Difference Between Recruitment and Selection (with Comparison Chart)

Table of Contents

Recruitment is a process of searching out the potential applicants and inspiring them to apply for the actual or anticipated vacancy. On the other hand, Selection is a process of hiring employees among the shortlisted candidates and providing them a job in the organization.

Due to increase in population, getting a good job is not an easy task. Employers want the right candidate for the concerned position. The large supply of workforce has given them the opportunity to select the best talent.

Nowadays, there is a very lengthy procedure for appointment of an employee to a post. There are two major stages which may be heard by you hundreds and hundreds of times; they are recruitment and selection. Most of us view them as the same thing. But, they are quite different in meaning and behaviour. Read the article provided below that explains the difference between recruitment and selection in human resource management (HRM) in tabular form.

Content: Recruitment Vs Selection

Comparison Chart

Basis for Comparison	Recruitment	Selection
Meaning	Recruitment is an activity of searching candidates and encouraging them apply for it.	Selection refers to the process of selecting the best candidates and offering them job.
Approach	Positive	Negative
Objective	Inviting more and more candidates to apply for the vacant post.	Picking up the most suitable candidate and rejecting the rest.
Key Factor	Advertising the job	Appointment of the candidate
Sequence	First	Second
Process	Vacancies are notified by the firm through various sources and application form is made available to the candidate.	The firm makes applicant pass through various levels like submitting form, written test, interview, medical test and so on.
Contractual Relation	As recruitment only implies the communication of vacancies, no contractual relation is established.	Selection involves the creation of contractual relation between the employer and employee.
Method	Economical	Expensive

Definition of Recruitment

Recruitment is a process of finding out the prospective applicants and stimulating them to apply for the vacancy. It is a long process which involves a series of activities that starts with analysing the job requirements and ends on the appointment of the employee. The activities involved in the recruitment of employees are as under:

Analysing job requirement
Advertising the vacancy
Attracting candidates to apply for the job
Managing response
Scrutiny of applications
Shortlisting candidates

The recruitment is done by the Human Resource managers either internally or externally. The sources of internal recruitment are promotion, transfers, retrenched employees, contact or references, ex-employees, retired employees, etc. On the other hand, sources of external recruitment are recruitment through advertisement, campus recruitment, recruitment by employment exchanges, recruitment by third parties (recruitment agencies), internet recruiting, unsolicited applicants, etc.

Definition of Selection

Selection is an activity in which the organisation selects a fixed number of candidates from a large number of applicants. It involves the actual appointment of the employee for filling up the vacancies of the enterprise. The term selection means the placement of the right man at the right job. We all know that a lot of people apply for a single job at the time of recruitment, in which the recruiters have to decide which candidate fits the best for the job.

The selection also involves a set of activities which are given as under:

Screening
Eliminating unsuitable candidates
Conducting the examination like aptitude test, intelligence test, performance test, personality test, etc.
Interview
Checking References
Medical Test

The process of selection is a time-consuming one because the HR managers have to identify the eligibility of every candidate for the post. Besides this, the educational qualification, background, age, etc. are also some of the most important factors in which they have to pay more attention. After this, the written examination and interview is also a very tough task.

Key Differences Between Recruitment and Selection

The following points are substantial so far as the difference between recruitment and selection is concerned:

Recruitment is the process of finding candidates for the vacant position and stimulating them to apply for it. The selection means picking up the best candidate from the list of applicants and offering them the job.

Recruitment is a positive process as it attracts more and more job seekers to apply for the post. Conversely, Selection is a negative process as it rejects all the unfit candidates.

Recruitment aims at inviting more and more candidates to apply for the vacant position. On the contrary, selection aims at rejecting unsuitable candidates and appointing the right candidates at the job.

The activity of recruitment is quite simple because in this the recruiter does not have to pay more attention to scrutinising the candidate, whereas selection is a complex activity because in this the employer wants to know every minute detail about each candidate so that he can choose the perfect match for the job which requires thorough investigation.

Recruitment consumes less time as it only involves identifying the needs of the job and stimulating candidates to apply for the same. Conversely, selection involves a wide range of activities, right from shortlisting the candidates to appointing them.

In recruitment, the firm notifies the candidates regarding vacancy through different sources such as the internet, newspaper, magazines, etc. and distributes the form to the candidates so that they can easily apply. As against this, in the process of selection, the firm makes sure that candidate passes through various stages such as form submission, written exam, interview, medical exam, etc.

In recruitment, no contractual relation is created between the employer and employee. Unlike selection, where both employer and employee are bound by the contract of employment.

Recruitment is an economical process while the selection is an expensive process.

Video: Recruitment Vs Selection

Conclusion

The success of any company depends on upon its employees. If the employee is perfect for a job, then the whole organisation will enjoy the benefits of its unbeatable success. Recruitment and selection help in choosing the right candidate for the right post. It helps in reducing losses of an organisation.

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