Recruitment and Placement Are Essential

Recruitment and placement are essential aspects of human resources. Human resource management's function "…is an organization's most critical source of information about employment practices….and the effective management of all aspects of human resources" (Sims, 2002, p. 20). Central to this function is the selection recruitment and placement of employees.

Peter Drucker emphasizes the important nature of recruitment and placement in the contemporary business environment. He notes that "…every organization is in competition for its most essential resource: qualified, knowledgeable people. Today's successful organizations need to hire the most qualified people they can at the most competitive price" (Drucker, 1992. P. 95 ). He goes on to state that the recruitment process is therefore one of the most important responsibilities of the HRM function. As Sims (2002) states, recruitment is a "….responsibility that if not effectively and efficiently completed can almost single-handedly ensure limited success for today's organizations" (Sims, 2002, p. 107).

The process of recruitment and placement

Recruitment is generally defined as "…the process by which organizations discover, develop, seek, and attract individuals to fill actual or anticipated job vacancies (Sims, 2002, p. 107). It is also considered to be a "bridge-building activity" (Sims, 2002, p. 107). In other words, it can be understood as connecting the need for job placement in the company or institution with those seeing jobs or work. Recruitment is also an important process not only in terms of filling new vacancies but also when positions become vacant. As Sims (2002) states; "Most organizations have an ongoing need to recruit new employees to fill job vacancies when employees leave or are promoted, to acquire new skills, and to permit organizational growth" (p. 107). Furthermore, in terms of the contemporary emphasis on efficiency and streamlining business capability, it has become increasingly important that the right individual is found for the job and that he or she is placed in a position that will be optimal for the company or institution.

Recruitment and placement also have a strategic importance. The planning and recruitment campaign therefore requires careful planning and the establishment of clear objectives. In the initial stages of planning the recruitment officer or human resources manager must take into account certain central questions and concerns; such as the exact placement requirements and the number of employees needed. Other variables and issues that have to be borne in mind in the early planning process is the issue of short -- term and permanent placement and the question of remuneration (Sims, 2002, p. 113). The central objective of the recruitment officer is to ensure that the posts required are filled by the most qualified personnel. The recruitment officer must also be careful not to attract too many applications for the vacant posts (Sims, 2002, p. 113).

The actual recruitment process is usually a systematic procedure which begins with sourcing the candidates, to aspects such as arranging from the interviews of the candidates. The general recruitment process can be summarized as follows.

Identifying the vacancy. This includes aspects such as establishing the number of posts needed as well as ascertaining the duties that have to be performed as well as the qualifications that are required.

Preparing the job description and person specification.

Locating and developing the sources of required number and type of employees through advertising etc.

Short-listing and identifying the prospective employee with required characteristics.

Arranging the interviews with the selected candidates.

Conducting the interview and decision making. The final interviews lead to the decision by management and the process of appointment.

(Recruitment Process)

It should also be noted that in recent years online recruitment has become an effective method of recruitment. As Lingham (2009) states, "Online recruiting has become one of the primary methods employed by HR departments to garner potential candidates for available positions within an organization" (Lingham,2009).

Placement is directly linked to the process and various aspects of recruitment. In brief, placement involves "…matching individuals to jobs, based on the demands of the job… and the competencies, preferences, interests, and personality of the individual (Sims, 2002, p. 139). Selection and placement "…yield a match between the organization's needs for specific qualified individuals and the different needs of employees that determine the type of work that's satisfying for them…"(Sims, 2002, p. 139).

There is also reference in the literature to both a psychology and a philosophy of recruitment and placement. With regard to the psychological dimension of recruitment, one commentator remarks that, "We believe that to recruit successfully for hard to fill positions, the recruiter, whether by profession or training, must understand the psychology of the job candidate. The recruiter must understand why people take jobs with organizations "(Human Resources Management - Recruiting / Staffing ). In other words, the recruiter as well as the placement officer must have a certain degree of psychological expertise in order to make correct decisions about employee selections.

Coupled with this is a growing awareness and ethos in the arena of human resources as well as in the business world in general of the importance of the individual in the company. As one critic puts it, " More than ever before, organizations are of the belief that their people are a significant differentiator -- that they are the business" (Human Resources Management - Recruiting / Staffing ).

The recruitment philosophy in a business or organization can also involve many aspects and offer numerous possibilities and choices. For example, the policy decision about recruiting internally or externally. This refers to the decision whether to hire from outside the organization or promote vacant positions from within the organization (Sims, 2002, p. 111). Many organizations prefer to recruit 'proven talent' from within the organization who are well acquainted with the running of the organization or business. Another aspect that is related to the 'philosophy' of recruitment is the question of "…hiring for long-term careers or merely filling vacancies" (Sims, 2002, p, 111). In other words, should the emphasis be on filling necessary vacancies as quickly and effectively as possible to ensure the running of the company or should be more long-term view be adopted? A long-term may be more costly and time- consuming but more care would be taken to ensure that the best individuals were recruited for the job.

There are also ethical and more wide-ranging issues that should be considered in the recruitment and placement process; for example, the issue of diversity in the workplace. As Sims states;

Some organizations are still at the EEO/affirmative action stage of mere compliance with the law, whereas others have graduated to valuing diversity as a central principle of organizational life. Their recruiting practices, both internal and external, actively encourage participation by all… ( Sims, 2002, p. 111)