RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION UNPACKED

Recruitment and selection is a primary function of HR that most job-seeking individuals struggle to understand.

Even with the advent of LinkedIn and social media, there is still some misunderstanding.

Let me help you understand by unpacking what goes on in recruitment and selection.

Recruitment refers to the process of seeking qualified candidates to fill a role and is part of manpower planning, which is a continuous exercise that seeks to ensure an organization's human resource needs, both present and future, are met.

Once a job is advertised, individuals express interest through applications. In today's world, most organizations use an Applicant Tracking System (ATS) to receive and sort applications.

Most applications are rejected at this stage because they don't meet the basic requirements.

Thereafter, shortlisting is done and psychometric tests are conducted to test, among other things, your level of literacy and numerical skills, negotiation skills, risk-taking ability, and decision-making skills.

If you are lucky enough to pass this stage, you may be invited for a face-to-face interview to assess your technical know-how and other behavioral competencies.

At this level, the interview explores your Knowledge, Skills, Abilities, and other Behaviors (KSAB) to determine your suitability.

In addition to interviews, many organizations also use group exercises and reference checks as part of their selection process.

1) Group Exercises: These exercises are designed to assess how candidates interact with others, solve problems, and work under pressure. They can take many forms, such as case studies, role-playing, or problem-solving activities.

2) Reference Checks: This involves contacting previous employers or references provided by the candidate to verify their work history, skills, and character.

Recruitment is the process of attracting applications, and selection is the process of choosing a suitable candidate. Both processes are guided by two documents developed after a job analysis (assessment of a job to determine its requirements and conditions:

1) Job Description (JD): A public document outlining responsibilities, duties, qualifications, skills, and expectations?associated with a job position.

?2) Job Specification (Job Spec): An internal document outlining specific attributes, qualifications, and personal characteristics required for a particular job. It complements the Job Description (JD) by focusing on the ideal candidate profile needed to perform the role effectively.

Mind you, recruitment and selection of the CEO is handled by the Board of Directors, who may outsource it to a management consultancy firm.

The CEO is at liberty to choose senior managers to assist in driving the organizational strategy, of course, with the approval of the board.

Heads of Department and line managers, with the close guidance of HR, can employ mid-level and entry-level employees. Even in recruitment and selection, corporate governance practices hold sway.

The process may come off as very procedural, but technology has helped rationalize the process.