Definition
Recruitment and selection refers to the chain and sequence of activities pertaining to recruitment and selection of employable candidates and job seekers for an organization. Every enterprise, business, start-up and entrepreneurial firm has some well-defined employment and recruitment policies and hiring procedures. The human resources department of large organizations, businesses, government offices and multilateral organizations are generally vested with the responsibilities of employee recruitment and selection.
Introduction
Evaluating the abilities of a human being is an extremely difficult task. This fact has not entirely prevented the use of various techniques of quick appraisal, some of which are well organized can be called "pseudosciences." Among such practices are phrenology (skull protrusions), physiognomy (facial features), astrology (birth date), pigmentation, and graphology (handwriting).
Most people do not consciously practice any of these pseudosciences, but many have favourite techniques of their own. We must emphasize that there is no easy shortcut to the accurate evaluation of a human being under any circumstances. The length and complexity of the modern selection procedure are tangible evidence of this fact.
Recruitment or manpower selection process is the first step in the employment of labour and the methods through which labour is brought into industry has much to do with the ultimate success or failure of such employment. Despite tremendous unemployment it is not easy to find the right type of labour.
Careful recruitment of employees is particularly important in India for two reasons: First, under the existing legal conditions, when an industrial worker is discharged, and industrial dispute can be raised by the workman in regard to such discharge and the Labour Court adjudicating such disputes would determine whether the termination of service was justified and to order reinstatement if such order was appropriate. As a precaution against unreasonable discharge by way of punishment, certain rules of procedure are required to be strictly followed by the employees before the order of discharge is passed. Failure to carry out this procedure undermines the case if it goes to an industrial court.
Secondly, the chances of mismatching the job and the person are much higher in India, under the present labour market conditions in India, the employee's choice is very much limited and he will accept any job irrespective of his suitability. Under these conditions, the pressure to properly match man to job is only one-sided, that is, from employer's side only.
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