A particular organization may affect recruitment either from the internal sources, i.e., by promoting the existing employees for higher positions or they may go for outside sources. Thus internal and external sources of recruitment can either be resorted to by any organization, subject to the convenience and feasibility.
Recruitment is an art of attracting applicants, from whom the most suitable ones may be selected in a particular job or jobs. Internal recruitment may often avoid the unpleasantness, but it is not necessarily effective because it does not allow the organization to get many alternatives to select the best available talent.
The external sources, being open, give carried opportunities to an organization to tap the best or suitable candidates from widely dispersed areas. The requisition for recruitment contains brief description of the post, qualification and experience required, etc. Such requisitions are normally signed by the head of the Human Resource Department. External sources of recruitment are explored, keeping in view the type of personnel required.
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The workmen may be recruited at the gate of the organization itself or from the employment exchange. Management trainees are taken from the institutes and universities through campus interview. Senior executives are attracted through advertisements in leading newspapers and magazines. The major sources of recruitment for different types of personnel, therefore, are as follows:
i. Employment exchanges
ii. Consultants and private employment agencies
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iii. Advertisements in periodicals and newspapers, radio and TV
iv. Deputation
v. Universities and Management Institutes
vi. From the source of existing employees
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vii. Trade unions
viii. Internet/job site, etc.
The employment exchanges maintain a register of candidates seeking various types of job. Under Compulsory Notification of Vacancies Act, 1955, the employers are required to notify certain types of vacancies to the nearest employment exchange and recruit candidates from among the applicants registered with them.
The skilled and unskilled workers and the clerical staff are mostly recruited through these employment exchanges. Private consultants and agencies assist organizations in locating technical and managerial staff. They charge prescribed fees for their services to the organization.
Advertising in newspapers and magazines, radio and TVs, are one of the most effective sources for attracting the prospective candidates. It also helps in building the image for the organization because through such advertisements, the organization makes available certain information, like their product, their market share, their turnover value, etc., to the public in general and target consumers in particular.
Since written press insertions or verbal advertisements through audio and audio-visual methods give the first-hand information to the prospective jobseekers, each organization is required to give as much factual information as possible regarding the expectations from the candidates, their age groups, qualifications and experience, salary and perks attached to the positions and important conditions of service, the time limit and mode of applying, etc. There are some agencies that help organizations in drafting, publishing and broadcasting these advertisements.
Deputationists are mainly appointed in public sector undertakings. The civil servants are often deputed for many senior and mid-level positions for a specified time.
Recruitment from universities and management institutes are effected through campus interview. Almost all good private organizations select their management trainees through such method. Some organizations even support the academic ambition of prospective students by sponsoring their courses. Here, the organization and the prospective student sign a bond that the latter would join the organization after the completion of the course.
Some organizations recruit from the source of existing employees to ensure commitment and loyalty and, at the same time, to motivate the employees. Such type of recruitment, however, is restricted only to the clerical and unskilled jobs in most of the cases.
Trade unions also recommend candidates for clerical and unskilled jobs. This practice is not in vogue in many organizations. Only in technical training schemes, trade unions are found to influence the organizations to induct their recommended candidates as apprentices.
Recruitment through Internet/job sites also has now become very popular for its wide reach to focused jobseekers, immediacy and cost effectiveness. Due to its global reach, organizations also get the flexibility to attract the best talent. Many placement agents have now started this service to increase their business volume.
The next step in selection procedure is to personify such attributes in candidates, i.e., developing certain specifications for the desired candidate. It means defining the desired background as education, training, personality and characteristics of the candidates applying for the vacancy position. This, in reality, is an exercise to pre-portray an ideal candidate for a job.