The Recruitment Process:
- What is Recruitment?
- What is recruitment planning?
- Identifying the vacancy
- Analysing the vacancy
- Producing a job description
- Producing a job specification
- Undergoing a job-assessment
- Developing a recruitment strategy
- Finding an appropriate candidate
- Sourcing Candidates
- Screening & Selecting Candidates
- Examining CVs and Covering Letters
- Interviewing Candidates
- Identifying the most qualified applicants
- Evaluating candidates
What is Recruitment?
Recruitment is the process of identifying and recruiting qualified candidates to fill open jobs within a business. It identifies applicants who possess the skills and attitudes necessary to help a business achieve its goals.
The recruitment process involves locating job openings, assessing job specifications, examining applications, screening, shortlisting, and choosing the best applicant.
Recruitment is the first step toward developing a strong resource base. The process is methodical, beginning with the sourcing of resources, continuing with the arrangement and conduct of interviews, and concluding with the selection of the most qualified applicants.
What is Recruitment Planning
Recruitment planning is the first phase in the recruitment process; it involves the analysis and description of vacant positions within an organisation. It comprises work descriptions and the nature of the employment, as well as the experience, credentials, and abilities required for the position.
To attract suitable applicants from a pool of individuals, a systematic recruitment strategy is required. Candidates should be competent, experienced, and capable of taking on the tasks necessary to accomplish the organization’s goals.
Identifying the vacancy
The first and most critical step in developing a recruitment strategy is identifying the vacancy. This procedure starts with the Human Resources Department receiving requisitions for recruitment from various departments within the organisation. Key considerations are:
- The total number of positions to be filled
- Positions available
- To-be-performed duties and obligations
- Requires education and experience
When a vacancy is identified, it is the sourcing manager’s obligation to determine if the position is necessary or not and consider the type of employee required, be that:
- Permanent or temporary,
- Full-time or part-time,
- Fixed term contract
- And so on
Prior to initiating recruitment, these criteria should be reviewed and signed off by HR and/or senior management when required. Appropriate identification, planning, and evaluation will result in the employment of the most qualified resource for the team and company.
Analysing the Vacancy
Job analysis is the process of identifying, assessing, and deciding the responsibilities, tasks, skills, talents, and work environment associated with a particular job role. These elements aid in determining what a business requires and what characteristics an individual must possess in order to carry out the job effectively.
Job analysis aides in determining which duties are critical and how to do them. A thorough job analysis underpins the the basis of establishing selection, training and remuneration requirements.
The following stages are critical when performing a job analysis:
- Collecting, maintaining reviewing job-related data
- Exactness in verifying employment information
- Creating job descriptions based on the data collected
- Determining the necessary knowledge, skills, and abilities for the job
A quality and thorough job analysis produces immediate results in the form of job descriptions and job specifications.
Producing a Job Description
A job description is a critical document that is descriptive in character, outlining the job role, description, sector, industry etc. A clear, concise and transparent job description is important for a successful recruitment process.
Job descriptions provide information on the job’s scope, duties, and responsibilities, as well as the roles position within the company. This information provides the employer and organisation with a clear picture of what an employee needs accomplish to fulfil his work obligations.
A job description should detail:
- Job classification
- Key details and duties
- Outlining a professional path, detailing potential for promotions
A job description contains details on the following elements:
- Job Title / Organizational Position
- Workplace Location
- Job Summary
- Job Responsibilities
- Machines, Materials, and Apparatus used
Producing a Job Specification
The job specification is concerned with the characteristics of the individual that the human resources department is planning to employ. The first step in developing a job specification is compiling a list of all available positions within the business and its locations. The second stage is to produce job data for each position.
A job specification document includes the following information:
- Qualification’s required
- Past work experience
- Education and development
- Required skills
- Duties at work
Undergoing a Job Assessment
Job assessment is a comparative procedure that involves examining, comparing, and establishing a job’s relative value/worth in comparison to other positions within an organisation.
The primary goal of job assessment is to study and decide which jobs are worth the most money. Job assessment employs a variety of techniques, including work grading, job categorization, and job rating. Salary and compensation discussions are predicated on job appraisal.
Developing a Recruitment Strategy
Recruitment strategy is the second stage of the recruitment process, during which a plan for hiring resources is developed. After finishing the job descriptions and job requirements, the next stage is to decide on a recruitment plan for the organization’s possible applicants.
When developing a recruitment strategy, the human resources department takes the following factors into account:
- Should staff be acquired externally, or developed internally?
- Should recruitment be done in-house, or by use of a recruitment consultant
- Where should the candidate be based
While developing a recruitment plan takes time, having the correct approach is critical for attracting the appropriate people. Developing a recruitment strategy entails the following steps:
- Forming a board of directors
- Conducting an analysis of human resource strategy
- Data collection
- Analysing the data gathered
- Establishing a recruitment strategy
Finding an Appropriate Candidate
After completing the recruitment plan, the search for applicants will begin. This procedure is divided into two stages.
- Once the line manager checks and approves that a vacancy needs filling, the search for applicants begins.
- The business determines the how to communicate the job vacancy potential applicants.
Searching entails luring job searchers to open positions. The sources are grouped into two basic categories: internal and external.
Sourcing Candidates
Internal Sources:
Internal sources of recruitment refer to the process of recruiting workers inside a company.
- Promotions
- Transfers
- Previous Employees
- Internal Publicity (Job Posting)
- Employee Recommendations
- Former Applicants
External Sources
External sources of recruitment refer to the process of recruiting workers from outside the company.
- Direct recruitment
- Job Exchanges
- Staffing Agencies
- Advertisements
- Professional trade bodies and associations
- Peer to Peer
Screening and Selecting candidates
Screening begins after the applicant sourcing process is complete. Screening is the process of selecting applicants’ applications for further consideration.
Screening is a critical component of the recruitment process since it assists in weeding out unqualified or irrelevant applicants that were acquired through sourcing. Three phases comprise the recruitment screening process.
Examining CVs and Covering Letters
The first stage in the screening process is to review applicants. During this stage, applicants’ resumes are examined and scrutinised to ensure that their education, work experience, and general history align with the job requirements.
While reviewing resumes, an HR executive should keep the following criteria in mind to ensure that prospective applicants are properly screened.
- Justification for job change
- Probability of remaining in a the hiring company over an extended period of time
- Protracted periods of unemployment
- Job-hopping
- Inadequate professional advancement
Interviewing candidates
The second phase in the screening process is to conduct telephone or video interviews with prospects. Following the screening of CVs, the hiring manager contacts applicants by phone or video. This screening procedure produces two results.
- It assists in determining if applicants are active and available.
- It also assists in quickly assessing a candidate’s attitude, ability to respond to interview questions, and communication skills.
Identifying the most qualified applicants
The last stage in screening resumes/applicants is to identify the best candidates. This technique shortlists the highest quality candidates for this role, making it easier for the hiring manager to make a selection. This procedure produces the following three results:
- Selecting between five and ten CVs for evaluation by recruiting managers
- Provides an analysis of each candidate, delivering “pros and cons” of hiring each.
- Providing suitable recommendations to the hiring manager
Evaluation
Evaluation is the last stages of the recruitment process. Recruitment is an expensive process, which is why it is critical to thoroughly evaluate the recruitment process’s performance.
Costs associated with the recruitment process must be adequately examined and managed. Among them are the following:
- Compensation for recruiters
- Costs associated with advertisements and other recruitment strategies, e.g., agency fees.
- Administrative costs and overheads associated with recruitment
- Costs associated with overtime and vacant positions
- Expenses associated with locating qualified applicants for the final selection process
- Time spent by management and professionals on job description development, job specification development, and interviewing
