Recruitment and selection of employees (Case Laws) Supreme Court's decisions 

Employment agencies may also give computerized tests to assess an individual's "off-hand" knowledge of software packages or typing skills. At a more basic level written tests may be given to assess numeracy and literacy. A candidate may also be assessed on the basis of an interview. Sometimes candidates will be requested to provide a résumé (also known as a CV) or to complete an application form to provide this evidence.

If One of the Selected Candidates Joins and then Resigns, It Gives Rise to a Fresh Vacancy which Must Be Filled By A Fresh Selection Process & Not From Previous Merit List: Supreme Court

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Court Held that:

The appellant could have been easily adjusted against the vacancy caused due to resignation of one of the selected candidates. The argument per se is bereft of merit inasmuch as all the vacancies notified stood

filled up initially. However, if one of the selected candidates joins and then resigns, it gives rise to a fresh vacancy which could not have been filled up without issuing a proper advertisement and following the fresh selection process.

Recruitment Procedure 

Before going to recruitment, careful study is needed about jobs which are to be kept under recruitment. Careful study is nothing but doing Job analysis which is otherwise called as collection of every information about the job so as to figure out exact candidate needed to perform said job.

HR manager needs careful attention and should be diligent while going for recruitment of human resource, since it grabs attention of prospective employees at large. However it is not so easy to find out skilled people. Hence various tests in selection process helps to identify potential candidate needed for an organisation. Coming to procedure for recruitment, it depends on nature and size of organisation. But concept of recruitment is one and same. Recruitment does in various modes which are basically categorised into two, out of that first one is internal recruitment and external recruitment, which are elaborately explained in detailed below. Whatever the mode of recruitment preferred by an organisation, it should be clear in what an organisation needs and easily understandable by prospective employees at large so as to avoid frivolous and unsolicited applications which will consume lot of time for an organisation to identify them. Hence organisation should be clear and thoroughly check before posting recruitment.

Principal, Mehar Chand Polytechnic Vs Anu Lamba, (2006) 7 SSC 161 : AIR 2006 SC 3074. 

The recruitment rules are to be framed with a view to give equal opportunity to all the citizens of India and title for being considered for recruitment in the vacant posts.

Factors that should be considered for recruitment

1. The first step of recruitment is Identification of number of posts lying vacant.

2. Rule of reservation: identification of posts which will fall under which category of reservation.

3. Following rosters: roster points should be followed to come to conclusion that how many posts should be notified under which category of reservation.

4. Deciding the qualifications necessary for every post or job which is going to be notified.

5. Designing selection procedure for each category of job or post

6. Fixing the remuneration or scale of pay.

7. Deciding the promotional channel for each category of post.

Basic contents of Recruitment notification;

• 1. It contains brief about an organisation which is recruiting.

  2. Contains number of posts/jobs  lying vacant in an organisation.

  3. Contains  number of jobs in reserved category. (especially in government organisation jobs are allotted to reserved category).

  4. Contains information about gender needed for the jobs. (For example: Male or female)

  5. Contains information about educational qualification needed to qualify for applying to job.

  6. Contains information about work experience needed. (points from 2 to 6 are nothing but called as Job specifications, it is a statement that describes about specifications needed by a candidate to have qualified for a applying said job)

  7. It contains most important information that is, Job description, which is the statement of information about duties and responsibilities of the job.

  8. Contains information about salary particulars, employee benefits and other allowances to be provided.

  9. Selection tests which must be passed by candidates so as to have job.

  10. Application fee for general and reserved category candidates.

  11. To whom application should be submitted and by which mode it has to be submitted.

  12. Last date of submission of application.

  13. Fee for late submission of application.

  14. Terms and conditions if any.

Top 10 Trend Of HR Process: Get Your Candidate

-Paul White

Change is the only constant in the world of human resources and recruiting. As the year 2020 marked a significant turning point, triggered by the appearance of the new virus pandemic, SRM and HRM professionals around the world have begun to rethink their practices and adapt to the new situation at hand.

Over the past decade, the scope of HR expanded and evolved, affecting and shaping how teams are managed and how employees set workplace-related expectations. While in the past HR departments concentrated on standardization and one-size-fits-all strategies, now they are shifting their interest toward a more personalized approach.

The individual needs are coming into focus, along with the wishes and skills of each employee.

Staying in touch with HR trends can be extremely beneficial for organizations of all types and sizes. Here’s a concise guide to the top 10 trends of HR in 2020, prepared in cooperation with the best essay writing service UK specialists versed in topics such as business development, human resources, and recruiting.

1. The rise of company culture trend

Company culture is what binds all the coworkers together, making the vision, mission, and core values of an organization clear and understandable for every member of the workforce. The need to create and maintain a work culture that will keep all the generations working together productively is going to be all the more crucial in the years to come.

2. Changing the way companies communicate

The era of traditional reaching out to prospective candidates is coming to an end, as more and more professionals try to avoid being targeted by companies looking for candidates actively. To avoid candidate ghosting and attract the right talent, companies will have to make a shift from active search toward creating communities, sharing experiences, and gaining trust in order to create talent pools to draw from in the future.

3. Focusing on micro-experiences

Focusing on individual experiences will become crucial for recruiters and HR professionals looking to onboard experienced professionals. Outreach to prospective employees will have to be marked with a personal touch, showing that recruiters know and care about the individual needs and interests of the candidate in question. Micro-experiences are game-changers and the companies are beginning to take note of it.

4. Soft skills are becoming power skills in 2020

Looking for experts with all the necessary hard skills and qualifications for a specific job is a regular part of the recruiting process, but minding the soft skills such as creativity, persuasion, adaptability, and emotional intelligence will become more important than ever in 2020 and further. Being aware of this shift, worthy professionals will work to develop and improve those skills to become more desirable candidates in the years to come.

5. HR and AI going hand in hand

With technological advancements of AI and automation, companies will, now more than before, begin to collect, sort, and analyze the information they get from candidates, speeding up and improving the decision-making process in general. Additionally, adopting innovative talent acquisition tools will successfully transform companies’ branding and popularity on the job market, supporting their capability to attract the most talented among candidates into their ranks.

6. Designing office spaces wholistically

Creating an atmosphere that will bolster productivity in the workplace includes designing a welcoming office space where workers will feel comfortable and taken care of. This process goes beyond cosmetic changes such as repainting the walls, bringing in a few plants and creating a leisure room. To attract the best candidates, companies will invest in adaptations that are more substantial.

7. Opening up to the idea of remote work

Although traditional office spaces are going nowhere any time soon, no organization is able to turn a blind eye on the fact that, in the wake of the COVID-19 crisis, more and more professionals are beginning to show interest in remote working opportunities. Showing flexibility and the ability to adapt to the new circumstances will, therefore, become essential traits for any organization looking to attract the best candidates on the market.

8. Social media recruitment

Traditional recruitment methods such as job advertising, headhunting, word-of-mouth recommendations, and hiring out of existing talent pools will meet social media recruitment, which is about to become even more prominent as time goes by. Investing in targeted social media campaigns and promoting content created by the company will give organizations the ability to reach more professionals and leave an impression they aim to create.

9. Diversity and inclusion are coming into focus

Diverse teams are proven to perform better, so more and more HR experts and recruiting specialists will continue to work on improving this aspect for the companies they work in. We’re already noticing more jobs advertised to attract diverse candidates, and this trend is likely to lead to an increase in the number of recruiting agencies specialized in this type of work. The contemporary workforce will contain professionals of all genders, races, and other diverse demographics.

10. Quality is worth more than quantity

Rush to hire as soon as possible will become less prominent. Instead, HR departments will take the time to find the right match for every position, to ensure good employee retention scores. Quality will be cherished more than quantity, and this will pay off for every organization working to follow this trend.

Author Bio

Paul White is a professional writer and a UK dissertation expert with extensive experience in writing scientific, technical, and educational articles.To connect with Paul, find him on Facebook.

Appointment to the heirs of the employees on their retirement and / or superannuation shall be contrary to the object and purpose of appointment on compassionate grounds and  violative of  Article 14 of the Constitution of India. - Supreme Court of India

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Court held that

Even otherwise, such an appointment to the heirs of the employees on their retirement and/or superannuation shall be contrary to the object and purpose of appointment on compassionate grounds and is hit by Article 14 of the Constitution of India. As observed and held by this Court in a catena of decisions, compassionate appointment shall always be treated as an exception to the normal method of recruitment. The appointment on compassionate grounds is provided upon the death of an employee in harness without any kind of security whatsoever. The appointment on compassionate grounds is not automatic and shall be subject to the strict scrutiny of various parameters including the financial position of the family, the economic dependence of the family upon the deceased employee and the avocation of the other members of the family. No one can claim to have a vested right for appointment on compassionate grounds. Therefore, appointment on compassionate grounds cannot be extended to the heirs of the employees on their superannuation and/or retirement. If such an appointment is permitted, in that case, outsiders shall never get an appointment and only the heirs of the employees on their superannuation and/or retirement shall get an  appointment and those who are the outsiders shall never get an opportunity to get an appointment though they may be more meritorious and/or well educated and/or more  qualified. Therefore, the submission on behalf of the respondent that the appointment is not on compassionate grounds but the same be called as varas hakka cannot be accepted. Even if the same be called as varas hakka the same is not supported by any scheme and even the same also can be said to be violative of Article 14 as well as Article 15 of the Constitution of India. 

It is for the employer to determine and decide the relevancy and suitability of the qualifications for any post and A candidate having suppressed the material information and/or giving false information cannot claim right to continuance in service.: Supreme Court of India

Read Judgment Below

CIVIL APPEAL NO.3602  OF 2020

Applications were invited by the appellant Bank for the post ofPeon by publishing an advertisement in the local newspaper.   Theeligibility criteria mentioned in the said advertisement was that acandidate should have passed 12th class or its equivalent with basicreading/writing knowledge of English.   It specifically provided thata   candidate   should   not   be   a   Graduate   as   on   01.01.2016.     Acandidate   was   also   required   to   submit   the   bio­data   as   per   theprescribed   format.     The   respondent   herein,   though   a   Graduate,applied for the said post.  However, neither in the application nor inthe bio­data, he disclosed that he was a graduate.  

Court held that

"It is for the employer to determine and decide the relevancy and suitability of the qualifications for any post and it is not for the Courts to consider and assess. A greater latitude is permitted by the Courts for the employer to prescribe qualifications for any post. There is a rationale behind it. Qualifications are prescribed keeping in view the need and interest of an Institution or an Industry or an establishment as the case may be. The Courts are not fit instruments to assess expediency or advisability or utility of such prescription of qualifications. However, at the same time, the employer cannot act arbitrarily or fancifully in prescribing qualifications for posts."

Futher court relied up on Kendriya Vidyalaya Sangathan v. Ram Ratan Yadav (2003) 3 SCC 437 and held that

"Suppression of material information and making a false statement has a clear bearing on the character and antecedents of the employee in relation to his continuance in service. A candidate having suppressed the material information and/or giving false information cannot claim right to continuance in service."

J.Rangaswamy v. Government of Andhra Pradesh (1990) 1 SCC288,

it is observed and held by this Court that itis not for the court to consider the relevance of qualifications prescribed for various posts.

Yogesh Kumar v. Government of NCT of Delhi (2003) 3 SCC548

it is observed and held by this Court that recruitment to public service should be held strictly in accordance with the terms of advertisement and the recruitment rules, if any. Deviation from the rules allows entry to ineligible persons and deprives many others who could have competed for the post.

Candidate   who   clears   the   prescribed   qualification   after the   cut-off   date   cannot   be   considered   qualified to the post he/she applied. : Supreme Court of India

[Read Judgement below]

CIVIL APPEAL NOS. 235-236 OF 2019(Arising out of SLP(C)Nos.7843-7844 of 2014)

RAKESH BAKSHI & ANR. Vs STATE OF JAMMU AND KASHMIR & ORS

Facts of the case

In this present case, appellants had applied for the post of junior engineer, but they had cleared prescribed qualification after the cut-off date prescribed by the employer. However got selected and admitted through writ petition before the High Court. The said appointment was challenged for single bench and the Case court dismissed. But division bench set aside the order of single bench on the ground  that the result of the examination was declared only after the cut-off dateand they were not found eligible.Later writ petitions was filed in the Supreme Court challenging the division bench order, which was set aside. Thereafter another person filed a writ petition on the order of the Supreme Court.

Court held that

“We are not for a moment doubting the correctness of the reasoning of the Division Bench in this case, that eligibility of the candidates must be decided with reference to the qualification possessed as on the cut-off date and the qualification acquired later in point of time cannot make a candidate eligible.”

"However, having regard to the facts obtaining in this case, which we have set out and also the manner in which this Court has decided the matter culminating in  Ashok Kumar Sharma and Others Vs.Chander Shekhar and Another; 1997 (4) SCC 18,the interests of justice would require the interference with the judgment of the Division bench. We particularly note that as far as the writ petitioner is concerned more than the efflux of time, the fact is that he cannot possibly secure selection."

Recruiting Agency Can't Be Compelled To Fill Available Posts Even When Persons Of Desired Merit Are Not Available: Supreme Court of India

Supreme Court has re-iterated that the recruiting agency cannot be compelled to fill up all available posts even if the persons of the desired merit are not available.

The Supreme Court has allowed an appeal filed by Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) and has held that it was at liberty to set minimum qualifying cut-off marks in exam for appointment of Assistant Teacher (Primary).

The factual matrix herein was that Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (DSSSB) had issued a notification for appointment of Assistant Teacher (Primary) in the schools of MCD. The said notification, by virtue of Clause 25, conferred discretion to DSSSB to fix the minimum qualifying marks for selection, in order to pick the best talent available. Further, Clause 26 provided that the marks obtained by a candidate in the written examination shall not be disclosed.

Subsequently, the Respondents herein did not qualify the exam and filed a writ petition before learned Single Judge of the Delhi High Court to quash Clauses 25 and 26 on grounds of arbitrariness. The writ petition filed by the Respondents was dismissed and was challenged by them before a division bench of the same court. The appeal succeeded and hence the Appellant herein pursued the present appeal.

The arguments made by Respondents in the original writ petition were that:

1) DSSSB was merely an agency to conduct the interviews/tests and prepare the panel. It was not empowered to lay down its own criteria for scrutinizing the eligible candidates by fixing minimum qualifying marks and was bound to follow the requisition given by MCD for undertaking selection process.

2) The action of DSSSB to refuse to give any details about the minimum marks which had been fixed by them unilaterally was arbitrary and discriminatory.

3) In view of the minimum marks cut-off criteria, the result of only 1638 out of the total 2348 advertised posts was declared. It was submitted that this process adopted by the DSSSB was contrary to the directions issued in the case of Kuldeep Singh and Ors. v. DSSSB & Anr., W.P.(C) Nos.5650-51/2004, wherein it was held that the number of posts that are vacant against every category, and all of them should normally be filled up from the eligible candidates according to their standing. In that light, a direction was sought to the DSSSB to consider the case of the Respondents against the remaining vacancies without fixing minimum qualifying marks for selection.

The Appellant herein had contended that:

1) The method of recruitment, laying down the eligibility criteria, etc. were matters relating to the executive policy decisions and in the absence of any statutory rules/laws, the executive decisions were sustainable. Further, when MCD had no objection to the method adopted by DSSSB, the objections raised by the Respondent would be unsustainable.

2) The allegations of discrimination were not sustainable in as much as the Respondents had not demonstrated as to how the criteria of fixing the cutoff percentage was arbitrary when it was uniformly applied to all the candidates.

3) The decision in the case of Kuldeep Singh was sought to be distinguished andreliance was placed on State of Haryana v. Subhash Chandra Marwah & Ors., AIR 1973SC 2216, to contend that it was open to the Government to fix a score which was higher than the one required for eligibility for the post with a view to maintain the highstandard of competition.

The bench comprised by Justice R. Banumathi and Justice A. S. Bopanna found merit in the arguments raised by the Appellant. Addressing the first contention, it was held that DSSSB had been specially created by the executive for the purpose of selecting the appropriate candidates to fill up the vacancies in the User Department and it was bound to discharge its obligation by fixing the criteria for declaring successful candidates. "Any undue sympathy shown to the private respondents herein so as to direct their selection despite not possessing the desired merit would amount to interference with the right of the employer to have suitable candidates”, the bench said.

On the second contention, the bench agreed with the decision taken by Single Judge of the high court that even if the criteria fixed was defective, the Courts were ordinarily not required to interfere as long as the same standard/yardstick had been applied to all the candidates and did not prejudice any particular candidate.

On the last contention, the court relied on Ashwani Kumar Singh v. U.P. Public Service Commission & Ors., (2003) 11 SCC 584, wherein it was held that it was not a rule of universal application that whenever vacancies exist, persons who were in the merit list per force had to be appointed.

It was further held that when the Respondents appeared for the examination they were fully aware of Clause 25 pertaining to minimum qualifying marks and despite that they participated in the process by appearing for the examination. Hence it washeld that any grievance raised now would not merit consideration.

"DSSSB and the appellant herein were concerned with the quality of teachers to be recruited and had fixed a merit bar to indicate that the persons obtaining the percentage of marks above such bar only would be selected, the employer cannot be forced to lower the bar and recruit teachers who do not possesses the knowledge to the desired extent merely because certain posts had remained vacant which in any event would be carried over to the next recruitment", the bench said.

https://www.livelaw.in/top-stories/recruiting-agency-cant-be-forced-to-fill-up-vacancy-by-lowering-bar-146896

Court Can Intervene If Competent Authority fails to take into account all relevant factors and Arbitrary Decisions On Recruitment of Govt posts: Delhi High Court

[Read Judgment Below]

SYED MEHEDI Vs GOVT OF NCT OF DELHI & ORS.

W.P.(C) 1200/2016

Facts of the Case

In this case, petitioner (Male) had applied for the post of Special Education Teachers (purpose to help, assist, train and guide those unfortunate children who are differently abled, to meet the challenges of the life.) in all schools managed by the state government and the local bodies.

Prescribed age limit for the post was 30 years, however, later public notice which issued stating 10 years of age relaxation was permitted to female candidates by the The  Delhi Subordinate Services Selection Board (recruiter).

There was delay in the said recruitment by the recruiter, by which time the petitioner attained age of 36 years, however he was permitted by the tribunal to participate in the selection process, but his selection result was kept in hold in spite of the fact that a number of posts of SET in the country were lying vacant despite the availability of qualified, but overage, candidates. Later writ petition was filed by the petitioner before this court, praying for age relaxation.

Court held that

"the fact that the appointments to the post of SET had been initiated after an inordinate delay, allowed the petition vide its order dated 10.07.2014, and directed the respondents to consider the petitioner's request for age relaxation by taking into consideration the fact that due to the delay in the initiation of the recruitment process, many eligible candidates might have become ineligible, as also the fact that a blanket relaxation of 10 years had been extended to female candidates for the same post.

Further court relied upon the Sangita Srivastava v. University of Allahabad & Ors. [2002 3 AWC 2088 All] wherein it was held that "Ordinarily suitability is to be judged by the executive Council and not by this Court. But what are we to do when the Executive Council acts in a patently unfair manner, as it has done in this case? This Court is a Court of Justice. No doubt it has to do justice based on law, but the Court will interpret law in a way that leads to justice and not injustice".

"but keeping in view the constitutional and statutory obligation of the respondents and corresponding rights of the differently – abled children".

We are of the view that in a case like this, where there is a dearth of suitably qualified candidates for SET, it is qualification and merit which should be given due precedence. Relaxation of age ought to have been granted for appointment to the post of SET to all, who were otherwise eligible.

"We allow this petition in the aforesaid terms and direct the respondents to ensure compliance qua the petitioner within the next four weeks, by granting him relaxation with regard to his age and considering his appointment to the post of SET on the basis of his merit position in the selection process already concluded. He will, however, be entitled to all benefits resulting from the said appointment, only from the date of his actual appointment to the said post"

6 Recruitment Strategies You Haven’t Yet Tried

When it comes to developing strong recruitment strategies, HR teams are constantly struggling. There isn’t one fool proof method and it can become an expensive and laborious process.

To ease the pain of recruiters everywhere, we outline 6 recruitment strategies you may not have tried but which can make the process easier and more effective than what you had before.

1. Attractive Job Posts

Job postings rarely diverge from one standard look—a brief introduction about the company, bullet points about the actual job, and more bullet points about the perks of the role.

While most prospective talent is accustomed to this format, if you want your job posts to stand out among the crowd, you need to change things up a bit.

For one, consider adding visuals to your posts—particularly if you are hosting the post on your own website.

You can use timeline templates to share the history of your company or to organize the tasks of a role.

If you can create a video about the job role—read up about video interviewing here—that could make the process more personal and add an element of interactivity.

Visuals make posts more attractive and memorable—if you have the ability to add visual elements to your job posts, your recruitment drive will be more successful.

2. Employer Branding

If you’re wondering what branding has to do with recruitment, you are in for a surprise—how brands present themselves to potential candidates plays a huge role in recruitment.

When we talk about branding, many companies believe that branding equates to the physical aspects of the business—the logo, brand colors, fonts, and a professional email signature.

But branding is much more than that—it is the ethos of the brand, what they do beyond selling a product or service, and how they serve their community.

These are the aspects of your brand that you need to highlight in messaging, advertising, and press releases—because that is what candidates are going to see and be impressed by.

Highlighting your brand’s ethos is an important part of passive recruitment—you don’t want to start looking for employees when you have a vacancy, after all.

With the help of your branding, potential employees will come to you because they will be drawn to your policies—they want to work with a company whose values align with theirs.

Strong branding should be looked at as not just a beneficial part of your marketing strategy, but as a recruitment strategy that will get you top candidates.

3. Highlighting Company Culture

Attracting the right talent doesn’t come from highlighting what your company is doing for external resources—how are you treating your employees?

Remember, potential employees will be working within your company—they need to know that they will be appreciated and taken care of. Otherwise, why should they work for you?

Highlighting your company’s culture in recruitment posts and job ads need to be a priority—but you also need to showcase your internal dynamics in non-job posts.

Do you have office lunches or gatherings for celebrations? Post images or videos on social media. Perhaps your company has a weekly trivia night or dance party. Share those pictures.

What about other benefits like work-from-home days or office getaways? These need to be mentioned on job posts.

But don’t forget to mention the important stuff—competitive salaries, pension plans, insurance, opportunities for growth, vacation days, sick days, and flexibility in working hours.

Let prospective employees know the benefits of working at your company—that is how you can attract them.

4. Referral Policy

Who knows your company best? Is it the people who follow you on social media, or the people already employed at your organization?

Obviously, it’s the latter, so why not use their assistance when looking for new talent and innovators for your company?

Instead of spending time and money on a recruitment drive for people who aren’t in any way affiliated to your organization, looking from within will save on costs and improve efficiency.

Since your employees already know what working in your company entails, they can look at their core group of friends and family to see who would be a good fit.

And if they do encourage someone to join the company, it is a sure sign that you are doing something right—employees actively want more people to join them at the workplace.

The best way to set up such a system is to begin a referral program—encourage employees to refer people from their circle to the company for roles, and give them a gift or bonus in return.

The referral program will massively cut down on time spent advertising and searching for new talent—you’re getting someone whose background check is almost taken care of.

And because they are associated with someone who is already a good fit for the company, they will likely fit in with the rest of the crowd, thus improving your internal dynamics.

5. Passive Recruitment

We’ve mentioned before that beginning a recruitment drive just when you have a vacancy isn’t a good idea—you need to be reaching out to passive candidates well before then.

LinkedIn is a good place to start—message people who may be a good fit for the role and company and ask them when they would like to set up a call.

Don’t bombard them with information at the first instance—you don’t know whether they’re interested so too much information may make it look like you’re badgering them.

When you contact the passive talent, ensure you mention something specific from their profile—this will let them know how interested you are in them.

Avoid harping on about the salary associated with the position—while money is important, you aren’t buying the prospect, you’re coaxing them to join you.

This is where you should talk more about your company’s benefits and culture—talk about diversity and inclusivity, and what you do for the community.

Outline the onboarding process to them during subsequent calls to show how transparent your systems are.

Let the potential candidate know how important employees are to the organization—that they come first because they are the chief ambassadors and customers of the business.

All these methods will make a passive recruitment strategy more successful.

6. Automate Recruitment

As much as recruitment needs a human touch, some processes need to be automated. A number of companies are using applicant tracking systems with some success.

Artificial intelligence is also being used to source potential candidates, set up interviews, and to collect and sort through data on applicants.

There are several tools available to make the recruitment process more attractive, as well as efficient.

You can employ a free career quiz in the job application system to encourage people to apply for your jobs as opposed to other careers.

But when using automated systems, it is important to ensure that they are programmed without bias—the team in charge of programming these systems should be diverse.

This is the best way to ensure that you reach the largest and best pool of applicants available to you.

Conclusion

Recruitment strategies are in flux, and with reason—the world and the way people apply for jobs are changing. Companies need to adapt accordingly.

To ensure you reach the candidates which would best serve your business, we have outlined 6 key strategies that will work, but don’t need too much effort or money.  By using the above methods to find candidates, companies will be able to reach the people they deserve.

Ronita Mohan is a content marketer at Venngage, an online infographic maker and design platform. Ronita writes about the digital world, content marketing, productivity, pop culture, and diversity.

Twitter: @Venngage

How to Improve Your Recruitment Strategies Using Big Data

Recruitment has always been one of the most complex of all departments within a business. There’s such a huge uncertainty when it comes to defining the best approach and making sure you find the right people for the roles in your business. However, while complicated with no hard and fast rules, the rise in the use of big data is changing the game.

Today, we’re going to look into how businesses around the world, including your business, can use big data to start improving and optimising your recruitment process for the best results. Let’s go.

What is Big Data?

First, we should define what big data is – everyone is talking about it these days, but no-one can really say what it is. Technically speaking, big data refers to large, complex sets of structured and unstructured data, that are difficult to deal with or sort quickly.

In marketing, understanding big data is very useful for preventing fraud, gaining customer insights and optimising pricing, among other uses.

Finding the Right People

Of course, the recruitment drive of any business is all about finding the right people for the job, but this is a risk, no matter how experienced your business is, and can use a lot of resources, especially time and money, to get right.

Fortunately, big data is changing the game. No matter who you’re looking for or what type of person you want, you can use big data no narrow down candidates in plenty of different ways, whether that’s age, level of education, or geographical location.

You can do this by searching for people online and using big data to organise people, or by collecting and organising accepted resumes and application and using big data to organise them all. This can save your business an infinite number of hours when it comes to sorting applications and finding the right people.

Defining the Best Recruitment Channels

Your current recruitment strategy probably, or at least should, include using social media to find or research potential candidates. You may also advertise your job roles using targeted social media marketing and use standard searches to locate new people in new locations.

However, have you ever taken the time to research which platforms or employment channels are actually the best for your business? Using big data, you’ll be able to find the most suitable candidates by narrowing down skills, age, education level, and location, and then finding which platforms they’re using the most, allowing you to spend more resources in this area to ultimately achieve better results.

“This approach also includes being able to reach your candidates in ways that will appeal to them and will ultimately attract the top talent. For example, some candidates and roles may require text-heavy documentation for them to feel interested in the role, whereas others may require a more visual approach. Big data will help you define, which is the best way forward” explains Mariah Parrish, an HR manager at Dissertation Service and Paper Fellows.

Optimising Your External Image and Perceptions

While candidates applying for roles in your business will try their hardest to look the best they can for your business to want to consider them, we live in an age where businesses need to do the same.

Especially common among the younger workforce, if your business doesn’t look attractive to a potential employee, or your business doesn’t hold the same morals or values that they have, they’re going to go elsewhere.

Using big data, you can use the information to see what the top talent you want are looking for in a business they want to work for, and you can adjust your business to match. You can also tell if your current image will work in attracting the right kind of talent, and ultimately, you’ll be able to optimise your business’s image to be whatever you want.

Improved Training Programs and Employee Development

Technology is changing the world at an ever-expanding rate, as are the expectations of businesses and customers alike, which leads us to our final point of the defining the skills, education and talents your desired employees will have.

“Using analytics and big data information, you’ll be able to see what kind of company you are, and what kind of skills will resonate the best within certain roles. For example, it’s said that soft skills are essential for success when it comes to AI-driven companies,” shares Andy Turner, an analytics expert at AustralianHelp and OXEssays.

“Using this information, you’ll be able to sort through applicants based on their soft skill investment, as well as organising training programs to help amplify and better these skills for the best chances of success in the role.”

Summary

As you can see, big data is making a huge impact in the ways that businesses are approaching employment and recruitment, and if your business isn’t currently using this technology to your advantage, you’re going to get left behind. It’s an opportunity like no other.

Beatrice Potter is a professional writer at Assignment Service and Write My Paper. She writes about recruitment strategies. Also, Beatrice is a content manager at Essayroo Review.

Qualities, personal skills and habits of a great recruiter

If there is a single thing that differentiates a good recruiter from a great recruiter then it is how great recruiters pay attention to each detail.

A great recruiter is a complete control freak, who has a Type A personality instead of Type B. The Type A recruiters are those who actually sweat for the company and its employees. They do more than finding suitable candidates’ profiles, collecting resumes or sending e-mails.

All excellent recruiters should understand that recruiting and hiring process is of high importance for each company and job applicant and they should act humane and kindly while conducting a job interview.

In today’s tech age, a great recruiter does not hide behind a technology but uses it to do their job in the better and more efficient way.

Great recruiters believe in never-ending learning and continue to learn every day in order to become better at their job.

If you wish to become a badass recruiter – continue reading below to find out the skills, qualities, and habits of such recruiter, as well as what you can do to become one.

SKILLS OF A GREAT RECRUITER

Regardless of whether they are hiring for talent or for experience, great recruiters are ones who understand that the best way to drive successful outcomes is completely based on their ability to exert as well as maintain control over all stages of the hiring process.

The recruiters who control the hiring process are not shocked when a candidate does not show up for the interview or when they decide to drop out of the process, nor are they personally affected if a candidate declines the job offer.

Some candidates are over-promising and under-delivering while some recruiters are boastful and exaggerative. Recruiters are usually the first who get to meet the new potential employee of the company; hence, their honesty and integrity are essential to maintaining the candidate’s interest in the employer.

If the recruiters are not straightforward at the first stage, the candidates will lose trust and confidence in the company.

The best recruiters understand that the only way that they can influence the candidates and get successful results is by understanding the issues and doubts of their candidates, which is why they try to maintain a healthy conversation throughout the hiring process.

Some even say that in order to become a talent acquisition practitioner and an exceptional recruiter, you have to know every important detail about the candidate.

One of the main cause of disconnect between the recruiters and candidates is the lack of honesty from both the sides.

Google has become one of the best sought-after workplaces in the world with more than 2 million job applications a year.

Laszlo Bock, who is the Senior Vice President at People Operations at Google, disclosed in this video the pitfalls and secrets of the “self-replicating talent machine” of the search giant.

He also speaks about how an organization could become a great place to work.

Director Anne Radonich, a marketing whiz from recruiter.com, points out in a YouTube video top five skills that she believes all recruiters must acquire to better themselves, become the best recruiter within their industry, and to show their employers how to search for the best candidates.

We are suggesting the following eight skills are also important.

• 1. Problem-solving skills – There is no question whether you will encounter problems during recruitment process or not – you will! Everyone faces few problems during their work but it is the way of how you deal with them that is important. The amount of time you take in solving the problem is an important factor. You must be a good problem-solver to be a great recruiter.

  2. Communication skills – If you are going to talk to many candidates and recommend them to the hiring managers then it would be better if you know how to communicate properly. Whenever you feel like you are over communicating, then you feel like this possibly because you are communicating just enough.

  3. Marketing skills – If you want candidates to see you as their recruiter then they have to know that you are a recruiter. This means you will have to market yourself as a recruiter. If the candidates have heard of you before you contact them, then they are more likely to choose to work with you as their recruiter over other recruiters that they never heard about. So, a recruiter who is a good marketer always has an advantage over other recruiters who are not good marketers.

  4. People skills –You will be constantly contacting people on both ends of the placement process. You would be talking to the hiring manager about the candidate and to the candidate about the company. Both the hiring manager and candidate have the power to refuse what you are offering. Hence, the recruiter must have people skills to deal with it.

  5. Sales skills – If you are a recruiter then you are required to have the characteristics of a salesperson as well. Recruiting is, in fact, one of the most difficult sales jobs. A recruiter is a salesperson because he or she has to sell multiple ideas to several people. In addition to this, they have to continue selling despite various rejections.

  6. Negotiation skills – A badass recruiter always knows how to behave during negotiations and they do this with the help of their persuasion skills. These skills are very important in all of the stages of the placement process but it is the last stage – the offer stage – where they are the most important.

  7. Time management and planning skills – Without proper management of time, you cannot succeed in anything whether it is a job of a teacher, a doctor, a lawyer or a freelancer. The same applies to recruiters as well. Any good recruiter will waste his own money if he or she wastes time. The way a recruiter manages his/her time relies on the way their firm, as well as their business model, is structured.

  8. Workforce planning – One of the growing skills of recruiters these days is workforce planning. Many recruiters will have this skill because they have already helped the hiring authorities in planning for the current as well as future hiring requirements. This LinkedIn e-book shares more of the recruiting skills whose demand is growing.

QUALITIES OF A GREAT RECRUITER

Besides the above-mentioned skills, great recruiters must possess some qualities as well, such as:

• • Patience – In the process of becoming a great recruiter, you must have patience. Someone once rightly said that patience is a virtue. In order to be a badass recruiter, firstly learn how to control your emotions and how to be patient with both your candidate as well as the hiring authority. A few things that happen in the placement process may anger you, like the delay in the interview process or late recruiter fees, but the that is the best time to show the world how patient you are with your clients and your candidates.

  • Confidence – There is no doubt that confidence attracts people and recruiters who have confidence and confident recruiters find it easier to attract people than recruiters who lack confidence. If you do not persuade people, they would not listen to you. In addition, without confidence, you would appear unsure of things, which will create a negative impression on the candidate. Hence, to persuade potential hiring managers into giving you a job order, you must build up your confidence and believe in yourself and in your work.

  • Professionalism –It is a fact that some recruiters are not professional. Possession or lack of professionalism is a part of your branding as a recruiter. People are more likely to do business with you if you brand yourself as a professional in the recruitment field.

  • Persistence –Persistence, and patience are the twin sisters who go hand-in-hand. They cannot be separated because without patience, there is a lack of persistence and vice versa. It is not important that you score a good client on the first try. The process may take time and you must be patient to get used to it. Not everyone wins the battle in the first fight, it takes time and you must be persistent and patient to win it. A great recruiter has this characteristic, which is why he/she is better than the other recruiters are.

  • Dependability – Dependability is related to professionalism as well because both the qualities are dealing with branding. Good things will happen to you and your company if you prove yourself as a dependable recruiter. Candidates will start treating you as their partner and career coach during their job search if you are dependable. Also, people would want to work with you even more and give you more job orders if you make them realize that you are dependable.

  • Comfortable with risks and chaos – There is no job in this world that comes without a risk and there is hardly something riskier than working on commission. It is risky because you have no base salary so you get no money if you do not make a placement. You have to be completely fine with these risks if you want to be a great recruiter.

HABITS OF A GREAT RECRUITER

You are now familiarized with the most important skills and qualities required for becoming a great recruiter, but it is beneficial for you to find out and also acquire the habits of a great recruiter:

• • Spend time on the phone – A great recruiter knows the importance of phone time. They know that the more they are on the phone; the more they will be paid. The great recruiters spend so much time-being on the phone and talking to people, that being on the phone becomes a habit they practice every day. A discipline is much needed especially for making recruitment business development calls, but you won’t regret it this becomes one of your good habits.

  • Plan – Ever heard the quote, “If you fail to plan, you plan to fail”? Well, it sits very well with the recruitment business. You must always plan for the day. Planning your schedule not only makes all your work easier, but it also allows you to complete all the work on time.

  • Prioritize – You must know the value of everything that affects or influences your business. As a recruiter, you must also know which candidates are close to their offer stage and which deals are about to close. Some recruiters have a tool to identify the deals that are close to being filled. If the recruiters know all these details, it becomes easier for them to allocate their resources and time on a day-to-day basis. Remember that you must know what the monetary value of each of your work activities is, but do not forget what is valued more than money as well.

  • Stay in touch with the trends –The only constant is the change. One must ask themselves if their recruiting methods are in a need of change and if they are any more efficient recruitment methods that can assist them even further. Same goes for changes in the trends to channels of communication – of course, there is no substitute for face-to-face encounters, but it is good to have in mind the latest telecommunication and VoIP technologies.

  • Expand your circle – It is a good habit to devote a certain amount of your time in trying to expand your circle of contacts. Make networking efforts to profile potential clients out there and try to win them over. The clientele will shift from one business to another whether they are not satisfied – maybe the client you are looking for is also looking for you, you just must be out there to meet them.

  • Be on social media – The badass recruiters are ones who are making contacts with potential new candidates and new employers all the time. According to Aberdeen Group, the best-in-class companies are almost 1/3rd more likely to engage with candidates on social media. In 2018, the use of social media tools, investment in social media strategies and recruitment marketing will reach the higher numbers ever. Here is the link to the complete research.

According to a paper by Jobvite, only 4% of recruiters do not use social media in the recruiting process. Other 4% are not sure whether they use or not while 92% are sure that they use social networking sites:

• • 87% use LinkedIn

  • 55% use Facebook

  • 47% use Twitter

  • 21% use YouTube

  • 14% use Google

  • 13% use Instagram

  • 3% use Snapchat.

If you are interested in becoming a top recruiter (and a top salesperson), the above are the skills, qualities, and habits that you must acquire.

But, how do you do that?

Well, doing the below things will help.

Employee Selection

Selection is the process used to identify and hire individuals or groups of individuals to fill vacancies within an organization. Often based on an initial job analysis, the ultimate goal of personnel selection is to ensure an adequate return on investment--in other words, to make sure the productivity of the new hire warrants the costs spent on recruiting and training that hire. Several screening methods exist that may be used in personnel selection. Examples include the use of minimum or desired qualifications, resume/application review, oral interviews, work performance measures (e.g., writing samples), and traditional tests (e.g., of job knowledge). The field of personnel selection has a long history and is associated with several fields of research and application, including human resources and industrial psychology.

The employer have a right to consider antecedents (criminal record) of the candidate and could not be compelled to appoint such candidate:  Supreme Court of India

[Read Judgement below]

CIVIL APPEAL NO. 11356 OF 2018  (Arising out of SLP(C) No.17404 of 2016)

State of Madhya Pradesh and others Vs Abhijit Singh Pawar

Facts of the case

The respondent (Abhijit Singh Pawar) participated in the selection process and as mandated, tendered an affidavit on 22.12.2012 disclosing pending criminal case against him.

within   four   days i.e. on 26.12.2012 submitting the said affidavit, compromise   was   entered   into   between   the   original complainant and the respondent and an application for compounding the offences was filed under Section 320 Code of Criminal Procedure and was allowed by the lower court.

The respondent was selected in the written examination. After   due   consideration   of   character verification report, the respondent was however rejected by the Additional Director General of Police   (Selection/Recruitment),Bhopal.

The respondent, filed Writ Petition No.9412 of 2013 before the High Court of Madhya Pradesh at Indore challenging the aforesaid order dated 19.07.2013.    

A Single Judge and division bench of the High Court allowed said writ petition. This was challenged in the Supreme Court by the The State.

Court held that

In the present case, as on the date when the respondent had applied, a criminal case was pending against him.  Compromise was entered into only after an affidavit disclosing such pendency was filed.

The court referring to the Avtar Singh  v.Union   of   India   and   others (2016) 8 SCC 471, held that though this Court was principally concerned with the question as to non-disclosure or wrong disclosure of information, it was observed in paragraph 30.5 that even in cases where a truthful disclosure about a concluded case was made, the employer would still have a right to  consider antecedents of the candidate and could not be compelled to appoint such candidate.

The court further referred to  Commissioner of Police, New Delhi and another v. Mehar Singh (2013) 7 SCC 685, held that Even   after   the disclosure is made by a candidate, the employer would be well within his rights to consider the antecedents and the suitability of the candidate.  While so considering, the employer can certainly take into account the job profile for which the selection is undertaken, the severity of the charges levelled against the   candidate   and   whether   the   acquittal   in   question   was   an   honourable acquittal or was merely on the ground of benefit of doubt or as a result of composition.

that there is nothing on record to suggest that the decision taken by the concerned authorities in rejecting the candidature of the respondent was in any way actuated by mala fides or suffered on any other count.  The decision on the question of suitability of the respondent, in our considered view, was absolutely correct and did not call for any interference.

Case Laws on Recruitment and Selection of Employees

Laxmibai Kshetriya v. Chand Behari Kapoor and Ors.(1998) 7 SCC 469

East Coast Railway and another v. Mahadev Appa Rao & others (2010) 7 SCC 678

State of Bihar and Ors. v. Md. Kalimuddin and Ors.(1996) 2 SCC 7

Punjab State Electricity Board and Ors. v. Malkiat Singh (2005) 9 SCC 22

Ordinarily, notification of posts is merely an invitation to the qualified candidates to apply for recruitment and, on their selection, they do not acquire any right to the post. Unless the relevant recruitment rules so provide, the State is under no legal duty to fill up all or any of the vacancies. Notification of vacancies for appointment, and a candidate being found fit for selection, does not mean that the successful candidate can claim to be appointed as of right.

Aryavrat Gramin Bank v. Vijay Shankar Shukla (2007) 12 SCC 413

Ordinarily a Superior Court, in the exercise of its powers of judicial review, would not interfere with the decision of the employer in making appointment, unless its action or inaction is found to be so arbitrary as to offend Article 14 of the Constitution of India.

UT of Chandigarh v. Dilbagh Singh AIR 1993 SC 16

While a candidate, who finds a place in the select list, may have no vested right to be appointed to any post, in the absence of any specific rules entitling him thereto, he may still be aggrieved by his non-appointment if the authority concerned acts arbitrarily or in a mala fide manner.

All India SC & ST Employees’ Association and Anr. v. A. Arthur Jeen and Ors (2001) 2 SCR 1183

If all the vacancies or any of them are filled up, the State is bound to respect the comparative merit of the candidates, as reflected in the recruitment process, in making appointment to these posts.

(Union of India (UOI) and Ors. v. Kali Dass Batish and Ors.(2006) 1 SCC 779

If a candidate has no right to claim appointment merely because he was selected, there is no occasion to maintain a writ petition for enforcement of a non-existing right  unless the decision, not to fill up the unfilled post, is found to be in violation of Article 14 of the Constitution.

Food Corporation of India and Ors. v. Bhanu Lodh and Ors AIR 2005 SC 2775

East Coast Railway and another v. Mahadev Appa Rao & others (2010) 7 SCC 678

All India SC & ST Employees’ Association and Anr. v. A. Arthur Jeen and Ors (2001) 2 SCR 1183

The decision not to fill up the vacancies should be based on sound and rational considerations, and conscious application of mind. It must pass the test of reasonableness under Article 14 of the Constitution.  No interference is called for, in judicial review proceedings, unless the decision, not to fill up the post, is infected with the vice of arbitrariness.

East Coast Railway and another v. Mahadev Appa Rao & others (2010) 7 SCC 678

The State does not enjoy an unqualified prerogative to  arbitrarily refuse appointment. The validity of the State’s decision not to make an appointment is a matter which is not beyond judicial review. As the State does not have the license of acting in an arbitrary manner, the least which candidates, who were otherwise eligible for appointment and who have appeared in the examination that constitutes a step-in-aid of a possible appointment in their favour, are entitled to is to ensure that the selection process is not allowed to be scuttled for malafide reasons or in an arbitrary manner.

Reference: WRIT PETITION (S/B) No. 423 of 2019 Professor G.S. Tomar Vs. State of Uttarakhand and others

Application for change of date of birth  can be rejected on the ground of delay and latches also more particularly when it is made at the fag end of service (superannuation). - Supreme Court of India  

Read judgment below

Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development Limited   contended that no such alteration to the date of birth to the advantage of a State servant be made unless the employee has made an application for the purpose within three years from the date on which his age and date of birth is accepted and recorded in the service register or book or any other record of service or within one year from the date of commencement of the Karnataka State Servants (Determination of Age) Act, 1974 whichever is later. In this case, the employee made the application for the first time after the lapse of 24 years since he joined the service.

Court held that

Considering the aforesaid decisions of this Court the law on change of date of birth can be summarized as under: 

(i) application for change of date of birth can only be as per the relevant provisions/regulations applicable; 

(ii) even if there is cogent evidence, the same cannot be claimed as a matter of right; 

(iii) application can be rejected on the ground of delay and latches also more particularly when it is made at the fag end of service and/or when the employee is   about   to   retire   on   attaining   the   age   of superannuation.