Recruitment Process and Sources of Recruitment (7M)

Definition: Recruitment is process of searching prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs (positive process - attracting). Flippo: "Recruitment is process of searching for prospective employees."

Recruitment Process - Steps:

1. Human Resource Planning & Job Analysis: Estimate vacancies (expansion, retirement) and prepare Job Description & Specification.

2. Identifying Sources: Decide internal vs external sources based on cost, time, nature of job.

3. Choosing Methods / Advertising: Prepare advertisement (newpaper, Naukri.com, LinkedIn) with JD, salary, deadline; or notify internal.

4. Receiving Applications: Collect applications / CVs via portal, email.

5. Screening / Shortlisting: Scrutinize applications against JS, shortlist suitable for selection tests/interview.

6. Evaluation: Check effectiveness (cost per hire, time, quality).

Sources of Recruitment:

A. Internal Sources:

1. Promotion: Higher position within organization (e.g., Clerk → Officer). Motivates, cheaper, known candidate.
2. Transfer: Lateral movement to fill vacancy.
3. Employee Referrals: Present employees recommend friends/relatives - reliable, quick.
4. Internal Advertisement / Job Posting: Circular on intranet.
   Advantages: Morale boost, low cost, familiar with culture. Disadvantage: Limited pool, infighting, no fresh blood.

B. External Sources:

1. Advertisement (Newspapers, Online Portals - Naukri, Indeed, LinkedIn): Widest reach for mass recruitment.
2. Employment Exchange (Govt. - National Career Service): For unskilled, clerical.
3. Campus Recruitment: Engineering/MBA colleges (TCS, Infosys hire from NITs/IITs) - fresh talent.
4. Consultants / Headhunters (ABC Consultants): For managerial, specialized posts, confidential search.
5. Walk-ins, Job Fairs, Contractors, Casual Callers, Unsolicited Applications.
6. E-Recruitment: Company website, LinkedIn, social media - modern, cheap, faster.

Comparison: Internal is economical & motivational but limited; External brings new ideas, larger choice but costly, needs training.

Recent Trend: Internal first (succession), then external via digital. Companies use Employee Value Proposition branding to attract.

Conclusion: Effective recruitment ensures right applicants pool, reducing selection failure. Choice of source depends on vacancy type, urgency, budget. Balanced use of internal (to motivate) and external (to innovate) gives best talent pipeline.