Category Archives: recruiter

How to find candidates without a LinkedIn Recruiter?

Posted on by Samina Tinwala
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Introduction

LinkedIn is a professional networking platform that allows individuals and organizations to connect with each other, find job opportunities, and share and discover professional content. It is primarily used by professionals in various industries to build and maintain their professional network, find job opportunities, and stay up to date with industry news and trends.

LinkedIn includes features such as the ability to create a personal profile, connect with other professionals, join professional groups and communities, and follow companies and influencers. It also offers job search tools, such as the ability to search and apply for jobs, and LinkedIn Recruiter, a platform for recruiters and hiring managers to find and communicate with potential candidates. LinkedIn is available as a website and as a mobile app for iOS and Android devices.

What is LinkedIn Recruiter?

LinkedIn Recruiter is a recruiting platform offered by LinkedIn, a professional networking website. It is a tool that helps recruiters find and hire top talent by searching for and contacting potential candidates on LinkedIn.

With LinkedIn Recruiter, recruiters can access a database of millions of LinkedIn profiles, filter and search for candidates based on specific criteria, and reach out to them directly through LinkedIn’s messaging system. Recruiters can also use LinkedIn Recruiter to manage their candidate pipelines, schedule interviews, and collaborate with hiring teams.

LinkedIn Recruiter is designed to make it easier for recruiters to find and engage with high-quality candidates, and it is often used by companies as a complement to their traditional recruitment efforts. It is available as a subscription service, with different pricing plans depending on the level of access and features required.

Some key differences between LinkedIn and LinkedIn Recruiter include:

  1. Cost:

LinkedIn is free to use, while LinkedIn Recruiter requires a paid subscription.

  1. Access:

LinkedIn Recruiter is only available to recruiters and hiring managers who have a LinkedIn Recruiter subscription.

  1. Audience:

LinkedIn is primarily used by professionals looking to connect with others in their industry and find job opportunities. LinkedIn Recruiter is used by recruiters and HR professionals who are looking for potential candidates to fill open positions within their organisations.

  1. Features:

LinkedIn includes features such as the ability to create a professional profile, search for jobs, and access a range of content. LinkedIn Recruiter includes these features as well, but also offers advanced search and messaging tools specifically designed for recruiters.

  1. Privacy:

LinkedIn allows users to control their privacy settings, including who can see their profile and activity on the platform. LinkedIn Recruiter includes additional controls to help recruiters protect candidate privacy, such as the ability to redact personal information from search results.

How to find candidates without a LinkedIn recruiter?

Are you a recruiter or hiring manager looking to find top talent without using LinkedIn Recruiter? While LinkedIn is a valuable resource for finding candidates, there are many other ways to identify and reach out to potential hires. In this blog, we’ll explore some of the best ways to find candidates without using LinkedIn Recruiter.

  • Job boards and career websites

One of the most obvious ways to find candidates is through job boards and career websites. These platforms allow you to search for candidates based on their skills, experience, location, and other criteria. Some popular job boards and career websites include Indeed, Glassdoor, Monster, and ZipRecruiter.

To get the most out of these platforms, it’s important to create a comprehensive job posting that clearly outlines the responsibilities and requirements of the role. You should also include a detailed description of your company and its culture, as this can help attract the right candidates.

  • Social media platforms

Many professionals have a presence on social media platforms such as Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram. These platforms can be a great way to find candidates and connect with them directly.

To use social media for recruiting, start by creating a company profile on the platforms you use most. This will allow you to showcase your company culture and brand, and make it easier for candidates to learn more about your company.

Once you have a presence on social media, start following and connecting with professionals in your industry. You can use hashtags and keywords to find relevant candidates, and reach out to them directly to learn more about their experience and interest in your company.

  • Professional associations and networking events

Professional associations and networking events can be great places to meet and connect with potential candidates. Many professionals belong to professional associations in their industry, and these organizations often host events and meetings that can be a great way to meet new people and learn about job opportunities.

Networking events can also be a great way to find candidates. These events are usually focused on a specific industry or topic, and they can be a great place to meet professionals who are interested in your company or industry.

  • Employee referrals

Your current employees may know people who would be a good fit for your company. Encourage your employees to refer their friends and colleagues for open positions, and offer a referral bonus as an incentive. Employee referrals can be an effective way to find high-quality candidates, as your employees are likely to refer people they know are reliable and competent.

  • Recruitment agencies

If you don’t have the time or resources to find candidates on your own, you can work with a recruitment agency to find candidates for you. Recruitment agencies specialize in identifying and contacting qualified candidates for open positions, and they can be a valuable resource for finding top talent.

To work with a recruitment agency, start by identifying a few agencies that specialize in your industry or the type of position you are trying to fill. Reach out to these agencies and explain your hiring needs. They will then work to identify and contact potential candidates on your behalf.

Conclusion

Overall, there are many ways to find candidates without using LinkedIn Recruiter. By using job boards and career websites, social media platforms, professional associations and networking events, employee referrals, and recruitment agencies, you can identify and reach out to top talent for your company. The key is to be proactive and use a variety of different methods and resources to find the best candidates for your open positions.

Candidate Rejection Email Template

Posted on by Vaishnavi Srinivasan
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What is a candidate rejection email?

An official email letting job seekers know they have been passed over for the next round of the recruiting process is known as a “candidate rejection email.” If you’re debating whether to send a rejection email, remember that ignoring a rejected prospect might negatively influence your employer brand and undermine your company’s candidate experience. To establish and keep contact with your candidates, use the rejection email sample.

When a candidate is rejected from further consideration in the recruiting process, recruiters and hiring managers are notified via a candidate rejection email. Thanking the applicant for participating in the interview process, outlining the reason they weren’t chosen or providing some comments, as well as expressing your best wishes for them in their future pursuits are all essential components of this email.

Importance of standardized rejection emails

While each rejection letter is adverse, sending everyone an application is a thoughtful gesture. It tells them to refrain from getting their hopes and aspirations up regarding the position and continue their employment hunt. Otherwise, they may very well continue to wait for an interview that will never happen, and this optimism may eventually convert to dislike of your brand.

When you tell prospects that you’ll continue to keep them in mind for future opportunities that could be a perfect fit for them, you have a chance to build their trust.

A Workplace Trends survey found that, while three times as many job seekers would reapply to a firm if they were informed of the rejection, 80% of even more job seekers said they wouldn’t consider future comparable job openings at a company that didn’t follow up on their application.

Furthermore, sending a termination letter that seems like it was penned by a real person rather than merely using a template helps lessen the impact. It shows the applicant that you appreciate their time learning about your company and applying. The candidate may move on and continue to apply for other jobs with an unbiased view since it frees them from needless overthinking.

Let’s get right to the three reasons why you should never forget to send a post-interview rejection letter:

  1. It affects the reputation of your business

Dissatisfied candidates vent their animosity more rapidly and to a broader audience than satisfied candidates. This has a reasonable risk of damaging your company’s reputation, which might result in you losing out on potential applicants as well. As a result, it is preferable to tell your applicants.

  1. The candidate experiences relief

Even though the candidate was turned down, waiting and obsessing over whether they were chosen makes the interview process unpleasant. Contrary to what many people think, a candidate’s experience doesn’t stop when you eventually decide not to employ them. Those applicants you passed over for this particular post could be suitable for a vacancy in the future.

  1. A List of Potential Future Candidates

Never sever all relationships with someone you reject today to hire the finest applicant tomorrow. They could have more relevant experience, be better trained, and be a suitable replacement for another role in a year if you construct a bridge that can be traversed later.

 Candidate rejection email subject line

The ideal approach is to use a basic and straightforward subject line. Include the firm name as well as the job title. It’s usually best to use a direct subject line, such as “Your Application for [Job Title] at [Company Name].”

How to craft the ideal email rejecting a Candidate

Now that we know how critical it is to create a post-interview rejection letter, let’s examine how to format an email of rejection. Here are some guidelines when writing the ideal email to reject an applicant.

  • Always express gratitude to the candidate for their time and efforts.

Making a candidate feel appreciated for their considerable time and effort is the least you can do, regardless of whether you want to move on with them for subsequent hiring rounds or not. By doing this, you may differentiate yourself from other recruiters and make your hiring process more transparent.

Please accept our sincere gratitude for your application for the “job role” post at “business name.”

An excellent illustration might be, “We genuinely appreciate you taking the time to think about us.”

  •  Make your potential candidates’ rejection emails individual.

Identify the candidate by their first name and the position for which they applied. If you can, mention something positive about a candidate’s particular talent or an aspect of their résumé that stuck out. You may encourage applicants and reassure them of their value by highlighting their qualities before they question their abilities.

A poor example: Your expertise amazed us. Thank you for applying!

An excellent illustration is your “particular expertise” and how you used it to accomplish your “specific success.” highly pleased with the staff at “business name.”

  • Provide comments or a justification for rejection.

It might be challenging for recruiters to set aside time to provide each prospect feedback; however, you can keep the remarks brief and to the point. Here are some other pieces of feedback you may give the applicants after their interview:

  1. What they may change or emphasize more on their CV to make it better
  1. Alterations to the application or assignment that they submitted
  1. How a particular course may help them improve their understanding of the subject

Candidate rejection email template

(1) Subject: Interview for “Name of the Role”

Body: 

“Name of the Candidate,”

We appreciate your interest in [enter the title of the position you are applying for] at ABC Company. We appreciate and value your interest in working for our organization and are grateful for your time and effort during the interview process.

We will, unfortunately, be unable to move forward with this. Even though it was fantastic to

have an interview with you, we need someone with more experience in this position.

We wish you well and anticipate you finding the ideal position soon!

Thank you, 

Name of Hiring Manager/Recruiter

(2) Subject: Interview for “Name of the Role”

Body: 

“Name of the Candidate,”

We appreciate you spending the time to complete the process, and we appreciate your enthusiasm for the job and our business.

We cannot proceed with your application for this position.

We appreciate you taking the opportunity to interview with us, and we invite you to submit future applications for different business positions.

Thank you, 

Name of Hiring Manager/Recruiter

(3) Subject: Interview for “Name of the Role”

Body: 

“Name of the Candidate,”

We appreciate you taking the time to interview with us and your interest in the position at ABC Company.

Even though we were impressed with your interviews and skill set, we had to choose a different applicant with more expertise in the sector. But in the coming months, we urge you to submit applications for alternative jobs that match your interests and qualifications.

Again, thank you for taking the time to apply and schedule an interview for this position. We wish you well in finding a job and in your future pursuits.

Thank you, 

Name of Hiring Manager/Recruiter

Candidate rejection email example

Email Subject Line: Your application to ABC Productions

Dear Carlton,

We appreciate your interest in the sales position at ABC Productions. We’ve decided to proceed with a different candidate.

Your abilities and successes, notably your two Master’s degrees in business administration and law, really astonished me. If we ever have any openings, you’d be a terrific fit for our business, and I’d be pleased to get in touch with you again if necessary.

I’m hoping for the best for you while you look for work.

Best Regards,

Park jeon

The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air

Top 15 Interview Questions for Managers to ask an Interviewee.

Posted on by Madhurjya Chowdhury
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You may be thinking about what type of questions the manager will ask you. While there is no way to predict what subjects will be discussed, there are a few common interview questions you should expect to be questioned.

Here is a list of common interview questions for you.

1. Tell me about yourself

To get to know you, your interviewers will most likely begin with a question about you and your life. Begin by summarising your present job or activities, followed by the most essential and relevant highlights from your experience that make you the best candidate for the post.

2. How would you describe yourself?

When interviewers ask you to tell them about yourself, they’re searching for information on how your traits and attributes match up with the capabilities they feel are essential to succeed in the work. Include quantitative achievements if feasible to showcase how you leverage your finest qualities to generate success.

3. What makes you unique?

Employers frequently ask this question to determine why you are more qualified than the other applicants they are interviewing. To respond, consider how employing you might help the employer. Because you don’t know the other candidates, it might be difficult to consider your response concerning theirs.

4. Why do you want to work here?

Interviewers frequently ask this question to assess whether or not you researched the firm and why you believe you are a good fit. Doing your study and learning about the company’s products, services, objectives, history, and culture is the greatest approach to prepare for this question.

5. What interests you about this role?

Like the preceding one, this question is frequently asked by hiring managers to ensure that you understand the position and offer you the opportunity to emphasise your relevant talents. Aside from properly reading the job description, it might be beneficial to compare the role criteria to your talents and expertise.

6. What motivates you?

Managers ask this question to assess your self-awareness level and verify that your motivational factors are appropriate for the work. To answer, be as descriptive as possible, use real-life examples, and connect your answer to the job function.

7. Why are you leaving your current job?

There are several reasons for quitting a job. Prepare a meaningful response that will reassure your interviewer that you are serious about your career transition. Instead of dwelling on the shortcomings of your present or prior employment, consider the future and what you want to gain in your next one.

8. What are your greatest strengths?

This question allows you to discuss both your technical and soft talents. To respond, describe your qualities and personal characteristics, then apply them to the position for which you’re interviewing.

9. What are your greatest weaknesses?

It might be unpleasant to talk about your flaws in a setting where you’re supposed to focus on your strengths. When answered appropriately, though, discussing your faults may demonstrate that you are self-aware and desire to constantly improve your job traits that many employers find incredibly appealing.

10. What are your goals for the future?

Hiring managers frequently inquire about your future ambitions to evaluate whether or not you want to stay with the firm in the long run. This question is also used to assess your desire, career expectations, and ability to plan.

11. What after your plans for the future?

Understanding how you envision your life in the future might help employers determine whether the position and company’s trajectory aligns with your growth aspirations. To respond, give basic thoughts about the abilities you want to acquire, the kind of roles you want to play, and the objectives you want to accomplish.

12. Tell me about your worst situation and how you came out of it?

This question is frequently used to test your ability to perform well under pressure and your problem-solving skills. Remember that tales are more memorable than statistics and data, so seek to ‘show’ rather than ‘tell.’ This is also a wonderful chance to demonstrate your humanity and willingness to go the additional mile without being asked.

13. What is your salary range expectation?

Interviewers ask this question to ensure that your expectations are in accordance with the amount allotted for the post. If you provide a pay range that is much lower or higher than the fair value of the position, it conveys the appearance that you are unaware of your worth.

14. Why should we hire you?

While this question may appear to be an intimidation tactic, managers usually ask it to give you another chance to explain why you’re the right candidate. Your response should highlight the talents and expertise you bring to the table, as well as why you are a strong cultural fit.

15. Do you have any questions?

This may be one of the most significant questions asked throughout the interview process since it allows you to explore any unaddressed topics and shows the recruiter that you’re enthusiastic about the work. By this stage, you should have covered most of the fundamentals regarding the position and the firm, so use the opportunity to ask the interviewer about their personal experiences with the organisation and obtain recommendations on how to thrive if recruited.

What Questions Should You Be Asking?

As previously stated, there are specific categories to consider while preparing questions to ask an interviewer. You can ask questions related to these:

1. Job role

2. Daily tasks

3. Requirements

4. Expectations

5. Company

6. Work environment

Conclusion

Every manager is unique and has a different mindset. Due to this, their questions may differ. 

You may generate interesting talking points for your next job interview by preparing responses to these frequent interview questions. You can practice the given questions in this article and remember to be confident with what you speak.

Virtual Assistant : What they do?

Posted on by Niharika Sondhi
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Virtual Assistant is emerging as a most demanded profession these days when work from home is dominating the traditional workspace. Virtual jobs have taken a toll over the traditional offices when the whole world is going digital. When the offices were closed during the lockdown, businesses relied on online marketers and content creators to advertise their products and services. The Virtual Assistant jobs in India recorded a significant increase in 2021. Here you can get to know everything about this upcoming profession.

What is Virtual Assistance?

Virtual Assistance means supporting and facilitating the work of a client from a remote location.

It focuses on assisting the client and helping them do the important and priority tasks on an urgent basis.

Freelancing work such as blog writing, content writing, graphic designing, administrative work and Telecalling are some of the jobs that a virtual assistant helps to perform on a priority basis as they have the expertise in their fields.

Who is a Virtual Assistant?

A Virtual Assistant is an independent worker who has an online presence and is specialized to perform the tasks such as digital marketing, Telecalling, maintaining records, graphic designing, and so on.

Virtual assistants offer freelancing services to clients and help them to prioritize their work. They are specialized to perform particular tasks online.

What are the necessary qualifications for becoming a Virtual Assistant?

There are specific qualifications for some jobs online, for instance, web development, administrative work, maintaining bulk records, accounting, personal Assistance, operations and HR-related work require graduates with work experience for high-level jobs. Other jobs such as email marketing, cold – calling, social media marketing, blog writing and graphic designing demand people with necessary expertise and may prefer freshers.

What are the skills possessed by a Virtual Assistant?

The necessary skills which are required to offer virtual assistance services are as below:

1. Communication skills– The candidate should have the necessary skills to communicate with the clients and understand their requirements. Both oral and written communication skills are considered to select a candidate for a virtual assistant job.

2. Proficiency in English- This is a very important requirement for landing a job as a virtual assistant, such as a blog writer or a content writer. These days everyone is in need of a person who is eloquent and has excellent English proficiency.

3. Online marketing- These jobs search for people who have an active online presence. Those who can gain prospective customers by offering digital marketing or social media marketing services are preferred.

4. Creativity- The candidate who can generate ideas for the company’s success and implement them creatively can get hired for major work positions in reputed organizations. Graphic designing and web development jobs require a creative application.

5. Well-versed in a foreign language- These days, even Indian companies are looking for those who have practiced and adept in a foreign language. Work from home translator jobs is coming up nowadays.

6. Expert in computer languages- For IT-related jobs, the candidate needs to possess computer skills and should have knowledge of computer and programming languages such as C, C++, Java, JavaScript, Python and many others. A degree in this field will be a plus point.

7. Critical and objective thinking- This is a must-have quality for every person applying for virtual assistant positions. Someone who can make informed decisions and think keeping all the consequences in mind deserves this post.

8. Will to learn- As learning is gaining, every other organization looks for someone who is willing to learn and give a shot to new things and gain new experiences.

Apart from the above-mentioned skills and specializations, the candidate must also be self-disciplined and motivated to take the initiative and can work in a dynamic environment.

What are the types of Virtual Assistant jobs?

A Virtual Assistant’s job is home-based and only requires a laptop, an internet connection and some useful tools to provide administrative and support services to the client. They can be hired on different basis such as Internships, Part-time jobs, Full-time jobs, Freelancing and so on.

Following are the types of Virtual Assistant jobs:

1. Virtual Research Analyst- Research Analysis, Portfolio Analysis, Technical Analysis are some of the jobs which are widely performed virtually.

2. Virtual Marketer- They are in high demand these days. Jobs such as Digital Marketing, Email Marketing, Facebook and Instagram Marketing are emerging as one of the priority jobs in the country.

3. Content Writer- It is also a high-demanded job. SEO Content Writing is coming up as an important virtual assistance job nowadays. Companies are hiring skillful content or blog writers for work from home jobs.

4. Data Entry Virtual Assistant- People are appointed for virtual jobs that involve maintaining records and statistics. MS Excel and Spreadsheets are some basic requirements for these types of jobs.

5. Virtual Administrative Assistant- The job of a Virtual Administrative Assistant includes administrative tasks such as scheduling meetings and conferences, preparing reports and managing social media accounts for overall efficiency. For this job position, a person who can make decisions effectively without any delays is suitable.

6. Virtual Bookkeeping Assistant- If you are looking for job posts that require maintaining data of the expenses of a business, then this one’s for you. A Virtual Bookkeeper is required to prepare necessary ledger accounts, Profit and Loss Accounts and Balance Sheets for the business and ensure that all customers have received invoices for the transactions. Virtual Bookkeeping Assistants facilitate timely and accurate preparation and maintenance of business accounts so that analysis can be done and the profitability of the business can be judged.

7. eCommerce Virtual Assistant- An eCommerce Virtual Assistant helps to maintain the accounts of the online suppliers, update inventories, maintain databases and statistics, upload product images, realizing orders, computing returns, handling customer complaints, and bookkeeping. This type of job involves multitasking, and hence the candidate needs to have adequate contacts to diversify the products to be sold and should be sufficiently trained and experienced to maintain product bills and manifestos.

8. Real Estate Virtual Assistant- A type of Virtual Assistant job that revolves around uploading property clicks and handling social media accounts, along with maintaining records and making appealing presentations.

What is the salary of a Virtual Assistant?

The salary and perks of a Virtual Assistant depend upon the qualifications and specializations, along with the work experience. Some of the other factors which influence the performance and salary are confidence, determination and versatility of the work done by the candidate. In India, a Virtual Assistant may earn INR 250-INR 450 per hour, and the average salary per month is INR 25,000. The perks include Certificates and Letters of Recommendation for interns and weekend holidays. Many organizations also provide training to the candidates, which also helps them in the future.

Which businesses appoint Virtual Assistant?

Many companies appoint Virtual Assistants to outsource non-core activities. Even the top companies are in search of web developers, digital marketers, blog writers, and bookkeepers.

Amazon requires Virtual Assistants for marketing, content creation, customer support, and many other activities. Google Assistant, Siri, Alexa are some examples of top virtual assistants.

Virtual Assistants can also create an account on freelance websites and provide their services. Some top freelance websites in India are Fiverr, Freelancer, Upwork, 99designs, Worknhire and Toptal.

Some of the best Virtual Assistant companies in India are Brickwork India, Hub staff Talent and Webcentre.

Conclusion

Virtual Assistant jobs are rising at a rapid pace in the country, and they will dominate in the future. Almost every startup or venture is looking out for virtual and technical assistants to outsource some core and non-core activities. These jobs are suitable for a person who has an active online presence and is efficient in handling multiple tasks.

Questions

1. What are the main areas of Virtual Assistance?

The main areas around which a Virtual Assistant job revolves are online marketing, content creation, maintaining records and statistics, technical Assistance, research analysis, portfolio analysis, ecommerce, real estate and so on.

2. What are the functions of a Virtual Assistant?

Virtual Assistants are required to have excellent communication skills as the most important requirement. Apart from that, they are also required to have an active online presence, marketing skills, ability to multitask, creativity and should always be willing to learn.

Cost Per Hire – Calculating Hiring Cost in Recruitment

Posted on by Ankita Sanyal
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Cost per Hire meaning

The Recruitment process costs organizations dearly. The cost per hire means the total cost incurred for hiring purposes for each hire. This includes among other things, the following costs

  • Time Cost of the HR Managers & the technical managers involved in the Recruitment Process
  • Payments made to placement Consultants
  • Payment made to buy Resumes online
  • Cost any on-campus institution drives
  • Cost of joining bonus and relocation allowances
  • Expenses incurred on conducting recruitment tests and interviews
  • Cost of overtime or temporary staff retraining during the period when jobs remain vacant
  • Any other incidental cause availed by the selection  team,  we can / overtime lunch/dinner transport claims and the like

To these may be added cost and expenses related and involved in the recruitment process.

The cost to hire or cost per hire is obtained by dividing the total cost by the number of hires.  Organizations closely watched the cost per hire to monitor the effectiveness of the hiring function.  Efforts are always made to keep the cost per hire within acceptable limits.  Cost per hire varies from organization to organization, deciding factors being skill level of hires,  demand and supply of such skills, number of fires, sourcing strategy,  and compensation levels.  Change of Sourcing strategy and withdrawing joining bonuses are common strategies used by organizations to keep the cost per hire within desired norms.

COST TO HIRE OR COST PER HIRE = TOTAL RECRUITMENT COST/TOTAL NUMBER OF HIRES

TOTAL RECRUITMENT COST = TOTAL INTERNAL RECRUITMENT COST + TOTAL EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT COST

INTERNAL SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

  • Present employees – One of the most sought after internal source of recruitment methods are present employees, which has proven to be beneficial in various ways.  In this type of recruitment, the cost of training might be less,  but there is an added cost of providing the promoted employee with a higher pay scale. This is the most common internal source of recruitment,  wherein the organization need not look for new employees,  the organization can appoint one of their efficient employees to a higher position or a different department where they can work efficiently and get the system running smoother. For an existing employee, he/she is acquainted with the organizational culture and systems which cuts down the retraining cost. But in cases of promotions,  when an existing employee is getting promoted to the next level in the hierarchy, he/she is to be paid a higher salary which is the cost the organization needs to bear for this kind of recruitment.
  • Employee referrals –  Over the years with strong networking being built, this source of internal recruitment has proven to be very effective, where employees can encourage their families and friends by familiarizing them with the advantages of a job with the company, furnishing cards of introduction and even encouraging them to apply. Some companies even offer “finders fees”  in the form of monetary incentives for successful referrals. For example, companies like Microsoft offers referral incentives to its employees for internet experts. Infosys in Bangalore also has a practice of coming up with vacancies on its website, inviting referrals from employees. Employees are paid Rs.10000 to Rs.15000 charges for every successful hire. Finder’s fees could be referred to as the cost related to this sort of internal hiring. If used wisely, employee referrals could prove to be an effective way of recruiting. The prospective reach is wider at a very low cost and in an organization with a large number of employees, this approach can provide quite a large pool of potential organizational members.
  • Former employees – Another internal source of applicants are former employees. Increasingly more and more employers are reaching out to ex-employees and sharing information on job openings organizations. They maintain close contact with ex-employees with proven good performance records.  The advantage of recruiting former employees is that they are quick to hire. These hires are quick to work as they are familiar with the company’s policies and procedures and will connect soon with peers and customers. MNCs purchase IBM and Microsoft are active in re-hiring. The problem with this internal source of recruitment is their placements and compensation. Often, we have seen that former employees re-joining ask for a higher pay scale which gets added as an internal cost to hire.

EXTERNAL SOURCES OF RECRUITMENT

  • Temporary/Contract workers–  contract workers by then a number are almost working the small number of regular employees.  For employers, contract workers are less expensive. Wages paid to these employees constitute only half of what is paid to regular employees with minimal demands for better wages and benefits and no need to implement mandatory welfare measurements. During times of sudden rise in demand or uncertainty, organizations rely on temporary workers instead of hiring regulars. Temporary or contract workers insulate permanent employees from downturns in a business cycle, thereby improving job stability. This is one of the most affordable external sources of recruitment with minimal costs related to it.
  • Campus recruitment – Placement programs in Colleges, Universities and Research Laboratories, sports fields, and institutes are a great opportunity for recruiters to hire budding talents with young perspective, particularly the institutes for top campus recruitment is going Global with companies like Hindustan Unilever, Citibank, HCL HP,  Facebook and Reliance looking for in global market campus recruitment is so much sought after by the recruiters that each College University Department or Institute will have to have a placement of a to handle recruitment functions. This type of external recruitment is often an expensive process, even if the recruiting process eventually produces job offers and acceptances. For conducting on-campus recruitment programs, there needs to be a contract between the university/institute and the company/organization.  There are cases where colleges charge a lot of money for the companies to arrange employment fares or get a seat in the placement cell for external recruiting purposes. This could be considered as the cost related to campus recruitment.
  • Advertisements – This is the most popular method of seeking recruits, as many recruiters prefer advertisements because of their wide reach. Want as described the job and the benefits, identify the employer and tell those who are interested and how to apply. A number of factors influence the response rate of an advertisement. Three important variables to be kept in mind are – identification of the company, labour market conditions, and the degree to which specific requirements are included in the advertisement. Moreover, we can say that an organization can customize the advertisement as per their requirement, which demands some investment. This is one of the major elements in the cost of recruiting not only because it is the most common method of the external source of recruitment irrespective of a paper print advertisement or advertisement on an e-recruitment website, but also it opens up a wider pool of potential candidates who would prove to be an asset of the company.
  • Job Boards: Job portals allow access to their database on payment of a Fixed Fee. Companies can also post their Job openings on Top Job Posting Sites in India.
  • Recruitment Companies: Unlike Job-boards that mostly ask for a prepaid fee, Recruitment Consultants usually work on a success fee model. This means that you only need to pay to Recruitment Firms once you have made a successful hire via them. Here’s a list of Top Recruitment Companies in India you can engage with for your next hire. Their Fee varies from 5%-25% of annual CTC of the selected candidate.

The above were a few of the elements in the recruitment cost Inclusive of both internal sources of recruitment as well as a cost related to the external source of recruitment.  Now to find out the cost to hire or the cost per hire, the total recruitment cost is to be divided by the total number of actual hires, which roundabout gives an idea of the cost involved in hiring from a financial perspective.


Recruitment – Meaning, Process, Best Practices, Types, Trends & Future

Posted on by Sinibali Jana
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Recruitment is an ever-necessary and extremely important process in an organisation. It serves as a pre-math for selection. Recruitment is a deciding factor on the correct candidates being actually chosen in the selection process. Hence, attracting a better pool of candidates in the recruitment process proves to be extremely beneficial.

The process of recruitment largely varies due to the size of the organisation. A small or medium-sized firm may have only one person as a recruiter or a hiring manager. However, a larger company is most likely to have a whole dedicated team of recruiters to carry on the process effectively. A well-framed recruitment process helps both the company and the applicants. The company gets to generate a potential pool of candidates whereas the candidates get potential employment opportunities.

MEANING OF RECRUITMENT

Recruitment is an integral part of Human Resource Management. Recruitment is a hiring process where firstly the staffing and organizational needs of the company are identified. After that, a potential pool of candidates for the required staffing is attracted. The pool of candidates is generated by firstly identifying these candidates. These can be done by both internal and external sources. Next, the recruiter should attract these candidates to apply for the job. This can be done by extensive advertising in job sites, campus drives, reaching out to potential candidates from company database etc.

Know more about Sources, Purpose & Importance of Recruitment here.

TYPES OF INTERVIEWS

The recruitment process is followed by the selection process which is then followed by an employment interview. An interview is a formal meeting with potential candidates which involves an in-depth conversation conducted to evaluate acceptability. Its popularity stems from its flexibility. Discussions are adapted to consider unskilled, skilled managerial, and operational employees.

Based on interaction with candidates interviews may be classified into three categories :

1. One-to-one interview :

In this type of Interview, there are only two participants- the interviewer and interviewee.

2. Sequential interview :

This type of interview is a higher version of the one to one interview process and involves a series of interviews, usually utilizing the strength and knowledge base of each interviewer and they can ask questions in relation to his or her subject area to each candidate, or he/ she moves from room to room.

3. Panel interview :

This type of interview consists of two or more interviewers and the number may go up to as many as 15. Panel interviews are not very personal similar to one to one interviews, but if handled and organized well, it can provide a wealth of information. If not handled carefully, the panel interview can make the candidate feel ill at ease and confused about whose question to answer and who to address. Interviewers themselves are likely to experience nightmares, not knowing who will ask which question and in what order.

4. Phone interview :

Many organizations use this type of interview and it is considered more useful than one-to-one or panel interviews to ascertain the candidate’s sustainability. For these types of interviews unintentionally the main focus of the interviewer gets derailed from one’s appearance or handshake, the interviewer and interviewee focus on asking and answering questions. Phone interviews save time and are economical. It is widely used in IT companies while hiring technical employees.

5. Online interview :

Most of the organizations are dependent on computers and the internet to conduct interviews. A typical computer interview requires the candidate to answer a series of multiple-choice questions custom made for the job. These answers are compared with a benchmark score to determine the sustainability and suitability of a candidate. The computer interview can also be used to filter undesirable applicants who have applied online.

HOW TO SET UP AN INTERVIEW :

The selection process follows recruitment which starts with an interview. All kinds of interviews, whether structured, unstructured, mixed, behavioral, or stressful, every interview type goes through a process before implementation. From a general perspective, after the recruitment process, once a compact pool of candidates is selected, they have to go through the interview process to choose the candidate. 

Best practices to be taken care of before setting up an interview are:-

  1. An Official Communication:

After the recruitment process, an official formal mail is sent to the candidate for the next round for which he or she is selected.

The mail should contain details like the candidate’s essential requirements such as their identity proof and resume. 

The mail should clearly state the location of the interview process with an attached Google Map

       2. E-Recruitment:

In this day and age where the pandemic has taken over the world and physical workspace has its own constraints, organizations mainly bank on the Internet and online work mode. Though e-recruitment has been a concept for years now, selecting the electronic interview is relatively a newer concept. For an electronic interview process, after the recruitment process, the organization is to send the candidate a mail about the electronic interview to be held and the email must contain the following specification:-

a. The online platform at which the interview is to be held be it Google meets or zoom

b. The duration of the online interview

c. Specifying to have a steady internet connection so that there is no lag in connectivity

d. The link for the meeting

       3. An Acknowledgment Mail:

Be it an online interview or a physical interview, after screening candidates via interview, the organization must send a thank you letter thank you mail to the candidate for attending the interview and acknowledging it. If the candidate has been able to impress the panel members or the interviewer, they would be informed about whether they need to appear for the background check and the other selection processes.

BEST PRACTICES IN RECRUITMENT

Needless to say, the job market is competitive. This does not only mean that the candidates find it difficult to look for their dream job. This also means that the organizations also have to put their best foot forward in order to attract and finally recruit the best possible candidate. An ill-framed recruitment policy will mean that the organizations miss out on the best fit for their current job role.

The followings are the best practices in the recruitment procedure to ensure its success.

  1. Customized process:

    The recruitment process should be customized according to the size, structure and need of the organization. The process should be well-defined and executable. A planned process without the potential for execution will act as a barrier to the success of recruitment.

  2. Right recruiter:

    Recruitment is not just screening a resume and taking an interview. The recruitment process is detrimental to the success of the organization. Hence, having the right and a well-trained recruiter is important for the success of the process.

  3. Sales function:

    On an overall basis, the process of recruitment should be treated as a process of sales. This means that the goal of the recruitment process would be to sell the idea of the job and the current position to prospective candidates. The successful selling of the idea of the job to the right candidate will result in successful recruitment.

  4. Relationship between hiring managers and recruiters:

    The goal of the hiring managers is to fill a vacant job position with a candidate. On that account, they are likely to set very unrealistic time-frames for recruiters. This severely hampers the quality of the process. A good professional relational between the managers and the recruiters will ensure transparency. This will build a level of trust and reliance between them thereby leading to high-quality recruitment.

  5. Use social-media:

    The huge network of social media is one of the biggest opportunities that present-day recruiters should leverage. Creating a candidate pool by a social-media search, not only provides a wide array of options but also cost-effective. The online job portals and platforms like LinkedIn are filled with prospective professionals and can hugely facilitate the recruitment process. Know more about Social Media Recruiting here

  6. Candidate experience:

    Recruitment is a step-by-step process and each step is vital to the process. The candidate experience throughout each step is highly important in the recruitment process. If the candidates have a negative experience, it very likely that they will probably leave the process mid-way or spread negative word-of-mouth about the organization. Hence a positive candidate experience will make sure the organization does not let go of potential candidates, and thereby pave a way for employee referrals.

  7. Applicant tracking system (ATS):

    Finding the right candidate for the right job is the sole purpose of recruitment. Maintaining a large pool of candidates that the organization has acquired over the years is a complex and difficult task to manage. Hence employing an ATS in the recruitment process will ensure that it will match the job with the candidates registered in that system. Also, the large pool acquired over the years ensures that there is already a huge pool of potential candidates to choose from.

TRENDS IN RECRUITMENT

Needless to say, technology has changed the way the world is perceived. In fact, it has created an entirely new world of its own. It has made its way into various types, sizes and levels of an organisation. The recruitment industry has also seen a sweeping change due to the implementation of technology. A lot of old-school methods have been substituted and newer recruitment trends have made their way in the industry.

The most important recruitment trends in the present are described below:

  1. Recruitment Marketing:

    This means undertaking marketing strategies but in the field of recruitment. This is done to attract the best candidates for the existing job positions as well as to build the brand image of the company.

  2. Mobile technology:

    According to a recent study, more than 60% of the candidate hunt for jobs through their phones. More than 20 percent of candidates submit their applications from their home. Hence to amplify the recruitment process, the recruiters should adapt to this change and switch to mobile communication with the candidates.

  3. Inbound recruiting:

    Inbound recruiting means the implementation of various digital marketing strategies to build strong relationships with potential candidates over time. This means attracting various active and passive candidates and thereby completing the recruitment process.

  4. E-resumes:

    Gradually as more candidates are choosing the online medium for their job applications, the recruiters should also evaluate the e-resumes. Paper resumes are an old-school method and they are now substituted by digital resumes. These include video resumes, social media profiles, digital portfolios, etc. These give a more comprehensive idea to the recruiters about the traits they are searching for and the right fit.

  5. Artificial Intelligence:

    Artificial Intelligence is responsible for automating a huge number of jobs. Even though it is not the perfect substitute for HR, but its implementation is inevitable. There are AI softwares that are used in interviews. These judge traits like nervousness and truthfulness of the employees. Know more about the AI in Recruitment here

  6. Gamification:

    Gamification is a brand new and emerging trend in the recruitment process. Here an interactive game is introduced to the candidates. These games are then plugged in with various corporate and business situations. This shows how a candidate will react under a specific situation and hence it increases the efficiency of the hiring process to a great degree.

FUTURE OF RECRUITMENT

The future of recruitment is now and it is here to stay. The current trends in the recruitment industry will get amplified and turn into a foundation upon which the future of recruitment rests. With the pandemic, each company is trying to manage costs as well as keep their operation intact. In a scenario like that the recruitment process has also undergone sweeping changes.

The use of Virtual reality, video interviews, artificial intelligence are not mere try-outs. They are the necessity of every organization. These will revolutionize the recruitment industry in the next couple of years and these will become the new normal.

Hence the current recruitment trends are extremely vital to the sustenance and success of this industry. In a situation far worse, we will find ourselves falling back on these trends and abiding by them.

Recruitment is up for a complete revolution.


Digital Transformation in HR & Recruitment

Posted on by Aashritha Ramesh
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We live in the 21st century which is fondly dubbed as the era of technology and digitization. In the corporate world, companies are equipping themselves with the latest analysis models and the systems that make the workflow easier. But it is coming as a major revelation to many organizations that any corporation thrives only with a capable and quality assured workforce!

So how to coalesce a potent workforce with digitization?

Take for instance, the COVID-19 pandemic that the globe has been suffering through. This global chokehold has brought down business and economy for many companies across the world. They have faced recession and lack of functioning in all these months of lockdown.

Digital Transformation in HR

During such uncertain times, organizations have to be agile. Now more than ever, business owners need to think on their feet and change their priorities fast should the need arise. When the lockdown started, many companies had to switch to remote work overnight. And a lot of them were unprepared.

This has accelerated the need for digital transformation.

  1. Remote Working:

    Cloud computing aggressively pushes software ‘off-premises’, and digital age also causes employees to work remotely. Mobility and partial remote work are becoming the norm for many companies around the world given the current circumstances. Employees can use various digital tools for operating and reporting. Managers no longer focus on finding an employee near the office but instead choose an employee with the necessary skills for the role.

    Internal communication has never been so fluid. Employees have many options for communication – social networks, intranets, emails, instant messaging applications, forums, VoIP and much more. Communication becomes fluid and gaps between business and clients are shortening.

  2. Performance Tracking and Analysis:

    While employees have more freedom than ever, some criticize the need for an administrator when it comes to reporting.

    For example, most HR managers will experience a digital transformation of HR and be equipped with digital tools and dashboards that measure and predict personnel activities that were previously difficult to capture. Analysis and reporting on the performance of individual employees at any level of the corporate hierarchy and their impact on the company are now undeniable. As a result, it improves interaction and relationships with human resources and management.

    There’s no doubt that digital tools have a positive impact on the optimisation of work and communication. The results include operational objectives achieved faster.

Digital Transformation in Recruitment

With unexpectedly shifting recruitment efforts, the talent acquisition department also increasingly feel the need for effective digital solutions to navigate their hiring in this ever-changing labor market. Organizations with advanced digital recruitment strategies have a significant advantage right now. And those without have to act fast.

Digital transformation simplifies or eliminates administration tasks while increasing operational efficiency through the application of tech and data solutions across company departments, including hiring teams.

Essentially, digital transformation in recruitment comprises using dedicated technology to solve diverse recruitment challenges, including fluctuating and changing hiring needs, increased volumes of candidates, inability to conduct in-person meetings and interviews, and budget cutbacks.

Here’s how digital transformation can have a positive impact in the field of recruitment

  1. Reshuffling Workforce:

    By using digital technology, you can redeploy employees within and across your organization. The workforce could be a healthy mix of permanent & temporary staff working from across the globe. The needs of your business may have spiraled as a result of an emergency like the COVID-19 pandemic. For example, you may need more staff working in your customer service team and fewer inside your physical stores. Having the right tech enables you to boost your internal mobility capabilities and move your workforce to where it’s needed most. Also, digital recruitment tools allow organizations to hire displaced employees. For example, a company needs to hire 50,000 extra workers amid the pandemic. On the other hand, hospitality businesses had to lay off some of their employees. So, the above company decided to build dedicated landing pages for former employees of large hospitality businesses them get a job at their organization faster.

    This kind of program usually gets candidates to join an online portal where they’ll undergo questionnaires and tests that measure their skills and competencies. This is then assessed, and applicants receive a breakdown of their skills, including any gaps in their knowledge and expertise that need working on. They’re then matched to any opportunities you have open that are likely to be a good fit. And the best part is, all of the test are automatically analysed to maximum precision digitally.

  2. Multiperson Collaboration:

    Hiring teams need to be able to collaborate remotely. This means having tools that enable you to assign projects and tasks to people and provide real-time updates on recruitment activities. This is where a cloud-based recruitment solution accessible to everyone on the hiring team is worth its weight in gold! Remember to consider who in your team will be using this technology. Ensure it meets everyone’s needs for a truly collaborative experience. Choose software with a straightforward layout, that’s well-reviewed, and easy for new users to pick up and run with.

  3. Using digital tools for recruitment:

    Recruiters can take full advantage of their existing recruitment tech stack.

    By exploring the functionalities of your recruitment software and putting them to good use, you’ll become a more effective and efficient recruiter. This may also give you the tools you need to cut back on agency spending and more extensive job advertising.

  4. Improving the recruiting experience for potential candidates:

    Despite having to do the majority of the recruitment process remotely, ensure that it’s still a pleasant experience. Candidates need to feel safe and have all the information available, so think of ways to improve your candidate communication plan.

    A great example of providing a decent candidate experience is if you’re conducting interviews remotely, be efficient. Keep the length of your ‘meetings’ shorter and update your interview guidelines. You can also set text reminders to send candidates the day before their interview. You could even upload company videos and virtual office tours because candidates can’t visit your site. This works wonders for helping candidates get a taste of your company culture without stepping through the office doors!

Digital transformation does have a downside like weak networking, time zone problems for multinational companies and team collaboration and the risk of cybersecurity.

But even these problems hold digital solutions! Nothing that can’t be sorted out by well-deployed cost-effective software.

So what are you waiting for! Let the digital transformation revolutionize the recruitment industry!


Social Media Recruiting – Process & Advantages

Posted on by Aashritha Ramesh
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Social media plays such a vital role in our everyday lives. The whole scenario and lifestyle of people have changed today. Where once people used to wait for newspapers or radio broadcasts, or watch news channels for current affairs update, they now roll out of bed every morning and scroll through their Instagram or Facebook feeds to look for the latest happening. People nowadays have this innate need to show people how they live their lives. Every small memory, achievement, and celebration is part of a huge social digital network. This offers huge potential for Social Media Recruiting.

Social Media Recruiting

In today’s day and date ‘SOCIAL MEDIA’ is everything. It is the primary factor that influences people’s choices and decisions. A person’s digital presence can showcase a lot of things about him/her!

So why can social media play the role of a great asset in recruitment processes?

Here is a list of few benefits that recruiters might gain by using social media for their talent hunt!

Social Media Recruitment Process

Here is a step-by-step guide to help Recruiters understand Social Media Recruitment process

  1. Identity Channels: Identify the social media platforms based on your target segment.
  2. Share Jobs: Post Jobs on this platform to attract top candidates. Feel free to share your Jobs in these Facebook & WhatsApp groups
  3. Search & Scout: If the social media offers search capability, look for candidates who match your criteria
  4. Approach: Approach them & share your interest in them. Everyone loves the attention!!
  5. Close: Gauge their interest, ask for resume if required and take it forward in your Recruitment process

How social media can be helpful in Recruitment

1. Job Visibility

Gone are the days of putting in printed advertisements in newspapers and magazines!

As mentioned before, any employee being sought for recruitment will definitely have a social media presence, at least in the majority of the cases. Social networking platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter host almost 2 billion people of a wide age and generation demographic. Gen X and Gen Z actively use platforms like LinkedIn to score job opportunities with employers.

Wherever you look, you see social networks serving as incredible platforms for identifying and recruiting talented individuals for your organization!

2. Access to Street Smart Candidates

Survey analysis shows that employees recruited through social media platforms are more approachable and very quick on their toes.

In such cases, the employee is tech-savvy and digitally oriented, a factor of an advantage when recruiting nowadays. Additionally, such employees will also know the latest trends and patterns of business. Announcing recruitments through the employee’s social media will make them more productive and retentive at the company.

3. Employer Branding

The public trusts the quality of a brand or a business by its social media reach. Employing a strong and effective social media plan in order to scout potential employees will be equivalent to a double-edged sword as it not only attracts employees to your calls but also builds a trusted brand image in the viewers’ minds.

Hence, social recruiting is effective, not just in finding you the ideal candidate, but also in increasing the visibility of your brand.

4. Reducing Hiring Time

The orthodox recruitment methods generally take longer than social media recruitment methods.

This means that when you have an open slot to be filled in the shortest time possible, social media is the platform to consider. Social networking sites not only make it easy and fast to communicate with candidates, but it also allows them to respond faster. As a result, excellent work relationships often emerge.

What’s more, recruiting in a talent pool that has people who share common values, interests, and work styles with the hiring manager or company often accelerates the speed with which you will find the ideal person for the job. This is great news for both the hiring party and the candidates hoping to get an opportunity to work at your organization.

5. Easy Background Verification

Checking your candidates’ social media profiles for more information on them is nothing new. Interviewers usually check the internet for their candidates in order to see if they have any longstanding professional recommendations, issues with friends or the law, or even to look for any Google information about the candidates.

Social media can provide a huge insight into which your candidates actually are when they step through the door. Many candidates don’t feel the need to disclose any personal information on the interview and tend to keep things to them.

Some people have families and go through tough times that they don’t like to discuss with strangers. Others might have used the word point in order to write their resumes and translate them into foreign languages. You can easily overcome this by checking their backgrounds behind closed doors and making the final call about whether to hire them or not based on that.

Social media has laid out information about the employees on a silver platter, which makes the tedious background verification task so much easier!

6. Reduce Hiring Cost

Money is the driving factor behind most managerial and corporate decisions.

Recruiting can be a very expensive undertaking. Social recruiting is cheaper, but can still cost you significant amounts of money. All the same, the value you get from the hires you find via social networking platforms makes this approach extremely cheap.

Without a doubt, recruitment costs via social media are almost always, lower than those of other methods. A simple Facebook ad can for instance get you over two times more visibility than the traditional recruitment methods like classified ads in the dailies and job boards.

Recruiting anyone based on their resume and interview alone isn’t enough most of the time. Every once in a while you will come across a candidate that just seems “off” to you as a recruiter. They might be too ambitious, too scared, or simply unwilling to disclose past working experiences to you.

Candidates that are difficult but have hidden potential need to go through further screening in more detail and social media recruitment is perfect for the opportunity. The traditional ways of putting out a job vacancy and waiting for people to come to you are a thing of the past in most industries.

While the benefits of using social media in your recruitment strategies are numerous, it’s also important to point out that adequate content management is also needed. If you put a person without any internet advertisement experience in charge of developing and distributing content, you won’t reach the required number of people before your ad campaign starts.

Also, reaching the wrong audience is just as easy as reaching the right one and it all depends on the type of content you publish. Give social media advertisements a good look before denying its applications. You might be surprised by the results you get during your next recruitment cycle!


Performance Appraisals – Everything you need to know about them

Posted on by Shaivee Kumawat
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Performance appraisals form a very important part of the Human Resource department since they provide crucial information for the evaluation of the employee’s skill, ability, knowledge, and job performance. The appraisals aren’t just used to eliminate productivity and behavior issues, but to motivate them to contribute a bit more.

An employee performance appraisal system is very important for the organizations to enhance their employee productivity and their outcomes. The performance appraisals are the annual process where the productivity and performance of an employee is evaluated against the predetermined set of goals or tasks.

Meaning of Performance Appraisal

The performance appraisal is a kind of process of evaluating an employee for their duties. The manager assesses and observes their work throughout a year and offers essential guidance, feedback, and further progress during their appraisal duration. It includes holding the formal discussion with an employee recollecting their performance, achievements, and various areas for improvement. The manager identifies various opportunities for an employee to develop professionally. 

Performance Appraisal is also synonyms to performance review, performance evaluation, and employee appraisal. With Performance Appraisals, regular evaluation of an employee’s job performance and overall contribution to the company is recorded. These help in providing the feedback, identify those who are performing their assigned tasks well, offer a formal moment in time to evaluate job performance, distributing raises and bonuses among the employees, and even the employees wish to know their position in the organization. 

Turning to the lexicon, Appraisals gave the meaning – “An assessment of an individual based on its working ethics and then further using that judgment for the monitory purpose, promotions or salary incentives.”

Meaning of Employee Performance

In simple words – “How well the employees are contributing to the welfare of the company’s productivity? ” And this productivity comprises all the concerns for qualitative & quantitative goals along with effectiveness and efficiency. However, it does not necessarily talk about the cost involved with it.

Sometimes performance is graded on the personnel facts of accidents, turnover, absences, and lateness. A good employee is ought to contribute to the company’s upliftment with less risk od the company’s standards.

Employee Performance is one of the most widely used term in any corporate sector, especially when the Human Resource(HR) Department presumes with the  Performance Managers. Human Resource Department plays a prominent role in designing, monitoring, implementing performance appraisals. Before appraisals, they do recruitment, selection, training, domain allocation, and company induction. It means from hiring to firing, everything is picked by them. Moreover, the HR team acts as a mediator between the Functional or Reviewing authorities and the employee. It is the HRM’s responsibility to ensure a smooth implementation of the appraisal process.

Let us dive a little more, to understand the rudimentary of the Appraisals.

Objectives of Performance Appraisal

These objectives are broadly classified into 8 sections –

  • Identification of the company’s aura, by accepting its weaknesses, maintaining its strengths, and channelizing them to future tasks.
  • Wherever needed or demanded by the employees, proving them with relevant informative resources in the work of tutors, study material, a training, workshop, or a professional site visit.
  • This way it will help to categorize the employees and engender vital figures.
  • Simultaneously do remember about the salary incentives, the badge of honors, promotions, or the reward policy.
  • Another way round, if the employee expectation is not fulfilled up to a mark, sit with them, talk over it and understand where they went wrong, what made it wrong, and improvised future steps. Don’t jump on the conclusion to fire them, remember when NOTHING will work out, this would act as the very last option.
  • A company’s decorum and its ongoing client project should not get disturbed because of this ever.
  • Should be flexible in fabricating the HRM policies according to employees’ potential too.
  • At the end of each performance appraisal, keep the research and figures transparent to the individual, to build a 2-way channel, and connect them efficaciously.

Benefits of Performance Appraisal

The main purpose of an employee performance appraisal is double: It helps any organization to decide the productivity and value that employees contribute, it helps the employees to develop their own roles or duties. Well, there would be certainly many of it, that is why it is seen in every firm. Some of them are –

  • A regular and systematic appraisal system aids the HRM to properly identify the performance, areas of talent, and lacking points of the employees.
  • Helps to place the deserving candidates at suitable job profiles.
  • Helps the employees to acknowledge their improving points and get assistance from the seniors regarding the same, it may be a simple mentoring too.
  • The process of promotions and firing becomes easy peasy.
  • This helps in analyzing the HRM efforts paid, the outcome from the team’s end, and generating research for the future programs.
  • Creates healthy competition among the team.
  • Very sophisticated pattern to know the grievances of the company and the team.

Benefits of Performance Appraisal for Organization

Appraisals are the savvy of traits and performance, out of which employee worth and good or bad corners are deduced. Appraisals are essential for making many administrative decisions of selection, training, development, promotion, transfer, salary hikes, individual potential research, regulating, etc. In this meticulous manner, a sharp eye is kept on all the aspects of a firm to record its overall performance.

  1. The employee assessments will make a huge difference in the performance of the organization. They offer insight on how employees are working and allow organizations to:
  2. Address any behavioral issues that can impact departmental productivity.
  3. Know where management will improve their working conditions to improve work quality and productivity.    
  4. Improve decision-making in certain situations that need succession planning, layoffs, and filling roles internally
  5. Support employees in career development and skill
  6. Encourage your employees by contributing more and recognizing their abilities and talents. You can read more about Employee Engagement and its benefits here

Benefit of Performance Appraisal for employee

The performance appraisals or assessment is generally meant to offer the positive outcome for the employees. Insights gained from discussing and assessing the employee’s performance will help:

  1. To recognize the opportunity for bonus or promotion.
  2. Acknowledge the contributions and achievements made by your employee.
  3. Determine specific areas where there is improvement in the skills.
  4. Identify the need for more training and education for career development.
  5. Discussion of the long-term goals.
  6. Motivate your employee and make them participate and invested in their professional development.

Types of Performance Appraisal

With a right performance appraisal process, organizations will be able to improve their employee performance in the organization. Having a good performance review method will make the entire experience rewarding and effective for an employee. Let us have a closer look at the different types of the performance appraisal methods:

  1. Management by Objectives or MBO:

    The management by objective appraisal is quite a modern approach of providing performance reviews to an employee, as it ropes employee in a goal-setting procedure. With the method, managers and their employee may “agree on the specific and obtainable goals with the set deadline.” The management by objective  method makes it simple to define the success & failure.

  2. Self-Evaluation:

    The self-evaluation or assessment needs an employee to judge their performance against the predetermined criteria. The self-evaluation is generally taken intoconsideration during the official performance review and allow for thorough discussion and ensure that employees understand how he or she will be judged. Self-evaluation method can be very subjective to reflect the work performance, since employees can rate themselves very high—or low—but discrepancies between the employee and the employer evaluations will be insightful.   

  3. Behavioral-Based Checklist:

    Behavior-based employee appraisals mainly focus on their ability of carrying out certain specific tasks, and they will be very useful for assessing their performance on the quantitative tasks & for determining who to reward and promote based on the competence in those tasks. It is possible if standards for the appraisal are carefully planned out to start with, the behavior appraisals generally tend to provide the objective way to assess employee performance.

  4. Graphic rating:

    Compared to all given employee performance assessments, this can be the most traditional and simplest one. In a graphic rating method, you will create the columned table organized

    • In a first column, put the variables to be evaluated. Like: punctuality, teamwork, assiduity, creativity, and more.
    • In a next column, put the values of every variable. Like: terrible, regular, bad, good or amazing. You can provide scores from 1 to 5.The primary benefit of this appraisal is that it’s very simple to do. But, it is limited & doesn’t allow for more evaluation. For such reason, graphic rating is normally used in the conjunction with various other methods.

  5. 360-degree performance appraisals:

    This particular method involves review or feedback from many people who contacted with an employee, and keeping biases at bay. This can be other clients, colleagues, customers and even an employee themselves is needed to give their view about their role in a team.

    The 360-degree performance appraisal is said to be one of the top approach as it is all-encompassing and will give a well-rounded and complete view of the employee. It not just offers a precise know-how of the employee’s behavior and attitude, but it will benefit a person by helping with their self-improvement (giving them confidence that can help your organization no end).

  6. Sales Performance Appraisal:

    This method of appraisal is the simplest to conduct, but a bit painful. An employee will be simply judged by his results and his set goals. The salesmen are held to the financial goals quite more than any section of an organization. The manager & salesperson should discuss different ways of achieving their goals and changes that have to be made in order to make them reachable and realistic.

Process of Performance Appraisal

Selecting the right type of employee performance appraisal method will be very critical than ever as it reflects over what you think about your employees or how much do you really care about their morale. When you have found the perfect ideal performance review system for your requirements, the next step will be implementing it in a right way to eliminate any critical performance gaps or address pressing issues, which can impact overall Organisation performance

It is a systematic process to go through –

  • Firstly decide on the performance standards needed.
  • Set up Disciplinary Aspects to be followed by each individual
  • Differentiate between measurable and visible objectives.
  • Then wait for the actual individual outcome.
  • Compare that outcome with the expected or predefined data.
  • Sit with that individual or that team( varies with the firm) and review the areas of improvement and praise their good work.
  • Extract corrective and learning measure from this, and then set bars for the next futuristic iteration.

Where can Performance Appraisal go wrong

  • What if the whole data of the performance appraisals turns out to be incorrect at the end. Although it is a rare chance. But just imagine and feel those chills!
  • Sometimes equal or necessary importance is not given to the measuring factors.
  • Some of the factors are very murky to measure, as the attitude issues, cold fights, or the initiatives.
  • If the managers turn out to be biased by nature or unqualified in analyzing, then that would turn as the pain in the neck.
  • Do make sure that the client projects do not collide with this activity and a smooth functioning of all the other events takes place.

Frequency of Performance Appraisal

See, there is no standard figure of it, it completely pivots on the organizational beliefs, the vastness of employees, and availability of the appraisal drivers. But yes, out of practice it should be periodic and be considered important for moving ahead. For example can be done monthly, annually, quarterly, half-yearly, etc. It is not a healthy idea to shelve this practice, therefore it is advisable to schedule a mid-year appraisal.

In a nutshell, I would like to that Performative Appraisal is the most important part of any organization and amazing assistance to track productivity, aims, and employee engagement. Appraisals are a positive way for a manager to let the employees know how well they are performing the duties that are assigned to them. The HRM should take this task seriously and unbiasedly, even the employees must cooperate with the authority to ease it out.


Employee Engagement – Why is it important and how to facilitate

Posted on by Shaivee Kumawat
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Employee engagement is a widely talked upon topic these days. It is gaining huge importance from company managers to working employees.  The degree of employee engagement is directly indicating the work satisfaction attained by its employees. Now the generation is changing and likewise demanding change with the working culture. Apart from a 10-6 job, they are looking for other factors while working like job security, informal connections, company parties, incentives, foreign opportunities, etc.

First, let us understand what is meant by the term or the feeling of Employee Engagement?

The first thing which might come to your mind may be to keep the employees busy in their task and expecting a high performance from their end. And then crediting their accounts with some pretty bucks. But it is more than that. It deals with the emotional connection which an employee feels towards the respective firm. They should have belongingness towards their work and organization. It should leave them with a sense of contentment, excitement, optimism, and gratitude.

So how can an organization, institute, or a startup practice engagement of their employees or a team in a positive manner? Here are some of the tips for the same.

  1. Emotional Aspect

    We are humans and emotions drive through our blood thus, it is the foremost thing to deal with while connecting. We have to give our employees the appropriate respect and love they deserve and acknowledge their ideas and opinions. We need to  decentralize the controlling system for more flexibility, and also evolve the working ethics with time. Earlier, spending time with family, saving money, being on a superior role, or pursuing hobbies gave happiness. But today maintaining a standard lifestyle, being happy in work hours, and having a friend alike work culture has taken some space too in the wishlist. Giving wings to the emotional commitment within the workforce for their organization and its goals is one of the main objectives of employee engagement.

  2. Quality Recruitment

    “Good seeds yield better crops!”. It is strongly believed that if the Human Resource department does good qualitative recruitment according to their company ethics and futuristic goals then it would be very easy to deal with the candidates and even mold them if necessary. So a sharp eye must be kept on the person’s behavior, likings, dislikings, and his or her background. If good cultured candidates are hired then all the engagement policies would go smooth beforehand from their end itself.

  3. Understanding through Observations

    “Actions speak louder than words!”. That is what a senior management team with CEO, COO, or VPS needs to do. Be with the working force and analyze the very granularity of their actions, their working way, their thinking, their discomfort, or even their bonds with their fellow mates. This kind of observation then ought to be shared within the observing team meetings and an individual employee’s feedback should be generated, further a customized approach should be implied to create a better place. However, this is only possible for startups or small firms.

  4. Team Forging Outings

    It is sometimes better to go out with your team, maybe to visit clients, site seeing, or a simple coffee. This would invoke a feeling of friendship and would give some space to additional conversations on market trends, stock prices, country’s GDP, emerging technology, competitors, etc. This often builds an out of the box relationship and is worth practicing. 

  5. Periodic Informal Parties

    “Sunflowers turn to the sun’s direction, no matter wherever they are planted or whomsoever has sown them”. This is because what remains inside as of nature would be there itself, and never depart. Party is the most exciting word and drives everyone crazy, especially if heard at the workplace. Parties are the best practices to grow mutual understandings, establish connections,  knowing about fellow mate’s likes and dislikes, or even just giving a cozy and free space to people. This will surely turn out as the golden egg and would be mentioned to every outsider by your employee while appreciating his or her firm.

  6. The zeal of Upliftment

    Every talent is vital and must be appreciated for being a part of an organization. If a regular motivation is sprinkled on the employees showing their qualities and then driving them to aim and do better, then eventually the whole motivated team would uplift the team’s goal and business as a whole. Give them access to training on the latest tech or tools, invest in their soft skills and listen to their strong working areas, and see the effect by yourself. This flexibility requires knocking down traditional hierarchies and allowing people to work on projects that energize them and where they can contribute.

  7. And the Reward goes to

    Aah! Such a pleasure giving sentence. It is a pure practice to motivate the team by offering them certificates, badges, incentives, promotions, or any other gesture of honor. This way they feel their presence is appreciated and an inner motivation drives through to achieve more.

  8. Being in the Other Shoe

    This is the most effective way to understand and deal with the employees for better engagement. This way you come to know about the firm’s loophole, urgent need, modifications, and even about the ongoing malpractices sometimes. One should not bind the employees in work from the office only, restrict the lunch break till 30 minutes or so, 9-5 pm tight reschedule. NO! No one likes to be herded with a set of hourly restrictions, just keep them free and focus on the result and working status.

Now the question comes, that what would these practices be yielding?

This should benefit in the following ways :

  • Decrease in absenteeism
  • Healthy working space
  • Rise in revenue
  • Increased productivity
  • Fruitful relationships
  • Higher retention
  • Customer satisfaction

Here is a list of Top 10 Employee Engagement Activities you can organize for your team

On consolidating I would like to say that building a better place is always the responsibility of each person present there. And there is no doubt that it is a tedious job, but not impossible Right? So, employers need to understand the drivers of employee engagement and apply them accordingly. Because having an engaged workforce is crucial for ensuring good growth and better stability.


top 20 interview questions for hr round and their answers 2023

Posted on by zigsawzindagi
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Word ‘Interview’ is enough to freeze anyone even the experienced candidate. However, good preparation will prove very constructive. This post comprises of 20 top Interview Questions for HR round with answers.

Many times HR interview isn’t the selection process, it is just the shortlisting process, and where selected candidates from the previous rounds will be out. Besides concentrating to get selected, you need to focus more on NOT being rejected. Your first few minutes in the interview rounds are quite important. Interviewers don’t know much about you. So, the impression that you will make initially, will set the right tone for the whole session and plays a crucial factor

Disclaimer: There are no right OR wrong answers for most HR interview questions. Your answers should ideally reflect your personality and preferences. Interviewers usually check the cultural fit in the role. It is best that you remain true to your personality. This way, both you & the interviewing HR could see if you are a good fit for the role you are being interviewed for. Generally being positive & energetic works well for most HR interviews (Except when it is about salary negotiations 😛 ) Here’s a list of most frequently asked questions and what could typically be some good answers.

Tell me something about yourself? 

This will be the first and common question asked by an interviewer and sometimes tough to answer the question for some candidates. The question puts pressure on a candidate. You must be well prepared to answer the question. Start with a confident tone and give your answer promptly in the right way. 

With this question, an interviewer wants to know more about you beyond your cover letter.

Start by greeting your interviewer: “Good morning or afternoon, I am thrilled to introduce myself to you. I am XXX and belong to XXX city. I have completed my degree from XXX University.

I have 5 years of work experience at XXX. In my current company, I was responsible for the XXX platform. I perform better in the fast-paced environment.

Presently, I’m looking for the right opportunity to use my technical know-how and creative skills at the most innovative organization like yours.

What do you know about our company?

Make sure you have done proper research about the organization where you are going for the interview, you must check out the history, work structure, and style of working. Check the company’s website, social media handles and gather all the details.

We all know it’s the fastest-growing company in India. Facilities offered by the organization to their employee are the best. People feel proud of being a part of this company as it provides complete support to the employees in the work front. The professional environment of the company is amazing. And I was searching for such a company.

Why would you like to join this company?

It is one popular question asked by HR in an interview

I will feel very proud of working for this company with a history of strong leadership. I have done web research and truly believe that company’s products or services and future projections are quite promising and impressive. This is one perfect place where my abilities and background fit rightly and will be used, respectively.

What are your strengths?

One of my best qualities is my positive attitude towards work. It motivates me even in challenging situations. I get along very well with the people and learn new ideas and concepts quickly leading to trouble-free teamwork. 

Do you have any weaknesses?

This question is to cross-check you. It will be suicidal if you counterclaim the strengths that you mentioned, or, say weakness that can be the important part of a role you are hired for. But, you can’t stay quiet or say you do not have any weaknesses. The best way is to put ahead of the weakness that is not related to your job or give information as to what you can do to overcome it.

I generally tend to eat plenty of sweets though I know it’s not good for my health.

What are your hobbies?

Make sure you declare your hobbies in such a way that provides priority to the hobby, which is closest to your job applied for.

I love writing and researching about modern technology and have also published some articles. You can check out my work at the XXX link. Besides that, I like playing XXX.

Why we must hire you?

In this question, you must tell your qualifications or highlight the points that make you different and unique.

Answer:

If it is your first start, you can start with something like “I believe every fresher must get a chance to prove themselves, even I am looking for a platform where I can prove my skills and abilities. For me, this is the best company where I can explore my skills. I am looking forward to being an important part of the company’s growth. I will try my best.”

Will you go for further studies?

This question basically to check your commitment towards the company and job. Never get carried away & answer it by saying yes you wish to. You have to give a little confidence to an interviewer that you won’t leave their company for your further plans.

Answer:

Doing a PG is great, but I believe in industry exposure for better involvement in this domain. This industry provides much better opportunities for growth and I am looking ahead for the same.

Why are you leaving your current job?

*The main point is to focus on the positives and stay future-focused, instead of focusing on the negative things about your past or present at the current role.

There are quite a few reasons I want to move from my present job and wanting to acquire a new skill in my career growth in a direction I am interested in.

How long are you willing to work for us?

I am not somebody who jumps options frequently. Thus, I am looking ahead to serving the company for a very long time. And, it is my dream company and the job role offers everything I am looking for.

How do you handle work pressure?

Working in pressure brings out the best skills in me. There’s the determination that makes me do things in the best way. During my college time, I had to complete my presentation and had to complete multiple assignments at a given time. I broke down my project task in the right format and submitted my assignment on time.

How do you differentiate hard work & smart work?

Hard work involves plenty of efforts to acquire a certain goal. And smart work will take very little effort to achieve a similar task. However, both the work goes together because many areas that are new need hard work and some areas that are already tried have to be handled smartly.

How will you feel if you fire an employee?

It is a tricky HR question. You may have not done it or will never want to do it too. But ensure you put this right by reasoning out why to do so.

Firing is the last option I will consider. However, if there is not any way out, I may have to do it just by my organization’s rules. Frankly, I will feel terrible doing it.

What’s the difference between a group and a team?

The team involves people having the same skills and common goals they are focused to achieve and the group comprises team members of different interests and skills.

From scale 1 to 10, how will you rate yourself as per the skills required for the position?

It is a question to check your confidence level. Don’t fear to give the rating that justifies your skill levels.

From a scale of 1 to 10, I will rather give myself 8 for the technical skills since I can do XXX well. But, I definitely will work a bit harder in the areas of inexperience and improve myself.

Where will you see yourself after 5 years?

I am sure after 5 years, I will grow my skills and knowledge and find myself at the senior level position in your company serving better.

Why do I consider you over other candidates?

I find myself unique among the rest of my work-related and interpersonal skills. I give full commitment to my job and ensure I finish my tasks within a given time frame.

What is your salary expectation?

At present, I have not thought much about this area. I am a bit more focused on learning the essential requirements for the position I have applied for.

Do you have any future goals?

My first goal is to join the organization similar to yours and enhance my knowledge and skills thus serving as an important asset in return. Over a progressive note, I want to become XXX in the domain and ensure I keep this organization at a topmost in this industry.

What would you do if you are not selected for this job position?

I am quite sure that I will get hired. If the table turns other way around, then I will need to move on & look for another job.