Employers should invest more resources into their recruitment and selection processes

Organisations should invest more time and energy into their recruitment and selection process if they are to select the most suitable person for the job. The Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD) has launched a new edition of Recruitment and Selection, by Gareth Roberts, aimed to help employers improve the recruitment, selection and induction processes.

Low unemployment combined with a stable and growing economy, has left employers fighting over a small number of potential recruits and facing real difficulties getting the right people into the right jobs. The latest CIPD research shows over four-fifths of employers experienced recruitment difficulties in the last year, and staff turnover remains high putting the recruitment, selection and induction process high on the agenda.

Research also shows that one in eight employees leave within the first six months, so recruiting the right person in the first place, retaining them and revising existing selection techniques should be a priority for employers. The induction process plays a key part in effective recruitment and this should begin before the role is actually taken up.

Gareth Roberts, author of Recruitment and Selection, says, ìRecruitment and selection is the foundation of all other HR activity. Get it wrong and it doesnít matter how good the development programme is, how well an employer motivates their staff, how well they manage their performance, or even how well they reward them - they are always making up for that one bad decision.

ìA good induction programme will encourage enthusiasm and help manage employeesí expectations from the start of the recruitment process right through to the time when they join the organisation. The induction should also provide new employees with all the information they need in order to help them fit into their role and understand the organisation as a whole.

îGetting it right by recruiting the most suitable candidate and selecting the appropriate induction process can transform a standard task into a chance to improve the organisations performance by improving the quality of the people they are asking to deliver that performance.

Recruitment and Selection raises some of the issues involved in the recruitment and selection process. Gareth Roberts discusses the concerns existing around the following areas and suggests how certain attributes can contribute to effective selection:

Managing the whole system ñ how it fits within the whole HR strategy

Tools and techniques that make up the selection process ñ a clear and precise specification and effective use of multiple techniques, such as assessment centres

Measurement ñ whether this is through testing or other means

Attracting suitable people to apply for the job

Evaluation and continuous improvement