Recruitment & Selection

RECRUITMENT

Meaning Of Recruitment :-

According to Edwin B. Flippo, “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.

A few definitions of recruitment are: 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.

It is the process to discover sources of manpower to meet the requirement of staffing

schedule and to employ effectivemeasures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to
facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force.Recruitment of candidates is the
function preceding the selection, which helps create a pool of prospective employees for
theorganisation so that the management can select the right candidate for the right job from this
pool. The main objective of the recruitment process is to expedite the selection process.

Recruitment is a continuous process whereby the firm attempts to develop a pool of qualified
applicants for the future human resources needs even though specific vacancies do not exist.
Usually, the recruitment process starts when a manger initiates an employee requisition for a
specific vacancy or an anticipated vacancy.

RECRUITMENT NEEDS ARE OF THREE TYPES

PLANNED

i.e. the needs arising from changes in organization and retirement policy.

ANTICIPATED

Anticipated needs are those movements in personnel, which an organization can predict by
studying trends in internal and external environment.

UNEXPECTED

Resignation, deaths, accidents, illness give rise to unexpected needs.

Purpose & Importance Of Recruitment

 Attract and encourage more and more candidates to apply in the organisation.
  Create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best candidates for the
organisation.
 Determine present and future requirements of the organization in conjunction with its
personnel planning and job analysis activities.
 Recruitment is the process which links the employers with the employees.
 Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.
 Help increase the success rate of selection process by decreasing number of visibly under
qualified or overqualified job applicants.
 Help reduce the probability that job applicants once recruited and selected will leave the
organization only after a short period of time.
 Meet the organizations legal and social obligations regarding the composition of its
workforce.
 Begin identifying and preparing potential job applicants who will be appropriate
candidates.
 Increase organization and individual effectiveness of various recruiting techniques and
sources for all types of job applicants
Sources of recruitment:-

Internal Sources Of Recruitment:-

 Present employees:-
1. transfers
The employees are transferred from one department to another according to their efficiency and
experience.
2. promotions
The employees are promoted from one department to another with more benefits and greater
responsibility based on efficiency and
experience.
3. Others are Upgrading and Demotion of present employees according to their performance.
 Retired and Retrenched employees may also be recruited once again in case of shortage
of qualified personnel or increase in load of work. Recruitment such people save time and
costs of the organisations as the people are already aware of the organisational culture
and the policies and procedures.
 The dependents and relatives of Deceased employees and Disabled employees are also
done by many companies so that the members of the family do not become dependent on
the mercy of others.

External sources:-

External Sources Include: (a) Campus Recruitment, (b) Private Employment

Agencies/Consultants, (c) Public Employment Exchanges, (d) Professional Associations, (e)
Data Banks, (f) Casual Applicants, (g) Similar Organizations, (h) Trade Union.

Campus Recruitment: Different types of organizations like industries , business firms, service
organizations, social or religious organizations can get inexperienced candidates of different
types from various educational institutions like Colleges and Universities imparting education in
Science, Commerce, Arts, Engineering and Technology, Agriculture, Medicine, Management
Studies etc,

Trained candidates are recruited with different specialization in subjects, like engineering,
medicine from the training institutes of State Government or National Industrial Training
Institutes for Engineers or vocational training centers.

Most of the Universities and Institutes imparting technical education in various disciplines like
engineering technology, management studies provide facilities for campus recruitment and
selection. They maintain the bio-data and performance required of the candidates. Organizations
seeking to recruit the candidates from this source can directly contact the institutes either in
person or by post and stimulate the candidates to apply for jobs. Most of the organizations using
the source perform the function of selection after completing recruitment in the campus of the
Institute itself with a view to minimizing time lapse and to securing the cream before it is
attracted by some other organizations

Advertisements: It is a popular method of seeking recruits, as many recruiters prefer

advertisements because of their wide reach. Want ads describe the job benefits, identify the
employer and tell those interested how to apply. Newspaper is the most common medium but for
highly specialized recruits, advertisements may be placed in professional or business journals.
Advertisements must contain proper information like the job content, working conditions,
location of job, compensation including fringe benefits, job specifications, growth aspects, etc.
The advertisement has to sell the idea that the company and job are perfect for the candidate.
Recruitment advertisements can also serve as corporate advertisements to build company’ image.
It also cost effective ..

Private Employment Agencies / Consultants: Public employment agencies or consultants like

ABC. Consultants in India perform the recruitment functions on behalf of a client company by
charging fee. Line managers are relieved from recruitment functions so that they can concentrate
on their operational activities and recruitment functions is entrusted to a private agency or
consultants. But due to limitations of high cost, ineffectiveness in performance, confidential
nature of this function managements sometimes do not depend on this source. However, these
agencies function effectively in the recruitment of executives. Hence, they are also called
executive search agencies. Most of the organizations depend on this source for highly specialized
positions and executive positions.

Public Employment Exchange: The Government set-up Public Employment Exchanges in the
country to provide information about vacancies to the candidates and to help the organizations in
finding out suitable candidates. The Employment Exchange (Compulsory Notification or
Vacancies) Act, 1959 makes it obligatory for public sector and private sector enterprises in India
to fill certain types of vacancies through public employment exchanges. These industries have to
depend on public employment for the specified vacancies.

Professional Organizations: Professional organizations or associations maintain complete bio-

data of their members and provide the same to various organizations on requisition. They also act
as an exchange between their members and recruiting firms in exchanging information,
clarifying doubts etc. Organizations find this source more useful to recruit the experienced and
professional employees like executives, managers, engineers.

Data Banks: The Management can collect the bio-data of the candidates from different sources
like Employment Exchange, educational Training Institutes, candidates etc, and feed them in the
computer. It will become another source and the company can get the particulars as and when it
needs to recruit.

Casual Applicants: Depending upon the image of the organization, its prompt response,
participation of the organization in the local activities, level of unemployment, candidates apply
casually for jobs through mail or hand over the applications in Personnel Department. This
would be a suitable source for temporary and lower level jobs.

Similar Organizations: Generally, experienced candidates are available in organizations

producing similar products or engaged in similar business. The management can get most
suitable candidates from this source. This would be the most effective source for executive
positions and for newly established organization or diversified or expended organizations.

Trade Unions: Generally, unemployed or underemployed persons or employees seeking change

in employment put a word to the trade union leaders with a view to getting suitable employment
due to latter’s intimacy with management. As such the trade union leaders are aware of the
availability of candidates. In view of this fact and in order to satisfy the trade union leaders,
management enquires with trade unions for suitable candidates. Management decides about the
sources depending upon the type of candidates needed, time lapse period, etc. It has to select the
recruitment technique(s) after deciding upon source.

Contractors : They are used to recruit casual workers. The names of the workers are not
entered in the company records and, to this extent; difficulties experienced in maintaining
permanent workers are avoided.
Consultants : They are in the profession for recruiting and selecting managerial and executive
personnel. They are useful as they have nationwide contacts and lend professionalism to the
hiring process. They also keep prospective employer and employee anonymous. However, the
cost can be a deterrent factor.
Head Hunters : They are useful in specialized and skilled candidate working in a particular
company. An agent is sent to represent the recruiting company and offer is made to the
candidate. This is a useful source when both the companies involved are in the same field, and
the employee is reluctant to take the offer since he fears, that his company is testing his loyalty.

Radio, Television and Internet : Radio and television are used to reach certain types of job
applicants such as skilled workers. Radio and television are used but sparingly, and that too, by
government departments only. Companies in the private sector are hesitant to use the media
because of high costs and also because they fear that such advertising will make the companies
look desperate and damage their conservative image. However, there is nothing inherently
desperate about using radio and television. It depends upon what is said and how it is delivered.
Internet is becoming a popular option for recruitment today. There are specialized sites like
naukri.com. Also, websites of companies have a separate section wherein; aspirants can submit
their resumes and applications. This provides a wider reach.

Internal vs. External Recruiting

Internal recruiting is the search for in-house employees who have the abilities and the attitudes to
fulfill the requirements needed and to help the organization achieve its objectives.

Although internal recruiting is often neglected, and the Internet hardly offers any useful
discussions for this recruiting strategy, it is crucial not to overlook this strategy. The discussion
of internal recruiting provides the advantages and disadvantages of this recruiting technique in
comparison to the external method

Advantages of internal recruiting:

• Recruiting costs: Since the recruiting machinery is focused on an already existing pool of
employees to fill a vacant position, and therefore selection and socializing processes are less time
and dollar consuming, internal recruiting tends to be less expensive than external recruiting.
• Motivation: The prospect of potential promotion or transfers provides a clear sign to the current
work force that the organization offers room for advancement. This addresses the employee's
need for self-achievement.

 Familiarity: The familiarity of the employee has a two-side effect: On the one hand the
employee is familiar with the organization's policies, procedures, and customs. At the
same time, the organization has established an employment history showing the workers
formal and informal skills and abilities.
Disadvantages of internal recruiting
• Inbreeding: One drawback of extensive internal recruiting is the reduced likelihood of
innovation and new perspectives. A lack of new employees from the outsides leads to a lack of
new ideas and approaches.
• EEO Criteria: A use of the internal pool for the consideration of vacant positions can lead to
conflicts with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. The organization has to ensure
and continuously check its balance of a diverse workforce. This has to relate to the
organization’s legal, political and geographical environment.

SELECTION
Selection procedure is concerned with securing relevant information about an applicant. The
objective of the selection decision is to choose the individual who can most successfully perform
the job from the pool of qualified candidate

SELECTION PROCEDURE
There is no standard selection process that can be followed by all
companies in all the areas. Companies may follow different selection
techniques or methods depending upon the size of the company, nature
of the business, kind and no. Of persons to be employed, govt.
regulations to be followed etc.
1) Application Form: Also known as application blank. This technique iswidely accepted for
securing information from the prospective candidates. It can also be used as a device to screen
the candidates at the preliminary stage. Information is generally required on the following items
in the application forms:
a) Personal background information;
b) Educational attainments;
c) Work experiences;
d) Salary;
e) Personal details;
2 ) Written Examination: The organizations have to conduct examination

for the qualified candidates after they are screened on the basis of the application blanks so as to
measures the candidate’s ability in arithmetical calculations, to know the candidates attitude
towards the job, to measure the candidate’s aptitude, reasoning, knowledge in various
disciplines, general knowledge and English language.

3 ) Preliminary Interview: The Preliminary interview is to solicit necessary

in formation from the prospective applicants and to assess the applicant’s suitability to the job.
This step is useful as a process of eliminating the undesirable and unsuitable candidates.

4)Group Discussions: The technique of group discussion is used in order

to secure further information regarding the suitability of the candidates

for the job. Group discussion is a method where groups of the successful
applicants are brought around a conference table and are asked to discuss
either a case study or a subject matter.
 Tests: The next stage in the selection process is conducting different
tests. The objective of tests is to solicit further information to assess the
employee suitability to the job. The important tests are:
• Aptitude Test:
a) Intelligence test
b) Mechanical Test
c) Psychomotor Test
d) Clerical Test
• Achievement Test:
a) Job Knowledge Test;
b) Work Sample Test.
• Situational Test:
a) Group Discussion;
b) In Basket.
• Interest Test:
• Personality Test:
a) Objective Test;
b) Projective Test.
5)Medical check:-

6) Reference check:-

7 ) Final decision by the line manager concerned:- The line manager concerned has to
make the final decision whether to select or reject the candidate after soliciting the required
information through different techniques. A true understanding between the line managers and
personnel mangers should be established to take proper decisions.
8 ) Employment: -
Thus, after taking the final decision the Organisation has to intimate the decision to the
successful as well as unsuccessful candidates. The Organisation sends the appointment orders to
the successful candidates either immediately or after sometime depending upon the time
schedule.
Fig. 6: Employee Placement Process

Collect data about the employee

Construct the employee’s profile

Match between sub group profile and individual’s profile

Compare sub-group profile to job family profile

Match between job family profiles and sub-group profiles

Assign the individuals to job family

accomplished. These tests are more useful to measure the value of specific achievement when an
Organisation wishes to employ experienced candidates. These are:

1.Job Knowledge Test: Under this test a candidate is tested in the

knowledge of a particular job.
2.Work Sample Test: Under this test a portion of the actual work is given
to the candidate as a test and the candidate asked to do it.
• Situational Test: This test evaluates a candidate in a similar real life
situation. In this test the candidate is asked either to cope with the
situation or solve critical situation of the job.
1.Group Discussion: This test is administered through group discussion
approach to solve a problem under which candidates are observed in the areas initiating, leading,
proposing valuable ideas, conciliating skills, oral communicating skills, co-ordination and
concluding skills.

2.In Basket Test: The candidate in this test is supplied with actual letters,

telephone and telegraphic message, reports and requirements by various officers of the
Organisation, adequate information about the job and Organisation. The candidate is asked to
take decisions on various items based on the in basket information regarding requirements in the
memoranda.

• Interest Tests: These tests are inventories of the likes and dislikes of
candidates in relation to work, job, occupations, hobbies and recreational
activities.
• Personality Tests: These tests prove deeply to discover clues to an
individual’s value system, his emotional reactions, and maturity and
characteristic mood.
1.Objective Test: most personality tests are objective tests as they are
suitable for group testing and can be scored objectively.
2.Projective tests: Candidates are asked to project their own interpretation
of certain standard situations basing on ambiguous pictures, figures etc.,
under these tests
 Final Interview: Final Interview is usually followed by testing. This is

the most essential step in the process of selection. In this step the interviewer matches the
information abstained about the candidate through various means to the job requirements and to
the information obtained through his own observation during interview

SELECTION TESTS
A test is a sample of an aspect of an individual’s behavior, performance or attitude. It
can also be a systematic procedure for comparing the behavior of two or more
persons.
Purpose of Tests: The basic assumption underlying the use of tests in personnel
selection is that individuals are different in their job-related abilities and skills and that
these skills can be adequately and accurately measured.
Tests seek to eliminate the possibility of prejudice on the part of the interviewer or
supervisor. Potential ability only will govern selection decisions.
The other major advantage is that the tests may uncover qualifications and talents that
would not be detected by interviews or by listing of education and job expenence.
Types of Tests: The various tests used in selection can be put in to four categories:
(a) Achievement or Intelligence Tests, (b) Aptitude or Potential Ability Tests,
(c) Personality Tests, and (d) Interest Tests.
These tests and what they measure are described below.
a) Achievement or Intelligence Tests
These are also called ‘proficiency tests’. These measure the skill or knowledge which
is acquired as a result of a training programme and on the job experience. These
measure what the applicant can do. These are of two types:
Test for Measuring job Knowledge: These are known as ‘Trade Tests’. These are
administered to determine knowledge of typing, shorthand and in operating

calculators, adding machines, dictating and transcribing machines or simple

mechanical equipment. These are primarily oral tests consisting of a series of
questions which are believed to be satisfactorily answered only by those who know
and thoroughly understand the trade or occupation. Oral tests may be supplemented
by written, picture or performance types.

Work Sample Tests: These measure the proficiency with which equipment can be
handled by the candidate. This is done by giving him a piece of work to judge how
efficiently he does it. For example, a typing test would provide the material to be
typed and note the time taken and mistakes committed.
b) Aptitude or Potential Ability Tests

These tests measure the latent ability of a candidate to learn a new job or skill.
Through these tests you can detect peculiarity or defects in a person’s sensory or
intellectual capacity. These focus attention on particular types of talent such as

learning, reasoning and mechanical or musical aptitude..’Instruments’ used are

variously described as tests of ‘intelligence’, ‘mental ability’, ‘mental alertness’, or
simply as ‘personnel tests’. These are of three types:

i)
Mental Tests: These measure the overall intellectual ability or the intelligence
quotient (I.Q.) of a person and enable us to know whether he has the mental
capacity to deal with new problems. These determine an employee’s fluency in
language, memory, interction, reasoning, speed of perception, and spatial
visualisation.
ii)Mechanical Aptitude Tests: These measure the capacity of a person to learn a
particular type of mechanical work. These are useful when apprentices,
machinists, mechanics, maintenance workers, and mechanical technicians are to
be selected.
iii)Psychomotor or Skill Tests: These measure a person’s ability to do a specific

job. These are administered to determine mental dexterity or motor ability and
similar attributes involving muscular movement, control and coordination. These
are primarily used in the selection of workers who have to perform semi-skilled
and repetitive jobs, like assembly work, packing, testing, inspection and so on.
c) Personality Tests
These discover clues to an individual’s value system, his emotional reactions, maturity

and his characteristic mood. The tests help in assessing a person’s motivation, his ability to
adjust himself to the stresses of everyday life and his capacity for inter- personal relations and for
projecting an impressive image of himself. They are expressed in terms of the relative
significance of such traits of a person as self- confidence, ambition, tact, emotional control,
optimism, decisiveness, sociability, conformity, objectivity, patience, fear, distrust, initiative,
judgement, dominance, impulsiveness, sympathy, integrity, and stability. These tests are given to
predict potential performance and success for supervisory or managerial jobs.

The personality tests are basically of three types:

i)
Objective Tests: These measure neurotic tendencies, self-sufficiency, dominance,
submission and self-confidence.
ii)Projective Tests: In these tests, a candidate is asked to project his own
interpretation onto certain standard stimuli. The way in which he responds to
these stimuli depends on his own values, motives and personality.
iii)Situation Tests: These measure an applicant’s reaction when he is placed in a

peculiar situation, his ability to undergo stress and his demonstration of ingenuity
under pressure. These tests usually relate to a leaderless group situation, in
which some problems are posed to a group and its members are asked to reach

some conclusions without the help of a leader.

d) Interest Tests

These tests are designed to discover a person’s areas of interest and to identify the
kind of work that will satisfy him. The interest tests are used for vocational guidance,
and are assessed in the form of answers to a well-prepared questionnaire.

4 3
Attracting the Talent:
Recruitment, Selection,
Outsourcing
Limitations of Selection Tests: From the basic description of tests described above,
one should not conclude that a hundred per cent prediction of an individual’s on-the-
job success can be made through these tests. These tests, at best, reveal that
candidates who have scored above the predetermined cut-off points are likely to be
more successful than those who have scored below the cut-off point.
Tests are useful when the number of applicants is large. Moreover, tests will serve no
useful purpose if they are not properly constructed or selected or administered.
Precautions in using Selection Tests: Test results can help in selecting the best
candidates if the following precautions are taken:
i) Norms should be developed as a source of reference on all tests used in selection and on a
representative sample of people on a given job in the same organization. This is necessary even
though ‘standard’ tests are available now under each of the above categories. Norms developed
dsewhere should not be blindly used
because companies differ in their requirements, culture, organization structure
and philosophy.
ii) Some ‘Warm up’ should be provided to candidates either by giving samples of
test, and/or answering queries before the test begins.
iii) Tests should first be validated for a given organization and then administered for
selection of personnel to the organization.
iv) Each test used should be assigned a weightage in the selection.
v) Test scoring, administration and interpretation should be done by persons I
having technical competence and training in testing
INTERVIEW
We shall now discuss the post application form interview and not the preliminary
interview. Personal interview is the most universally used tool in any selection
process.

Meaning and Purpose: An interview is a conversation with a purpose between one

person on one side and another person or persons on the other. An employment
interview should serve three purposes, viz., (i) obtaining information, (ii) giving
information, and (iii) motivation. It should provide an appraisal of personality by

obtaining relevant information about the prospective employee’s background, training

work history, education and interests. The candidate should be given information
about the company, the specific job and the personnel policies. It should also help in
establishing a friendly relationship between the employer and the applicant and

motivate the satisfactory applicant to want to work for the company or organization.
In practice, however, it may turn out to be a one-sided affair. It helps only in obtaining
information about the candidate. The other two purposes are generally not served.
Types of Interview
Informal Interview: This is may take place anywhere. The employer or a manager in
the personnal department, may ask a few questions, like name, place of birth, previous
experience, etc. It is not planned and is used widely when the labour market is tight
and you need workers very badly. A friend or a relative of the employer may take a
candidate to the house of the employer or manager where this type of interview may

be conducted.
Formal Interview: This held in a more formal atmosphere in the employment office
by the employment officer with the help of well-structured questions. The time and
place of the interview are stipulated by the employment office.
Planned Interview: This is a formal interview carefully planned. The interviewer has

a plan of action worked out in relation to time to be devoted to each candidate, type of
information to be sought, information to be given, the modality of interview and so on. He may
use the plan with some amount of flexibility.

Patterned Interview: This is also a planned interview but planned to a higher degree

of accuracy, precision and exactitude. A list of questions and areas are carefully prepared. The
interviewer goes down the list of questions, asking them one after another.

Non-directive Interview: This is designed to let the interviewee speak his mind freely.
The interviewer is a careful and patient listener, prodding whenever the candidate is
silent. The idea is to give the candidate complete freedom to ‘sell’ himself without
encumberances of the interviewer’s questions.
Depth Interview: This is designed to intensively examine the candidate’s background

and thinking and to go into considerable detail on a particular subject to special

interest to the candidate. The theory behind it is that if the candidate is found good in
his area of special interest, the chances are high that if given a job he would take
serious interest in it.

Stress Interview: This is designed to test the candidate and his conduct and behavior
by putting him under conditions of stress and strain. This is very useful to test the
behavior of individuals under disagreeable and trying situations.
Group Interview: This is designed to see how the candidates react to and against each

other. All the candidates may be brought together in the office and they may be
interviewed. The candidates may, alternatively, be given a topic for discussion and be
observed as to who will lead the discussion, how they will participate in the
discussion, how each will make his presentation and how they will react to each

other’s views and presentation.

Panel Interview: This is done by members of the interview board or a selection
committee. This is done usually for supervisory and managerial positions. It pools the
collective judgement and wisdom of members of the panel. The candidate may be
asked to meet the panel individually for a fairly lengthy interview.
Interview Rating: Important aspects of personality can be categorized under the
following seven main headings:
l
Physical Make-up: Health, physique, age, appearance, bearing, speech.
l
Attainments: Education, occupational training and experience.
l
Intelligence: Basic and ‘effective’.
l
Special Aptitudes: Written and oral fluency of expression, numeracy,
organizational ability, administrative skill.
l
Interests: Intellectual, practical, physically active, social, artistic
l
Disposition: Self-reliance, nature, motivation, acceptability.
l
Circumstances: Domestic, social background and experience, future prospects.

This is called ‘The Seven Point Plan’. The importance of each of these points will vary from
organization to organization and from job to job. Hence, these should be assigned weightage
according to their degree of importance for the job.

On the basis of information gathered through an interview, each candidate should be

rated in respect of each point given above as: (i) outstanding, (ii) good, (iii) above
average, (iv) below average or (v) unsatisfactory. Marks should be allotted to each of
these, and the score for each point is arrived at by multiplying it by weights and the
total of all these will determine the final position of a candidate at the interview.

Limitations of Interviews: Interviews have their own limitations in matters of

selection. Some of these are mentioned below:
l
Subjective judgement of the interviewer may be based on his prejudices, likes,
dislikes, biases, etc.
l
One prominent characteristic of a candidate may be allowed to dominate
appraisal of the entire personality.
l
The interviewer’s experience may have created a close association between some
particular trait and a distinctive type of personality.
l
Some managers believe that they are good at character analysis based on some
pseudo-scientific methods and are guided by their own abilities at it.
Qualities of ‘Good’ lnterviewers as: A good interviewer should have the following
qualities:
l
Knowledge of the job or other things with which interviews are concerned.
l
Emotional maturity and a stable personality.
l
Sensitivity to the interviewee’s feelings and a sympathetic attitude.
l
Extrovert behavior and considerable physical and mental stamina.
Guidelines for Improving Interviews: Not all interviews are effective. Their
effectiveness can be improved if the following points are kept in mind by an
interviewer:
l
An interview should have a definite time schedule with ample time for interview.
It should not be hurried.
l
The impersonal approach should be avoided.
l
Interview should have the necessary element of privacy.
l
The interviewer should listen carefully to what the applicant says and the
information collected should be carefully recorded either while the interview is
going on or immediately thereafter

4 6
Getting Human
Resources
l
Attention should be paid not just to the words spoken, but also to the facial
expressions and mannerisms of the interviewee.
l
The interview should end when sufficient information has been gathered.
l
The interviewee should be told where he stands — whether he will be contacted
later, whether he is to visit another person, or it appears that the organization will
not be able to use his abilities.
Pseudo-Scientific Methods of Selection: In the past, and to some extent even now,

stereotyped impressions of personality and characteristics were used as a basis of selection. These
impressions were gathered through pseudo-scientific methods, like phrenology, physiognomy and
graphology.

We shall briefly describe below these methods for your background knowledge only:
Phrenology: Here it is believed that the strength of each faculty is indicated by
prominent bumps on certain parts of the skull.
Physiognomy: Here it is believed that there is a definite correlation between facial
features and psychological functions and behaviour, for example, thin lips indicate
determination, broad jaws signify tenacity and so on.
Graphology: Here it is believed that there is a close relationship between handwriting
and personality
PHYSICAL EXAMINATION

Applicant who get over one or more of the preliminary hurdles are sent for a physical
examination either to the organization’s physician or to a medical officer approved for the
purpose.

Purposes: A physical examination serves the following purposes:

i)
It gives an indication regarding fitness of a candidate for the job concerned.
ii) It discovers existing disabilities and obtains a record thereof, which may be
helpful later in deciding the campany’s responsibility in the event of a workman’s
campensation claim.
iii) It helps in preventing employment of those suffering from some type of
contagious diseases.
iv) It helps in placing those who are otherwise employable but whose physical
handicaps may necessitate assignment only to specified jobs
Contents of Physical Examination: Physical examination covers the following:
l
The applicant’s medical history.
l
His physical measurements—height, weight, etc.
l
General examinatian—skin, musculature and joints.
l
Specia1 senses—visual and auditory activity.
l
Clinical examinatian—eyes, ears, nose, throat and teeth.
l
Examinatian of chest and lungs.
l
Check-up of blood pressure and heart.
l
Pathological tests of urine, blood etc.
l
X-ray examinatian of chest and other parts of the body.
l
Neuro-psychiatric examinatian, particularly when medical histary or a
physician’s observations indicate an adjustment problem.
You wauld realize that the importance of these characteristics varies from job to job
and, therefore, different weightages have to be given to each far an overall evaluation
6.9 REFERENCE CHECKS

The applicant is asked to mention in his application the names and addresses of three
such persons who usually know him well. These may be his previous employers,
friends, or professional colleagues. They are approached by mail or telephone and
requested ta furnish their frank opinion, without incurring any liability, about the
candidate either on specified points or in general. They are assured that all

information supplied would be kept confidential. Yet, often either no response is

received or it is generally a favarable response.
6.10 FINAL DECISION

Applicants who cross all the hurdles are finally considered. If there are more persons than the
number required far a job the best ones, i.e., those with the highest scores are finally selected.

6.11
PLACEMENT

Sometimes a particular person is selected for a given jab. Often more than one person
may be selected for the jobs of similar nature. In the second case, individual
employees have to be put under individual supervisors with the approval of the latter.
In the first case also his approval is also necessary but it should be done early in the

selection process.
A proper placement reduces employee turnover, absenteeism and accident rates and
improves marale.

INDUCTION
This is the last activity in relation to a newly employed person before he is trained for
his job.
Meaning

As explained earlier, it is introduction of an employee to the job and the organization. The
primary purpose is to ‘sell’ the company to the new employee so that he may feel proud of his
association with the company.

Purpose and Need

An employee has to work with fellow employees and his supervisor. For this he must
know them, the way they work and also the policies and practices of the organization
so that he may integrate himself with the enterprise. Any neglect in the area of
induction and orientation may lead to high labour turnover, confusion, wasted time

and expenditure.
Induction Programme
A good induction programme should cover the following:
l
The company, its history and products, process of production and major
operations involved in his job.
l
The significance of the job with all necessary information about it including job
training and job hazards.
l
Structure of the organization and the functions of various departments.
l
Employee’s own department and job, and how he fits into the organization.
l
Personnel policy and sources of information.
l
Company policies, practices, objectives and regulations.
l
Terms and conditions of service, amenities and welfare facilities.
l
Rules and regulations governing hours of work and over-time, safety and
accident prevention, holidays and vacations, methods of reporting, tardiness and,
absenteeism.
l
Grievances procedure and discipline handling.
l
Social benefits and recreation services.
l
Opportunities, promotions, transfer, suggestion schemes and job satisfaction.
An induction programme consists primarily of three steps:
General orientation by the staff: It gives necessary general information about the
history and the operations of the firm. The purpose is to help an employee to build up
some pride and interest in the organization.
Specific orientation by the job supervisor: The employee is shown the department
and his place of work; the location of facilities and is told about the organization’s
specific practices and customs. The purpose is to enable the employee to adjust with
his work and environment.
Follow-up orientation by either the personnel department or the supervisor:This
is conducted within one week to six months of the initial induction and by a foreman
or a specialist.
The purpose is to find out whether the employee is reasonably well satisfied with him.
Through personal talks, guidance and counselling efforts are made to remove the
difficulties experienced by the newcome