Meaning and Process of Recruitment

The HR of a company or business has the primary responsibility of recurring the employees. Recruitment is the process of hiring employees in various systematic steps. It is a crucial process that needs to be carried out correctly to ensure the selection of suitable candidates that fit the company’s requirements. Not only that, but the recruitment process also includes the identification of the needs of staff and fulfilling them. Thus, in this article, we aim to understand the meaning of recruitment and steps in the process of recruitment. 

Meaning of Recruitment 

The most basic meaning of recruitment is the process of identifying, interviewing, selecting, hiring and onboarding employees. It is the procedure of hiring employees for the company and keeping in mind the needs of both staff and the organisation. 

Depending on the size of the company or organisation, there is a team of recruiters. For a larger company, the recruitment is carried out by professional recruiters. In small or new companies, recruitment becomes the work of 1-2 people. 

Many companies recruit candidates through advertisements, job boards, and social media sites. However, other organisations choose a recruitment software to allow more effective recruitment.

Human Resource Management or HR is responsible for managing the human capital of an organisation. Thus, the responsibility of hiring employees—the essential asset—falls on their shoulders. 

Steps in the Process of Recruitment 

Recruitment is not a single-step process. It involves various stages that build productive and profitable human capital for an organisation. 

1. Identifying the need for recruitment
2. Preparing the job description
3. Strategising the recruitment plan
4. Starting the search
5. Selecting top candidates 
6. Phone screening
7. Interview in person
8. Offering the job
9. Onboarding process

Let us understand what each step in the process of recruitment demands.

1. Identifying the need for recruitment

Before creating the job description, it is best to establish the recruitment needs or what the organisation demands from the employee. It makes it easier to list candidates suitable for the company. 

If an employee is being replaced, then identifying the needs becomes easier. On the other hand, it is more complicated when a new job posting is formed. In this case, the recruiters may need to brainstorm and do thorough research to generate a suitable job description.

2. Preparing the job description 

Once the need for selection is identified, the next step is preparing the job description. The employee’s role, the needs of the company and various other significant duties and information should be included in the job description. 

It is vital to be very specific with the organisation’s needs in the job description. It allows potential candidates to apply for the job. One more benefit is that only candidates can apply for the job and thus make the recruitment process easier and more manageable. 

3. Strategising the recruitment plan

As stated earlier, if the organisation is bigger than a single member can not carry out all the steps in the process of recruitment. It is vital to strategise the recruitment plan by reviewing resumes, interview scheduling, and selecting candidates. 

4. Starting the search

This next step of recruitment is to start searching for candidates. This used to be a very time-consuming step. However, with digitalisation, various tools are available that allow recruiters to screen potential candidates. These tools sort the unqualified applicants from the qualified ones, saving time and helping in selecting suitable candidates. 

5. Selecting top candidates 

Once the screening is done, the next step is to select candidates suitable for the job. By reviewing the resumes of the candidates, the potential candidates are selected. One should choose only the top-tier candidates or those who can perform their role effectively. This ensures the increased productivity of the company.  

6. Phone screening

Before interviewing the candidates in person, it is best to conduct a phone screening process. Here, the recruiter can take a quick interview of the candidates through phone calls and ask essential questions that can screen the unfit applicants. The phone screening thus narrows down the list of potential candidates. 

7. Interview in person

Once the suitable applicants have been selected, the next step of the recruitment process is interviewing in person. The interview may be conducted by at least 2 to 3 top members of the organisation, who better understand the company’s needs.  In this stage, the recruiter asks all the relevant and necessary questions. At the same time, the recruiter has to be prepared to answer the interviewee’s queries. The recruiter may also inform the interviewee of the expected date of response.

8. Offer the job

Once the interview has been conducted, the recruiter team should review all the applicants and select the one they found fit for the job. After choosing the best candidate, the next step is to offer the job. A good and attractive deal that is better than the candidate’s previous job will make it more likely for them to accept the offer. However, they may reject the offer because the candidate may be interviewing with other companies. Thus, it is vital to make the deal desirable for them. 

9. Onboarding process

After hiring the candidate, the last step is the onboarding process. This process does not involve just the paperwork—the team should ensure that all the processes and resources are made available to the candidate.  

Conclusion

In this article, we learned about the meaning of recruitment. It is a crucial process that needs to be conducted strategically. If an unfit candidate gets hired, it could lead to significant problems for the company. There are various steps in the process of recruitment to ensure the selection of the right candidate. In this, we learned all about the meaning of recruitment and its steps.