Commerce · Ch 11 — Employee Selection Process
Recruitment and Selection Distinguished
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Recruitment and Selection Distinguished
Recruitment and selection are two closely connected, sequential parts of the staffing function, but they are not the same activity, and confusing the two is one of the most common errors students make in this unit. The table below sets out the main points of difference.
| Basis | Recruitment | Selection |
|---|---|---|
| Nature of the process | A positive process — it aims to attract and encourage as many suitable applicants as possible | A negative process — it aims to screen out and eliminate unsuitable applicants |
| Objective | To generate the maximum number of suitable applications for a vacancy | To choose the best-suited candidate(s) out of the applications already generated |
| Sequence | Comes first in the staffing process | Follows recruitment — it works on the pool recruitment has already built |
| Result | Produces a pool/list of applicants | Produces a final decision on who is to be hired |
| Techniques used | Advertising, employment exchanges, campus placement, recommendations, and similar methods aimed at attracting candidates | Application screening, preliminary interview, tests, selection interview, reference/medical checks — methods aimed at evaluating and narrowing candidates down |
| Number of parties actively encouraged | Encourages a LARGE number of people to come forward | Deliberately reduces a large number of applicants down to a small number (often just one, for a single vacancy) |