Scope of study

The present research is confined to study the recruitment process followed at Tata consultancy
services limited (TCS) Kochi.The scope of this study is to observe the Recruitment and Selection
Techniques adopted by the company. Apart from getting an idea of the techniques and methods
in the recruitment procedures a close look will be taken at the insight of corporate culture
prevailing in the organization. This would not only help to be familiar with the corporate
environment but it would also enable to get a close look at the various levels authority
responsibility relationship prevailing in the organization.
The scope of the project includes

Study of Importance of Recruitment and Selection process for an enterprise.

Study of Recruitment and Selection Practices at. Tata consultancy services limited (TCS)
Kochi.

Employees are satisfied with the recruitment process.

Recruitment
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting qualified people
for a job at an organization or firm. For some components of the recruitment process,
mid- and large-size organizations often retain professional recruiters or outsource some
of the process to recruitment agencies.
The recruitment industry has five main types of agencies: employment agencies,
recruitment websites and job search engines, "headhunters" for executive and
professional recruitment, niche agencies which specialize in a particular area of staffing,
or employer branding strategy and in-house recruitment. The stages in recruitment
include sourcing candidates by advertising or other methods, and screening and
selecting potential candidates using tests or interviews.
In-house recruitment
Under pressure to reduce costs, both large- and medium-sized employers tend to
undertake their own in-house recruitment, using their human resources department,
front-line hiring managers and recruitment personnel who handle targeted functions and

populations. In addition to coordinating with the agencies mentioned above, in-house

recruiters may advertise job vacancies on their own websites, coordinate internal
employee referrals, work with external associations, trade groups and/or focus on
campus graduate recruitment. Some large employers choose to outsource all or some
of their recruitment process (recruitment process outsourcing) however a much more
common approach is for employers to introduce referral schemes where employees are
encouraged to source new staff from within their own network.
Process
1) Job analysis

The proper start to a recruitment effort is to perform a job analysis, to document the
actual or intended requirement of the job to be performed. This information is captured
in a job description and provides the recruitment effort with the boundaries and
objectives of the search. Oftentimes a company will have job descriptions that represent
a historical collection of tasks performed in the past. These job descriptions need to be
reviewed or updated prior to a recruitment effort to reflect present day requirements.
Starting recruitment with an accurate job analysis and job description ensures the
recruitment effort starts off on a proper track for success.
Job analysis defines the duties and human requirements of the companys jobs. The
next step is to recruit and select employees. We can envision the recruitment and
selection process as a series of steps
1) Decide the positions to fill, through personnel planning and forecasting.
2) Build a pool of candidates or these jobs, by recruiting internal or external candidates.
3) Have candidates complete application forms and perhaps undergo initial screening
interviews.
4) Use selection tools like tests, background investigations, and physical exams to
identify viable candidates.
5) Decide who to make an offer to, by having the supervisor and perhaps others
interview the candidates.
2) Sourcing
Sourcing involves

Advertising, a common part of the recruiting process, often encompassing

multiple media, such as the Internet, general newspapers, job ad
newspapers, professional publications, window advertisements, job centers,
and campus graduate recruitment programs; and
Recruiting research, which is the proactive identification of relevant talent
who may not respond to job postings and other recruitment advertising
methods done in #1. This initial research for so-called passive prospects, also
called name-generation, results in a list of prospects who can then be
contacted to solicit interest, obtain a resume/CV, and be screened (see
below).

3) Screening and selection

Suitability for a job is typically assessed by looking for skills, e.g. communication, typing,
and computer skills. Qualifications may be shown through rsums, job applications,
interviews, educational or professional experience, the testimony of references, or inhouse testing, such as for software knowledge, typing skills, numeracy, and literacy,
through psychological tests or employment testing. Other resume screening criteria may
include length of service, job titles and length of time at a job. In some countries,
employers are legally mandated to provide equal opportunity in hiring. Business
management software is used by many recruitment agencies to automate the testing
process. Many recruiters and agencies are using an applicant tracking system to
perform many of the filtering tasks, along with software tools for psychometric testing.
Onboarding
"Onboarding" is a term which describes the process of helping new employees become
productive members of an organization. A well-planned introduction helps new
employees become fully operational quickly and is often integrated with a new company
and environment. Onboarding is included in the recruitment process for retention
purposes. Many companies have onboarding campaigns in hopes to retain top talent
that is new to the company; campaigns may last anywhere from 1 week to 6 months.
Internet recruitment and websites
Such sites have two main features: job boards and a rsum/curriculum vitae (CV)
database. Job boards allow member companies to post job vacancies. Alternatively,
candidates can upload a rsum to be included in searches by member companies.
Fees are charged for job postings and access to search resumes. Since the late 1990s,
the recruitment website has evolved to encompass end-to-end recruitment. Websites
capture candidate details and then pool them in client accessed candidate management
interfaces (also online).
Planning and forecasting:
Employment personnel planning: The process of deciding what positions the firm will
have to fill, and how to fill them.
The recruitment and selection process starts with employment or personnel planning.
This is the process of deciding what positions the firm will have to fill, and how to fill
them. Personnel planning embrace all future positions, from maintenance clerk to CEO.
However, most firms call the process of deciding how to fill executive jobs succession
planning.
Employment planning should flow from the firms strategic plans. Plans to enter new
business build new plants or reduce costs all influence the types of positions the firm
will need to fill (or eliminate).

About TCSS Recruitment & Selection Process

Recruitment at TCS take place at all levels i.e. entry and various experience levels.

The hiring of experienced professionals take place through the year, while campus
offers for freshers joining next year are conducted according to placement seasons at
colleges.
Off-campus recruitments for fresher are conducted periodically for any additional
requirements. For this, TCS undertakes recruitment drives through walk-in interviews,
announcements for which are made in the media.
The Selection Procedure consists of a written test and those who clear written test will
face technical and HR Interview. The written test usually consists of four sections Verbal, Quantitative Aptitude, Comprehension and Psychometric test.
Written Test
Verbal Section consists of 15 questions and is to be attempted in 6 minutes. These are
usually based on English words and their synonyms.
Quantitative section consists of basic mathematics questions based on percentages,
multiplication, and simple algebra. It consists of 15 questions and the time allotted is 10
minutes. Comprehension Section consists of 60 questions with 50 minutes.
Psychometric test contains 150 questions with 30 minutes. These are general
personality based questions and are yes/no based. Among other, these questions test
candidates ability to answer consistently.

Interview
The written test is followed by interviews- technical and HR. The technical interview is
based on subjects candidates have already studied in their curriculum. Candidate need
to select their favorite subjects out of what they have studied.
The HR Interview is very general to test candidates temperament. General questions
based on current affairs, general awareness, trends in IT etc. may be asked.
TCS also employs a lot of fresh graduates. To help identify new talent, they
are engaged with more than 300 academic institutions globally. They have built robust
holistic programs, which includes faculty development programs, workshops and annual
conclaves for the professors and teachers. Through their work with these institutes,
they identify with and cultivate new talent. This helps them to groom freshers at the
entry level itself.
Qualifications: It depends on the position and role recruited. For example, at the entry
level, TCS recruit engineering graduates and postgraduates in computer science,
engineering.
Experienced professionals or laterals (professionals with work experience) may be
engineering graduates or postgraduates if recruited for technical roles, or management
postgraduates if recruited for business or sales roles.
TCS also recruit functional experts for specific practices; for example, the health care
practice recruits doctors as functional experts, or the financial services practice hires
bankers and other finance professionals for their domain knowledge.

TCS periodically advertises in the newspapers for the positions and roles available.
Within TCS, the intranet will have announcements about the various positions and
requirements. The TCS web site also lists the jobs. One can also upload ones
resume there.
Age limit: Being an equal opportunities employer, the suitability of candidates is judged
on competency. TCS understand competency as critical knowledge and skills producing
key outputs in performance, according to S Padmanabhan, executive vice president and head,
global HR, TCS

Selection process: For trainees and persons with less than two years of experience,
TCS conduct written tests, technical and management interviews.
For laterals, TCS do not have written tests. The process includes short listing based on
certain eligibility criteria pertaining to the students' academic track record and domain/
specializations, aptitude test and a two-tier competency-based interview. In
management institutes, TCS replace the aptitude tests with group discussions.
The attributes TCS typically look at include technical excellence, professionalism, good
communication skills, willingness to work beyond boundaries and the inclination to
teamwork, according to Padmanabhan.
Application for the job: Interested applicants can apply through TCS recruitment
portal. TCS also advertise available positions on their Web site, on job boards such as
Monster, Naukri and newspapers and, for niche positions, in technical magazines.
Interview: According to S Padmanabhan, executive vice president and head, global HR, TCS, It is
important to maintain consistent academic records while developing strong technical/
functional skills. The ability to adapt and innovate, willingness to learn and ability to
collaborate are important attributes that TCS looks for, along with a mindset to be
mobile.
Post-interview: TCS has a process of background checks undertaken by professional
agencies. As part of this process, we check for authenticity, educational background and
work experience. Typically, background checks are completed prior to joining. On
joining, the employee is given a letter of appointment. All terms and conditions of
service are enumerated in the letter of offer made once the candidate is successful in
the management interview.
All candidates, including those who have been rejected, are intimated about their status.
Candidates also have the option to call our office and get an update on the progress
and status of their application. Although TCS normally recruit for a role, if alternatives
are available and the candidate is deemed suitable, HR pursues the application for the
same.
Postings: As a global company, TCS has about 169 offices in 35 counties with
operations across India, North America, APAC, Latin America, Europe, Middle East and
Africa.
Growth prospects: TCS offer careers across five streams i.e. sales, delivery, practice,
technology, corporate roles and specialists in nearly 4 areas -- Engineering and
Manufacturing, Infrastructure Services, BPO, IT Services and Global Consulting.

TCS value proposition to employees is for an aspiration-based career across project

management, technology, domain and sales streams. This is enabled by ongoing
competency development, differentiated compensation and various work-life balance
initiatives, as well as the chance to work in different markets and geographies in our
network of 169 offices in 35 countries. This is what has helped TCS attract and retain
employees at all levels.
Remuneration: TCS offer remuneration based on the number of years of experience
and the nature of the experience in terms of skills, technology, etc. The compensation is
benchmarked regularly with the industry.

Add-ons: In addition to remuneration, some of the add-ons include canteen facilities

with subsidised meals, health insurance for self and family at subsidised rates,
subsidised transport at some of their locations, gymnasiums and recreational facilities at
some of their locations.
TCS also has other add-ons such as leave without pay for pursuing higher studies,
joining spouse overseas, part-time/ work from home facility, holiday homes across the
country, welfare trust facilitation for higher education, membership in Tata Sons Welfare
Trust, Consultancy Employees Welfare Trust, etc.
Also, as employees of Tata Group, TCS associates get discounts on products and
services from other group companies -- for example, Westside, Titan, Tata Motors and
the Taj Group of Hotels.
Global Exposure
Global exposure at TCS extends beyond geographical boundaries. Employees get the
opportunity to work on world-class projects on a global scale, interact with people
having diverse cultural backgrounds and organizational functions and explore cuttingedge technologies fresh out of the world-renowned research labs.
Focus on Freedom
TCS have established an environment that focuses on individual aptitude, talent and
interests. As a proven practice, TCS promote cross-domain experience that allows an
employee to function across different industry verticals, service practices, and functional
domains as well as varied technology platforms. At the same time, TCS continuously
present employees with the opportunity to explore the domain where they believe they
would fit the best. These factors not just help hone employees skills across platforms, it
also provides their customers a talent pool with expertise that exceeds their industry
benchmarks.

RECRUITMENT

Process of Attracting the best Qualified individuals to apply for a given Job.
Recruitment is the process of searching the candidates for employment and stimulating them to
apply for jobs in the organisation. Recruitment is the activity that links the employers and the
job seekers. It is a process of finding and attracting capable applicants for employment. The
process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applications are submitted. The
result is a pool of applications from which new employees are selected. In short, Process of
attracting the best qualified individuals to apply for a given Job. It is the process to discover
sources of manpower to meet the requirement of staffing, schedule and to employ effective.
Recruitment is the premier major steps in the selection process in the Organizations. It is an
activity directed to obtain appropriate human resources whose qualifications and skills match
functions of the relevant posts in the Organization. Its importance cannot be over-emphasized
and can also be best described as the heart of the organization.
The process of recruitment does not stop when it commences, it is a dynamic activity. The
purpose of it is to provide an Organization with a pool of qualified candidates. Its specific
purposes are as follows:

To assist augmentation of the success rate of selection process by reducing the numbers
of obviously under-qualified and over-qualified applicants.

To increase Organizational and individual effectiveness in the short and long term plans

Recruitment is essential for effective Human Resources Management. It is the heart of the whole
HR system in the organization. The effectiveness of many other HR activities, such as selection
and training depends largely on the quality of new employees attracted through the recruitment
process. Policies should always be reviewed as these are affected by the changing environment.
Management should get specific training on the process of recruitment to increase their
awareness on the dangers of wrong placement.

Recruitment methods are wide and varied, it is important that the job is described correctly and
that any personal specifications are stated. Job recruitment methods can be through job centers,
employment agencies/consultants, headhunting, and local/national newspapers. It is important
that the correct media is chosen to ensure an appropriate response to the advertised post.

3.1.1 FACTORS AFFECTING RECRUITMENT PROCESS

1. The size of the organization

2. The employment conditions in the community where the organization is located
3. The effects of past recruiting efforts that show the organizations ability to locate and
keep good performing people
4. Working conditions and salary and benefits packages offered by the organization-which
may influence turnover and necessities future recruiting
i)

The rate of growth of the organization

ii)

The level of seasonality of operations and future expansion and production

programmes.

iii)

Cultural, economic and legal factors

SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT
Before an organization begins recruiting applicants, it should consider the most likely source of
the type of employee it needs. Every organization has the option of choosing the candidates for
its recruitment processes from two kinds of sources: internal and external.
SOURCES

INTERNAL SOURCES

EXTERNAL SOURCES

1) Promotion

1) Campus recruitment

2) Transfers

2) Press advertisement

3) Internal notification

3) Management consultancy service

(Advertisement)
4) Retirement
5) Recall

& private employment exchanges

4) Deputation of personnel or transfer
from one enterprise to another

6) Former employees

5) Management training schemes

7) Miscellaneous external sources

6) Walk-ins, write-ins, talk-ins

METHODS OF RECRUITMENT
The recruiting methods can be broadly classified into three major categories direct, indirect and
third party.
Direct methods
These include sending travelling recruiters to educational institutes. Most college recruiting is
done in co-operation with the placement office of a college. Other direct methods include
sending recruiters to conventions and seminars, setting up exhibits at fairs and using mobile
offices to go to the desired centres.
Indirect Methods
Indirect methods involve mostly advertising in newspaper, on the radio, in trade and professional
journals, technical magazines and brochures.
Third party Methods
These include the use of commercial or private employment agencies, management consulting
firms, indoctrination seminars for college professors, friends and relatives.

Use and effectiveness of various recruitment strategies

Advertisements

Percent

Average

Using

Effectiveness

Practice

Internet (e.g., bulletin or job boards)

90

2.59

Local newspapers

64

1.77

Trade publications and magazines

51

1.81

National newspapers

29

1.43

Direct mail

25

1.73

TV or radio

21

1.60

Movie screens

1.22

Employment agencies

60

2.03

Temp agencies

52

1.96

Government employment services

28

1.47

Job fairs

66

1.83

College recruiting

59

2.16

School-to-work partnerships/internships
Targeted minority recruiting (e.g., NAACP,

42

2.08

40

1.74

Partnerships with community organizations

35

1.79

Military recruiting

23

1.76

Retiree job banks

12

1.52

Professional organizations

60

2.05

Professional conferences

52

1.97

Employee referrals

90

2.57

Companys web site

88

2.26

Agencies or Services

School/College/Community

minority colleges/organizations)

Professional Associations

Internal Resources

Internal job postings

78

2.23

Walk-ins, unsolicited resumes

67

1.48

*Note: 1 = Not Effective; 2 = Moderately Effective; 3 = Very Effective

SELECTION IS DIFFERENT FROM RECRUITMENT

Recruitment involves identifying the sources of manpower and stimulating them to apply for
jobs in the organizations while selection is the process of choosing the best out of those
recruited.Recruitment differs from selection in terms of process, where it adopts the process of
creating application pool as large as possible; while selection adopts the process through which
more and more candidates are rejected and fewer candidates are selected or sometime not even a
single candidate is selected.

Recruitment and selection are two inter-linked steps in the process of manpower acquisition, they
differ in term of outcome; where the outcome for recruitment is application pool which becomes
input for selection process, on the other hand, the outcome of selection process is in the form of
finalizing candidates who will be offered jobs.

The ultimate objectives of both recruitment and selection are to acquire suitable candidates but
their immediate objectives differ, where the basic objective of recruitment is to attract maximum
number of candidates so that more options are available; the basic objective of selection is to
choose best out of the available candidates.