Page 124 - DEDU505_TEACHER_EDUCATION_ENGLISH

Teacher Education

Notes 12.1.1 Recruitment Function
The function of recruitment is to locate the sources of manpower to meet job requirements and
specification. Recruitment forms the first stage in the process which continues with selection and
ceases with the placement of the candidate. Effective supply of varied categories of candidates for
filling the jobs will depend Key HR Practices upon several factors such as the state of labour
market, reputation of the enterprise and allied factors. The internal factors include wage and
salary policies, the age composition of existing working force, promotion and retirement policies,
turnover rates and the kind of personnel required. External determinants of recruitment are
cultural, economic and legal factors.
A company cannot prosper, grow, or even survive without adequate human resources. Need for
trained manpower in recent years has created a pressure on some organisations to establish an
efficient recruitment function.

Recruitment has been regarded as the most important function of personnel
administration. Unless the right type of people are hired, even the best plans, organisation
charts and control systems will be of no avail.

12.2 Recruitment Methods

While recruitment sources indicate when human resources may be procured, the recruitment
methods and techniques deal with how these sources should be tapped. Dunn and Stephens
follow a three-tier classification of recruitment method-direct, indirect and third party.
Direct Methods: The most frequently used direct method is at schools, colleges, management
institutes and university departments. Usually, this type of recruiting is performed in educational
institutions arranging interviews, and making available space and students’ resumes. The
organisations have definite advantages through campus recruitment. First, the cost is low; second,
they can arrange interviews at short notice; third, they can meet the teaching faculty; fourth, it
gives them an opportunity to ‘‘sell” the organisation to a large student community seeking
campus recruitment. In addition to managerial and supervisory positions, several organisations
use travelling recruiters to recruit skilled and semi-skilled employees from vocational schools
and industrial training institutes. Sometimes, even unskilled workers are also attracted by this
method. Other direct methods include sending recruiters to establish exhibits at job fairs, using
mobile camps to visit shopping centres in rural areas and places where unemployed may be
contacted.
Indirect Methods: The most frequently used indirect method or technique of recruitment is
advertisement in publications such as newspapers, magazines and trade journals as well as
technical and professional journals. The choice of media, place and timing of the advertisements
and appeals to the reader, all determine the efficacy of advertisements.
A useful advertisement has to give a brief summary of the job; a summary of the organisation
covering product/service, size, type of industry, profitability, expansion programmes; and an
offer of compensation package. A good advertisement has to be specific, clear-cut, reader-friendly
and appealing. Ambiguously worded and broadbased advertisements may generate a lot of
irrelevant applications which would, by necessity, increase the cost of processing them. In
preparing an advertisement, therefore, lot of care has to be taken to ensure that self-selection
takes place among applicants. In other words, people meeting specific requirements should think
of responding to advertisement. A carefully worded sound advertisement can help in building
the image of the organisation. The advertisements should indicate information about the
organisation and the job providing opportunity to the potential candidates to contact the
recruitment office in confidence. Other indirect methods include advertising in the radio and

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