09-09-2014, 09:45 AM
Recruitment & Selection Process At Infosys & Learning Mate Project Report
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INTRODUCTION
Recruitment and selection are two of the most important functions of personnel management. Recruitment precedes selection and helps in selecting a right candidate.
Recruitment is a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirement of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of efficient personnel.
Staffing is one basic function of management. All managers have responsibility of staffing function by selecting the chief executive and even the foremen and supervisors have a staffing responsibility when they select the rank and file workers. However, the personnel manager and his personnel department is mainly concerned with the staffing function.
Every organization needs to look after recruitment and selection in the initial period and thereafter as and when additional manpower is required due to expansion and development of business activities.
“Right person for the right job‟ is the basic principle in recruitment and selection. Ever organization should give attention to the selection of its manpower, especially its managers. The operative manpower is equally important and essential for the orderly working of an enterprise. Every business organization/unit needs manpower for carrying different business activities smoothly and efficiently and for this recruitment and selection of suitable candidates areessential. Human resource management in an organization will not be possible if unsuitable persons are selected and employment in a business unit.
RECRUITMENT
Meaning
Recruitment means to estimate the available vacancies and to make suitable arrangements for their selection and appointment. Recruitment is understood as the process of searching for and obtaining applicants for the jobs, from among whom the right people can be selected.
A formal definition states, “It is the process of finding and attracting capable applicants for the employment. The process begins when new recruits are sought and ends when their applicants are submitted. The result is a pool of applicants from which new employees are selected”. In this, the available vacancies are given wide publicity and suitable candidates are encouraged to submit applications so as to have a pool of eligible candidates for scientific selection.
In recruitment, information is collected from interested candidates. For this different source such as newspaper advertisement, employment exchanges, internal promotion, etc. are used.
In the recruitment, a pool of eligible and interested candidates is created for selection of most suitable candidates. Recruitment represents the first contact that a company makes with potential employees
Need for recruitment
The need for recruitment may be due to the following reasons / situation:
Vacancies due to promotions, transfer, retirement, termination, permanent disability, death and labor turnover.
Creation of new vacancies due to the growth, expansion and diversification of business activities of an enterprise. In addition, new vacancies are possible due to job specification
Recruitment Process
Recruitment refers to the process of identifying and attracting job seekers so as to build a pool of qualified job applicants. The process comprises five interrelated stages, viz,
• Planning.
• Strategy development.
• Searching.
• Screening.
• Evaluation and control.
The ideal recruitment programme is the one that attracts a relatively larger number of qualified applicants who will survive the screening process and accept positions with the organization, when offered. Recruitment programmes can miss the ideal in many ways i.e. by failing to attract an adequate applicant pool, by under/over selling the organization or by inadequate screening applicants before they enter the selection process. Thus, to approach the ideal, individuals responsible for the recruitment process must know how many and what types of employees are needed, where and how to look for the individuals with the appropriate qualifications and interests, what inducement to use for various types of applicants groups, how to distinguish applicants who are qualified from those who have a reasonable chance of success and how to evaluate their work.
Technological Sophistication
The second decision in strategy development relates to the methods used in recruitment and selection. This decision is mainly influenced by the available technology. The advent of computers has made it possible for employers to scan national and international applicant qualification. Although impersonal, computers have given employers and ob seekers a wider scope of options in the initial screening stage.
Selling
A second issue to be addressed in the searching process concerns communications. Here, organization walks tightrope. On one hand, they want to do whatever they can to attract desirable applicants. On the other hand, they must resist the temptation of overselling their virtues
In selling the organization, both the message and the media deserve attention. Message refers to the employment advertisement. With regards to media, it may be stated that effectiveness of any recruiting message depends on the media. Media are several-some have low credibility, while others enjoy high credibility. Selection of medium or media needs to be done with a lot of care.
SCREENING
Screening of applicants can be regarded as an integral part of the recruiting process, though many view it as the first step in the selection process. Even the definition on recruitment, we quoted in the beginning of this chapter, excludes screening from its scope. However, we have included screening in recruitment for valid reasons. The selection process will begin after the applications have been scrutinized and short-listed. Hiring of professors in a university is a typical situation. Application received in response to advertisements is screened and only eligible applicants are called for an interview. A selection committee comprising the Vice-chancellor, Registrar and subject experts conducts interview. Here, the recruitment process extends up to screening the applications. The selection process commences only later.
Promotions and Transfers
Promotion is an effective means using job posting and personnel records. Job posting requires notifying vacant positions by posting notices, circulating publications or announcing at staff meetings and inviting employees to apply. Personnel records help discover employees who are doing jobs below their educational qualifications or skill levels. Promotions has many advantages like it is good public relations, builds morale, encourages competent individuals who are ambitious, improves the probability of good selection since information on the individual’s performance is readily available, is cheaper than going outside to recruit, those chosen internally are familiar with the organization thus reducing the orientation time and energy and also acts as a training device for developing middle-level and top-level managers. However, promotions restrict the field of selection preventing fresh blood & ideas from entering the organization. It also leads to inbreeding in the organization. Transfers are also important in providing employees with a broad-based view of the organization, necessary for future promotions.
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.
SELECTION
Selection is defined as the process of differentiating between applicants in order to identify (and hire) those with a greater likelihood of success in a job.
Selection is basically picking an applicant from (a pool of applicants) who has the appropriate qualification and competency to do the job.
Environment factor affecting selection
Selection is influenced by several factors. More prominent among them are supply and demand of specific skills in the labor market, unemployment rate, labor- market conditions, legal and political considerations, company’s image, company’s policy, human resources planning and cost of hiring. The last three constitute the internal environment and the remaining form the external environment of selection process.
Aptitude test
Aptitude tests measure whether an individuals has the capacity or latent ability to learn a given job if given adequate training. The use of aptitude test is advisable when an applicant has had little or no experience along the line of the job opening. Aptitudes tests help determine a person’s potential to learn in a given area. An example of such test is the general management aptitude tests (GMAT), which many business students take prior to gaining admission to a graduate business school programme. Aptitude test indicates the ability or fitness of an individual to engage successfully in any number of specialized activities. They cover such areas clerical aptitude, numerical aptitude, mechanical aptitude, motor co-ordination, finger dexterity and manual dexterity. These tests help to detect positive negative points in a person’s sensory or intellectual ability. They focus attention on a particular type of talent such as learning or reasoning in respect of a particular field of work.
REFERENCE CHECK
Many employers request names, addresses, and telephone numbers of references for the purpose of verifying information and perhaps, gaining additional background information on an applicant. Although listed on the application form, references are not usually checked until an applicant has successfully reached the fourth stage of a sequential selection process. When the labor market is very tight, organizations sometimes hire applicants before checking references.
Previous employers, known as public figures, university professors, neighbors or friends can act as references. Previous employers are preferable because they are already aware of the applicant’s performance. But, the problem with this reference is the tendency on the part of the previous employers to over-rate the applicant’s performance just to get rid of the person.
Organizations normally seek letters of reference or telephone references. The latter is advantageous because of its accuracy and low cost. The telephone reference also has the advantage of soliciting immediate, relatively candid comments and attitude can sometimes be inferred from hesitations and inflections in speech.
Recruitment and Selection at INFOSYS
Work at Infosys:
A feeling of energy and vitality, of freshness, of a place where people work in a campus like facility and culture, are unafraid to voice new ideas, of a place where there is minimal hierarchy.
Robust people management practices enable Infosys to create this environment for its employees. This is what distinguishes Infosys among other technology companies, enabling Info scions to excel and innovate in what they do for their clients and in what they stand for as a company
Continuous learning
The spirit of learnability among Infosys people and an organizational commitment to continuous personal and professional development keeps Infosys at the forefront in a fast-changing industry. Their framework for continuous learning at Infosys is built around a number of focused programs for their employees. These range from major initiatives such as the Infosys Leadership Institute to various ongoing management development and personal improvement programs. They complement a host of technology advancement and ongoing training options.
Apart from formal programs - a typical example of an informal employee-driven program is the Infosys Toastmasters Club, formed in 2000. The mission of this club is to provide a mutually supportive and positive learning environment to develop communication and leadership skills to foster self-confidence and personal growth. The club has been recognized by Toastmasters International and joins the roster of other recognized Corporate Clubs around the world (including those of Microsoft, Boeing, Citicorp and Sun Microsystems)
Engineering Institutes
Campus hiring at engineering institutes typically starts in May and continues through September. Senior managers and officers from Infosys actively participate in this hiring, to bring on board the next generation of bright, young and talented leaders for the company. We encourage current students at the campuses we visit to use this opportunity to interact with the Infosys recruitment teams during the hiring process to understand the company and our people philosophy. We hire engineering graduates and post-graduates from all disciplines, and MCA students at the campuses
THE SELECTION PROCESS OF INFOSYS
Initial screening of interviews
Initial Screening is done on the basis of applicants and applications. A preliminary interview is conducted so as to select the suitable candidate who can go through further stages of interviews.
Normally for the posts of engineers degree cutoff is decided like say 60% on an average. If the candidates do not meet the requirement they are rejected. And for higher posts applications and applicants both play a major role in the screening process.
Background Information
INFOSYS requests names, addresses, and telephone numbers of references for the purpose of verifying information and perhaps, gaining additional background information on an applicant.
References are not usually checked until an applicant has successfully reached the fourth stage of a sequential selection process.
Previous employers are preferable because they are already aware of the applicant’sperformance.
It normally seeks letters of reference or telephone references. The latter is advantageous because of its accuracy and low cost
Recruitment and Selection Procedure at LearningMate
About Learning Mate
Learning Mate Solutions Private Limited is one of the fastest growing eLearning Companies in India. Learning Mate is a provider of end-to-end eLearning services and solutions designed to meet specific business needs. The range of services varies from enterprise-wide eLearning initiatives to creating custom content based on cost-effective alternatives of delivery. Learning Mate has strong Management Team to handle its development center in Mumbai, US, UK, and Canada. As an eLearning and software solutions company, Learning Mate partners with publishers and training companies on conceptualization, design, development and implementation of new media and technology solutions for the Higher Education & Continuing Education markets. Learning Mate has competencies and intellectual property in the areas of content-development, standards-based learning technologies, learner support systems & content architectures.
Learning Mate is a cross-border e-Learning services company that is focused on identifying, creating and delivering relevant, instructionally sound, engaging
CONCLUSION
The human element of organization is the most crucial asset of an organization. Taking a closer perspective -it is the very quality of this asset that sets an organization apart from the others, the very element that brings the organization’s vision into fruition.
Thus, one can grasp the strategic implications that the manpower of an organization has in shaping the fortunes of an organization. This is where the complementary roles of Recruitment and Selection come in. The role of these aspects in the contemporary organization is a subject on which the experts have pondered, deliberated and studied, considering the vital role that they obviously play.
The essence of recruitment can be summed up as „the philosophy of attracting as many applicants as possible for given jobs‟. The face value of this definition is what guided recruitment activities in the past. These days, however, the emphasis is on aligning the organization’s objectives with that of the individual’s. By making this a priority, an organization safeguards its interests and standing. After all, a satisfied workforce is a stable workforce which also ensures that an organization has credible and reliable performance. Ina bid to underscore this subtle point, the project examines the various processes and nuances one of the most critical activities of an organization.
The end result of the recruitment process is essentially a pool of applicants. Next to recruitment, the logical step in the HR process is the selection of qualified and competent people. As such, this process concentrates on differentiating between applicants in order to identify – and hire- those individuals whose abilities are consistent with the organization’s requirements.
The reader will do well to note that the transition between the 2 activities is not stringent. The 2 activities basically have one aim- to yield a perfect employee for the organization.
Nor are these activities typecast. Every organization tailors the processes keeping in mind the nature of the organization, its needs and constraints.
In this project, we examine this angle through the case studies of 2 companies, involved in the same sector but essentially different in their perceptions towards recruitment and selection. And both seem to have benefited from their take on the 2 processes.
In the end, this project endeavors to present a comprehensive picture of Recruitment and Selection and hopes to enable the reader to appreciate the various intricacies involved.