Recruitment is the process of finding candidates and encouraging them to apply for the post in the company. It is a lengthy process that involves steps like analyzing job requirements, advertising job vacancies, attracting candidates, and managing and screening candidates.
Recruitment aims to create a pool of talents, whereas selection involves selecting the best candidate for the vacancy in an organization. Selection is a complex process that targets only eligible candidates, and those who lack skills or experience are not considered. It is a challenging process and requires every single detail of the candidates.
What are the differences between recruitment and selection
Though the terms recruitment and selection are different, they are used interchangeably. They differ in terms of definition, objectives, scope, order, and methods.
Definition
Recruitment is the process of gathering as many candidates as HR can. It is the process of attracting candidates for job vacancies. It involves the advertising jobs and then moving or not moving forward with the candidates.However, the process of selecting candidates for the advertised job role is different from recruitment. Selection is the process of hiring the best candidate for the company. It narrows down the vast talent pool to the most qualified candidates.
Objective
The objective of recruitment is to attract a large pool of candidates to apply for the job post who may or may not be skilled. On the other hand, the main objective of the selection process is to strategically sift through all the prospects until the ideal candidate is found.
Scope
The scope of recruitment includes dealing with the excess or shortage of resources. By attracting a large pool of talent to apply, the company increases the capacity for further job vacancies, saving both time and money.
It also prepares the recruitment policies for different categories of employees and analyses the organization’s recruitment processes and procedures.
Selection is a pervasive operation and contains multiple functions. However, it focuses on finding the best talent, which helps the company achieve its goals.
Order
The recruitment and selection process are placed in a specific order. To hire the right candidate for a particular job role in an organization, the first step is to attract many candidates.
Once candidates apply, they are sorted based on experience, skills, educational qualifications, etc. This is the second step where the selected candidates are then interviewed to see if they fit the particular job role.
The selection process then involves selecting the most suitable candidate for the vacant position.
Methods
Recruitment is a simple process of attracting candidates and includes methods like direct advertisement, employee referrals, talent pool databases, promotions and transfers, recruitment events, etc., to draw a talent pool. The hiring team uses different methods for the selection process. These are preliminary interviews, skills, psychometric testing, employment interviews, references and background checks, etc. This reduces the pool of talent to specific candidates with the required skills.
Impact of an effective recruitment and selection process
An effective recruitment and selection process helps hire the best talent for the company, which helps in potential future development.
The more effectively an organization recruits and selects candidates, the more likely it can hire and retain employees. It further increases productivity and financial performance.
Conclusion
Despite the differences in both processes of recruitment and selection, they are equally required by the hiring team for onboarding candidates in an organization. To fill the gaps and hire the best employees, both recruitment and selection must collaborate. The first process is to attract a large pool of talent to select a candidate. Therefore, one cannot be used in isolation or replace the other. Once acquainted with both the processes, it helps hire the best talents to grow the organization’s potential to the fullest.
Frequently asked questions (FAQ)
Recruitment is basically the process of hunting for suitable candidates and pursuing them to apply for the said position. On the other hand, selection refers to the process of choosing the right one for the vacant position in the company.
Recruitment is the process of attracting qualified candidates for a job role and Selection is the process of identifying and selecting the right candidate for that job.
The primary responsibility of an HR recruiter is to hire the most suitable employees for new job positions within the organization and to retain them tactfully. In order to fulfill the company’s exact requirements, it is the job of the HR recruiter to develop and execute new recruitment strategies.