flowchart TB
R[Sources of recruitment]
R --> I[Internal]
R --> E[External]
I --> I1[Promotion]
I --> I2[Transfer]
I --> I3[Re-employment of ex-employees]
I --> I4[Employee referral]
I --> I5[Internal advertisement / job posting]
E --> E1[Advertisement]
E --> E2[Campus recruitment]
E --> E3[Employment exchanges]
E --> E4[Placement agencies / consultants]
E --> E5[Walk-ins / write-ins]
E --> E6[Job portals / social media]
E --> E7[Labour contractors]
classDef default fill:#003366,color:#ffffff,stroke:#ffcc00,stroke-width:3px,rx:10px,ry:10px;
7 Recruitment, Selection, Placement and Induction: Sources, Methods, Selection Process, Tests and Interviews, Yield Ratios, Validity-Reliability and Socialisation
7.1 The Hiring Funnel
After job analysis and workforce planning identify what and how many people are needed, the hiring funnel converts that need into actual employees. Recruitment generates applicants (a positive process — widening the pool). Selection chooses among them (a negative process — narrowing the pool). Placement assigns the chosen to a specific role, and Induction socialises them into the organisation. Each stage has its own techniques, its own metrics and its own classical authors.
7.2 1 · Recruitment
7.2.1 What is Recruitment?
Edwin Flippo: “Recruitment is the process of searching for prospective employees and stimulating them to apply for jobs in the organisation.”
Yoder: “Recruitment is a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirement of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers.”
The two definitions together capture the essence — searching for sources and stimulating applications.
7.2.2 Five Features
- Positive process — its purpose is to widen the applicant pool.
- Pervasive — every organisation must recruit.
- Two-way communication — applicants assess the employer just as the employer assesses them.
- Linking activity — connects HRP outputs to selection inputs.
- Continuous — even when no vacancy exists, an active pipeline is built.
7.2.3 Sources of Recruitment
TipInternal vs External — A Comparison
| Dimension | Internal | External |
|---|---|---|
| Cost | Low | Higher |
| Speed | Fast | Slower |
| Cultural fit | Known | Unknown |
| Fresh ideas | Few | Many |
| Morale | Boosts insiders | Risks demotivating insiders |
| Pool size | Limited | Wide |
| Risk | Lower | Higher (selection error costlier) |
7.2.4 Methods of External Recruitment — At a Glance
TipExternal Methods
| Method | Best for |
|---|---|
| Advertisement | Wide reach, technical and managerial jobs |
| Campus recruitment | Entry-level managerial, technical and professional |
| Employment exchanges | Statutorily notifiable vacancies (Employment Exchanges Compulsory Notification of Vacancies Act 1959) |
| Placement agencies | Specialist mid-level recruitment |
| Executive search firms / headhunters | Senior leadership, confidential searches |
| Walk-ins / write-ins | Volume hiring of unskilled or semi-skilled |
| Job portals & social media | Mass digital outreach, niche skills |
| Labour contractors | Construction and contract labour |
7.2.5 Yield Ratios
A yield ratio is the proportion of applicants surviving each stage of the funnel. Calibrating ratios from past hiring lets a recruiter compute how many applicants must be generated to fill a given number of vacancies.
TipYield Ratio Illustration
| Stage | Applicants | Yield ratio |
|---|---|---|
| Applications received | 200 | — |
| Pass written test | 100 | 100 / 200 = 50 % |
| Pass interview | 40 | 40 / 100 = 40 % |
| Offers extended | 25 | 25 / 40 = 62.5 % |
| Offers accepted (joiners) | 20 | 20 / 25 = 80 % |
| Overall yield | — | 20 / 200 = 10 % |
7.3 2 · Selection
7.3.1 What is Selection?
Yoder: “Selection is the process by which candidates for employment are divided into two classes — those who will be offered employment and those who will not.”
Where recruitment is positive, selection is negative — its job is to screen out candidates who do not fit.
7.3.2 Standard Selection Process — Seven Steps
TipStandard Seven-Step Selection Process
| # | Step | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Preliminary screening | Eliminate clearly unsuitable applicants |
| 2 | Application blank / form | Capture biodata, education, experience |
| 3 | Selection tests | Measure aptitude, ability, personality |
| 4 | Selection interview | Assess fit, communication, judgement |
| 5 | Reference and background check | Verify claims, past performance |
| 6 | Medical examination | Fitness for the role |
| 7 | Final selection and job offer | Letter of appointment |
7.3.3 Selection Tests
TipSix Families of Selection Test
| Test | What it measures | Typical use |
|---|---|---|
| Intelligence test | General mental ability (Stanford-Binet, Wechsler-style items) | Most positions, especially those needing learning |
| Aptitude test | Latent ability to learn a specific job | Trainees, clerical, technical |
| Achievement test | What the candidate already knows or can do | Skilled trades, sales |
| Personality test | Traits and dispositions (Big Five, MBTI, 16-PF) | Managerial, sales, service |
| Interest test | Vocational preferences (Strong, Kuder) | Career counselling, placement |
| Projective test | Reactions to ambiguous stimuli (TAT, Rorschach) | Senior, sensitive roles |
7.3.4 Types of Interview
TipInterview Types
| Type | Description |
|---|---|
| Structured (patterned) | Pre-set questions in fixed order — high reliability |
| Unstructured | Free-flowing conversation — low reliability |
| Semi-structured | Core questions plus probes |
| Behavioural / Behaviour Description Interview (BDI) | Past-behaviour questions; “Tell me about a time when…” |
| Situational | Hypothetical scenarios; “What would you do if…” |
| Stress interview | Deliberate pressure to test composure |
| Panel / board | Multiple interviewers simultaneously |
| Group discussion | Multiple candidates discussing a topic together |
| Depth interview | Long, detailed probe into one area |
7.3.5 Validity and Reliability of Selection Devices
Two psychometric tests of any selection instrument:
TipValidity vs Reliability
| Concept | Question it answers | Types |
|---|---|---|
| Validity | “Does it measure what it claims to measure?” | Content, construct, criterion (predictive & concurrent), face |
| Reliability | “Is the measurement consistent?” | Test-retest, parallel-form, split-half, inter-rater |
A test can be reliable without being valid (consistently wrong) but cannot be valid without being reliable.
NoteDistractor warning — Reliable but not Valid
A bathroom scale that always reads 10 kg too heavy is reliable (consistent) but not valid (does not measure true weight). NTA stems use this counter-intuitive case.
7.3.6 Selection Errors
TipTwo Selection Errors
| Error | What happens | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| False positive | Unsuitable candidate is selected | Wasted training, poor performance, dismissal cost |
| False negative | Suitable candidate is rejected | Lost opportunity, replacement cost, diversity damage |
7.4 3 · Placement
7.4.1 What is Placement?
Pigors and Myers: “Placement is the determination of the job to which an accepted candidate is to be assigned, and his assignment to that job.”
Placement is not automatic — three things must align:
- Job requirements (from the description)
- Candidate’s abilities (from selection data)
- Organisational realities (vacancies, location, shift, team chemistry)
7.4.2 Three Models of Placement (Pigors and Myers)
TipThree Placement Models
| Model | Approach |
|---|---|
| Convergent approach | Match person to a single identified job |
| Diagnostic approach | Match person to the best among several open jobs |
| Differential approach | Use full profile (abilities, interest, personality) to recommend the most fitting career path |
7.5 4 · Induction (Orientation, Socialisation)
7.5.1 What is Induction?
Induction — also called orientation — is the systematic introduction of a new employee to the organisation, the job, colleagues and culture. The aim is to reduce the reality shock of the first weeks and accelerate the time to full productivity.
7.5.2 Five Objectives
- Remove the new joiner’s anxiety and uncertainty.
- Communicate organisational values, policies and rules.
- Build rapport with peers and supervisor.
- Clarify the job and performance expectations.
- Reduce early turnover.
7.5.3 Standard Contents of an Induction Programme
TipInduction Coverage
| Block | Typical contents |
|---|---|
| Organisational | History, mission, products, structure, key people |
| HR policies | Code of conduct, leave, attendance, benefits |
| Job | Description, performance standards, immediate goals |
| Work environment | Tour of facility, safety briefing, IT setup |
| Social | Introduction to team, mentor / buddy assignment |
7.6 Practice Questions
Q 01
Recruitment definition
Easy
Recruitment is a:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Recruitment widens the pool; selection narrows it.
Q 02
Selection definition
Easy
Selection is best described as:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Selection separates the suitable from the unsuitable.
Q 03
Internal recruitment
Easy
Which is not an internal source of recruitment?
View solution
Correct Option: C
Campus is external.
Q 04
Yield ratios
Hard
If 200 applicants produce 20 joiners, the overall yield ratio is:
View solution
Correct Option: B
20 / 200 = 10 %.
Q 05
Reliable vs valid
Medium
A selection test that produces the same score every time but does not actually predict job performance is:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Consistent but wrong target = reliable, not valid.
Q 06
Interview types
Medium
"Tell me about a time when you handled a difficult customer" is an example of:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Behavioural = past behaviour; Situational = hypothetical.
Q 07
Selection process order
Medium
Arrange the typical selection steps in correct order:
(i) Selection tests
(ii) Preliminary screening
(iii) Medical examination
(iv) Selection interview
(v) Final selection and job offer
View solution
Correct Option: A
Screening → tests → interview → medical → offer.
Q 08
Placement model
Hard
Matching a candidate to the best among several open jobs, using full ability and interest data, is the:
View solution
Correct Option: C
Differential approach uses full profile. Diagnostic chooses among several jobs; Convergent matches to a single identified job.
Q 09
Socialisation stages
Medium
In Van Maanen and Schein's model, the stage at which reality meets expectations is:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Encounter is where reality shock can occur.
Q 10
Personality tests
Medium
TAT (Thematic Apperception Test) is an example of a:
View solution
Correct Option: C
TAT and Rorschach are projective personality tests.
Q 11
Selection errors
Medium
A false positive selection error occurs when:
View solution
Correct Option: B
False positive = unsuitable selected; false negative = suitable rejected.
Q 12
Employment Exchanges Act
Hard
The statute that requires notification of vacancies to public employment exchanges is the:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Employment Exchanges (CNV) Act, 1959.
Q 13
Reality shock
Medium
The term reality shock describes:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Originates in Kramer's 1974 nursing-induction research.
Q 14
Yoder definitions
Hard
Match the definition with its author:
| (i) | Recruitment as search and stimulation | (a) | Yoder |
| (ii) | Selection as division of candidates into two classes | (b) | Pigors & Myers |
| (iii) | Placement as determination and assignment | (c) | Edwin Flippo |
| (iv) | Socialisation tactics in pairs | (d) | Van Maanen & Schein |
View solution
Correct Option: A
Flippo → recruitment, Yoder → selection, Pigors & Myers → placement, Van Maanen & Schein → socialisation.
Q 15
Tactic pair
Hard
In Van Maanen and Schein's tactic pairs, the counterpart of investiture is:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Investiture (affirms existing identity) ↔ Divestiture (strips and rebuilds).
Q 16
Induction objective
Easy
Which is not an objective of induction?
View solution
Correct Option: C
Salary is finalised at the offer stage, before induction.
Q 17
Group selection
Medium
A selection technique in which several candidates discuss a topic together while assessors observe is:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Group discussion. Panel = several interviewers; GD = several candidates.
Q 18
Headhunting
Medium
"Headhunting" is most appropriately used for:
View solution
Correct Option: B
Executive search firms specialise in senior, often confidential, searches.
Q 19
Validity vs reliability
Medium
Which statement is correct?
View solution
Correct Option: A
Reliability is a *necessary* but not sufficient condition for validity.
Q 20
Differential approach
Hard
In Pigors and Myers' three placement models, which approach uses the candidate's full profile — abilities, interest and personality — to recommend the most fitting career path?
View solution
Correct Option: C
Differential.
7.7 Quick Recall
ImportantQuick recall
- Recruitment = positive (Flippo: searching and stimulating). Selection = negative (Yoder: dividing into two classes).
- Internal sources: promotion, transfer, re-employment, employee referral, internal job posting.
- External sources: advertisement, campus, employment exchanges, placement agencies, executive search, walk-ins, job portals, labour contractors.
- Employment Exchanges (CNV) Act, 1959 — statutory notification of vacancies.
- Yield ratio = applicants surviving each stage; multiply through to plan inputs.
- Seven selection steps: screening → application → tests → interview → reference → medical → offer.
- Tests: intelligence, aptitude, achievement, personality (Big Five, MBTI, TAT), interest, projective.
- Interview types: structured, unstructured, behavioural (past), situational (hypothetical), stress, panel, group discussion, depth.
- Reliability = consistency; Validity = measures what it claims. Reliable but not valid is possible; valid but not reliable is not.
- Selection errors: false positive (wrong hired), false negative (right rejected).
- Placement (Pigors & Myers) — three models: convergent, diagnostic, differential.
- Induction = orientation = socialisation entry.
- Three socialisation stages (Van Maanen & Schein): pre-arrival → encounter → metamorphosis.
- Six tactic pairs: collective/individual, formal/informal, sequential/random, fixed/variable, serial/disjunctive, investiture/divestiture.
- Reality shock — Kramer 1974 — gap between expectation and encounter.
7.5.4 Socialisation — The Three Stages (John Van Maanen & Edgar Schein)