LITERATURE REVIEW: RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION SYSTEM IN HUMAN

RESOURCES MANAGEMENT

INTRODUCTION

Literature review definition:

According to Creswell (2005 pg 79) , literature review “is a written summary of journal articles,
books and other documents that describes the past and current state of information, organizes the
literature into topics and documents a need for a proposed study.” Fink (2010, 5) articulates, a
literature review can consist of seven steps: selecting research question, selecting article
databases, choosing search terms, applying practical screening criteria, applying methodological
screening criteria, doing the review and synthesizing the result. Jesson, et al. 2011 defines the
literature review as a critical description and appraisal of a topic. Hart 1998 sees the literature
review as producing two products: the presentation of information, ideas, data, and evidence to
express viewpoints on the nature of the topic, as well as how it is to be investigated. According
to my understanding literature review is a piece of academic writing demonstrating knowledge
and understanding of the academic literature on a specific topic placed in context.

Nowadays, it is of utmost importance for every organization to employ a right person on a right
position. And recruitment and selection plays a pivotal role during such situations. With shortage
of skills and the rapid spread of new technology exerting considerable pressure on how
employers perform recruitment and selection activities, it is recommended to conduct a step-by-
step strategic analysis of recruitment and selection processes. With reference to the current
context, this paper presents an incisive review of previous literature on the recruitment and
selection process. This paper is primarily based on an analysis of six pieces of literature
conducted by practitioners and researchers in the field of Human Resource management.

Literature Review:
Definition: Recruitment and selection

Edwin Flippo defines Recruitment and selection process as “A process of searching for
prospective employees and stimulating and encouraging them to apply for jobs in an
organization.”

In simpler terms, recruitment and selection are concurrent processes and are void without each
other. They significantly differ from each other and are essential constituents of the organization.
It helps in discovering the potential and capabilities of applicants for expected or actual
organizational vacancies. It is a link between the jobs and those seeking jobs.

Work by Korsten (2003) and Jones et al. (2006):

According to Korsten (2003) and Jones et al. (2006), Human Resource Management theories
emphasize on techniques of recruitment and selection and outline the benefits of interviews,
assessment and psychometric examinations as employee selection process. They further stated
that recruitment process may be internal or external or may also be conducted online. Typically,
this process is based on the levels of recruitment policies, job postings and details, advertising,
job application and interviewing process, assessment, decision making, formal selection and
training (Korsten 2003).

Jones et al. (2006) suggested that examples of recruitment policies in the healthcare, business or
industrial sector may offer insights into the processes involved in establishing recruitment
policies and defining managerial objectives.

Successful recruitment techniques involve an incisive analysis of the job, the labour market
scenario/ conditions and interviews, and psychometric tests in order to find out the potentialities
of job seekers. Furthermore, small and medium sized enterprises lay their hands on interviews
and assessment with main concern related to job analysis, emotional intelligence in
inexperienced job seekers, and corporate social responsibility. Other approaches to selection
outlined by Jones et al. (2006) include several types of interviews, role play, group discussions
and group tasks, and so on.

Any management process revolves around recruitment and failure in recruitment may lead to
difficulties and unwanted barriers for any company, including untoward effects on its
profitability and inappropriate degrees of staffing or employee skills (Jones et al. 2006). In
additional, insufficient recruitment may result into lack of labour or hindrances in management
decision making, and the overall recruitment process can itself be advanced and amended by
complying with management theories. According to these theories, the recruitment process can
be largely enhanced by means of Rodgers seven point plan, Munro-Frasers five-fold grading
system, personal interviews, as well as psychological tests (Jones et al. 2006).

Work by Alan Price (2007):

Price (2007), in his work Human Resource Management in a Business Context, formally defines
recruitment and selection as the process of retrieving and attracting able applications for the
purpose of employment. He states that the process of recruitment is not a simple selection
process, while it needs management decision making and broad planning in order to appoint the
most appropriate manpower. There existing competition among business enterprises for
recruiting the most potential workers in on the pathway towards creating innovations, with
management decision making and employers attempting to hire only the best applicants who
would be the best fit for the corporate culture and ethics specific to the company (Price 2007).
This would reflect the fact that the management would particularly shortlist able candidates who
are well equipped with the requirements of the position they are applying for, including team
work. Since possessing qualities of being a team player would be essential in any management
position (Price 2007).
Work by Hiltrop (1996):

Hiltrop (1996) was successful in demonstrating the relationship between the Human Resources
Management practices, Human Resources Management-organizational strategies as well as
organizational performance. He conducted his research on Human Resources manager and
company officials of 319 companies in Europe regarding Human Resources practices and
policies of their respective companies and discovered that employment security, training and
development programs, recruitment and selection, teamwork, employee participation, and lastly,
personnel planning are the most essential practices (Hiltrop 1999). As a matter of fact, the
primary role of Human Resources to develop, control, manage, incite, and achieve the
commitment of the employees.

The findings of Hiltrop’s (1996) work also showed that selectively hiring has a positive impact
on organizational performance, and in turn provides a substantial practical insight for executives
and officials involved. Furthermore, staffing and selection remains to be an area of substantial
interest. With recruitment and selection techniques for efficient hiring decisions, high performing
companies are most likely to spend more time in giving training particularly on communication
and team-work skills (Hiltrop 1999). Moreover the finding that there is a positive connection
existing between firm performances and training is coherent with the human capital standpoint.
Hence, Hiltrop (1996) suggests the managers need to develop HR practices that are more focused
on training in order to achieve competitive benefits.

Work by Jackson et al. (2009):

As discussed by Jackson et al. (2009), Human resource management approaches in any business
organization are developed to meet corporate objectives and materialization of strategic plans via
training and development of personnel to attain the ultimate goal of improving organizational
performance as well as profits. The nature of recruitment and selection for a company that is
pursuing Human Resources Management approach is influenced by the state of the labour
market and their strength within it. Furthermore, it is necessary for such companies to monitor
how the state of labour market connects with potential recruits via the projection of an image
which will have an effect on and reinforce applicant expectations.

Work but Bratton and Gold (1999):

Bratton & Gold (1999) suggest that organizations are now developing models of the kind of
employees they desire to recruit, and to recognize how far applicants correspond to their models
by means of reliable and valid techniques of selection. Nonetheless, the researchers have also
seen that such models, largely derived from competency frameworks, foster strength in
companies by generating the appropriate knowledge against which the job seekers can be
assessed.

However, recruitment and selection are also the initial stages of a dialogue among applications
and the company that shapes the employment relationship (Bratton & Gold 1999). This
relationship being the essence of a company’s manpower development, failure to acknowledge
the importance of determining expectation during recruitment and selection can lead to the loss
of high quality job seekers and take the initial stage of the employment relationship so down as
to make the accomplishment of desirable Human Resources Management outcomes extremely
difficult.

In the opinion of Bratton and Gold (1999), recruitment and selection practices are essential
characteristics of a dialogue driven by the idea of “front-end” loading processes to develop the
social relationship among applicants and an organization. In this relationship, both parties make
decisions throughout the recruitment and selection and it would be crucial for a company to
realize that high-quality job seekers, pulled by their view of the organization, might be lost at any
level unless applications are provided for realistic organization as well as work description. In
view of Jackson et al. (2009) and Bratton & Gold (1999) applicants have a specific view of
expectations about how the company is going to treat them; recruitment and selection acts as an
opportunity to clarify this view.

Furthermore, one technique of developing the view, suggested by Bratton and Gold (1999), are
realistic job previews or RJPs that may take the form of case studies of employees and their
overall work and experiences, the opportunity to “cover” someone at work, job samples and
videos. The main objective of realistic job previews to allow for the expectations of job seekers
to become more realistic and practical. Realistic job previews tend to lower initial expectations
regarding work and a company, thereby causing some applications to select themselves; however
RJPs also increase the degree of organization commitment, job satisfaction, employee
performance, appraisal and job survival among job seekers who can continue into employment
(Bratton & Gold 1999) Jackson et al. (2009).

Work by Silzer et al (2010):

However, the process of recruitment does not cease with application of candidature and selection
of the appropriate candidates, but involves sustaining and retaining the employees that are
selected, as stated by Silzer et al. (2010).

Work of Silzer et al. (2010) was largely concerned with Talent management, and through their
work they were successful in resolving issues like whether or not talent is something one can be
born with or is it something that can be acquired through development. According to Silzer et al
(2010), that was a core challenge in designing talent systems, facing the organization and among
the senior management.

The only solution to resolve the concern of attaining efficient talent management was by
adopting fully-executable recruitment techniques. Regardless of a well-drawn practical plan on
recruitment and selection as well as involvement of highly qualified management team,
companies following recruitment processes may face significant obstacles in implementation. As
such, theories of Human Resources Management can give insights in the most effective
approaches to recruitment even though companies will have to employ their in house
management skills for applying generic theories across particular organizational contexts. Word
conducted by Silzer et al (2010) described that the primary objective of successful talent
strategies is to create both a case as well as a blueprint for developing the talent strategies within
a dynamic and highly intensive economy wherein acquisition, deployment and preservation of
human capital-talent that matter,, shapes the competitive advantages and success of many
companies (Silzer et al. 2010).

Work by Taher et al. (2000):

Toward that end Taher et al. (2000) carried out a study to critique the value-added and non-value
activities in a recruitment and selection process. The strategic manpower planning of a company,
training and development programme, performance appraisal, reward system and industrial
relations, was also appropriately outlined in the study. This study was based on the fact that
efficient Human Resource planning is an essence of organization success, which flows naturally
into employee recruitment and selection (Taher et al. 2000). Therefore, demand rather than
supply must be the prime focus of the recruitment and selection process and a greater emphasis
must be put on planning, supervising and control rather than mediation.

Extending this principle, a realistic approach to recruitment and selection process was
demonstrated, and the study found that an organization is efficient only when the value it
commands exceeds the price involved in determining the process of decision making or product.
In other words, value-added and non-value added activities associated with a company’s
recruitment and selection process impacts its role in creating motivated and skilled workforce in
the country (Taher et al. 2000). Thus, the study identified the waiting time, inspection time and
filing time as non value added tasks and the cost of advertisement as the only value added
activity in the overall process.
Taher et al. (2000) investigated the recruitment and selection section of Bangladesh Open
University. It was found that whenever the recruitment and selection department of Bangladesh
Open University received a recruitment request of new applicants from other sections, the
officials failed to instantly advertise the vacancy in various media. The university had to follow
some long sequential steps prior to doing so. After the vacancy is publicly advertised, what
followed were the bureaucratic formalities and complications together with inspection and
supervision by two departments thereby causing unnecessary waiting in the recruitment and
selection process that eventually increases the cost of recruitment by keeping the organization’s
image at stake. The study also witnessed some amount of repetition taking place at every step of
recruitment where the applications of applicants circulating around too many departments for
verifications. This repetitive work tends to engage unnecessary persons for a single task that
results in unnecessary delay in the decision and unjust wastage of manpower.

After careful consideration of similar problems in the Bangladesh Open University,, Taher et al.
(2006) recommended for amending the recruitment process by stating that firstly processes like
job analysis and searching internal and external sources must be followed by direct
advertisement of the post as the Human Resources’s own responsibility, and not by any
intermediate officials. This will eliminate the non-value activities. Secondly, Taher et al (2000)
suggested a ‘system’ to be introduced to ease the respective department to study the shortlisted
candidates, which can be done only by the request of the Human Resources department. A
medical assistance must be sought by Bangladesh Open University in regards to the physical or
mental abilities of applicants for the job function as well as their workers compensation and risk.
A procedure needs to be devised pertaining to the privacy and confidentiality of medical reports.
Thus, this privacy and decrease in noon-value added activity of the medical exam can be
sustained effectively by testing the applicants via contracted medical advisors, or in-house
doctors. Use of a computer based Human Resources system should be installed in Bangladesh
Open University to manage the pool of information about employees and to make the
organization to take just-in-time Human Resources recruitment and selection decisions.
Therefore, any organization is encouraged to development real-time recruitment strategies that
must attempt to generate a pool of appropriately qualified and well-experienced individuals so as
to effectively initiate the selection strategies and decisions. In essence, the potential applications
are encouraged to apply for the open vacancies and also the relevant departments can engage in
recruiting the best candidates to upgrade the department’s performance (Taher et al. 2000).

Conclusion:

It can be clearly concluded that for a company to succeed all it takes is the proper recruitment
and selection strategies which also shapes the overall manpower management of the company.
By conclude this literature review, the study emphasizes on the fact that the recruitment and
selection process is integrated with other processes such as strategic plan of the company,
training and development schemes, compensation, rewarding/incentive system, performance
appraisal, and lastly, industrial relations. Furthermore, according to Silzer et al (2010), there exist
several reasons why the most apparent information have been more promising; including the
well-structured nature of interviews, the use of questionnaires based on a job analysis, inclusion
of panel of interviewers, the practice of note-making during the interview, and the use of rating
scale based on behavioural factors to gauge the interviewee’s answers all play an integral part in
the improvement of the recruitment validity.

Therefore, the study has offered an incisive review of literature of as many as six authors based
on their individual studies and research on recruitment and selection processes.