Prepared By

Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST

UNIT-II HUMAN RESOURCE PLANNING AND PROCURMENT

HR Planning-Meaning, Characteristics and Significance of HRP – Factors

affecting HRP - Benefits and Barriers of HRP-Recruitment, Nature, Purpose
and Importance - Recruitment process – Sources of Recruitment –
eRecruitment - Selection- Selection process – eSelection – Orientation,
Purpose, Types, Process, Strategies and Problems.

Human Resource Planning (HRP)

Human resource planning is important for helping both organizations and employees to
prepare for the future. The basic goal of human resource planning is to predict the future and
based on these predictions, implement programmes to avoid anticipated problems. Very briefly
humans resource planning is the process of examining an organization‟s or individual‟s future
human resource needs for instance, what types of skills will be needed for jobs of the future
compared to future human resource capabilities (such as the types of skilled employees you
already have) and developing human resource policies and practices to address potential
problems for example, implementing training programmes to avoid skill deficiencies.

Definition of Human Resource Planning

According to Vetter, “HRP is the process by which management determines how the
organization should move from its current man power position to desired manpower position.
Through planning, management strives to have the right time, doing things which result in both
the organization and individual receiving maximum long run benefits”.

According to Gordon Mc Beath, “HRP is concerned with two things: Planning of

manpower requirements and Planning of Manpower supplies”.

According to Beach, “HRP is a process of determining and assuming that the

organization will have an adequate number of qualified persons, available at proper times,
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
performing jobs which meet the needs of the enterprise and which provides satisfaction for the
individuals involved”
Importance of HRP
HRP is the subsystem in the total organizational planning. Organizational planning
includes managerial activities that set the company‟s objective for the future and determines the
appropriate means for achieving those objectives. The importance of HRP is elaborated on the
basis of the key roles that it is playing in the organization.

1. Future Personnel Needs: Human resource planning is significant because it helps to

determine the future personnel needs of the organization. If an organization is facing the
problem of either surplus or deficiency in staff strength, then it is the result of the absence of
effecting HR planning. All public sector enterprises find themselves overstaffed now as they
never had any planning for personnel requirement and went of recruitment spree till late
1980‟s. The problem of excess staff has become such a prominent problem that many
private sector units are resorting to VRS „voluntary retirement scheme‟. The excess of labor
problem would have been there if the organization had good HRP system. Effective HRP
system will also enable the organization to have good succession planning.

2. Part of Strategic Planning: HRP has become an integral part of strategic planning of
strategic planning. HRP provides inputs in strategy formulation process in terms of deciding
whether the organization has got the right kind of human resources to carry out the given
strategy. HRP is also necessary during the implementation stage in the form of deciding to
make resource allocation decisions related to organization structure, process and human
resources. In some organizations HRP play as significant role as strategic planning and HR
issues are perceived as inherent in business management.

3. Creating Highly Talented Personnel: Even though India has a great pool of educated
unemployed, it is the discretion of HR manager that will enable the company to recruit the
right person with right skills to the organization. Even the existing staff hope the job so
frequently that organization face frequent shortage of manpower. Manpower planning in the
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
form of skill development is required to help the organization in dealing with this problem
of skilled manpower shortage

4. International Strategies: An international expansion strategy of an organization is facilitated

to a great extent by HR planning. The HR department‟s ability to fill key jobs with foreign
nationals and reassignment of employees from within or across national borders is a major
challenge that is being faced by international business. With the growing trend towards
global operation, the need for HRP will as well will be the need to integrate HRP more
closely with the organizations strategic plans. Without effective HRP and subsequent
attention to employee recruitment, selection, placement, development, and career planning,
the growing competition for foreign executives may lead to expensive and strategically
descriptive turnover among key decision makers.

5. Foundation for Personnel Functions: HRP provides essential information for designing and
implementing personnel functions, such as recruitment, selection, training and development,
personnel movement like transfers, promotions and layoffs.

6. Increasing Investments in Human Resources: Organizations are making increasing

investments in human resource development compelling the increased need for HRP.
Organizations are realizing that human assets can increase in value more than the physical
assets. An employee who gradually develops his/ her skills and abilities become a valuable
asset for the organization. Organizations can make investments in its personnel either
through direct training or job assignment and the rupee value of such a trained, flexible,
motivated productive workforce is difficult to determine. Top officials have started
acknowledging that quality of work force is responsible for both short term and long term
performance of the organization.

7. Resistance to Change: Employees are always reluctant whenever they hear about change and
even about job rotation. Organizations cannot shift one employee from one department to
another without any specific planning. Even for carrying out job rotation (shifting one
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
employee from one department to another) there is a need to plan well ahead and match the
skills required and existing skills of the employees.

8. Uniting the Viewpoint of Line and Staff Managers: HRP helps to unite the viewpoints of
line and staff managers. Though HRP is initiated and executed by the corporate staff, it
requires the input and cooperation of all managers within an organization. Each department
manager knows about the issues faced by his department more than anyone else. So
communication between HR staff and line managers is essential for the success of HR
Planning and development.
9. Succession Planning: Human Resource Planning prepares people for future challenges. The
„stars‟ are picked up, trained, assessed and assisted continuously so that when the time
comes such trained employees can quickly take the responsibilities and position of their
boss or seniors as and when situation arrives.
10. Other Benefits: (a) HRP helps in judging the effectiveness of manpower policies and
programmes of management. (b) It develops awareness on effective utilization of human
resources for the overall development of organization. (c) It facilitates selection and training
of employees with adequate knowledge, experience and aptitudes so as to carry on and
achieve the organizational objectives (d) HRP encourages the company to review and
modify its human resource policies

Factors Affecting HRP

HRP is influenced by several factors. The most important of the factors that affect HRP are

(1) Type and strategy of organization

(2) Organizational growth cycles and planning
(3) Environmental uncertainties
(4) Time horizons
(5) Type and quality of forecasting information
(6) Nature of jobs being filled and
(7) off-loading the work.
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST

1. Type and Strategy of the Organization:

Type of the organization determines the production processes involve, number
and type of staff needed and the supervisory and managerial personnel required. HR need
is also defined by the strategic plan of organization. If the organization has a plan for
organic growth then organization need to hire additional employees. On the other hand If
the organization is going for mergers and acquisition, then organization need to plan for
layoffs, as mergers can create, duplicate or overlap positions that can be handled more
efficiently with fewer employees. Organization first decides whether to be reactive or
proactive in HRP. Organizations either carefully anticipate the needs and systematically
plan to fill the need in advance (proactive) or can simply react to the needs as they arise
(reactive). Likewise, the organization must determine the width of the HR plan.
Organization can choose a narrow focus by planning in only one or two HR areas like
recruitment and selection or can have a broad perspective by planning in all areas
including training and remuneration.
The nature of HR plan is also decides upon the formality of the plan. It can
decides to have an informal plan that lies mostly in the minds of the managers and
personnel staff or can have a formal plan which is properly documented in writing
The nature of HR plan is also depended upon the flexibility that is practiced in the
organization. HR plan should have the ability to anticipate and deal with contingencies.
Organizations frame HRP in such a way that it can contain many contingencies, which
reflect different scenarios thereby assuring that the plan is flexible and adaptable.
2. Organizational Growth Cycles and Planning:
All organizations pass through different stages of growth from the day of its
inception. The stage of growth in which an organization is determines the nature and
extends of HRP. Small organizations in the earlier stages of growth may not have well
defined personnel planning. But as the organization enters the growth stage they feel the
need to plan its human resource. At this stage organization gives emphasis upon
employee development. But as the organization reaches the mature stage it experience
less flexibility and variability resulting in low growth rate. HR planning becomes more
formalized and less flexible and less innovative and problem like retirement and possible
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
retrenchment dominate planning. During the declining stage of the organization HRP
takes a different focus like planning to do the layoff, retrenchment and retirement. In
declining situation planning always becomes reactive in nature towards the financial and
sales distress faced by the company.

Factors Affecting HRP

3. Environmental Uncertainties:
Political, social and economic changes affect all organizations and the
fluctuations that are happening in these environments affect organizations drastically.
Personnel planners deal with such environmental uncertainties by carefully formulating
recruitment, selection, training and planning, promotion channels, layoffs, flexi time, job
sharing, retirement, VRS and other personnel related arrangements.
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
4. Time Horizons:
HR plans can be short term or long term. Short term plans spans from six months
to one year, while long term plans spread over three to twenty years. The extent of time
period depends upon the degree of uncertainty that is prevailing in an organizations
environment. Greater the uncertainty, shorter the plan time horizon and vice versa.
5. Type and Quality of information:
The information used to forecast personnel needs originates from a multitude of
sources. The forecast depends to a large extent upon the type of information and the
quality of data that is available to personnel planners. The quality and accuracy of
information depend upon the clarity with which the organizational decision makers have
defined their strategy, structure, budgets, production schedule and so on
6. Nature of Jobs Being Filled:
Personnel planners need to be really careful with respect to the nature of the jobs
being filled in the organization. Employees belonging to lower level who need very
limited skills can be recruited hastily but, while hiring employees for higher posts,
selection and recruitment need to be carried out with high discretion. Organization need
to anticipate vacancies far in advance as possible, to provide sufficient time to recruit
suitable candidate.
7. Outsourcing:
Several organizations outsource part of their work to outside parties in the form of
subcontract. Outsourcing is a regular feature both in the public sector as well as in the
private sector companies. Many of the organizations have surplus labour and hence
instead of hiring more people they go for outsourcing. Outsourcing is usually done for
non critical activities. Outsourcing of non- critical activities through subcontracting
determines HRP.
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST

Requisites for Successful HRP

1. HRP must be recognized as an integral part of corporate planning
2. Support of top management is essential
3. There should be some centralization with respect to HRP responsibilities in order to have co-
ordination between different levels of management.
4. Organization records must be complete, up to date and readily available.
5. Techniques used for HR planning should be those best suited to the data available and degree
of accuracy required.
6. Data collection, analysis, techniques of planning and the plan themselves need to be constantly
revised and improved in the light of experience.

Barriers to HRP
Human Resource Planners face significant barriers while formulating an HRP. The major
barriers are elaborated below:
1) HR practitioners are perceived as experts in handling personnel matters, but are not experts
in managing business. The personnel plan conceived and formulated by the HR
practitioners when enmeshed with organizational plan, might make the overall strategic
plan of the organization ineffective.
2) HR information often is incompatible with other information used in strategy formulation.
Strategic planning efforts have long been oriented towards financial forecasting, often to
the exclusion of other types of information.
3) Financial forecasting takes precedence over HRP.
4) Conflict may exist between short term and long term HR needs. For example, there can be a
conflict between the pressure to get the work done on time and long term needs, such as
preparing people for assuming greater responsibilities. Many managers are of the belief
that HR needs can be met immediately because skills are available on the market as long
as wages and salaries are competitive. Therefore, long times plans are not required, short
planning are only needed.
5) There is conflict between quantitative and qualitative approaches to HRP. Some people view
HRP as a number game designed to track the flow of people across the department. Others
take a qualitative approach and focus on individual employee concerns such as promotion
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
and career development. Best result can be achieved if there is a balance between the
quantitative and qualitative approaches.
6) Non-involvement of operating managers renders HRP ineffective. HRP is not strictly an HR
department function. Successful planning needs a co-ordinated effort on the part of
operating managers and HR personnel.

Recruitment:
Meaning and Definition
Recruitment forms a step in the process which continues with selection and ceases with
the placement of the candidate. It is the next step in the procurement function, the first being the
manpower planning. Recruiting makes it possible to acquire the number and types of people
necessary to ensure the continued operation of the organisation. Recruiting is the discovering of
potential applicants for actual or anticipated organisational vacancies.

According to Edwin B. Flippo, “Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective

employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation.”

According to Lord, “Recruitment is a form of competition. Just as corporations compete

to develop, manufacture, and market the best product or service, so they must also compete to
identify, attract and hire the most qualified people. Recruitment is a business, and it is a big
business.”

Nature of Recruitment
Recruitment involves the following features:

 Recruitment is the first step of appointment.

 It is a continuous process.
 It is a process of identifying sources of human force, attracting and motivating them to
apply for jobs in organizations.
 It is a development manpower or to work at the last stage.
 It is a positive process.
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
 It fulfills needs, both the present, and the future.

Purpose of Recruitment

 Ensures Uninterrupted Business Process:

 Recruitment aims at providing the required number of skilled employees
to the organisation to keep the business process going even after labour
turnover.
 Identifies Present and Future Personnel Requirement:
 It is the initial step for detecting and analysing the workforce requirement
in the organisation, at present as well as in future say within a year.
 Acquisition of Maximum Number of Relevant CVs:
 It advertises the vacant position such that a maximum number of
prospective candidates apply for the same.
 Improves Cost-Effectiveness:
 It is a systematic and well-planned process. Thus it has proved to be more
cost-effective.
 Accelerates the Selection Process:

It backs the selection process with a pool of candidates‟ Curriculum Vitae (CV).
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST

Importance of Recruitment

The purpose of the recruitment process is rather elaborate. From acquiring new talent to
continuity of business activities, the importance of an effective recruitment process never
ceases.

1. Determines the Present & Future Requirements

The recruitment process assists a company in evaluating its present and future
staffing requirements. It conducts a methodical examination of company operations to
determine the right number of recruits necessary.

2. Prevents Disruption of Business Activities

The process of recruitment ensures that the daily activities of your organisation
are carried out seamlessly. It provides businesses with all necessary human resources
regularly for various job positions. The recruitment process selects individuals from a
variety of backgrounds to meet the organisation‟s needs.

3. Increases Success Rate of Hiring

This approach is effective in stimulating the success percentage of the company‟s

selecting process. It analyzes all the job applications to minimise the frequency of
unqualified and exaggerating candidates. Only qualified employee‟s applications are
advanced to the next stage of the recruitment process.

4. Expands Talented

The goal of recruitment is to create a wide pool of qualified candidates from

which one has to choose the most qualified individual for the job. This approach draws
big groups of individuals and encourages them to apply for open opportunities in a
company.

5. Cost-Effective

It focuses on minimizing total costs and time spent on finding suitable employees.
Recruitment is a well-organized and methodical approach in which a large number of
people are given a detailed description of a job opening. A good job description attracts a
large number of people at a lower cost.

6. Improves the Credibility of the Organisation

A business organisation‟s reputation is bolstered by a strong recruitment process.

It assesses the validity of job openings and reflects the professionalism and authenticity
of the company. The adoption of a good application method by a company organisation
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
will aid in increasing the trust of job applicants. This, in turn, attracts the attention of
highly qualified applicants for your company.

Process of Recruitment

Process of Recruitment

A recruitment process is an organised approach towards searching new talent and introducing
them to the organisation.

In the absence of a systematic recruitment process, the cost of employee acquisition will rise. To

carefully understand the steps involved in the recruitment process, read below:

 Identifying Job Requirement:

The recruiter first recognises the job opening regarding the department in which the
vacancy is, number of vacancies and urgency of hiring.

 Preparing Job Description and Job Specification:

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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
The next step is making a job description disclosing the job-related details like
designation, location, duties to be performed and required experience. The recruiter also
chalks out the job specification having information regarding the skills, qualification, the
area of expertise, etc.

 Advertising the Vacant Position:

A job vacancy is advertised through newspapers, brochures, job portals,

consultancies, etc. It ensures that the maximum number of relevant candidates can apply
for the job.

 Attracting Candidates to Apply for Job:

The recruiter needs to provide proper assistance and guidance to the candidates
willing to apply for the job.

 Managing Applications:

The recruiter has to arrange the applications in an orderly manner to simplify the
task of scrutinising them.

 Scrutinising Applications:

Next step is the initial investigation of the applications to go through the

candidate‟s profile thoroughly.

 Shortlisting Candidates:

By scrutinising the applications, candidates with the matching profile are picked
out for the process of selection.

Sources of Recruitment

Sources of Recruitment can be viewed as various means of connecting the job seekers to
the organisation which have suitable job openings. In simple words, it serves as a medium for
communicating or advertising the vacant positions in the organisation to get a response from the
prospective candidates. The recruiters have to be very careful while selecting any particular
source of recruitment.

The selection of a specific source of recruitment depends upon the number of personnel to be
recruited, the cost involved in each source, accessibility of the applicants, education level of
employees to be hired, company‟s policy, etc.

The various sources of recruitment can be broadly divided into two types, which are explained in
detail below:
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST

Internal Sources of Recruitment

Internal sources of recruitment refer to seeking the employees from within the organisation to fill
up the vacant position. Many companies consider internal recruitment as a great option since it is
cost-effective, and they tend to hire employees who have a better know how the organisation and
its policies.

Internal recruitment can be done through the following means:

1. Previous Applicants:

To fill up the immediate openings, calling up or emailing the candidates who have
previously applied to the organisation is the cheapest and quickest source of recruitment.

2. Present Employees

The recruiter can exercise promotion (to a higher position) or transfer (inter-
department or inter-branch transfer) of the current employees instead of recruiting the
new employees.

3. Employee Referrals:

Sometimes, the organisation hires the candidates referred by the existing

employees assuming that such candidates are more trustworthy and reliable.
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
4. Former Employees:

Some organisations provide for an option of re-joining to its ex-employees. They

even consider the retired employees who are willing to give their full time or part-time
services to the organisation.

Merits and Demerits of Internal Sources of Recruitment

The internal sources of recruitment are beneficial to the small-sized organisation dealing in the
limited product line, which does not require much expertise. The organisation shouldn‟t be
frequently exposed to technological changes.

Read below, to have a better understanding of the related benefits and drawbacks:

Merits of Internal Sources of Recruitment

Following are some of the plus points of internal sources of recruitment:

 Internal recruitment motivates employees to perform better and get promoted.

 Employees tend to have a long-term association and develop loyalty towards the
organisation.
 These sources do not involve much cost and are based on internal advertisement and
mouth to mouth publicity.
 It does not require much expertise and is a more straightforward process.
 The organisation can trust the workforce so recruited since they are pre-known to the
company.
 It saves time spent on scrutinising of application and training and orientation later on.
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
Demerits of Internal Sources of Recruitment

Although there are some drawbacks to internal recruitment too. These are discussed below:

 Internal recruitment makes it challenging to introduce new resources who think

differently, to the organisation.
 Employees sometimes witness biasedness and partiality in promotion or transfer, which
leads to dissatisfaction.
 It is not suitable for all types of job openings.
 It leads to conflicts when one employee is promoted, and the other is not.

External Sources of Recruitment

External sources of recruitment signify the hiring of those employees who have never been
associated with the organisation before.

The organisation needs to include new and fresh talent to become successful and to survive in the
competition. Large organisations mostly depend on external sources of recruitment.

Following are the various external sources through which the organisation acquire new
resources:

1. Advertisements:

The organisation advertises the job openings in the newspaper, media, company‟s
bulletin, social networking sites (Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter), job portals, etc.

2. Campus Recruitment:
The organisation collaborates with the educational institutes and colleges to hire
their students for the available job vacancies, by conducting the recruitment process in
the respective college campus.
3. E-Recruitment:
The organisation uses the web-based software as a source of recruitment
involving electronic screening of candidates, online skill test, online profile checks and
interviews on video-conferencing.
4. Employment Exchange:
The organisation gets itself registered with the employment exchange, i.e. a
government-affiliated agency who have a database of many prospective candidates.
These candidates register with such employment exchanges in search of better job
opportunities.
5. Outsourcing Consultancies:
Some private consultancies are professionally working to recruit employees on
behalf of the organisation. The organisation hires such consultants on a commission basis
to acquire the desired human resource.
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
6. Walk-ins and Write-ins:
The organisations without any effort, get random applications when the job
seekers submit their CV. Either by visiting the organisation, posting the letter with CV or
mailing the CV on the company‟s mail id.
7. Contractors:
The organisation hires a contractor who provides casual workers temporarily,
especially for a particular project, and such workers have no existence in the company‟s
records.
8. Acquisition and Mergers
: At the time of the company‟s merger or acquisition of another company; it has to
lay off some of its employees as well as recruit new talents. The company structure
changes drastically.

9. Professional Associations:

Professional associations facilitates the organisation to fill in the vacant position

by advertising it in their journal or magazines. It also offers job opportunities to the
highly educated, skilled or experienced resources who are experts in their fields and hold
a membership with such associations.

Merits and Demerits of External Sources of Recruitment

External recruitment is the best means of recruitment for the medium or large organisations,
diversified into many lines of business and carrying out the bulk-hiring of employees.

Various merits and demerits of selecting external sources of recruitment have been discussed
further.
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
Merits of External Sources of Recruitment

To understand the need for external recruitment, let us go through its benefits:

 External recruitment gives a fair chance to the applicants to compete and secure their
position in the organisation.
 It is not a confidential process and ensures transparency.
 Recruiting externally promotes and encourages the intake of new and fresh talent in the
organisation.
 It is widely applicable to vacancies in all type of departments for different business
processes.
 The employees recruited will come up with new and innovative ideas as well as will
know new technology and skills. All this initiates organisational success.

Demerits of External Sources of Recruitment

External sources though provide the organisation with a pool of applications, it has certain
drawbacks too. To know more, read below:

 The existing employees may feel less valued and defeated and may even quit their jobs.
 External recruitment is a lengthy process right from identifying the human resources
requirement, to scrutinising of applications.
 It involves enormous cost incurred on the advertisements, employment exchange,
consultancies, etc.
 The employees who are already working in the organisation feel dissatisfied and
demotivated if a senior post is filled up by an outsider.
 The existing employees fear the loss of the job or their replacement on not fulfilling the
performance standards.

Alternatives to Recruitment

Recruitment has some disadvantages; for instance, it is a lengthy process and less cost-effective.
Therefore, many companies opt for other options instead of hiring, to get the work done, though
some of these alternatives are a temporary solution.

Let us now learn about some of the recruitment alternatives in detail:

 Outsourcing: When the organization develops a vacant position, it outsources the hiring
process to a third party which is specialised in recruitment services.
 Employee Overtime: During the peak time, when the production increases gradually, the
organisation demands overtime from the employees in return for additional wages.
 Temporary Employees: The organisation at times, hire temporary employees through
employment agencies to cope up with the workload in peak times. Such employees can
be any technicians, professionals or executives and are experienced personnel available at
lower wages.
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
 Employee Leasing: The leasing companies lease out the services of their personnel to
the organisation. They are responsible for maintaining the employees‟ payroll, and in
return, they get fees from the organisation.

Difference Between Recruitment and Selection

E-Recruitment

E-Recruitment, also known as “Online -Recruitment”, is a method used by HR professionals to

assist the recruitment process by using technology or web based tools. It is an automated process
of tracking, attracting, interviewing, and hiring candidates by utilising online stages and HR
software.

Methods of E-Recruitment

Sourcing and Attracting Potential Candidates

Sourcing is the process of searching for qualified job candidates for a current or pending position
in the company. In order to recruit candidates efficiently, it becomes important to know where
the pool of interested candidates lies. Which is why, using social media for sourcing and
attracting potential candidates is one of the most common methods used for online recruitment.
Social media is an effective tool for building employer brands and hiring potential candidates.
Platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram have been commonly visited sites for finding,
tracking and recruiting candidates online.
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
Using Applicant Tracking System

An Applicant Tracking System is a software that uses an algorithm to sort out resumes of the
potential candidates and simplify the process of recruitment for the hiring HR managers. When a
lot of candidates apply for a job opening, this software helps to segregate under qualified
resumes and qualified resumes during the hiring process. So, this enables the recruiters to see the
resumes that are filtered and as per their criteria asked in the job profile. Thus, an Applicant
Tracking System is a useful method for E- recruitment.

Interviewing Candidates Online

Thanks to the internet, it is not mandatory to have job interviews in a physical space anymore.
By using free interview video tools like Skype, Google meet, Zoom etc., HR managers can
recruit the qualified candidates by interviewing them online. Nowadays, most of the companies
use an automated online interviewing system where the candidates are asked questions and are
given a certain time limit for thinking and speaking the answers. This is also the reason why this
method of E- recruitment has become very common in the corporate world.

Using Job Boards

Job boards are the websites used by the recruiters for advertising job offerings specifically. On
the contrary, Job seekers can use job boards to search for new job opportunities in their area and
profession. Some job boards use applicant tracking systems to help streamline the application
process while in others, individual job postings redirect interested candidates to company
websites to complete the application process. For example, sites like Glassdoor and Indeed allow
candidates to post their resumes for the recruiters to find them.

Now that we know what are the possible methods used by HR recruiters to hire potential
candidates, let‟s talk about the advantages these methods serve to them.

Advantages of E-Recruitment

Saves Time

If we look back at the time when HR managers used to publish job vacancies and depend on
word of mouth for finding job seekers, we‟d see how time consuming it used to be to hire a
single potential candidate and that too, in a small locality! With methods of E-recruitment
where resumes of under qualified candidates can be separated and a larger pool of job
seekers can be found, the recruitment process has just got simplified in case of time usage.

Minimises Hiring Cost

Costs in recruiting are usually high in terms of advertising, travel expenses, third-party
recruiter fees etc. Which is why, the hiring process usually takes up too much time and its
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
cost increases subsequently. However, with the use of online recruitment methods, labor
costs like these can be minimised by implementing a software which allows both, the job
seekers and recruiters to post free job openings on multiple social platforms just by one click.

Broadens Scope of Candidates

With the use of digital tools and the web, HR recruiters can also increase the scope of
candidates. When they post about a job vacancy, it allows them to dive into the larger pool of
potential candidates which also broadens their selection decisions. As a result, they are able
to select the appropriate candidates both locally and internationally.

Filters According to Criteria

Recruitment systems have filtration tools to help recruiters to find the ideal candidates with
competencies that match the job position. Therefore, the filtration tools provided by E-
Recruitment systems speed up the process of sorting the candidates according to experience,
education, competencies, and many more criteria.

As we know, where there are advantages, there is always a scope of improvement due to
some disadvantages that follow along with this process. Wondering what are the
disadvantages of E recruitment? Read further!

Disadvantages of E-recruitment

Rise in Competition

One of the downsides of recruiting online is that there is also a pool of recruiters waiting to
hire the perfect candidate for their specified job role. As a result, the job post can quickly
become buried under a mountain of other job offers, forcing the HR manager to either pay
more for extra exposure or risk not being seen. When it comes to social media, it is also the
decision of the platform‟s algorithms, to reach the audience the manager wants.

Technical Issues

During online interviews on the free video platforms like Skype or Zoom video calls, it is
possible to encounter technical faults. It can be quite embarrassing for a recruiter to be
suddenly switched out of a conversation or call due to an electrical outage, while having an
unstable internet connection can be awkward. This also means if the company isn‟t good at
technology, they might encounter such glitches more often.

Attraction of Bad Candidates

With the ease in the process of applying for a job online, it also means that underqualified
and fraud candidates might apply for the job role. With hundreds of applicants, many of them
will not be suitable for or serious about the role, thus diluting the quality of your talent pool.
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST

Selection Meaning
The selection process refers to selecting the right candidate with the required qualifications and
capabilities to fill the vacancy in the organization. The selection process is quite a lengthy one
and also complex. It involves a series of steps before the final selection. The procedure of
selecting the employees may vary from industry to industry according to their own needs. Every
organization designs their selection process while keeping in mind the urgency of hiring the
people and the requisites for the vacancy of the job.

Importance of Selection
Selection is an important facet for the organization, it‟s importance can further be summed up as
below-
1. It identifies the right candidates for the company.
2. Recruiting talented employees can help increase the overall performance of the
organization.
3. Helps in avoiding false negatives and false positives of the candidates.

Steps in Selection Process

Popularly there are seven stages in the process of selection :
1. Application – After the job opening has been announced, the candidates apply for the
respective jobs which suit them.
2. Screening and Pre-selection – The goal of this second phase is to reduce the number of
candidates from a large group to a manageable group of between 3-10 people that can be
interviewed in person. The selection is based on their selection technique and according
to the company‟s needs.
3. Interview – The interview gives insight into a person‟s verbal accuracy and how sociable
they are. This also provides the opportunity to ask the candidate job-related queries.
4. Assessment-The full assessment usually is more accurate as this helps the organization to
check the candidate well. Assessments include work sample tests, integrity tests, and
related job knowledge tests.
5. Reference And Background Check- An essential step is the reference check, which is
to confirm about the candidate. The candidates are asked to give references and he
follows up on these.
6. Decision- The next step is to decide to choose the correct candidate who promises the
greatest future potentiality for the organization.
7. Job Offer and Contract – After the decision-making process, the candidate needs to
accept the offer which is known as the contract.
 Prepared By
Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST

E-Selection

E selection begins where e-recruitment ends. Gueutal and Stone (2005) define e- selection as a
process of web-based testing, face-to-face interviews, and job offers.

Most organizations use e-selection to achieve specific purposes, such as cost reduction,
maximum utilization of human resources, and sustainability.

Organizations need to consider a few procedural requirements to operate selection properly,

including design upfront, vendor selection, and project steps, assessment steps, a test event
protocol, and candidates‟ feedback.

Orientation is the planned introduction of new employees to their jobs, coworkers, and the
organization. After orientation, employees can work comfortably.

Employee orientation

It gives ideas, philosophy, and information about the organization to the newly
appointed employees to adjust themselves to the organization. Orientation helps with new
employee assimilation and is a part of the organization’s continuous socialization process.

Employee orientation is the process of introducing newly hired employees to their new workplace. It
provides the basic organizational information employees need to feel prepared for their new team,
department, and role within the company. Effective employee orientation makes employees aware of
company policies and expectations, handles essential paperwork, and answers any questions or
concerns they may have before they transition into their new positions.

Gary Dessler states, “Employee orientation is a procedure for providing new employees with basic
background information about the firm”.

Purpose of Orientation
 To reduce startup costs: Proper orientation can help the employee get up to speed much
more quickly, thereby reducing the costs associated with learning the job.

 To reduce anxiety: Any employee, when put into a new, strange situation, will
experience anxiety that can impede his or her ability to learn to do the job.

Proper orientation helps to reduce the anxiety that results from entering into an unknown
situation and helps provide guidelines for behavior and conduct, so the employee doesn‟t
have to experience the stress of guessing.
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
 To reduce employee turnover: Employee turnover increases as employees feel they are
not valued or are put in positions where they can‟t possibly do their jobs.

Orientation shows that the organization values the employee, and helps provide the tools
necessary for succeeding in the job.

 To save time for the supervisor: Simply put, the better the initial orientation, the less
likely supervisors and co-workers will have to spend time teaching the employee.

 To develop realistic job expectations, positive attitudes and job satisfaction: It is

important that employees learn as soon as possible what is expected of them, and what to
expect from others, in addition to learning about the values and attitudes of the
organization. While people can learn from experience, they will make many mistakes that
are unnecessary and potentially damaging.

The main reasons orientation programs fail: The program was not planned; the employee
was unaware of the job requirements; the employee does not feel welcome.

 Employee orientation is important: orientation provides a lot of benefits, and you can
use feedback to make your orientations even better.

.Types of Employee Orientation

1. General-idea Orientation

As the name suggests, this type of orientation covers basic information regarding the
organization. This may include details relating to policies and practices, rules and regulations
with regard to timing, and attendance. Also, information concerning safety rules, emergency
exits, fire extinguishers and first-aid is given to employees. Further, compensation-related
details like salary, incentive schemes, facilities etc. are also provided to them.

2. Job Specific Orientation

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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
This type of orientation mainly focuses on the various aspects of the job like duties and
responsibilities, reporting authority, department-specific matters, organizational structure,
and so forth.

3. Traditional Orientation

If an organization uses general and frequently used materials to give orientation to the
new joiners it is traditional orientation. In these cases, orientation is regarded as a ritual or
one-off practice by the firm. It tends to engage the employees on the first day and help them
get rid of their initial nervousness.

4. Modern Orientation

In the case of modern orientation, the programme is serves as a beginning of a continuous

process to transform an employee into an asset to the organization. Apart from tackling the
first-day concerns of the new hires it also takes into consideration the training as well as
career needs in a sustained manner. It develops team spirit, improves productivity and aims
to achieve employee satisfaction and retention.

Strategic Orientation

 Behavioural competencies
 Competencies for strategic leaders
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
 Indigenous relations behavioural competencies

 Indigenous relations interpretive guides for hiring

 Indigenous Centred Service Approach
 Building a Trust-based Relationship
 Change Leadership
 Collaborative Planning, Organizing & Coordinating
 Commitment
 Credible Champion
 Cultural Agility
 Empathy
 Empowering Others
 Ingenuity
 Managing Organizational Resources
 Open Listening
 Process Orientation
 Promoting Accord
 Self-discovery & Awareness
 Strategic Orientation
 Sustained Learning & Development
 IR Competencies Fact Sheet

Strategic Orientation

Strategic orientation is the ability to link the long-range vision of Indigenous self-determination
to daily work, ranging from a simple understanding to a sophisticated awareness of the full
impact of thinking and actions. It is the ability to think and operate broadly, with the goal of
sustainability, to further the goals of Indigenous peoples in a way that meets the collective public
interest. This also means taking responsibility to collaboratively design and implement steps to
redress past harms and set frameworks in place to prevent their recurrence.

Demonstrates the Behaviour When

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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
 Understands how the goal of Indigenous self-determination influences the work
 Understands and implements goals and strategies developed by others
 Aligns work to the BC Public Service and Indigenous government/community goals in a way that
serves all provincial populations
 Thinks beyond daily activities to the future and toward sustainability
 Initiates deep Indigenous engagement in a collaborative and culturally respectful way to
determine long-term issues, opportunities and direction
 Learns how success looks for Indigenous people and derives motivation from that understanding
 Integrates new information with old knowledge in a creative and insightful way
 Considers Indigenous interests and issues in the greater context of all citizens and all
communities
 Seeks new ways to include and integrate Indigenous interests into a larger context
 Stays current with BC Public Service and Indigenous changes and trends (like treaty ratifications)
and analyzes their impact on current and future goals
 Outlines multiple strategies with their strengths, possibilities and risks
 Maximizes what is available to move towards goal achievement
 Recognizes the network of relationships within any strategy and the impact (between the public
service and Indigenous peoples, between goals, between work units and areas of the
organization, between self and Indigenous peoples)
 Devises or champions small- and broad-scale strategies designed to persist across shifting
political environment and resourcing fluctuations
 Looks for and leverages links and commonalities between the goals of the public service and
those of Indigenous peoples
 Develops, monitors and adjusts contingency plans
 Maintains sensitivity to the multiple goals, the background and circumstance and the people
served when implementing strategies
 Develops long-term goals and strategies that further the direction of the public service to
support Indigenous self-determination

Needs Development When

 Uses repetitive behaviour and actions, maintaining low awareness and only meeting immediate
goals
 Demonstrates little initiative to expand one's perspective
 Exhibits little or no understanding of how the goal of Indigenous self-determination drives the
work
 Is in a hurry to act on a "good enough" solution without considering the impact over the long
term
 Prioritizes goals of the public service without considering Indigenous self-determination goals
 Does not seek to develop the capacity to think strategically
 Cannot define the importance of understanding complex relationships as part of a strategic
orientation
 Makes strategic decisions without full engagement of Indigenous peoples
 Dismisses old knowledge and uses only current information
 Fails to value and use Indigenous perspective and information
 Designs strategies based on current political climate that may not be sustainable
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Dr.K.Sundaresh
Asst.Prof , School of Law, SRMIST
 Sees only differences, deficits and gaps between the goals of the public service and those of
Indigenous peoples
 Is unprepared when direction change or refinement is called for
 Fails to consider potential impacts of furthering Indigenous goals on the wider population
 Demonstrates rigidity in furthering Indigenous goals when a larger community interest should
also be incorporated

Problems with Employee Orientation

 Too much emphasis on paperwork
 Information overload
 Information irrelevance
 No planning (Not investing enough time and money in the orientation program)
 Management involvement (With the orientation left to the human resource department,
top-level managers usually exclude themselves.)
 Scare tactics (heavy emphasis on failure rates or negative aspects of the job)
 Too much selling of the organization
 Emphasis on formal, on way communication
 One – shot mentality (e.g. limiting the orientation program to merely the first day at work
 No evaluation of the program
 Lack of follow up