Special Topics in HRM (Current Trends in HR Practice) Jhonniño A.

Serdenia, MBA

Lesson 3. Recruitment and Talent Management Practice

Learning Objectives:
At the end of this module, you should be able to, to wit:
1. Define the labor market;
2. Understand the factors affecting the labor market;
3. Grasps the concept of the recruitment process; and
4. Explain what is the talent management.

I. The Labor Market

The labour market is the sphere in which labour is 'bought' and 'sold', and in which market concepts
such as supply, demand and price operate with regard to human resources.
The labour market has changed dramatically in the last few decades. The decline of manufacturing,
the increase of women in employment, the globalisation of business (allowing offshoring of
production and service provision to low-cost labour countries) and the more general application of
technology, among other factors, have changed that situation. A 'buyer's market' for labour now
gives employers considerable power, with a large pool of available labour created by
unemployment and non-career (temporary, freelance) labour.
On the other hand, even in conditions of high overall employment, particular skill shortages still
exist and may indeed be more acute because of economic pressures on education and training.
Engineers and software designers, among other specialist and highly trained groups, are the target
of fierce competition among employers, forcing a re-evaluation of recruitment and retention
policies.
When forecasting the supply of labour and skills available to the organisation to meet the demands
of its activities and objectives, the HR planner must take into account:
 The current skill base, size and structure of its existing workforce
 The potential for change in that skill base, size and structure.
This constitutes an internal labour market.
II. Factors affecting Recruitment and Selection
The factors affecting recruitment and selection are organized into the internal and the external
categories.
The internal factors have been stated as follows: (Recruitment and Selection, 2016).
Size of the Organization - The size of the organization is one of the most important factors affecting
the recruitment process. To develop business, recruitment planning is mandatory for hiring more
resources, which will be crucial in the management of future operations.
Recruitment Policy - Recruitment policy of an organization, includes hiring from the internal or
external sources of organization. It is an important factor, which affects the recruitment process. It
Special Topics in HRM (Current Trends in HR Practice) Jhonniño A. Serdenia, MBA

identifies the objectives of recruitment and provides a framework for the implementation of
recruitment programs.
Image of the Organizations - Organizations having a good positive image in the market can easily
attract competent and proficient resources. Maintaining good public relations, providing public
services, and leading to goodwill of the organizations, definitely helps an organization in
improving its reputation in the market, and thereby draw the best possible human resources.
Image of Jobs - Just like the image of the organization, the image of jobs contribute a critical role
in the recruitment and selection processes. Jobs having a positive image in terms of better
remuneration, promotions, recognition, and amiable working environment with career
development opportunities are considered as the characteristics to arouse interest and enthusiasm
within qualified candidates.
The external factors have been stated as follows: (Recruitment and Selection, 2016).
Demographic Factors - Demographic factors are related to the characteristics of potential
employees such as, their age, religion, educational qualifications, gender, occupation, economic
status, and place of location.
Labour market – Labour market exercises control on the demand and supply of labour. For
example, if the supply of people having specific skills and abilities is less than the demand, then
the hiring will require more efforts. On the other hand, if the demand is less than the supply, then
hiring will be relatively more manageable.
Unemployment rate – If the unemployment rate is high in a specific area, hiring of human
resources will be simple and manageable, as there will be an increase in the number of applicants.
For various job positions in all types of organizations, large number of applications are received.
In contrast, if the unemployment rate is low, then recruiting tends to be difficult due to lesser
number of resources.
Labour laws – Labour laws reflect the social and political environment of the market, which are
created by the central and the state governments. These laws dictate the compensation, working
environment, safety and health regulations, and the job duties of the workforce, for different types
of employments. As the governments undergo transformations, there are transformations that come
about in the labour laws.
Legal considerations – Job reservations for different castes such as Scheduled Tribes, Scheduled
Castes, and Other Backward Classes are the best examples of legal considerations. These
considerations, passed by government, will have a positive or negative impact on the recruitment
policies of the organizations.
Competitors – When organizations in the same industry are competing for the best qualified
resources, there is a need to analyse the competition and make provision of the resources packages
that are finest in terms of the industry standards.
Equal Opportunity – When recruitment and selection of the employees take place, then it is vital
to take into consideration, equal employment opportunities for the individuals. Equal opportunity
Special Topics in HRM (Current Trends in HR Practice) Jhonniño A. Serdenia, MBA

results when all the applicants are treated on an equal basis and consistently at every stage of
recruitment. There should not be any discrimination against anybody on the basis of factors, such
as, caste, creed, race, religion, ethnicity, gender and socio-economic background. Fairness and
justness is of principal significance in the recruitment and the selection processes (Klug, 2017).

III. A Systematic Approach

The overall aim of the recruitment process in an organisation is to obtain the quantity and quality
of candidates required to fulfil the objectives of the organisation.
A systematic approach to recruitment will involve the following stages.
1. Detailed human resource planning defining what resources the organisation needs to meet
its objectives.
2. Job analysis (or variants), so that for any given job or role there is a definition of the skills,
knowledge and attributes required to perform the job.
 A job description: a statement of the component tasks, duties, objectives and
 standards of the job
 A person specification: a reworking of the job description in terms of the kind of
 person needed to perform the job
 Some other appropriate definition of the requirement, such as a competence or role
definition.
If such documents already exist, they may need to be updated or confirmed.
3. An identification of vacancies, from the requirements of the human resource plan or by a
job requisition from a department, branch or office which has a vacancy, and subsequent
approval or authorisation for engagement. Seeking authorisation to refill a vacancy is a
means of ensuring that the need for recruitment, and the criteria for recruitment, are in line
with departmental and organisational requirements, timely and cost effective. It may also
provide an opportunity to review other options.
4. Evaluation of the sources of skills, which again should be identified in the human resource
plan. Internal and external sources, and media for reaching them (eg through job
advertisement or e-recruitment, say) will be considered.
5. Preparation and publication of recruitment information, which will:
 Attract the attention and interest of potentially suitable candidates
 Give a favourable (but accurate) impression of the job and the organisation
 Equip interested candidates to make an application (how and to whom to apply, desired
skills, qualifications and so on).
6. Processing applications prior to the selection process. This may include:
 Screening replies at the end of the specified period for application
 Short-listing candidates for initial consideration
 Advising applicants of the progress of their application
Special Topics in HRM (Current Trends in HR Practice) Jhonniño A. Serdenia, MBA

 Drawing up a programme for the selection process which follows.

IV. Talent Management Process
While often cyclical rather than a generic linear progression of events, the process of talent
management could be considered, to begin with acknowledging the need for talent and leads to
filling that gap and ultimately growing and optimizing the skills, traits, and expertise of
employees, new and old.

Let’s get into these key steps in the process of managing talent effectively:

1. Planning: Like in any process with a set outcome, planning is the first step in the process of
talent management. It involves the following identifying where the gaps lie – the human capital
requirement, formulating job descriptions for the necessary key roles to help guide sourcing and
selection and developing a workforce plan for recruitment initiatives.

2. Attracting: Based on the plan, the natural next step is to decide whether the talent
requirements should be filled in from within the organization or from external sources. Either
way, the process would involve attracting a healthy flow of applicants. The usual external
sources include job portals, social network, and referrals. The talent pools that need to be tapped
into must be identified in advance to keep the process as smooth and efficient as possible. This is
where the kind of employer brand that the organization has built for itself, comes into play
because that decides the quality of applications that come in.
Special Topics in HRM (Current Trends in HR Practice) Jhonniño A. Serdenia, MBA

3. Selecting: This involves using a string of tests and checks to find the right match for the job –
the ideal person-organization fit. Written tests, interviews, group discussions and psychometric
testing along with an in-depth analysis of all available information on the candidate on public
access platforms help in gauging an all-rounded picture of the person. Today there are software
and AI-enabled solutions that recruiters can use to skim through a vast population of CVs to
focus on the most suitable options and to find the ideal match.

4. Developing: Quite a few organizations today operate on the idea of hiring for attitude and
training for skills. This makes sense because while you would want a predisposition to certain
skill-sets, it is the person that you are hiring and not the CV. Developing employees to help them
grow with the organization and training them for the expertise needed to contribute to business
success also builds loyalty and improves employee engagement. This begins with an
effective onboarding program to help the employee settle into the new role, followed by
providing ample opportunities for enhancing the skills, aptitude and proficiency while also
enabling growth through counseling, coaching, mentoring and job-rotation schemes.

5. Retaining: For any organization to be truly successful, sustainably, talent needs to be retained
effectively. Most organizations try to retain their best talent through promotions and increments,
offering opportunities for growth, encouraging involvement in special projects and decision-
making, training for more evolved roles and rewards and recognition programs.

6. Transitioning: Effective talent management focuses on a collective transformation and

evolution of the organization through the growth of individual employees. This involves making
each employee feel that they are a part of a bigger whole. Providing retirement benefits,
conducting exit interviews and effective succession planning might seem like unrelated career
points but they are all transition tools that enable the shared journey.
Special Topics in HRM (Current Trends in HR Practice) Jhonniño A. Serdenia, MBA

References:

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Ghosh, P. (2021). What is Talent Management? Definition, Strategy, Process and Models.
https://www.spiceworks.com/hr/talent-management/articles/what-is-talent-management/

Kokemuller, N. (n.d.). Transformational Leadership vs. Situational Leadership.

https://smallbusiness.chron.com/situational-contingency-theory-77318.html

Indeed Editorial Team. (2021). What Is a Manager? Definition, Role and Responsibilities. Indeed.
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International Qualifications Network. (2017). HRM Coursebook.