Recruitment, Selection,

Placement and Induction

K.G. Priyashantha
BBA (Ruhuna, Major in HRM), MSc (Agder, Norway),PgD.LS(Colombo),Dip. in Int.
Strategy(INT LAB)(Agder, Norway),Award Winner-Young HR Mind Award: INHRC-2010IPM SL, Reading for MLS(Colombo,SL)
1

Recruitment
Recruitment has acquired immense importance in
Human Resource Management.
It's the second most important factor in HRM; the HR
Planning being the most important.
Recruitment is one of the critical and important
outcomes of HR Planning.
This process will trigger off all the activities in the
organization

Recruitment
Definition;
"the process of seeking and attracting a pool of
people from which qualified candidates for job
vacancies can be chosen"

Byers and Rue

In other words,
Recruitment is the process of searching for
prospective candidates and entices them to apply
for the jobs in the organization

Recruitment
Even though the word "Employment" is used
interchangeably for recruitment, it in fact means
"recruitment and selection" and should never be used
for recruitment
Recruitment is one of the Key Result Areas ( KRAs) of
Human Resource Management which basically means
matching Human Resources to the Strategic and
Operational needs of the organization ensuring
optimum utilization of those Human resources

Recruitment Policy
The recruitment policy of an organization will reflect
the objective and policies of the
organization and will lay down the objectives of
recruitments in addition to the avenues and
sources of recruitments

Recruitment Process
HR Planning
Identify the HR
requirement/ Job
Vacancies
Job Analysis
(JD and JS)
Decision to
Recruit
Choose the
Resources and
methods of
Recruitment

Implement the
Recruitment
programme
Evaluate the
Recruitment
Programme

Recruitment Process
HR Planning
This is the first step in the process and the accuracy
of the HR planning has a bearing on the whole
process

Recruitment Process
Identify the HR requirement/ Job Vacancies
When the accurate and timely HR Planning done
the Job vacancies or the requirement is made
known
IS

Recruitment Process
Job Description and Job Specification
Proper and updated JDs and JSs will make the
process easier and smoother and specific.
Proper JD and JS will be quite useful in advertising
and this in turn will give the applicant a better
understanding of the vacancy s/he applies for.
Decision to Recruit
At this stage Recruitment policy has to be made use
of

Recruitment Process
Choose the Resources and methods of Recruitment
Internal and External sources

Implement the recruitment programme

Once the method of recruitment is decided and agreed upon it should be
implemented

Evaluate the recruitment programme

We must evaluate the process to assess the validity or the
suitability of the method used.
The cost effectiveness also a major factor to be considered:
Number of applications received
Number of relevant and quality applications received is also
important

INTERNAL AND EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT

There are two kinds of recruitment methods;
they are internal recruitment and external
recruitment.
Internal recruitment
when existing employees are used to fill the
vacancies

External recruitment
when outside applicants are recruited

INTERNAL RECRUITMENT METHODS

Notice boards
Circulars
News letters
Job posting notifying job vacancy on company notice
boards, magazines, newsletters

HRIS
Intranet
Transfers
Promotions
Referrals of employee - "buddy finds buddy"

ADVANTAGES OF INTERNAL RECRUITMENT

Boost the morale of the work force
Employee's performance and competencies
are well known
Cost effective
Better employee relationship
Kind of a training and development for the
employee
Better utilization of the internal resources

DISADVANTAGES OF INTERNAL RECRUITMENT

Inbreeding (practice that junior follow the same

things done by seniors)

Miss out the talent available externally

Limited choice
Less competition

EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT METHODS

News paper advertisements

AIDA-Attention, Interest, Desire, Action

Magazines
Radio and TV
Point of purchase
Job bidding (Alternative term for job posting)
Educational Institutes

EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT METHODS

Labor contractors
Job agencies
"Head hunting"
Walk in interviews
Job Fairs
Other sources- From Association of
Handicapped

ADVANTAGES OF EXTERNAL RECRUITME T METHODS

(TOOLS)
Infusion of new blood
Wide options
Finding innovative employees incorporation of
new concepts
Publicity and better image for the organization

DISADVANTAGES OF EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT

METHODS (TOOLS)

Time consuming
Unpredictable performance
May not fit to the Organization's culture
Expensive
Frustration among employee

SELECTION
Definition
"Selection is the process of choosing the most
suitable applicant/candidate for a job from
among the available applicants. "

SELECTION
Selecting the right person is the most important aspect
of "Employment" for we must place the
right person to the right position.
Rejecting the right person or the placement of the
wrong person will have a severe impact on the
performance of the organization and will lead to a
heap of problems

SELECTION
Accuracy in selection is important for three
reasons
Performance: Your performance always depends to
a greater degree on your subordinates
Costs: Advertisement costs, Cost of hours spent in
sorting out CVs, Executives time spent on
interviewing, Loss of productivity in not having the
right person at the right time, Cost of
learning Curve etc.
Legal Implications: Equal Employment Legislation
and Red tag questions

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal
selection procedure;
Application screening and short listing;
The information contained in the application
form must be used for the purpose of
screening and short listing the candidates.
Sometimes as an initial step, it might be
necessary to eliminate (unwanted)
applications which fall short of the
requirements.
E.g.
Qualifications, experience, age limits etc.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal
selection procedure;
Presentation of data in a tabulated form;
Preparation of schedule of short listed candidates,
presenting all required data in most clear and
accurate manner. This has to be prepared in a
uniform manner by entering potential candidates'
qualifications, experience etc.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal
selection procedure;
Preliminary interview;
This process is to determine whether the
applicant's skills and abilities are matching
perform the required job.

SELECTION PROCESS
During this process interviewer will make a
thorough understanding to the candidate that the
actual job that he/she is going to perform.
Generally this interview is conducted by the HR
manager. It is usually brief and spends about 15 20 minutes per candidate

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;

Employment tests;
Many types of tests are available to be used in the
selection process. Employment test plays an
important role in the selection procedure. Hence
the suitability of the test will depend according to
the category and level of specific jobs to be filled.

E.g.

SELECTION PROCESS
Aptitude tests (To perform something physically)

Psychomotor test (Measure the strength of body

coordination, finger dexterity, manual dexterity, and
reaction time.)
Job knowledge and proficiency tests
Interest tests (To ascertain the candidate's most
preferred occupation which mostly satisfy him)
IQ and General knowledge tests

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;
Diagnostic interview;
This interview is used to supplement information
gained in other steps in the selection process to
determine the suitability of an applicant.
This is commonly known as the final interview for
candidates.

SELECTION PROCESS
E.g.
Board/Panel/Group interviews
Structured/unstructured interviews
Stress interviews ( is designed to determine how a job
applicant reacts under pressure.)

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;
Reference checking;
References can be obtained either personally from
school/institution/past employers.
The main objective of checking the reference is to
obtain additional insight into the information
provided by the candidate and also to confirm the
accuracy of the information.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal
selection procedure;
Medical examination;
To ascertain the mental
and physical fitness of a
candidate. Generally a
health declaration
must be filled by the
candidate before the
medical exam.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;
Final selection;
The final step in selection is choosing one individual
for the job.
Every effort should be made to reach the right
decision.
It could be that there would more than one qualified
person. Hence a value judgment based on all the
information gathered in the previous steps so as to
select the most suitable person

SELECTION PROCESS
The responsibility for making the final selection
decision is assigned to different levels of
management in different organizations.
Final selection decision is usually left to the manager
of the department with the job opening subject to
the approval of higher level management.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;
Collection of various documents;
Photocopies to be taken after having seen the
originals of testimonials, certificates and
other important documents of the candidate.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;
Collection of various documents;
Photocopies to be taken after having seen the
originals of testimonials, certificates and
other important documents of the candidate.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;
Job offer interview;
Once the decision is finalized to offer the job to
the right candidate, he/she is invited for a job
offer interview.
During this process all details of the job offer is
explained and the candidate is given an
opportunity to clarify all the doubts, if any.

SELECTION PROCESS
Finally the letter of appointment (terms and
conditions of the employment) is issued to the
candidate.
As per the Shop and Office employees act these
details to be included in the appointment letter;
Name of the employee, Date of appointment,
Salary, Grade, Probation period, conditions of
employment, hours of work, leave, holidays etc.
Then the acknowledgement of receipt should be
obtained by the employer.

SELECTION PROCESS
Following steps could be seen in a formal selection
procedure;
Contract of employment;
It is almost like an agreement between the employer
and the employee. It contains all terms and
conditions in a concise manner.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
Formal and Structured interviews / Directive
interviews
This is very rigid in its structure and contents
This ensures each and every candidate is tested
with identical questions comprehensively.
The interviewer selects the questions to be asked
and plans the interview in advance.
Lack of subjectivity is the main advantage in this
kind of interviewing

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
Unstructured interviews / Nondirective
interviews
As the name suggests it has no pre-determined set
of questions and take its own course depending on
the answers given.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
Unstructured interviews / Nondirective
interviews
As the name suggests it has no pre-determined set
of questions and take its own course depending on
the answers given.

Stress interviews
The objective of stress interview is to test the
applicant's ability to perform effectively and
efficiently under stress.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
Group interview method
All or Group of candidates are interviewed by an
interviewer. Usually they are interviewed at
different stages by different interviewer/s

Panel interviews
Usually Panel is used since experts in every fields
need the applicant to be tested in their respective
fields.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS
In depth interviews
This is at the second stage and as the name
connotes it goes to a deeper level and it's extensive

Situational type of interviews

This is where the questions are focused on the
individual's ability to project what his or her
behavior would be in a given situation

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Intelligence Tests (Specific cognitive abilities)
Generally Intelligence means the mental ability or
quickness of mind. Some has defined it as the
"reasoning, judgment, memory and the power of
abstraction." An IQ (Intelligent Quotient) test would
commonly consist of three sections each testing a
different ability, usually comprising verbal reasoning,
numerical ability and spatial reasoning

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Aptitude Tests (Specific cognitive abilities)
This measures the person's ability to learn a given job
and usually divided into, Verbal, Numerical and
Spatial aptitude

Test of Motor and Physical Abilities

This includes finger dexterity, manual dexterity, speed
of the and movement and reaction time

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Situational Tests
This is a behavioral test and usually a real like
situation is given to the applicant and asked to tackle
the situation as if he or she got it in their real life.
E.g. "In basket exercise", "Fish ball exercise"
"Leaderless group exercise" etc

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Achievement Tests
These are knowledge tests

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Interest Tests
This is to identify whether the applicant has a
genuine interest in the kind or work she/ he is going
to perform. Unless a person has no interest in what
he/she does he/she will not perform well.

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Personality Tests
A person's mental and physical abilities are seldom
enough to explain his or her job performance. Other
factors like the person's motivation and interpersonal
skills are important too.
Personality tests assess a person's Value systems,
Emotions and other personal characteristics such as
such as self-confidence, judgments, dominance or
submission, impulsiveness etc

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Polygraph Tests
Test the truthfulness of an applicant answers

TYPES OF SELECTION TESTS

Graphology
Analysis of hand writing to assess one's personality.

PLACEMENT
Definition
"the determination of the job to which an
accepted candidate is to be assigned and his
assignment to that job."
Paul Pagers and Charles A. Myers

Placing the selected employees on the right

positions of the jobs

PLACEMENT
Purpose is to fit in the new employees to the job demands.
When the new employee(s) join a company he/she is
supposedly an unknown or and an untried
(UNTESTED) quantity to the organization.
So for this reason they are initially put under a
probation period.
The duration of the probation period last from three
months to six months or more

PLACEMENT
At the end of this period, the company measures
performance,
Decision is made whether permanent or discharge.

INDUCTION
Induction is a type of training given as an initial
preparation upon taking up a job/post.
Its objective is to help new employees to reach
the level of performance expected from an
experienced worker.
This type of training is absolutely vital for new
starters (employees).
Good and effective induction training ensures
new starters are retained, settled quickly and
happily engaged in productive role.

INDUCTION
initial impression is the final impression. Impressions
have been formed by the advertisement, the selection
procedures (interviews).
After offering the specific job certain organizations used
to utilize the newly recruited employee straight away to
the work/job without providing him/her initial
familiarization training about the organization and the
particular job to perform.

INDUCTION
Duration of this training depends on the particular job
and the type and size of the organization (may be 2 hrs
or 2 - 4 days or even 2 -3 weeks).
Hence initial couple of days is very crucial and if
appropriately dealt with can create the right
relationship which contributes to employees staying
with an employer.

INDUCTION PROCESS
introducing an employee/worker to the new work
place (Organization) as soon as possible so that he/she
need not discomfort about it.
Thus the familiarization training enables the particular
employee to give attention to the work, which is the
main objective of the job rather than having to
understand and be anxious about the other elements
in proximity of the working place.

INDUCTION PROCESS
In some instances no training is required as just
working under close supervision and guidance for few
days will obviously create an environment to perform
the particular job effectively.

INDUCTION PROCESS
Following could be identified as the essential
ingredients of the familiarization training of any
organization;

Location and physical layout

Colleagues and informal relationships
Management, supervision and formal relationship
Customers
Conditions of employment and contracts
Organization and house rules E.g. No drinking, No
smoking etc
Security systems

INDUCTION PROCESS
HR manager's responsibility;
to ensure that the induction training is properly planned
carried out in systematic manner
to cover all the ground areas in the shortest effective time.

Is must be conducted in interesting manner (without

boring) by using audio, visual presentations, video clips
etc.
Type of induction training may differ according to the
particular job category/level of job
(work force/line manager/middle level/top level).
in some induction training overseas visits (sister
companies etc.), site tours / visits etc. also included.

PURPOSE OF INDUCTION/FAMILIARIZATION
TRAINING
To eliminate turn over
To eliminate fear and build-up confidence of the
employee
To enhance the productivity and quality of the product
To build sense of belongingness and loyalty
To build and develop soft skills(positive
attitudes/values) of the employees
Feeling of job satisfaction and security
Get to know each other in the work place
Employee is having a macro picture about the
organization

FORMAL INDUCTION OR FAMILIARIZATION

TRAINING
Two basic components
1. "General information"
2. "information with regard to the particular
job/department".

The duration of this formal training

2 - 4 days but in some instances it will be 2 - 3 weeks.

Must have proper time table and all the trainers involve
in the programme to be informed well in advance.
A copy of the time table also should be given to all
participants (Newly joined workers).
review and seek feedback after induction training.
This is obtained through an evaluation on completion

General Training (General information);

This is done by the HR Manger with the assistance of the
other departments/functional areas
In this component following basic elements are covered.
Reception
Introducing the employee hand book (Essential
information)
Introduction to key persons
Business and Business structure (vision, mission, back
ground etc)
Organizational structure

General Training (General information);

Organizational culture and values
Welfare and employee benefits
(canteen, day-care centre, incentives, pay,
pension, medical facilities etc.)

Site layouts (Factory/offices/canteen etc.)

General administration

General Training (General information);

Discipline and Grievance handling procedure
Organizational rules, Dress codes, Absenteeism and
lateness, Working hours and Smoking areas
Occupational Health and Safety (Legal requirement)
Security, Restricted areas, Transport and Parking

Job Training (Information with regard to

the particular job/department)
This is conducted by the particular
department/functional manager along with its other
representatives.
This training covers following aspects.
Local department structure
Local department layout (wash rooms, changing rooms
etc.)
Local department tour
Department functions/role and objectives

Job Training (Information with regard to

the particular job/department)
Department team and management
Related departments and functions
How the department actually works and relates to
others
Reporting and communication procedure
Job description (duties, scope, territory, authority
etc.)
Work station/space
Technical training/familiarization

Evaluation;
On completion, it is essential to evaluate the newly
joined employees in order to measure the
effectiveness of the training programme.
The evaluation can be in a form of a questionnaire.
conduct exit interviews when the employees have
left during or soon after completing the induction
training.
This feedback is very essential in order to identify
the improvements and continuously develop the
induction training programs in the future.