoting internally can be more cost-effective than hiring externally.

What is selection?

Selection is the process of evaluating candidates' qualities, skills, and experience to narrow down the pool of applicants until the most suitable person for the role is identified. This typically involves conducting interviews and utilizing various tests and assessments to assess each candidate.

Why is recruitment and selection important?

An effective recruitment and selection process enables companies to attract, engage, and pinpoint the best candidates for each available position. This can lead to decreased turnover, heightened productivity, and even enhancements to the company's overall performance.

What is the difference between recruitment and selection?

Recruitment and selection represent distinct phases in the hiring process. Recruitment primarily focuses on reaching out to as many potential candidates as possible with the job description.

On the other hand, selection involves the process of shortlisting applicants until the most qualified candidate is chosen. Here are the key disparities between recruitment and selection:

Why optimal recruitment and selection is important 

Allows you to attract the best talent:

• An efficient recruitment process connects you with top candidates. This is crucial as a significant portion of the workforce consists of passive candidates who may not come across job openings without active engagement from your recruitment team.
• Not only is it about finding suitable candidates, but a study from 2019 revealed that almost half of job seekers in high-demand industries rejected job offers due to poor recruitment experiences. A robust recruitment and selection process can persuade top candidates that your company is the right fit for them.

Reduces turnover and absenteeism:

• A well-executed recruitment and selection process can enhance employee engagement, decrease absenteeism, and increase retention. Identifying the right person for a role increases the likelihood of optimal performance and long-term commitment, particularly when supported by effective employee induction practices.

Saves your organisation money:

• Leaving a position vacant for an extended period can be financially draining for a company. According to a 2017 Harris Poll, the average cost of a poor hire is nearly £15,000. Effective recruitment (enabling companies to fill open positions) and selection (ensuring the right candidate is chosen) assist organizations in saving money in the long term.

6 Steps in the recruitment and selection process

Enhance recruitment efficiency by designing career pages, crafting job ads, and sharing them across 600 portals simultaneously using Personio.

Create meaningful job descriptions:

• Begin by creating detailed job descriptions to introduce candidates to roles and your organization, emphasizing the required skills and experiences to attract suitable applicants.

Advertise postings in the right places:

• To reach a diverse pool of candidates, post job descriptions on general job sites, social media platforms like LinkedIn, or specialized job boards, and consider internal channels like newsletters and notice boards.

Screen Resumes Thoroughly:

• Begin by carefully reviewing resumes to match candidates with job requirements, employing blind screening techniques to ensure unbiased selection.

Schedule, Host, and Evaluate Interviews:

• Conduct interviews to assess candidate qualifications and cultural fit. Multiple rounds may be necessary, with weaker candidates eliminated progressively.

Run Various Tests and Assessments:

• Personality Tests: These assessments are crafted to evaluate a candidate's soft skills, offering insights into how they might react in various scenarios.
• Knowledge Tests: These tests present candidates with specific situations or questions to gauge their expertise, training, and experience.
• Psychometric Tests: Designed to measure candidates' intelligence, these tests typically involve solving problems within a set time frame.
• Technical Skills Assessments: These assessments provide an unbiased evaluation of candidates' technical competencies, facilitating easy comparison between candidates.

Selecting and Hiring Your Ideal Candidate:

• In the final stage of recruitment, evaluate candidates based on their interview performance and any tests or assessments they've completed. This step helps narrow down the pool to find the best fit for the role. Once you’ve chosen your ideal candidate, extend a job offer. If accepted, you'll finalize an employment contract, and the new hire will start after completing their notice period at their current job.
• Next, begin the onboarding process. Make sure to address both major elements (like providing necessary technology access) and minor details (such as sending an automated introduction email).

Recruitment and Selection in Nonprofits

• Recruiting the right people to advance a nonprofit’s mission can be particularly challenging due to often limited budgets. Therefore, nonprofits need a streamlined recruitment system to track applicant progress and allow key stakeholders and interviewers easy access to necessary information.
• Tracking the effectiveness of different recruitment channels is crucial for nonprofits to allocate their limited budget effectively, focusing on the platforms that offer the best return on investment.
• When selecting candidates, nonprofits must consider not only their alignment with the organization's mission but also their potential impact based on their skills. Maintaining a talent pool for future opportunities or volunteer positions is also beneficial. Additionally, nonprofits may need to conduct extra screening, such as police clearances or verifying child protection training, to ensure the safety of the individuals they serve.

Source, attract and hire candidates with Personio 

• Recruiting and assessing candidates is a complex process that involves many different stages. Thankfully, you don’t have to manage it, or any additional HR best practices, alone.
• With Personio, you can effortlessly create, publish, and manage job descriptions. Increase your reach by posting jobs across 15 free job boards in just a few clicks. You can also easily create tailored careers pages to showcase your employer brand and manage everything from a convenient recruitment dashboard.
• Moreover, our applicant tracking system (ATS) allows you to keep track of every application from every channel in one place. Save time by automating key parts of the recruitment and selection process.