Executive Summary

Choosing to hire is a significant business decision for any organization. Employees add
considerable costs to a companys overhead, as well as potential liability. Startups have
limited resourcesevery additional employee must be carefully considered.
A companys growth is measured according to its profits and losses. The cost of unnecessary
hiring and/or hiring the wrong person can be detrimental to a companys bottom line.
Before engaging in the recruitment process, management should clearly understand the
companys operational requirements, projected revenues and business goals, and then
determine the types of skills and competencies required to meet those needs.

Consider your options

Hiring new employees is not the only answer. Before proceeding directly to the recruitment
process, consider the following alternatives for meeting your companys existing needs:

Elimination of certain tasks

Training current staff

Reallocating and/or outsourcing the work

Hiring temporary employees

The key to successful recruiting of new employees is the development of a systematic process
for developing job descriptions, generating a pool of candidates and selecting the right
candidate. The following are the major steps involved:

Develop a job analysis to identify skills, knowledge and abilities for each position.

Create your job description and selection criteria based on the most current
information available and modify when necessary.

Develop your recruitment plan in terms of promoting the job opening and generating
a pool of candidates.

Develop a process for interviewing candidates.

Create a process for selecting the best candidates.

1|Page

 New Hire Process

Hiring the successful applicant will involve a number of important tasks, steps and
paperwork. See the summary below for key information:

Send the prospective employee an offer letter or contract and other documents,
including confidentiality or non-compete agreements if appropriate.

Be sure all documents are signed

Prepare for the arrival of the new employee

Conduct employee on-boarding/new employee orientation

Follow the New-Hire Steps listed

2|Page

Introducti
on
Recruitment refers to the process of attracting, screening, and selecting a qualified person for
a job. The Process of the recruitment includes: job analysis and developing a person
specification; the sourcing of candidates by networking, advertising, or other search methods
and other various sources; matching candidates to job requirements and screening individuals
using selection tools; Evaluation of candidates' motivations and their fit with company's
requirements by screening and other assessment techniques. Shortly "Recruitment is a
process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing
schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers
to facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force."
The recruitment and selection process is important for new and established businesses alike.
Your human resources department has the support and expertise of employment specialists
who assist hiring managers with the procedures to ensure your companys leaders are making
wise hiring decisions. There are several pieces to the recruitment and selection process:
sourcing candidates, reviewing and tracking applicants, conducting interviews and selection
for employment.

Sourcing Candidates
This is the first step in the recruitment and selection process. Sourcing candidates means your
employment specialist is using a variety of methods to find suitable candidates for job
vacancies. Sourcing can be done via online advertising on job and career sites or
professional networking and participation in trade associations. Another creative sourcing
technique employment specialists utilize is monitoring employment changes at industry
competitors to recruit applicants familiar with the same type of business you are operating.

Tracking Applicants
The next steps in the recruitment and selection process are tracking applicants and
applications and reviewing resumes. Applicant tracking systems (ATS) are becoming
extremely helpful to employers, and this technology aids in the management of job vacancies
and applications for every open position. Employment specialists use ATSs to review
3|Page

applications and resumes. Following your employment specialist's applicant review,

he can then decide which applicants he wants to interview. With some ATSs, applicants can
track application status. An ATS can be developed for organizations of any size, including
small businesses.

According to Edwin B. Flippo, Recruitment is the process of searching the

candidates for employment and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the
organisation. Recruitment is the activity that links the employers and the job seekers.

o Importance
It is the process to discover sources of manpower to meet the requirement of staffing
schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers
to facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force.
Recruitment of candidates is the function preceding the selection, which helps create a pool
of prospective employees for the organisation so that the management can select the right
candidate for the right job from this pool. The main objective of the recruitment process is to
expedite the selection process.
Recruitment is a continuous process whereby the firm attempts to develop a pool of qualified
applicants for the future human resources needs even though specific vacancies do not exist.
Usually, the recruitment process starts when a manger initiates an employee requisition for a
specific vacancy or an anticipated vacancy.

o Recruitment needs are of three types

1. PLANNED - the needs arising from changes in organization and retirement policy.
2. ANTICIPATED - Anticipated needs are those movements in personnel, which an
organization can predict by studying trends in internal and external environment.
3. UNEXPECTED - Resignation, deaths, accidents, illness give rise to unexpected
needs.

4|Page

o Purpose of Recruitment

Attract and encourage more and more candidates to apply in the organisation.

Create a talent pool of candidates to enable the selection of best candidates for the
organisation.

Determine present and future requirements of the organization in conjunction with its
personnel planning and job analysis activities.

Recruitment is the process which links the employers with the employees.

Increase the pool of job candidates at minimum cost.

Help increase the success rate of selection process by decreasing number of visibly
under qualified or overqualified job applicants.

Help reduce the probability that job applicants once recruited and selected will leave the
organization only after a short period of time.

o Recruitment - an overview of the process

For most businesses, large or small, the task of identifying what work needs doing and who
should do it is a continuous challenge!

5|Page

It is rare that a business of any size operates for long without having to recruit or remove
employees. For example, consider why a business might need to recruit staff:

Business expansion due to

o

Increasing sales of existing products

Developing new products

Entering new markets

Existing employees leave:

o

To work with competitors or other local employers

Due to factors such as retirement, sick leave, maternity leave

Business needs employees with new skills

Business is relocating and not all of existing workforce want to move to new
location

The world of work is also changing rapidl y:

Increase in part-time working

Increased number of single-parent families

More women seeking work

Ageing population

Greater emphasis on flexible working hours

Technology allows employees to communicate more effectively whilst apart

People rarely stay in the same job for life

Businesses need to understand and respond to these changes if they are to recruit staff of the
right standard and keep them!

6|Page

Employee Recruiting Strategy

A good employee recruiting strategy is the best way to avoid having recruiting turn into a
time-draining, money-sucking activity. We have all run an ad and been inundated with
unqualified people who eat up time and resources. It doesnt have to be t his way.
The key to effective employee recruiting is having a recruitment strategy that fits your time,
budget and company. You certainly wouldnt run off and try to sell without having a plan.
The same goes for recruiting new employees.
There are 4 key components to a good recruiting strategy:

Budget

Timing

Resources

Availability

Budget
Much of the recruiting activity is dictated by budget. It is always possible to throw money at
recruiting problems but, it is probably not your first choice. Instead, start by determining
how much money s available to spend on recruiting. The more you are willing to spend, the
more options are available.
You cannot use an outside recruiting firm (headhunter) if there is no budget. It is only
possible to advertise in certain places if the budget is small. I am not suggesting it is
necessary to spend a lot of money on recruiting. But, there is a cost associated with
recruiting good employees and you have to plan for the expenditures as part of the recruiting
strategy.

Timing
Did one of the top employees recently resign? Or are you out in front of an expansion or new
project? Is the position a replacement or an addition? The answers to these questions weigh
heavily on the recruiting strategy.

7|Page

A replacement opening immediately puts everything in react mode and eliminates some
recruiting options that take longer, think advertising in a trade journal. The choices of
candidate sources may be limited by how long it takes to get a response. When adding
someone new to the staff, recruiting can start much earlier in the process. The number and
types of recruiting sources are not limited by time.

Resources
Who is going to do the recruiting? Too often recruiting gets shuffled to the back of the to-do
list and then you wonder why it takes too long and costs too much. Recruiting takes
resources. Candidates dont miraculously appear on the doorstep. Who has the time to spend
on recruiting? Is there someone on the staff who can and will do the recruiting? Are there
outside recruiting services (headhunters, consultants) who can do the work if you cant?
These are some of the questions that need to be asked when building a recruitment strategy.

Availability
How many people are there that have the skills to do the job? What is the current
employment situation? Are there geographical concentrations of the people with the required
skills? How much competition is there for the available people?
In addition to the answers to these questions, the compensation plan needs to be factored into
the strategy. How well a company pays affects the ability to recruit top performing
employees. And finally, what is your companys reputation? The better the reputation, the
easier it is to recruit. Candidates will beat a path to your door when the company is viewed
as a great place to work.
Start your employee recruiting by developing a recruitment strategy. Without a great
recruiting strategy, you wont know the best recruiting sources or recruiting services to
pursue.

8|Page

o The Need For New Recruitment Strategies

Recruitment has become the most challenging human resources (HR) function across all
industries today. For a specialized field such as oil and gas, the challenges are enormous.
Why is it so difficult to attract new talent? There are three main reasons. First, industrial
activity across the world is at an all-time high, which has created more jobs and thus shrunk
the availability of personnel.
Second, the oil and gas industry has been hurt over the past 20 years because of its cyclicality
and public perception. Third, the baby boomer generation is approaching retirement and the
younger generation is not in sufficient numbers or experienced enough to fill the gap.

NEED FOR A NEW STRATEGY

Considering the above realities, there is a dire need for a completely new recruiting strategy
to ensure that that the industrys aggressive growth targets are not choked by these
challenges. The need of the hour is to shift from traditional reactive recruiting toward more
proactive recruiting, clearly understanding the various factors of the job market. This
recruiting strategy must take into account the following realities.

9|Page

Recent Employee Recruitment

Strategies
Recruiters employ various tactics to bring the best talent to their companies. Recruitment,
covering the entire process of sourcing, selecting, and on boarding employees to an
organization, is a function typically housed within Human Resources. The person
responsible for developing effective recruiting strategies will usually be a talent acquisition
manager, director of personnel, or a recruiting/sourcing manager. Recruiting program
changes at a strategic level may include the enhancement of candidate communications, the
development of talent pipe-lining, succession planning, the optimization of recruitment
channels, re-evaluation of interviewing processes, and the deployment of new recruitment
technology.
Effective recruitment strategies are a pivotal aspect of procuring and retaining high-quality
talent to contribute to organization's success. The job market is becoming progressively more
competitive and skill sets continue to grow more diverse. Given this environment, recruiters
are required to be more selective in their candidate picks, since under-performing recruitment
measures can have a long-term negative impact on an organization. Among these effects are
high training and development expenses necessary to counteract the prevalence of poor
performance and high turnover rates, which reverberate into aspects of employment such as
morale, productivity and the preservation of the desired corporate culture.
The recruitment process supplies the organization a pool of potential candidates from which
thoughtful selection should be made to fill positions. Successful recruitment begins with
proper predictive measures. In this phase of the recruitment process, an organization develops
plans to fill future job openings based on an exploration of future requirements. Steps must
be taken to measure available internal and external talent and the present and expected
resources available to be expended in order to attract and retain talent.
Recruitment may be conducted internally through the promotion of current employees or by
way of employee referrals. Internal recruitment is generally the most cost-effective
recruitment approach. Job openings can be advertised through physical and electronic job
postings, in organizational newsletters and office memos. Not only are these methods lowcost, but are also completely controlled by internal recruitment managers who are more in
line with the corporate mission and goals.
10 | P a g e

Internal recruitment strategies do not consistently produce the number or quality of

personnel needed. In these cases, the organization needs to recruit from external sources,
either by encouraging walk-in applicants, publicizing vacancies in periodicals and Internet
job boards, and utilizing visual and audio media sources. More direct talent "head hunting" is
available in the forms of third-party employment agencies that orchestrate and maintain
thorough talent searches, corporate job fairs, and college recruitment efforts.
These topics include strategies for determining where the job is posted, how candidates are
asked to apply, and how the applicants are selected. As technology has changed, strategies
have also evolved to include broader avenues of seeking good employees.
Human resources departments are always busy trying to fill positions within the organization.
Therefore, they should use the most cost-efficient and effective strategies to fill them. Some
organizations may choose to outsource the task to professional recruitment agencies who can
separate the qualified candidates from the unqualified candidates. Managers and executives
of organizations should be willing to try different ways of hiring employees and should work
closely with the human resources department.
Recruitment strategies are what determine the quality of an employee hired for an
organization. If several poor employees are hired in succession, perhaps the strategies should
be rethought. Organizations will have to be more aggressive in their strategies when the
economy is good so that they will stand out to applicants and convince them that they would
be good employers.

11 | P a g e

Nearly everyone knows about the traditional strategies, such as use of classified
advertisements and job fairs. But more and more organizations are utilizing nontraditional
strategies such as billboards, cold calls, contests, credit lists, former employees, group
interviews, headhunters, interns, Internet searches, job offers to stellar employees of other
businesses, mentors, most-wanted lists, multimedia job descriptions, previously overlooked
applications, open houses, personalized gifts, professional organizations, public records,
recruitment managers, referral incentives, scholarships, social network sites and specialinterest meetings.

Recruitment Policy
A recruitment policy-construed either as one specific policy or as the set of policies utilizedprovides a framework for the sequencing, integration, management and oversight of
recruiting efforts. Essential recruitment policy requirements include full compliance with
governmental as well as in-house regulations and standards, some measures of policy
effectiveness, a review and revision mechanism, clearly formulated objectives and awareness
of the nature and scope of available recruitment resources.
For the purposes of developing and evolving recruitment policies, keeping abreast of latest
innovations or other changes in the field will strengthen the framework, just as making good
use of feedback from all three sides of the recruitment equation---the organization, the
recruiters and the applicants-will.
A recruitment policy comprises the distinct strategies, standards and guidelines adopted by an
organization for employee recruitment. A perfect recruitment policy document helps an
organization integrate its employee-retention measures, thereby fostering positive growth for
itself.
Formulation and revision of recruitment policies can be driven by professional outside or inhouse HR consultation and by accumulated, often trial-and-error experience with applicants,
HR personnel and candidates. Key to implementation and evaluation of such policies are
effectiveness evaluation standards to assess recruitment performance and review procedures
that make allowance for feedback and innovation regarding the recruitment field in general
and within the given organization.

12 | P a g e

Recruitment processes depend largely on an organization's recruitment policies. Rules and

regulations are set according to the demands of the recruitment situation. For instance,
policies for a full-time employee will differ from policies for appointing a part-time
employee. There may be different policies for unique recruitment situations.
Job types and descriptions play a major role in determining related policies. Organization
policies for recruiting employees include terms and conditions that legally bind them to the
company. These terms and conditions should be explained while recruiting a new employee.
Apart from in-house policies, an organization is bound to follow the Federal and State
recruitment policies (or their equivalent in other countries and regions). These policies focus
on the process of recruitment, employment transparency and employment discrimination, to
mention but a few areas of regulated compliance.

Among such employment rules imposed by the Federal Government, are requirements
specifying that an organization must implement unbiased employment practices. The policies
should not allow any sort of discrimination such as, age, race, sex, nation, disabilities or
religion-or any other category declared "protected" under established law.

According to Federal policies, each applicant should be treated equally and with respect for
individual and group dignity.

13 | P a g e

 Recruitment Metrics
Metrics in themselves do not make a recruitment strategy; however, their efficient and
programmatic use facilitates effective recruiting operations. Common metrics that recruiting
teams track include source-of-hire, recruiter activity metrics, placement numbers, employee
satisfaction, recruitment marketing channel effectiveness, application rate, and time to fill.
Metrics are typically monitored by a talent acquisition manager, or in the case of agency
recruiting, a sales or recruiting manager. Metrics are usually
tracked through a CRM or applicant tracking system. These
data points can be used to gauge either the effectiveness of an
individual recruiter or for recruitment planning and strategy,
such as judging the availability of a particular type of talent.
Recruitment metrics usually refer to the quantitative assessment of a recruiter or the
productivity of a recruiting team or recruitment campaign. Most of our resources focus on
developing best practices for recruiting teams and how to improve the careers of individual
recruiters.
Recruiting metrics may also refer to identifying current or potential employees based on
assessment principles. Two major traditional metrics involve cost effectiveness and labor
productivity. The modern concept of recruiting metrics has undergone a huge change.
Modern recruitment metrics focus more on human resource and relations than on the material
resources of an organization.
Quality and employee performance serve as major metrics for organizational recruitment.
Performance-based metrics measure a newcomer's performance by analyzing his/her work
contribution to the organization for a certain period of time. Work grades/promotions can be
determined with the help of such metrics. Job quality can be tracked by evaluating individual
performance. However, in most cases job applicants have to meet the requirements of
standard quality metrics designed by the recruiters. One such popular and current metric
focuses on manager's preferences and prepares data based on that. This type of metric
evaluates employee's performances by comparing marks given during selection and as
working staff.
14 | P a g e

Another important metric is based on source of hire. Human resource metrics strongly
emphasize the need of candidate-based metrics. Modern recruitment metrics based on
candidate satisfaction fulfill this need. This sort of metric drives data according to a
candidate's satisfaction in the recruitment process. Recruitment metrics can also be prepared
by focusing on the disqualified candidates and those who have declined the job.

Recruitment Training
On-going and consistent training should be part of your overall corporate recruitment
strategy, both for your employees and your recruiting staff.

The objective of recruitment training is to enhance the skills and working capability of newly
recruited candidates. Recruitment training is essential to involve the newly appointed
employees in their current job positions. Training helps to familiarize new staff with the new
work environment, work culture and company objectives. Training after recruitment is also
helpful for new employees to understand rules and regulations of an organization.
Newly recruited employees may require time to
understand the work process. Post-recruitment job
training is the best way to help new employees
commit to their job designations and enhance their
performance. A perfect training program entails
all strategies that an employee requires to perform
the job well. Mistakes are quite natural for the beginners; but hey can correct these through
appropriate training. Training is a learning process through which a candidate identifies
mistakes, corrects them and avoids those mistakes thereafter.
The success of a training program depends largely on the recruitment trainers. It is essential
for a recruitment trainer to possess sound knowledge regarding the mission of the
organization. A trainer with good technical know-how can help the trainees understand their
job quickly. In some cases, the newly recruited candidates are trained to use tools and
technologies related to an organization. In such case, the trainer must be adept in not only
using but also in instruction regarding the use of these. In addition, a trainer should have great
communicating and management capabilities.
15 | P a g e

 Recruiting Partnerships
Forming a partnership with another recruiter in order to make more placements is one of the
recruitment strategies commonly employed by third-party or agency recruiters. By working
together, recruiters can develop new clients, expand their service offerings, leverage costefficiency on job boards and recruiting software technology, and stabilize monthly revenues.
Recruiting partnerships, at first glance, seem unlikely, as all third-party recruiters are
essentially working in competition with each other. However, in practice, recruiters can only
manage one particular geographic location, or profession and/or
industry of specialization. Recruiters partner with other
recruiters to take advantage of different candidate databases,
industry knowledge, and client relationships.
Recruiters often split placement fees with direct-hire recruiting.
With contract and staffing work, the recruiters will typically
either work out a fixed cost per hour and hand the consultant off or just keep direct billing
and simply negotiate an hourly rate as with a regular client. When developing work with
another recruitment agency, it is important to have clearly spelled out ownership of client and
candidate.
Partnerships between recruiters have become especially important due to the rise of
consolidated client vendor lists, RPO and contingent labor management systems. These
systematic approaches to staffing and recruitment procurement tend to consolidate and
optimize spend with a few major companies. However, these large staffing and recruiting
providers cannot provide all of the needed candidates for a geographically diverse, large
employer. Most first-tier staffing and recruiting firms therefore leverage third-party, usually
smaller or independent recruiting firms, in order to build up their recruiting and candidate
sourcing capacity and meet service delivery metrics.
Certain technology vendors have approached the split network and recruiter-to-recruiter
function by introducing formalized Web-based systems. Such companies include BountyJobs,
SplitRecruiter, FeeTrader, Top Echelon, and The Hire Syndicate.

16 | P a g e

7 Recruitment Strategies for

2014 Jobvites sixth annual Social
Recruiting Survey
Jobvites sixth annual Social Recruiting Survey of more than 1,600 human resources and
recruiting professionals shows some surprising trends in social recruiting. Employers are
using social media other than LinkedIn to efficiently and cost-effectively source the perfect
passive candidates. With bottom line results like 30 to 45 percent improvements in time to
hire, quality of hires, and quantity of candidates, employers cant afford not to use social
recruiting in a competitive hiring environment.
Key takeaways from the iRecruit Expo in July 2013 focused on the basics of recruitment.
Those basics include creating a great candidate experience, using candidate personas instead
of job descriptions to define personality and culture fit needs, and new assessment tools.
Other hot trends coming out of iRecruit include big data for recruiting, end-to-end talent
brand to replace employment brand, and high value outsourcers and staffing firms to help
find the right candidates.

Social Recruiting
In The 9 Hottest Trends in Corporate Recruiting for Forbes, Josh Bersin discusses social
sourcing and using recruiters as sourcers as critical to recruiting success. Those who are not
using social recruiting in their recruitment strategies are not going to get to the top level
candidates or be able to engage candidates the same way as their competition. Using
recruiters to source top talent is another trend to cut through time to hire and get right to the
quality candidates. Social recruiting is a tool for competitive advantage and employers and
hiring managers who arent using it wont have access to top talent.

Candidate Experience
Candidate experience is a growing trend that can mean the difference between consistently
attracting top candidates or losing candidates at various steps in your recruiting process. With
the competition for talent in a tight job market, as well as the rise of social media, employers

17 | P a g e

cant afford to let candidates walk away from the recruiting process with a bad experience. It
makes no sense to spend money on sourcing, applicant tracking software, job boards, and
building a brand if the candidates feel your company is unresponsive or difficult to apply to
when they are interested in your openings. Effective recruitment strategies require a great
candidate experience to engage candidates at every step. Analyze your recruiting process and
survey candidates and new hires to find out where the gaps are in your companys candidate
experience and work to improve them.

Candidate Personas
Using candidate personas is a recruiting trend expanded on at iRecruit Expo in July 2013.
Using candidate personas means switching from using basic job descriptions to crafting
specific candidate personas based on the requirements of the positions and the unique traits of
top performers in those positions. Its a way of putting a human face on a job description and
benefits candidates as much as recruiters by helping everyone envision the best match for
skills and culture. Personas stand out from boring job descriptions and job posts and create
candidate engagement with descriptive language about opportunities that grab the interest and
attention of qualified candidates.

New Assessment Tools

While the standard assessment tools like Myers-Briggs and other personality assessments are
commonly used, advances in technology, human resources, and recruiting have seen a jump
in new assessment tools aimed at getting to know candidates more quickly and effectively
than ever before. Trends in candidate assessment have created opportunities in the assessment
market and spawned companies like PeopleAnswers, Logi-serve, Evolv, and Smarterer,
joining large providers like KornFerry, Wonderlic, and Kenexa. PeopleAnswers enables
employers to analyze top performers and use their attributes as benchmarks for candidate
assessments. Evolv decodes top influencers of customer satisfaction using big data to analyze
candidates. Using new assessment tools improves recruitment strategies and helps employers
and hiring managers see and understand candidate core capabilities as they relate to their
openings and industries.

18 | P a g e

 Big Data
Big data is changing recruiting in three critical ways. It enables employers to access all
candidates for any role by combining ATS data with data from other avenues such as job
boards, social media, and vendors in one place for easy and economical sourcing. It enables
users to use all available information about candidates in easy-to-use formats, including skills
listings, resumes, applications, and social profiles. This level of easy to use access enables
employers to create customized candidate experiences so more of the right candidates move
through the hiring process successfully. Including a big data component in your recruitment
strategies means vastly improving hiring and retention.

Talent Brand
Advances in technology and social media are changing the need for employment brand into
an overall brand that works to attract talent as much as it attracts customers. Combining your
recruiting with your marketing creates a powerful overall branding that works seamlessly to
get the attention of anyone visiting your company online and show them its a great place for
a career. Developing a specific and authentic talent brand should be part of any effective
recruitment strategies.

High Value Outsourcers

The $140 billion talent acquisition industry has developed with the advancement of social
media and big data created by rapidly evolving technologies. Online job boards and social
recruiting tools have not diminished the importance of recruiting, only enhanced it. New
recruiting tools and technology have made recruiting more complex than ever, and to be
strategic and competitive, employers often benefit by using the services of high value
outsourcers to cut through the wide swath of candidates and filter and refine their recruiting
processes for the best results.
The quality of recruiting matters, as companies like Google prove by spending five times
more on recruiting than other large companies to hire great people. High value outsourcers
like RPO or customized recruitment services combine recruiting expertise and technology to
provide the strategic value companies need but often cant produce in-house. Adding high
19 | P a g e

value outsourcers to recruitment strategies can take your recruitment to the next level to get
the top talent you need.
Stay on top of recruiting trends and include as many of them in your recruitment strategies as
possible. Without doing so, youll stay two steps behind your competitors and wont be able
to build the quality workforce your company needs to succeed and profit.

20 | P a g e

Recent Trends In Employee

Recruitment
Method
s
Newest recruitment methods include online and social recruiting, mobile outreach and
employment branding campaigns that are run in parallel with the efforts of the marketing
department. Develop a better strategy for recruiting for your company through daily
recruiting career tips, technology reviews, and recruiting trends from our recruiter portal.
The method and methodology for sourcing candidates can include many different channels
and practices. The methods consist of practices such as online recruiting, holding job fairs,
college recruiting and the development of employee referral programs. The methodology
behind each method typically outlines the specific recruitment channels that will be used for
each method. Online recruiting channels include job boards and social networks, while
college recruiting programs may include holding campus recruiting events, developing
university relations and hosting internship programs. Each recruitment channel can be judged
on its efficacy by various metrics, such as number of sourced candidates, the total cost of
hire, and the long term success of hires.
Recruitment methods are particular means to develop the practices of each stage in the
recruitment life-cycle and process, from sourcing candidates to the hiring decision. A detailed
recruitment best practices document or policy framework should include methods and
practices for each stage in the recruitment process, with the goal of optimizing each stage for
conversion and cost efficiency.
The recruitment process includes three basic steps, resume selection, testing (written or
online) and interviewing. Each type of job requires an applicant to have a basic qualification.
This qualification may be based on education or experience or both. The recruiters select
resumes-those that meet the basic requirements for that particular job position. Some cases
require references attesting one's professional experience. As such, a reference confirms the
authenticity of given information.

21 | P a g e

Primarily qualified applicants are often selected for testing. Employee tests can be of several
types, such as knowledge-based tests, achievement tests, personality and medical tests.
Sometimes an employee is asked to undergo multiple recruitment tests.
A knowledge-based test is essential to determine whether the candidate possesses relevant
knowledge required for that particular job position. A knowledge assessment test checks a
person's memory, general awareness, and reasoning capability and aptitude. However, the
test chosen may differ according to the job requirement.
It is also important to check out relevant certificates and awards to evaluate a candidate's
achievements. Personality tests determine whether an applicant is, in terms of "soft skills",
suitable for the job position or not. Medical tests may include overall health check-up or
certain specific tests related to eyesight, blood group, serious ailments, etc.

Prior to the actual job offer and salary negotiation, the interview is a crucial preliminary
part of the recruitment process. Conducting an interview does not mean throwing out a
couple of questions and expecting black-and-white answers to them. A well-executed
interview blends a detailed understanding of organizational needs with a nuanced grasp of
the prospective employee's responses, talents. qualifications, personality and character in
order to make a final decision.

22 | P a g e

Online Recruitment
Online recruitment is a recruitment method involving sourcing candidates on the Internet.
Most recently, recruiting on social networks has received the most attention.
Online recruitment is the process of using the Internet to actively seek out and recruit talented
candidates for an organization. The Internet has quickly become one of the primary
recruitment tools for both internal recruitment and talent acquisition committees and thirdparty talent search companies. With readily available public and niche electronic job boards,
social media, specialized business networking sites, and other forums, the size of the potential
candidate pool has increased exponentially for organizations everywhere.
The primary goal of Internet recruiting is the same as traditional recruiting: to find suitable
talent to employ. However, this emerging recruitment tool is most frequently called upon for
a quick employment solution if, after searching the corporate database for candidates, a
recruiter is unable to find suitable talent.
In addition to the now conventional social networking recruitment tools, recruiters may find
the use of more targeted association sites to help narrow the candidate pool and make sure
efforts are not being wasted on uninterested parties. Local business forums, supported by a
city or regional website, frequently have job boards hosting local businesses and may also
keep member directories and contact information useful to recruiters. Industry sites typically
have databases of resumes and direct discussion forums that can facilitate direct electronic
contact with a candidate.
The trickiest part of online recruiting may be deciding the best way to introduce a job offer to
a candidate. Many individuals may be currently employed or otherwise disinterested in new
job listings. Bothersome emails from a recruiter may lead to complaints and a negative
association with the represented organization. The most effective way to contact any potential
employee is for the recruiter to stand in as an informational resource for the individual to give
him or her reason to respond to your email. Offering material such as career advice, salary
information and other data gives the recruiter added value as a contact point.
23 | P a g e

Online recruitment is often a practical and efficient way to find qualified candidates to fill
positions in your business. This can be done by posting available positions on job boards and
by reviewing candidate profiles. Websites designed to unite candidates with employers often
prescreen applicants and check references before you even begin looking at those desiring to
be hired.
By creating an online listing for your company you are ensuring that the position is seen by a
larger variety of candidates than traditional newspapers, and is also a likely indicator that the
applicant has at least basic computer skills. With an increased number of applicants you are
creating a wider selection of employees to choose from, ensuring you are locating the bestqualified individual for the job. When browsing the profiles of potential employees you
should be looking at references, employment history, and the overall quality of a resume.
Because most applications and resumes are listed right on the web it also cuts down on the
paper documents you need to keep track of in the office.
Online recruitment can also be done through a company website. Many businesses now offer
an "employment opportunity" or career page section and have created an online application,
which is sent directly to human resources personnel. These applications can be filed until an
available position is opened and can be a great way to create a database of available workers
before they are even needed

Social Recruiting Center

Social recruiting is one of the hottest and most discussed recruitment methods in the industry.
Recruiters have widely adopted social technology for their purposes, as "making
connections" comes naturally.
With the ascendance of casual and professional social media websites with numbers of users
in the hundreds of millions worldwide, using these networks as corporate recruiting tools is a
free and future-proof way to research and reach out to potential job candidates. Social media
recruiting or "social recruiting" involves leveraging a variety of social media tools to recruit
talent. Job recruiting has always been about networking; social media simply injects modern
technological networks into the tried-and-true formula.
24 | P a g e

One of the most apparent and useful ways to use social media for human resource purposes is
to simply post available jobs to a social media website then comb
through the profiles of responders for a good fit. Of course, it
is crucial to form a wide network of connections. Such
connections can include clients, former co-workers,
industry

figures,

business

owners,

professional

acquaintances, and other people who also then act as hubs for
access to secondary connections. Once a prospect is found, it is only a
matter of evaluating the candidate's profile for references, affiliations, and other relevant data.
Another benefit of social media is the ability to create inexpensive and exceptionally targeted
ads. With social media ads, recruiters are given the tools to target specified audiences based
on age, sex, location, and even keywords. Once created, the ad will appear only to those users
fitting the specification. Not only does social media recruiting enable a company to access a
vast pool of potential talent, but it also allows a recruiter to get to know a candidate before
sending an interview invitation. Despite an extremely high unemployment rate it is still often
difficult to find a candidate with both the right qualities and qualifications to fill a position.
Often times the process of reviewing resumes and applications turns out to be a waste of time
upon interviewing. It is for this reason that more companies have started using social
recruitment with increased frequency.
The main benefit of social recruitment is that the hiring representative is able to meet and
gauge what an individual is like before the time consuming processes of reviewing
applications. Job fairs are often a successful way of making a match between candidate and
company. While a person may be quite qualified for a job on paper, the first impression given
during an interview can outweigh qualifications. In addition, by meeting individuals before
applications are reviewed one already knows if the demeanor of a candidate would be
appropriate for the environment. Social recruitment by way of employee recommendations
can also be promising. If an employee is willing to put their reputation out for another it is
likely that this candidate is worth looking at.
As the world we are living in is becoming more technologically driven, social media
recruitment is significantly more important. Websites designed to match employers with
applicants and even the use of social media websites with public profiles can be both
convenient and all-telling. Many employers are now looking at the public profiles of
applicants before hiring them to get a better idea of their character traits.
25 | P a g e

Employee Poaching
Employee "poaching" conjures up images of peasants hunting prized pheasants on a feudal
lords game preserves as a form of outright "theft". However, attempting to entice another
organization's employees is neither so clearly legal or illegal, smart or dumb, moral or
immoral. It all depends on a number of subtle considerations, e.g., whether there is intent to
damage a competitor, on what the local laws allow or forbid, or whether one's suppliers or
distributors are being raided and therefore feel betrayed.
Protection from poaching is likewise a muddied matter, with "non-poaching" agreements
between competitors being possible, but not in all circumstances, and "non-compete"
agreements with employees being quite problematic.
In seeking protection from or opportunities for poaching, both sides should first acquaint
themselves with the law, if not their consciences with respect to the interests of all parties,
including the targeted employee.
When it is difficult to find a qualified applicant, there is
often temptation to raid similar companies, or any
organization that has the talent sought, looking for
individuals who may be looking to make a switch in a
practice known as employee poaching. While the technique is not automatically illegal, it is
viewed unfavorably in most industries and can be legally problematic, depending on the
circumstances.
When looking to recruit an employee from a competitor or even one currently employed in a
non-competing organization, it is important to ensure that your offer makes the often-stressful
concept of switching jobs worth it to the candidate.
At the same time, and depending on your ethics, you may undertake an informal "harm
analysis", to determine whether the benefit to your organization is greater than the harm you
will inflict on the company that is raided or whether the harm is, in all probability, going to
be temporary. If, as is likely to be the case, you are not in a position to know or even
26 | P a g e

guesstimate, you may discuss this with the candidate-a move that may win you the respect of
the candidate, while leaving yours and the candidate's self-respect intact.
Of course should be offering a salary and/or benefits package that can well compete with
what the targeted candidate is currently receiving, unless the job is attractive enough in other
respects to seal the deal. It can be very useful to offer perks and incentives for switching,
when the compensation package is most critical. In particular, mention and offer anything
that makes your company stand out from the rest.
From a legal standpoint, and to prevent poaching of critically important staff, an organization
can consider creating binding what are called "non-poaching agreements" with competitors or
any organization with an incentive to headhunt those employees. However, the law governing
this can be hideously complex-in terms of the fine distinctions, boundaries and fair practice
laws governing various poaching-prevention scenarios. Depending on the terms of the
agreement and other complex relationships between the competing companies, there is the
risk of being charged with "naked restraint of trade" and penalized for that if found guilty.
Agreements with employees, called "non-compete agreements" are also likely to be legally or
tactically problematic, e.g, the problem of illegality in various jurisdictions and resistance to
accepting a job offer that requires accepting one.
While employee poaching can be fruitful if you are on the recruiting end, this practice can
also make it difficult to keep employees in your business. When a worker is offered a
position elsewhere you may need to compete by matching or exceeding what (s)he is being
offered, modify the current job description or conditions, or risk losing out to the poacher.
Coping with poaching can cause an increase in payroll if the organization is willing to
compete or a decrease in productivity if forced to hire new employees who may be untrained
or less qualified than the person being replaced. In the event that employees are being lost
due to employee poaching, it may be time for a review what the organization has to offer in
comparison to competing bidders.

27 | P a g e

Direct Recruitment
Direct recruitment eliminates any middlemen in the process of sourcing new talent for an
organization, the paradigm case being on-campus recruitment by an employer's in-house
recruiters. Other formats include direct-contact job fairs, other institutional visits and even
shopping malls (in the case of military recruitment).
Its advantages include clear transmission of the employer message, visible in-house
endorsement of the organization by its members serving as recruiters, simplified logistics for
potential candidates and potentially reduced recruitment costs (e.g., no commissions).
Potential drawbacks include a lack of expert HR expertise (when other staff are assigned the
recruiting task) and the risks inherent in dealing with a less-motivated talent pool in virtue of
the minimal effort required on the part of the target population to capture the attention of the
employer.
While third-party recruiting and indirect recruiting can be convenient methods to locate
potential employees, they can be costly and more time-consuming than direct recruitment.
Direct recruitment involves, for example, sending agency representatives to college campuses
and other educational facilities to find freshly-trained or trainable talent. While these
candidates often have less experience than that of seasoned professionals, they also come
with the most up-to-date training and a willingness to work for entry-level or otherwise
below-average compensation.
Newly trained recruits are often grateful for the employment opportunity and tend to be very
bring a fresh perspective to your business. You also have the opportunity to train them the
way that is most effective for your company, as they have not yet developed any unfavorable
or ill-matched habits during past employment. If your company offers advancement, you may
have the potential to start a long term working relationship with these recruits, decreasing the
turnover rate in your business.
As new graduates often dread spending months searching for employment upon completing
their program, your recruitment agent seeking them out may locate them before they are able
to apply to your competitors. When using a direct recruitment strategy it is important to make
28 | P a g e

sure that the individual representing your company can trump any competitors using similar
recruitment methods. If possible, send a representative with many years in your company
who can discuss their own positive experiences and the long-term benefits of your business.

Internal Recruitment
Internal recruitment is the attempt to fill job openings with current staff, rather than with
outside applicants. An efficient and cost-effective method of recruiting, it nonetheless can
carry risks and costs of its own. On the plus side, it can reduce training costs (when the
position to be filled draws upon existing expertise and the experience of the in-house staff
reassigned to the posted position), stoke employee morale (in terms of dangling advancement
opportunities), save time and money otherwise required for advertising and screening, and
provide incentives for current employees to see and prepare for the "bigger picture" regarding
their place and role in the organization.
On the other hand, internal recruitment opportunities can create complacency, negotiation
leverage or a sense of entitlement among current employees if the posting is only internal,
i.e., not an open competition allowing applications from outside applicants.
Moreover, it can insulate an organization from fresh perspectives and infusions of alternative
skill sets and operational paradigms by perpetuating a work-culture climate, mission, policy
and procedures that, although adequate, are not optimal.
While internal recruitment is not right for every business or every position within a business,
it can be an effective way to encourage employees to stay with your company long term.
Internal recruitment can be done through an in-office listing of available positions, or simply
by evaluating those in positions directly below that which is available.
The benefits of hiring within are plentiful. The potential for advancement keeps employees
from feeling stagnant and stuck within their current role. It is also a great way to foster
employee loyalty to your organization. When workers feel that there is room for advancement
they are less likely to begin looking elsewhere for better opportunities.
29 | P a g e

In addition to these benefits, your organization is able to reduce the cost of new hires-such as
expenses measured in time, energy and

money for background checks, screenings

and required training. You can be spared having to spend time calling references and hoping
you are getting an honest depiction of your candidate, as they will likely be familiar to
you already and will have an employee file to reference. By taking the most qualified
individuals from different areas of your business into supervisory roles you are creating a
working team with a vast and practical knowledge of all branches and levels of your
company without requiring any additional training.
However, when choosing a candidate to step up to a supervisory role it is important to
evaluate the situation and be sure it will not cause animosity in the work environment. For
this reason promoting to alternative divisions may be necessary. Another caveat is ethical: If
you know that a candidate is being fast-tracked internally, consideration should be given to
not wasting the time of outside applicants when the in-house employee is virtually certain to
be hired. Of course, in some instances this may be unavoidable if there is a legal requirement
that the competition for the job be open, as is generally the case with civil service positions.
On the other hand, open competition helps prevent in-house complacency and pressure of
ratcheted-up demands on the part of current employees being vetted for the job.

External Recruitment
The benefits, costs and risks of an external hire- i.e., recruiting staff from outside the
organization-are fairly obvious. The benefits of "fresh blood", new ideas and approaches, less
resentment from other in-house employees passed over during the hiring and maximization of
the candidate pool size have to be weighed against advertising, interviewing, orientation and
training costs calculated in terms of time and money, to which must be added the risk of
antagonizing an existing employee who expected to get the job.
When time, money and other resources are scarce, or when not hiring in-house may prompt a
key employee to quit, it may make more sense to hire internally. On the other hand, when inhouse staff are up to the job, but not ideally so, looking outside for the best of the best will
make more sense. Otherwise, an organizational culture that promotes expectations of internal
hiring may make external hiring problematic, by triggering resentment, if not protests.
30 | P a g e

While external recruitment can be more costly and time-consuming than hiring within, the
benefits can be substantial. By adding new employees to your company you have a unique
opportunity to bring in fresh ideas and concepts to your business and to select from a wider
range of potential employees with a greater and more varied degree of experiences.
There are multiple methods to external recruitment, such as finding an agency to suggest
employees, free or paid online advertising, the use of your company website to promote
employment opportunities, and using recruiters to find emerging talents.
It is often easier for outside hires to establish themselves as an authority figure to their
subordinates. When hiring internally there can be considerable upset when a worker finds
themselves in a position of authority over other individuals with whom they once had more
egalitarian relationships. By being hired externally, these new supervisors will be able to
express their expectations to workers that they will be responsible of overseeing without as
much concern that there will be discomfort, resentment or resistance.
With a larger pool of applicants, it is easier to find the most qualified candidates for the
position. These employees can bring skills and experience acquired and exercised in previous
employment that may prove to be beneficial to your business. They may also establish new
connections for your company that they cultivated during past employment.
These benefits can more than offset the time and capital costs of interviewing, orienting and
training an external hire. On the other hand, being an unproven organizational, job and workculture fit with only external references and track record means that in some instances
external recruitment may be riskier than appointment from within the organization.
When the choice is available, both recruitment options-internal or external hiring-should be
considered and weighed to ensure the better method is adopted in any specific instance.

31 | P a g e

Global Recruitment Resources

International or global recruiting is a method of recruiting that, among other of its features,
can be very specialized and niche, e.g., in targeting overseas senior talent, or focused on
capitalizing on lower labor costs in other regions.
Similarly, it can be part of a systematic campaign-for example, the Japanese governmentsponsored initiative to promote "Global Jinzai Management", i.e., global human
resource/human asset management, for the purpose of training, habituating, assigning and
recruiting both domestic and foreign talent to, for and from overseas markets.
One of its drivers is that globalization has created the need for management talent with
knowledge of local markets, local contacts, global networks, and the ability to localize
products and services.
Organizations looking to expand internationally must often source local management talent
without having direct knowledge or experience in the area and will therefore turn to local HR
or global recruiting experts for assistance.
In competitive fields, sometimes the most qualified candidates are not found within the
geographical confines of one's own country. It is for this reason that global recruitment can
be a crucial part in hiring the best individuals for your business. Advancements in technology
allow for interviews to be conducted via telephone or the Internet just as would be done with
domestic applicants. When using indirect marketing strategies, there are many agencies that
specialize in international recruitment.
Beyond the wider applicant pool, hiring outside of your own country can often be costefficient as the pay rate in other countries is at times substantially less than it is within one's
own borders. This is particularly true with workers that are able to work abroad. By allowing
employees to work from their own location, there is also a decreased need for office space
and supplies, which can be a great method for cost-reduction. Another advantage of
international recruiting is found when evaluating the estimated tax costs of international
employees who work in their home regions.
32 | P a g e

Global or international recruiting can be part of an organizational globalization strategy, e.g.,

outsourcing or global market expansion, or be merely an isolated instance of having to look
abroad for the right talent to fill a niche, irrespective of whether the candidate will relocate or
work remotely. Even when the candidate relocates, it may be possible for the employer to
enjoy a wage-cost benefit when that new employee has much lower salary expectations than
his or her counterparts that would otherwise be recruited from within the employer's region.
Hiring overseas talent can be delegated to HR experts or onsite associates in the target region
or managed from the employer's base. Delegation to others who know the candidate culture,
the region's job market, local compensation and other expectations there, important cultural
differences and the protocols of cross-cultural or local communication may be the smartest
route in hiring-especially when the host employer has little familiarity or expertise in dealing
with workers there.

Employee Referral Resources

Employee referrals are one of the most highly efficient and cost
effective recruitment methods available to recruiters and corporate
HR. Developing effective employee referral programs are a sure-fire
way to increase applications and improve the quality of your workforce.
An effective employee referral program should be an integral part of any employee recruiting
process. There are many recruiting sources that can be used for your employee recruiting and
it is not necessary to limit activities to any single source. Referrals from existing employees
have been shown to be some of the best employees. Study after study have shown that
employees referred by existing employees perform better and last longer on average.
There are many benefits from a well designed and implemented employee referral program in
addition to getting better employees. The first area of improvement is a significantly reduced
cost per hire for bring on new employees. Employee recruiting is expensive. Running ads,
posting on-line and using headhunters all cost money. In many cases multiple sources will be
used to build a candidate pool and the costs add up.

33 | P a g e

But giving existing employees a referral bonus can be much more cost effective. There is
only one payment. Calculate an amount that is both attractive to your employees and cost
effective for the business. A good recommendation is 20-25% of the normal cost per hire
number.
The second benefit of a good program is the program can be a significant morale booster for
existing employees. They are much happier when the money spent on recruiting stays in the
family instead of being spent on outside sources.

Existing employees appreciate the

opportunity to make more money while helping the company at the same time. Everyone
benefits from a well-run employee referral program.

Mobile
Recruiting
Mobile recruiting is one of the most discussed recruitment methods as of late. The explosion
of cellphone use and smart-phones has created a massive audience of potential job-seekers to
address. Recruiting technology vendors and corporate recruiters are constantly developing
new ways to reach out to the mobile user, with the hope of increased engagement and further
visibility.
Mobile recruiting promises to be the most important trend since social networking.
However, mobile recruitment has only recently emerged from its infancy. No recruiting
technology vendors have emerged as clear winners, and the industry has not consolidated
around any particular platform. Additionally, best practices and resources for engagement
with candidates through their mobile devices are still difficult to find.

34 | P a g e

The Best Recruiting Strategy Is the We

Find You
Approac
h
Not many people research or study recruiting strategies, but those who do realize quite
quickly that all recruiting strategies fit into two categories: you find us and we find you.
The you find us category is the most commonly used, where a firm essentially posts a
notice that it is looking for someone to hire and then sorts through those individuals who
respond.
The more proactive category, however, is the we find you approach, where a firm instead
attempts to identify the names of top performers as individuals and then contact them
directly. The first approach almost by design attracts the masses, while the other is more
targeted to minimize the volume of applications and maximize the quality of the applicants. If
you were going to attempt to recruit Tiger Woods to play for your golf team, you would
realize early on that it would require the use of a different approach than most corporations
currently use. Tiger certainly wouldnt respond to the traditional approaches, like ads in
newspapers, or and he wouldnt put his resume on Monster.com.
It is also unlikely that he would attend golfing job fairs or respond to a now hiring
banner. If by chance Tiger did respond, it is unlikely that he would endure the hiring process
at most firms, because he wouldnt be treated as special or as a target individual. The only
way to hire top performers is to give up the notion that they are going to find you and instead
adopt a recruiting strategy that proactively finds them. Tiger, much like other top performers,
has so many choices that the only way you could possibly recruit him would be to target him
individually and then build a relationship with him over time in order to eventually convince
him to join your golf team. This relationship-based recruiting strategy is called the we find
you approach, and if you want to hire the very best, its the only approach to use.
Why You Find Us Generates a System Stressing Volume Perhaps an analogy would best
highlight the differences between the two categories of recruiting. In the media, there are two
basic choices to attracting a target audience: broadcasting and narrowcasting.

35 | P a g e

The broadcasting approach uses far-reaching tools to attract the widest possible audience. It
is the approach used by the major TV networks (e.g. ABC, CBS, NBC, CBC). Another
approach, called narrowcasting, is used by cable TV stations to attract a very narrow but
targeted audience, for example the Sci-Fi or the Golfing channels. The first approach gets you
a large volume of viewers, while the second gets you a smaller but much more targeted
viewership. If you wanted to recruit a golf fanatic, placing an ad on a broadcast network will
get you a huge volume of candidates, most of whom will be unqualified or underqualified.
If you wanted to attract only golf fanatics, you would place an ad on the Golf channel, and
you would certainly get only golf fanatics responding, because no one else would ever watch
a golf channel. The same holds true for the commonly used you find us approach and the
superior, but unfortunately least used, we find you approach. If youre currently inundated
with a high volume of candidates whom you have little interest in, its probably because you
are using a you find us approach. The You Find Us Sourcing Strategy The you find
us sourcing strategy is used by 95% of firms, making it the most common but,
unfortunately, least effective of all sourcing strategies.
Using this strategy, all attraction efforts are general and are designed to find anyone who fits
the broad category of your search. It is a broad net strategy, where no proactive effort is
made to find people or prospects as individuals. Here are the com mon y ou fi
nd us
sourcing tools, listed in order from least effective to most effective:
1. Job fairs
2. Ads in newspapers
3. Job boards
4. Billboards or were hiring banners
5. College hires at on-campus career events
6. Walk in applications at physical locations
7. Corporate career sites (a passive approach where you hope that candidates surfing
the web will find your site and have the interest and patience to follow through and
apply)
8. Employment branding (an excellent approach that causes everyone the best as
well as the rest to want to work at your firm, which results in your firms getting on
best place to work lists or having best practices talked about in business, functional,
and industry publications)
36 | P a g e

As you can readily see, all of the tools that are used under the you find us approach are
aimed at a broad audience. Job boards, for example, are designed to attract a wide range of
candidates, from the barely qualified to the barely interested. Billboards or we are hiring
banners attract anyone who drives by, with no delineation or targeting toward a specific skill
set, performance, or interest level. Of all of the tools in this category, the employment
branding approach is the strongest. It is a long-term approach designed to make candidates
aware of why your company is an excellent place to work.
Although this is an excellent long-term recruiting strategy, since it builds the interest and
knowledge of applicants about your firm, it does, by design, also bring in a very large volume
of every type of candidate. The next step in the you find us approach is the interview.
Since candidates sourced using the you find us strategy by definition found you, most firms
do nothing more than put them through the standard screening processes. Since they are
essentially strangers, the best candidates can easily get lost in the volume of applicants.
There is no real selling or relationship building, because it is assumed (wrongfully so) that a
candidates interest is strong, since they found you and they took the time to apply. The We
Find You Sourcing Strategy Only 5% of firms focus on this advanced but vastly superior
approach as a name identification strategy. The we find you strategy is targeted toward
currently employed top performers. These individuals are generally not looking for a job and
they may not be interested in (or even aware of) your firm. (Note: Some many of us call these
individuals passive candidates, but thats a misleading label because these people are
generally not passive at all). This superior sourcing approach is not designed to attract the
masses.
Instead, it uses a narrow net approach to identify the very best people and then recruit
them. This is the approach that has been successfully used by executive search firms for
decades. It is also used by recruiting powerhouse FirstMerit and other top firms like EA, GE,
and Microsoft, as well as almost all sports teams and entertainment firms. The we find you
approach is based on the premise that if you start recruiting before need (i.e., before you need
to fill an open req), you have the time to identify the very best individuals by name and then
build the relationship, so that you can, over time, better assess and sell them on your firm
and the opportunities you can offer them. The key we find you sourcing tools are listed
below, from least effective to most effective:

37 | P a g e

1. Cold calls. Recruiters identify the best through periodic calls.

2. Mystery shopping. Recruiters identify the best by buying products or asking
questions of other firms employees (which works best in public-facing jobs).
3. Credit lists. Recruiters find people who precisely fit your target demographics based
on their job title, income, location, and diversity.
4. Public records. Similar to credit lists, public records searches can identify specific
individuals who fit a very narrowly defined demographic.
5. Mentor recruiting. With this method, your recruiters seek out top performers and ask
whether they have mentored others at your targeted firms. You then use the mentor
relationship to recruit the mentees. (A variation tries to get top performing
mentees at your firm to draw away their mentors from other firms.)
6. Intern to hire or temp to hire. Although interns or temps may have been initially
recruited using a broad net approach, converting them to permanent hires requires a
we find you relationship building process to assess them and eventually sell them
on a permanent position.
7. Technical contests. Skills and problem-solving contests, generally online (e.g.
TopCoder), attract and identify those with the best solutions.
8. Scholarship awards. Top prospects are identified based on their scholarship
applications.
9. Professional association lists. Recruiters mine these lists to identify potential
candidates based on where they work and their seniority in the field.
10. Internet name generation. Using this approach, recruiters find individuals who write
and speak by using Google type Internet searches based what they write and say.
11. Hire to learn or hurt. Target the best employees working at competitors based on
their ability to bring a targeted skill to your firm.
12. Name generation firms. Pay researchers at vendor firms to identify the names of
target candidates based on titles and firms they work at.
13. Boomerangs. Using this approach, recruiters proactively seek out top former
employees in an effort to get them to return to your firm.
14. Event recruiting. Send employees to identify speakers (as well as those who ask
questions and make comments) at seminars and professional events.
15. Benchmark recruiting. Find the best people while researching best practices at
competitor firms.

38 | P a g e

16. Magnet strategy. Hire the well-known in order to attract other top people, even in
other job families. (Hire Tiger Woods and the rest will come)
17. Referrals. Proactively ask top employees, former employees, and friends of the firm
to find and refer others like themselves.
18. Most wanted lists. Senior managers identify the best in the industry at the beginning
of the year. Recruiters and managers then sell them on switching firms throughout the
year.
The next step in the we find you approach is relationship recruiting. Unlike the you find
us approach, this strategy adds a relationship-building step where trust building, assessment,
and selling occur over a several month period. After finding prospects, recruiters, managers
and employees must build a relationship with each of them in order to increase their interest
and trust.
Once the recruiter qualifies them, the next step is to then identify the job switch criteria of the
very best and then use that information to sell them. Weaknesses in the Two Different
Approaches A newspaper ad is a good example of the you find us approach. Your firm
places an ad in a newspaper that attracts a broad audience, and people who are looking for a
job will find you by sorting through a number of want ads. Initially, many recruiters think
that the people that find you are superior candidates. Because they took the time to find
you, recruiters assume that these candidates are the ones who are the most interested in your
firm and job.
Unfortunately, relying on that assumption might doom your firm to a endless stream of
mediocre candidates and hires. Why?
1. Loyalty and interest. First you need to understand that just because a candidate
found you, that doesnt mean that they havent simultaneously found a dozen other
firms and jobs. You can not assume any degree of loyalty to, or even knowledge of,
your firm.
2. High volume. A second problem with the you find us approach is that it almost
guarantees you will get a large volume of candidates, some of whom will fit your
needs but the majority of whom will not. As almost any recruiter can tell you, want
ads will get you a large percentage of unqualified people and a handful of qualified
ones at best.
39 | P a g e

3. High error probability. Because all broad approaches bring in a large number of
barely qualified candidates, there is a high chance that a few barely qualified
candidates will slip through and a number of highly qualified candidates will be
passed over, unless your screening process is very accurate.
4. Low acceptance rate. Because most applicants know little about your firm other than
the fact that you have job openings, you are likely to get a low offer-acceptance rate.
This problem is further exacerbated by the fact that hiring managers often assume a
high degree of interest and there is little attempt to sell the candidate until the job
offer is made. This last-minute selling effort often fails, because these individuals are
essentially strangers, meaning that you only know them and they only know your firm
for the two- or three-week period of the interview process. Because the candidate was
not identified and courted prior to the job opening, the firm has no long-term
relationship, no reservoir of trust, nor even any vital information about the candidates
job switch or job acceptance criteria.
5. Low quality. The final, and perhaps most significant, difficulty with the you find us
approach is that it cannot excite and thus attract people who are not actively looking
for a job. Because most of the best candidates are top performers who are currently
employed, they seldom have the time or even the interest to respond to you find us
approaches. In addition, broad approaches like newspaper ads, job boards, and job
fairs just dont provide enough targeted information to fit the interests and the specific
criteria that top performers have for switching jobs.
The list of weaknesses inherent in the you find us approach is long, but that doesnt mean
the we find you approach isnt without its own set of weaknesses and challenges. The we
find you approach requires some advanced knowledge of the habits of the target candidates.
As a result, recruiters with no background in marketing, sales, or executive search often shy
away from it. In addition, the we find you approach requires that relationships be built
between the firm and the target candidates, which is a long-term process.
Still the most common sourcing strategy by far is the you find us approach.
Firms use it because its easy and its traditional. But if you want a competitive advantage, and
also dont want to handle a large number of under qualified and mildly interested candidates.

40 | P a g e

INDUSTRY DATA
Hiring College Interns
What does your companys college intern hiring plan for 2014 look like?
If youre planning to hire fewer interns, or no interns, youre not alone.
A new survey conducted by the National Association of Colleges and Employers (NACE)
finds overall intern hiring will decline by 3.4 percent this year. In releasing its survey
findings, NACE doesnt cite any reason for the drop which may turn out to be a blip on the
radar.

Nevertheless, the recent increase in class action lawsuits filed against corporations by
unpaid college interns might have something to do with the decline. Indeed, last fall, a
Forbes article speculated about the impact these lawsuits would have on future intern hiring.
Of course, the key word here is hiring. The lawsuits allege that interns were not paid for
what amounted to full-time jobs. Best practices have long included financial compensation
for college interns. Be that as it may, some well-known employers are among those
mentioned in the Forbes article.
The legal activity and subsequent press most likely have some would-be employers now
treading cautiously when it comes to college interns. Still, the message that hiring college
interns means paying them for their work is not a new one. Its also worth noting that hire,
by definition, means employ (someone) for wages.
41 | P a g e

 The Most Underutilized Recruiting Network

A recent Recruiting Trends Data Watch article points to the importance of tapping Facebook
and LinkedIn for recruiting. Clearly, the stats on people who frequent the sites make a
compelling case for focusing on these networks.
Nevertheless, not all candidates are on Facebook or LinkedIn.

However, nearly all

candidates can be reached via another network.

Its called telecommunications.
Indeed, in his article,
Fall 2013
Retros pecti ve,

In Defense of the Dark Ages: A Recruit ing T rends

Geoffrey Dubiski defends this underutilized network and cites its

many opportunities for engaging candidates.

In addition to the points he makes, heres another: mobile. So much attention has been given
to mobile from the standpoint of how texting allows for connecting with candidates. But, uh,
the device is a phone, originally designed for talking.
Whats more, almost every potential job candidate has their private phone with them most of
the time; 90 percent of American adults have a cell phone, according to the Pew Research
Centers Internet & American Life Project.
Interestingly, Pew also finds that 58 percent of American adults have a smartphone. This
means that to reach approximately one-third of mobile users you have to talk.
Theres no denying that texting, social media, and email offer viable ways to interact with
candidates. Still, some candidates, particularly in certain occupations, prefer a phone call.
Recruiting a writing professional? Chances are he will be most comfortable communicating
in writing. Recruiting a salesperson? Most likely she will want to talk with you.

Still not convinced? Consider that a sales representative from Facebooks global
marketing
solutions group has been reaching out to discuss advertising on Facebookvia telephone.

42 | P a g e

 Facing the Facts: Why Recruiters Should Use Facebook and LinkedIn
How can a recruiter best leverage social media? Social Recruiting Strategist Shahid Wazed
recommends focusing on Facebook and LinkedIn.
Consider statistics from Facebooks corporate site:

1.23 billion monthly active users as of December 31, 2013

757 million daily active users on average in December 2013

945 million monthly users who used Facebook mobile products as of December 31,
2013

Pew Research Center, a nonpartisan fact tank, provides additional insight:

Facebook is used by 57 percent of all American adults

Facebook is used by 71 percent of online American adults

64 percent of adult users visit the site on a daily basis

Whats more, Pew finds these adults are indeed networking.

39 percent of adult Facebook users have between 1 and 100 Facebook friends

23 percent have 101-250 friends

20 percent have 251-500 friends

15 percent have more than 500 friends

In terms of reach, no social network rivals Facebook.

Nevertheless, LinkedIn numbers are also impressive:

More than 277 million people are registered LinkedIn members

More than 93 million Americans are members

More than 3 million companies have LinkedIn company pages

LinkedIn members share information and knowledge in more than 2.1 million
LinkedIn groups

Mobile accounted for 41 percent of unique visiting members to LinkedIn in the fourth
quarter of 2013

43 | P a g e

Pew finds 22 percent of online American adults use LinkedIn.

Although clearly not as popular as Facebook, LinkedIn has a different mission. As a business
network, it is tailored to career advancement.
Are you taking advantage of the recruiting opportunities these sites offer?

The Agile Workplace - Research from HCI

The ability to proactively and fluidly respond to change agility is related to greater
financial success. The Human Capital Institutes latest Talent Pulse research has uncovered
key findings related to agility including:

Recruiting in agile organizations is continuous versus episodic (69.3%)

Senior leaders want a more agile HR function (64.5%)

Smaller companies are more agile than their larger counterparts

Increased communication and collaboration are viewed as the No. 1 means of

improving agility (23%), followed by organizational redesign (21%), continuous
improvement interventions such as Six Sigma (13%) and updated technology and
information systems (7%)

44 | P a g e

Employee Recruitments at TCS

Background to the organization
Tata Consultancy Services limited (TCS) is a software services and consulting company
headquartered in Mumbai, India. It is the Indias largest provider of information technology
and business process outsourcing services. The company is listed on the National Stock
Exchange (NSE) and Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) of India. TCS is part of one of Indias
largest and oldest conglomerates, the TATA Group.

About Tata group

The Tata Group is the India's largest and most esteemed business group. Tata Group's name
is synonymous with India's industrialisation (www.tata.com). Today, Tata Group consists of
96 operating companies in seven business sectors such as Information Technology and
communications engineering, materials, services, energy, consumer products, and chemicals.
The Group has operations in more than 54 countries across six continents, and its companies
export products and services to 120 nations.
Jamsetji Nusserwanji Tata, the founder of Tata Group. First, he started a private trading firm
in 1868 and 1874; he set up the Central India Spinning Weaving and Manufacturing
Company Limited and thus marked the Group's entry into textiles.
In 1887, he formed a joint venture firm, Tata & Sons, with his elder son Sir Dorabji Tata and
his cousin Ratanji Dadabhoy Tata. His younger son Sir Ratan Tata joined the firm in 1896. In
1902, the Indian Hotels Company was incorporated to set up the Taj Mahal Palace and
Tower, India's first luxury hotel, which opened in 1903. The Tata Iron and Steel Company
(now known as Tata Steel) were established to set up India's first iron and steel plant in
Jamshedpur. In 1910, Tata Hydro-Electric Power Supply Company, (now Tata Power) was
set up. In 1917, Tata Oil Mills Company was established to make soaps, detergents and
cooking oils.

45 | P a g e

In 1932, Tatas entered aviation sector with the establishment of Tata Airlines. In 1939, Tata
Chemicals, presently, the largest producer of soda ash in India, was established. In 1945, Tata
Engineering and Locomotive Company (renamed Tata Motors in 2003) was established to
manufacture locomotive and engineering products. In 1954, India's major marketing,
engineering and manufacturing organisation, Voltas, was established. In 1962, Tata Finlay
(now Tata Tea), one of the largest tea producers, was established. In 1968, Tata Consultancy
Services (TCS), India's first software services company, was established as a division of Tata
Sons.
In 2000, Tata Tea acquired the Tetley Group, UK. This was the first major acquisition of an
international brand by an Indian business group. In 2001, Tata entered into insurance
business in joint venture with Tata AIG. In 2007, Tata Steel acquired Corus the fifth largest
steel company in the world. In 2008, Tata Motors acquires the Jaguar and Land Rover brands
from the Ford Motor Company.
Since its inception in 1968, TCS has invested in new technologies, processes and people in
order to help its customers succeed. With inputs from its innovation labs and university
alliances, TCS keeps clients up-to-date with new technology. This has helped the company
meet various benchmarks of excellence in software development. (www.tcs.com)
Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) delivers real results to global businesses by ensuring a level
of certainty that no other firm can match. TCS offers a consulting-led, integrated portfolio of
IT and IT-enabled services delivered through its unique Global Network Delivery Model,
recognised as the benchmark of excellence in software development.
As part of the Tata group, TCS has over 130,000 of the world's best-trained IT consultants in
42 countries; its clients include seven of the top ten corporations in the Fortune 500. The
company generated consolidated revenues of USD5.7 billion for the fiscal year ended 31
March 2008.
Industry verticals that TCS serves are;
Banking and financial services, Insurance, Telecom, Media and information services,
Government, Healthcare and life sciences, Energy and utilities, Retail and FMCG, Travel,
transport and hospitality, Manufacturing, High-tech and professional services .
46 | P a g e

Recruitment Process of TCS

Tata consultancy is a software company, now it is coming in the financial sector also. Tata
consultancy follows a very tough process of recruitment people in their company. They
strongly believe that the quality of deliveries by the company is directly proportional to the
quality of resources working in the company therefore they are very careful in selection of
people. They evaluate people based on their attitude and of course their technical expertise
Process.

Sources Of Recruitment
The main sources of recruitment are:
1. Internal promotion and internal introductions (at times desirable for morale purposes)
2. Careers officers (and careers masters at schools)
3. University (Campus) appointment boards
4. Agencies for the unemployed
5. Advertising (often via agents for specialist posts) or the use of other local media (e.g.
commercial radio)
47 | P a g e

Work force level

Work force level is the initial level of any company, hear the selected person do the job
which is assigned by their head. In the TCS the initial job is mainly concern with software
development, it could be hardware or networking related also so candidate should have
knowledge of computer languages, hardware or networking for which post he/she is applying.
Now the recruitment process for work force level
Application: it can be either online or respond to one
candidates

of companys Ads -- They screen

resume and call them for an interview

Selection process is through

1.

Written (Aptitude test)

2.

Interview (Technical & non-technical)

3.

Group Problem Solving

Frontline Level
Frontline level is the upper level of work force level. A person could be the head of one team
of workforce level. Here it concern with strong technical as well as communication skill. It is
two way communication process where he/she communicate with work force people as well
as their technical department.

48 | P a g e

This is internal and external process here employee is getting select from inside the company
or from outside the company. The inside selection process is bit different from outside
selection process.
Now selection process for frontline level from outside the company
1. Written
2. Interview (technical & non-technical)
3. Case study analysis, aptitude test
4. Group Discussion
For inside selection they considers
1. According to their performance
2. Interview
3. Leadership quality

Middle Management level (Executive selection scheme)

The Executive Selection Scheme is a fast track programme for accelerated growth of high
potential professionals. It take care of all project taken by the company.
This is also two way communication process. Here the manager communicate with his high
level person, lower level employees and more with clients.
Now the selection process of middle Management level
This is also based on internally and externally.
In Internal process
1. Interview
2. Presentation
3. Case Study Analysis
49 | P a g e

4. Leadership Quality &

5. According to their performance
Now External Process
1. Written Aptitude test
2. Interview (technical & non-technical)
3. Case study analysis
4. Presentation
5. Leadership quality
6. Negotiation

Top Management Level

It is the top most and prestigious post for the Tata Consultancy Service like CEO, MD. Here
top most person is mainly concern for managing the whole company, they also make
strategies related to decision making for to phosphorus in near future .
There is no recruitment process from externally.
Now Selection process for Top Management Level is through
1. Interview
2. Candidate Presentation
3. Offers and negotiation

50 | P a g e

Recruitment Strategies @ TCS

Recruitment is of the most crucial roles of the human resource professionals. The level of
performance of and organisation depends on the effectiveness of its recruitment function.
Organisations have developed and follow recruitment strategies to hire the best talent for
their organisation and to utilize their resources optimally.
A successful recruitment strategy should be well planned and practical to attract more and
good talent to apply in the organisation.
For formulating an effective and successful recruitment strategy, the strategy covers the
following elements:
1. Identifying and prioritizing jobs
Requirements keep arising at various levels in every organisation; it is almost a neverending process. It is impossible to fill all the positions immediately. Therefore, there
is a need to identify the positions requiring immediate attention and action. To
maintain the quality of the recruitment activities, it is useful to prioritize the vacancies
whether to focus on all vacancies equally or focusing on key jobs first.

2. Candidates to target
The recruitment process can be effective only if the organisation completely
understands the requirements of the type of candidates that are required and will be
beneficial for the organisation. This covers the following parameters as well:
Performance level required: Different strategies are required for focusing on hiring
high performers and average performers.

Experience level required: the strategy should be clear as to what is the experience
level required by the organisation. The candidates experience can range from being
a fresher to experienced senior professionals.

51 | P a g e

Category of the candidate: the strategy should clearly define the target candidate.
He/she can be from the same industry, different industry, unemployed, top
performers of the industry etc.

3. Sources of recruitment
The strategy should define various sources (external and internal) of recruitment. Which are
the sources to be used and focused for the recruitment purposes for various positions.
Employee referral is one of the most effective sources of recruitment.
4. Trained recruiters
The recruitment professionals conducting the interviews and the other recruitment activities
should be well-trained and experienced to conduct the activities. They should also be aware
of the major parameters and skills (e.g.: behavioural, technical etc.) to focus while
interviewing and selecting a candidate.
5. How to evaluate the candidates
The various parameters and the ways to judge them i.e. the entire recruitment process should
be planned in advance. Like the rounds of technical interviews, HR interviews, written tests,
psychometric tests etc.

52 | P a g e

EFFECTIVE RECRUITMENT STRATEGIES FOR

2013
@
TCS
Employers and recruiters use various recruitment strategies to meet recruiting goals. To
attract and hire the best requires the latest recruiting methods and technologies to target
specific aspects of recruiting, such as sourcing, engaging, hiring, and pipelining or building a
talent community. Although recruitment is commonly the responsibility of human resources
professionals, it also falls to staffing agencies, hiring managers, and company principals such
as directors, CEOs, and VPs. Any of these professionals tasked with recruiting will need
effective recruitment strategies such as referrals, social recruiting, and creative recruiting.

Referral Recruitment Strategies

Research shows that employee referrals are the number one source in hiring volume and new
hire quality. Dr. John Sullivan and associates research from 2008 to 2011 shows referrals are
hired at a rate of one out of three applications at top-performing firms. Numbers like those
mean recruiters and employers just cant ignore employee referrals as a source of candidates
and quality hires. Referral recruitment strategies must make employee referrals easy,
rewarding, and effective.
o Reward Referrers
Effective referral programs include recognition and rewards to encourage and motivate
people to send you top candidates. And dont just grant rewards for successful hires also
consider offering small rewards merely for the act of providing referrals. In terms of the type
of reward, studies show that cash is king as a reward motivator. Be sure to also reward
outside sources for qualified referrals, including customers, vendors, and industry associates.
o Publicize Referral Incentives
Publicizing your referral incentives makes sure everyone knows that you want referrals and
you are willing to recognize and reward people who refer top candidates for your openings.
Put your referral incentives on your company career page, on your social media such as
Facebook, in blogs, newsletters, and marketing campaigns.

53 | P a g e

o Automate or Socialize Your Referral Process

Automating or socializing your employee referral process makes sure that its an ongoing,
standardized process. While manual employee referral processes may work for small
recruiting initiatives, an automated process with a service such as Jobvite that automates and
socializes your requests and rewards for referrals enables you to embed the referral process in
your recruitment strategies and keep a consistent administration of referral promotions and
tracking.

Social Recruitment Strategies

Well-managed social recruitment strategies allow recruiters and employers to attract, engage,
and hire the best qualified candidates with less expense and farther reach than traditional
recruiting methods.
o Use a Consistent Brand
Use a consistent brand across all the social media channels you use that includes your
corporate culture and your employer brand. Use an editorial calendar or social media
implementation schedule so marketing and recruiting staff can coordinate efforts and work
toward a consistent image.
o Identify Social Network Activities
Observe and identify activities across your social networks. Candidate responses, comments,
questions, and other interactions can be clues to where to focus social media recruitment
efforts.
o Engage Top Candidates
Once your brand is in place and youve identified where your social networks are most
active, engage the best candidates with valuable content such as blog posts, videos, webinars,
and incentives.

54 | P a g e

o Creative Recruitment Strategies

Dont neglect creative recruitment strategies when you need to attract and engage top
candidates.

Self-selection strategies include inviting applicants to open group events such as open
houses

Wooing your dream candidates with creative recruitment strategies such as sending
personalized iPods or tablets with an introduction and invitation to the company from
top managers or the CEO gives an edge over competing companies and shows youre
willing to make extra effort to win top talent.

Group interaction events let recruiters and employers see how applicants interact with
recruiting and hiring staff and employees.

Forget job fairs and opt instead to look for talent at non-recruiting events such as
meetups where candidates in your industry will be, conferences, and exhibitor fairs.

Go paperless and replace paper job descriptions with vivid videos describing your
openings or podcasts and webinars about what its like to work at your company.

Effective recruitment strategies include a range of targets and methods to go where the top
candidates are and reach out to them in new ways. They require a defined plan for referrals,
social media recruiting, and creative recruitment strategies for the best hiring results.

55 | P a g e

Working @
TCS
Whether youre a seasoned professional or a recent graduate, youll find an environment that allows
you to explore and map out a dynamic career path tailored to your personal goals, and a supportive
community of colleagues working together toward real opportunities to positively impact our
company, our clients, and their own careers.

What Our Employees Say

Working for TCS is more than a job. Call it an adventure, a thrilling roller coaster ride that
combines work and personal life. Since joining 19 months ago, Ive been able to experience
diverse fields and environments, and had the opportunity to take the lead on a number of
initiatives. Most importantly, I know that even more challenges await me in my futures roles
within the company. Alina Buzgar, HR Generalist, Bangalore, India
TCS has provided me the opportunity to see the global business environment we operate in
with much greater clarity and understanding. Its an honor to work for a company that
balances its passionate drive to compete and win with values and principles committed to the
greater good. Robert Kane, Director and General Manager of the Northeast Region, New
York City, USA

A career at TCS
offers
Extraordinary opportunities for growth: We offer positions that allow you to challenge the
tried and true, and to collaborate across technologies and continents.
New horizons, ongoing education: A wealth of diversity in culture, training, knowledge,
and experience gives employees incredible opportunities to learn and expand their horizons.
Leading-edge innovation, 24/7: Innovation isnt just a buzz word at TCS; its one of the
pillars on which our entire business operates.
A diverse, global peer community: We are committed to bringing our best people to bear on
client projects regardless of where they may be located. This means that you get to work
with people across continents and organizational functions.

56 | P a g e

TCS Recruitment Process For Fresher's - Stages &

Pattern
TCS is probably the largest IT recruiter in India with over 30,000 freshers being every year.
The company conducts massive campus and off campus placements across India at regular
intervals. Though the percentage of candidates recruited from campus and off campus are
significantly different, the stages in placement are essentially the same.
Three Stages in TCS Freshers Recruitment include :
a) Written Test b) Tech Interview c) HR Interview
a) Written Test :
(This is based on some of the recent ONLINE tests. Pattern and distribution of questions in
offline tests could be different)
Written test consists of three major sub divisions namely a) Verbal b) Aptitude and c)
Reasoning. Good thing about all these three sub tests is that generally there would be no
negative marks. Also the perception is that there is no individual cut off requirement in any of
these sections.
Verbal section would normally carry about 30 questions for a duration of around 20 mins.
Quantitative aptitude would carry around 35 questions for a duration of about 40 mins and
critical reasoning would carry about 10 questions for a duration of 30 minutes.
b) Tech Interview :
Once shortlisted from written test, you would be grilled on technical questions from your
course subjects and areas of interest. TCS is known for tough technical questions unlike most
other companies and hence it is essential that you stay thoroughly prepared. Elimination from
tech interview could be high due to the tough nature of questions.

57 | P a g e

c) HR Interview :
TCS generally has a separate HR interview with a different panel. They would normally
question you on your goals, willingness to work in team etc. Generally there would be least
elimination from HR round.

Article
s

TCS digitises its campus recruitment process with NextStep -Economic

Times

BANGALORE: Tata Consultancy Services has been digitising its campus hiring process, in a
bid to make itself more relevant to the current generation of recruits.
TCS has tied up with over 450 institutes, from where students can do everything from
applying to getting a joining letter through TCS' online recruitment portal NextStep.
Once the campus placement officers refer candidates, they go on to register with NextStep,
which again validates their qualifications. From there on, they go to the testing phase,
through a testing tool called Touchstone on NextStep, where the candidate is evaluated on
technical as well as communication skills.
"After the scores are evaluated, the candidate goes through an interview, which is the only
manual phase that we currently have," says Ajoy Muherjee, EVP & global head, human
resources, TCS.
"But even there, the interviewer records his feedback and his evaluation on a hand held
device, and the rest of the steps follow from that," he adds.
Post the evaluation, NextStep sends out an offer letter to successful candidates, which he or
she can accept, and download through a mobile app. The joining letter too is made available
through mobile apps.

58 | P a g e

"This has also allowed us to prevent fraud and curb the cases of fake offer letters people have
been given in exchange for money," says Mukherjee.
But TCS says that its attempt to connect with the current generation is not limited to its hiring
process. It also has a social networking site Campus Commune, where over 3 lakh college
students have registered to form communities through which they learn, discuss and even find
mentorship from TCS employees.
The site has contests such as Mobeel, TestImony, EngiNX, and CodeVita, which occasionally
results in mentoring, or even job offers for winners.
There have been job offers for winners of CodeVita, a coding contest, in TCS labs, while in
Mobeel, top ten teams were brought to the office for mentorship. On an average we find
youngsters spending over 20 minutes on the site, which indicates a strong interest in it," says
Mukherjee.

TCS changes recruitment strategy - Business Standard

Tata Consultancy Services, the country's largest IT company, has changed its hiring strategy
and will focus on just-in-time hiring or real-time talent management.
"TCS has decided to adopt the policy of real-time management whereby we will hire in the
last three months of the final year of graduation rather than a year before," said S Ramadorai,
managing director and chief executive officer, TCS.
This will not only help the company to optimise and increase its utilisation, but also align its
hiring strategy closer to the demand and supply of business, a company spokesperson said.
The company is working on ways to reduce the two-month training period by half. TCS, with
over 130,000 employees, has already freezed lateral hiring and plans to hire only on need
basis.
"The decision is also been based on our constant interaction with the academia, which have
been telling that students are not pursuing higher studies as they get jobs and also during the
academic year they tend to get lax," added the company's spokesperson.

59 | P a g e

The decision will not impact the company's current hiring plan of recruiting over 24,000
students for FY10. The step comes immediately after the Nasscom announcement to hire
students only in their eighth semester. "Some firms were hiring in the fourth or fifth semester
of an academic year. However, now the IT trade body and companies have decided to hire
only in the eighth semester of the academic year," said Nasscom President Som Mittal.
Mittal felt that this will help the students as well as the industry. "When you hire that early,
students get confused and do not focus on their studies. Besides, we also realised that since
many would get jobs they would not concentrate on further studies," added Mittal.

60 | P a g e

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR
SUCCESSFUL
EMPLOYEE
RECRUITING
Finding the best possible people who can fit within your culture and contribute within your
organization is a challenge and an opportunity. Keeping the best people, once you find them,
is easy if you do the right things right. These specific actions will help you with recruiting
and retaining all the talent you need. Here are ten tips for better recruiting.

Improve Your Candidate Pool When Recruiting Employees

Companies that select new employees from the candidates who walk in their door or answer
an ad in the paper or online are missing the best candidates. They're usually working for
someone else and they may not even be looking for a new position. Here are steps to take to
improve your candidate pool.

Invest time in developing relationships with university placement offices, recruiters

and executive search firms.

Enable current staff members to actively participate in industry professional

associations and conferences where they are likely to meet candidates you may
successfully woo.

Watch the online job boards for potential candidates who may have resumes online
even if they're not currently looking.

Use professional association Web sites and magazines to advertise for professional
staff.

The key is to build your candidate pool before you need it.

Look First at In-house Candidates

Providing promotional and lateral opportunities for current employees positively boosts
morale and makes your current staff members feel their talents, capabilities, and
accomplishments are appreciated. Always post positions internally first. Give potential
candidates an interview. It's a chance for you to know them better. They learn more about the

61 | P a g e

goals and needs of the organization. Sometimes, a good fit is found between your needs and
theirs.

Be Known as a Great Employer

PFau and Kay make a strong case for not just being a great employer, but letting people know
that you are a great employer. Take a look at your employee practices for retention,
motivation, accountability, reward, recognition, flexibility in work-life balance, promotion,
and involvement. These are your key areas for becoming an employer of choice. You want
your employees bragging that your organization is a great place to work. People will believe
the employees before they believe the corporate literature.

Involve Your Employees in the Hiring Process

You have three opportunities to involve your employees in the hiring process.

Your employees can recommend excellent candidates to your firm.

They can assist you to review resumes and qualifications of potential candidates.

They can help you interview people to assess their potential "fit" within your
company.

Organizations that fail to use employees to assess potential employees are underutilizing one
of their most important assets. People who participate in the selection process are committed
to helping the new employee succeed. It can't get any better than that for you and the new
employee.

Pay Better Than Your Competition

Yes, you do get what you pay for in the job market. Survey your local job market and take a
hard look at the compensation people in your industry attract. You want to pay better than
average to attract and keep the best candidates. Seems obvious, doesn't it?
It's not. I listen to employers every day who talk about how to get employees cheaply. It's a
bad practice. Did I say, "you do get what you pay for in the job market?" Sure, you can luck
out and attract a person who has golden handcuffs because they are following their spouse to
a new community or need your benefits.
62 | P a g e

But, they will resent their pay scale, feel unappreciated, and leave you for their first good job
offer. I have seen employee-replacement costs that range from two to three times the person's
annual salary. Did I say that you do get what you are willing to pay for in the job market?

Use Your Benefits to Your Advantage In Recruiting Employees

Keep your benefits above industry standard and add new benefits as you can afford them.
You also need to educate employees about the cost and value of their benefits so they
appreciate how well you are looking out for their needs.
Treasured currently by employees is flexibility and the opportunity to balance work with
other life responsibilities, interests, and issues. You can't be an employer of choice without a
good benefits package that includes standard benefits such as medical insurance, retirement,
and dental insurance.
Employees are increasingly looking for cafeteria-style benefit plans in which they can
balance their choices with those of a working spouse or partner. Pfau and Kay recommend
stock and ownership opportunities for every level of employees in your organization. I like
profit sharing plans and bonuses that pay the employee for measurable achievements and
contributions.

Hire the Smartest Person You Can Find

In their recent book, First Break All the Rules: What the World's Greatest Managers Do
Differently (compare prices), Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman recommend that great
managers hire for talent. They believe that successful managers believe:
"People don't change that much. Don't waste time trying to put in what was left out. Try to
draw out what was left in. That is hard enough."
If you're looking for someone who will work well with people, you need to hire an individual
who has the talent of working well with people. You're unlikely to train missing talents into
the person later. You can try, but then, you are not building on the employee's strengths
which 80,000 managers, via Gallup's research, highly recommend.

63 | P a g e

The recommendation? Hire for strengths; don't expect to develop weak areas of performance,
habits, and talents. Build on what is great about your new employee in the first place.

Use Your Web Site for Recruiting

Your Web site portrays your vision, mission, values, goals, and products. It is also effective
for recruiting employees who experience a resonance with what you state on your site. Do
create an employment section which describes your available positions and contains
information about you and why an interested person might want to contact your company. A
recruiting Web site is your opportunity to shine and a highly effective way to attract
candidates today.

Check References When Recruiting Employees

The purpose of this section is to keep you out of trouble with the candidates you are seeking
and selecting and the employees you currently employ. You really need to check references
carefully and do background checks.
In the litigious society in which we live (don't even ask me what percentage of the world's
lawyers reside in the United States of America) you need to pursue every avenue to assure
that the people you hire can do the job, contribute to your growth and development, and have
no past transgressions which might endanger your current workforce. In fact, you might be
liable if you failed to do a background check on a person who then attacked another in your
workplace.

Conclusion: Start With These Recommendations

Each organization has to start somewhere to improve recruiting, hiring, and retention of
valued employees. In my experience, the tactics and opportunities detailed here are your best
bets for recruiting the best employees. These ideas can help your organization succeed and
grow, they create a workplace That will meet both your needs and the needs of your potential
and current employees.

64 | P a g e

Referenc
es
Books :

Human Resource and Personnel management K. Aswathappa

Personnel and Human Resource Management A.M.Sharma

Human Resource Management Dr. Anjali Ghanekar

Designing Human Resource Management Systems: A Leader's Guide - Jayant

Mukherjee

Fundamentals of Human Resource Management : Content, Competencies and

Applications - Gary Dessler

Magazines

People Matters

Business Manager

People and Management

Perfect Professional

National HRD Network

Human Capital

Web links:
www.hr360.com
www.humanresources.about.com
www.strategic-human-resource.com
www.humanresource.net.in
www.forbes.com
www.businessinsider.com
www.hrmorning.com

65 | P a g e

66 | P a g e