Human resource management is the strategic approach to nurturing and supporting employees

and ensuring a positive workplace environment. Its functions vary across different businesses and
industries, but typically include recruitment, compensation and benefits, training and development,
and employee relations.
What is Recruitment?
Recruitment can be considered the principal function of the Human resource department. It is a
process that includes sourcing, screening, and shortlisting. It refers to the process of identifying the
staffing need and then filling it. The whole process includes identifying, attracting, interviewing,
selecting, and onboarding the right candidates for the organization.

What is Recruitment Process?

A recruitment process involves activities like identifying different sources of labour supply from
which applications of prospective employees may be obtained; evaluating the validity of different
sources; choosing the most suitable source; and attracting and motivating prospective candidates to
apply for the vacant jobs.

Every organization follows its own recruitment process, but there are some basic steps that are
followed by most the organization, which are listed here:
Step 1: Preparing
Once the job opening is approved internally, the recruiter contacts the hiring manager. This step is
about gathering details about the open position. During the discussion, the recruiter has to gather
information, like the required skills, roles, responsibilities, etc., and use this information to write a
clear and inclusive Job description. Based on the job description, they can write the job posting.
Step 2: Sourcing
Once the job description is ready, the next step is to start the sourcing. It refers to identifying and
contacting qualified candidates rather than waiting for the candidate to apply for the position. The
primary goal is to pull qualified candidates. A recruiter uses a variety of job portals to pull the
resumes, but it is not essential that for every position, sourcing is required. In some cases, if there
are a large number of applications, there may not be any need to source more candidates.
Step 3: Screening
The Screening of a candidate can take place in many ways. Generally, the first step is Resume
screening. If the resume meets the criteria required for the job opening, then the next step is the
phone screening, in which, the recruiter can cover topics, like the candidate’s availability, current
role, and responsibilities, current salary, salary expectations, Notice period, etc., and if he seems to
be the right candidate, an organization can process further with his profile.
Step 4: Selecting
This process is about sending the assignments, psychometric tests and scheduling interviews,
participating in the interview process, and also keeping the hiring manager in the loop for the whole
process. It is about maintaining a good relationship with the candidate and keeping the candidate
updated about the interview feedback.
Step 5: Hiring
This step includes the final discussion with the candidate about salary, joining date, etc. Once the
joining date is confirmed, the offer letter is released. In some cases, this step also includes
background checks.
Step 6: Onboarding
Once the candidate has accepted the offer letter, the process is not over yet. This is where the pre-
boarding period starts. This is the time between the joining date and when the offer letter was
accepted. And it’s very important to be in touch with your candidate during this period to keep them
engaged. If not done so, it can result in them joining another company. It also includes sharing the
new hire’s email and other details with the team. Once the candidate starts the first day, it’s time to
begin the onboarding process.
What is Selection?
Selection is the process of choosing from among the candidates from within the organisation or
from outside the most suitable person for the current position or for a future position.But selecting
the most suitable candidate for a job is never an easy task as it becomes very difficult to screen
candidates and fill vacancies that are very important for the organisation. It is because the faulty
selection of employees may adversely impact the performance of the organisation.
The Human Resources department initiates the next step in the selection process to select the best
candidate for the job. The basic aim of this process is to find the best candidate for the jobs that fall
vacant. Through the selection procedure, the suitable employees and less suitable ones are
identified.
In simple terms, the selection is a systematic procedure to identify suitable candidates for the jobs in
the organisation from the available applicant pool. David Decenzo defined it as, “Selection is a
managerial decision-making process to predict which job applicants will be successful if hired.”

Definition of Selection in Hrm

Following are the definition of selection:

Selection is the process by which candidates for employment are divided into two classes those who
will be offered employment and those who will be not. By Dale Yoder

David Decenzo defined it as, “Selection is a managerial decision-making process to predict which
job applicants will be successful if hired.”
According to Thomas H. Stone, “Selection is the process of differentiating between applicants in
order to identify (and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job.”
Process of Selection
The selection process of the organisation depends on the various jobs and their nature and
requirements. A good selection process should be able to distinguish applicants who are most
suitable from those who are not suitable. The following are the steps in a selection process:

1. Employment Application Form, Blanks

2. Selection Test
3. Selection Interview
4. Reference Checks
5. Physical Examination
6. Job Offer
Employment Application Form, Blanks
An organisation collects application forms from applicants to collect extremely useful information
from them in a very short span of time. It is useful in determining the suitability of the applicants
and helps in predicting their job performance if they are chosen. The application form should be
prepared with careful consideration and should be reviewed regularly.

Generally, an application form collects basic information such as name, father’s name, date of birth,
age, gender, marital status etc. It also collects information about the educational qualifications,
courses completed, major subjects, year of passing, percentage, rank and name of an educational
institution.

It may also collect information about work experience and previous positions held by the candidate,
the nature and benefits of the job and the reason for leaving it. Through the application form, the
organisation may also collect details about participation in extracurricular activities. Further, names
and addresses of a few references that have knowledge about the candidate can also be collected.
Selection Test
As there are differences in the abilities, aptitudes, interests and traits of candidates, it is important
that these differences are measured for selecting the most suitable candidate. For this, various types
of selection tests are used. according to Cronbach, “A test is a systematic procedure for comparing
the behaviour of two or more persons.” One of the most common methods to test the candidate is by
using the psychological test.

Psychological tests help the Human Resource Managers to select and place employees and
determine the most suitable career plan for them. They also help them to assess their job
performance as well as act as an aid in counselling employees in conflicting situations.

The following are the major types of psychological tests:

1. Ability Test
2. Intelligence Test
3. Aptitude Test
4. Achievement Test
5. Personality Tests
6. Interest Test
7. Honesty and Integrity Test
Selection Interview
A selection interview is conducted to collect information that has not been collected during the
other stages of the selection process. Depending upon the nature of the job, one or more interviews
may be conducted. In simple terms, an interview is an activity where thorough face to face
conversation and information are collected to determine whether the candidate is suitable for the job
or not.

The following are the main objectives of the interview:

It is a way in which gaps in information are filled that are left during the previous stages of the
selection process.
It establishes direct and personal contact with the applicant so that information obtained could be
verified.
It creates two-way communication as there is a mutual exchange of information between the
candidate and the organisation.
It provides a platform for the organisation to create goodwill in the labour market by offering good
hospitality, courtesy and personal care to applicants.
Types of Interviews

The following are the major types of interviews:

1. Structured Interview
2. Unstructured Interview or Open-ended interview
3. In-depth Interview
4. Stress Interview
5. Panel Interview
Reference Checks
When the candidates fill out the application forms, the candidates are requested to fill in the names
of at least two references who can be contacted by the organisation to cross-check the information
provided by the candidate. Normally, these names are of the people who know the candidate.
They may be friends, relatives, previous employees, faculty of the institute where the candidate has
studied or any other prominent persons who are familiar with the candidate.

Physical Examination
Physical examination is undertaken with the aim of ensuring that the selected candidates meet the
physical requirements of the job. It also safeguards the organisation from hiring people with pre-
existing ailments. But this step depends on the general organisation practices as some organisations
in India insist on comprehensive medical tests while others do not insist on such tests.

Job Offer
It is the last step in the process of selection. Here the candidate is informed about their provisional
selection. A job offer that specifies the terms and conditions of employment is issued to the
candidates who have successfully cleared the interview and the physical examination.
Induction and Placement
Once a positive response is received from the candidate, the process of integrating the candidate
into the organisation is initiated and his conversion from a possible candidate to an employee
begins.
Induction and placement is a critical process in HR Planning that involves introducing new
employees to the organization and assigning them to their jobs. The goal of induction and
placement is to ensure that new employees are provided with the information and support they need
to be successful in their jobs and that they are placed in positions that match their skills and
abilities. This article will guide you through the process of induction and placement and the steps
involved in introducing new employees to the organization.

Steps in the Induction and Placement Process

The following are the steps involved in the induction and placement process:

• Provide information about the organization: The first step in the induction process is to
provide new employees with information about the organization, its culture, and its policies
and procedures. This can be done through various methods such as orientation sessions,
handbooks, or online resources.
• Assign a mentor or buddy: The second step is to assign a mentor or buddy to new
employees. A mentor or buddy can provide new employees with support and guidance as
they transition into their new roles.
• Provide job-specific training: The third step is to provide new employees with job-specific
training. This can include training on the tasks and responsibilities of the job, the use of
equipment and technology, and the policies and procedures of the organization.
• Assign tasks and responsibilities: The fourth step is to assign tasks and responsibilities to
new employees. This involves determining the specific duties and tasks that the new
employee will be responsible for and ensuring that they have the skills and knowledge they
need to perform these tasks effectively.
• Evaluate the placement: The final step is to evaluate the placement of the new employee.
This involves monitoring the performance of the new employee and providing feedback to
ensure that they are successful in their new role.
Challenges in the Induction and Placement Process
Organizations may face a variety of challenges in the induction and placement process, including
ensuring that new employees are provided with the information and support they need to be
successful in their jobs and ensuring that new employees are placed in positions that match their
skills and abilities. To overcome these challenges, organizations should have a structured and
comprehensive induction process, assign a mentor or buddy to new employees, provide job-specific
training, and monitor the performance of new employees.