OBJECTIVES OF THE PROJECT
Every task is undertaken with an objective. Without any objective a task is rendered meaningless. The main objectives for undertaking this project are:
v To understand the internal Recruitment process at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance
v To identify areas where there can be scope for improvement
v To give suitable recommendation to streamline the hiring process
METHODOLOGY
The insurance sector is marked with a high level of attrition and therefore recruitment process becomes a crucial function of the organization. At ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, recruitment is all time high during May-June and Oct-Nov. The attrition is high among the sales managers, unit mangers mostly in the sales profile. The recruitment is high during these months due to the fact that March and September are half year closing and business is high during Jan-Mar. Thus it is only after March that people move out of the companies.
Since my summer training was in the months of May-June, it gave me the opportunity of involving myself directly with the recruitment process and analyzing the process so that suitable recommendations can be given. This project is centered on identifying best hiring practices in the insurance industries. It therefore requires great amount of research work. The methodology adopted was planned in advance so as to collect data in the most organized way.
My area of focus was the recruitment and selection particularly at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. I was directly involved with the recruitment for candidates for the sales profile. I was particularly involved with the sourcing of candidates for the regions outside Delhi such as M.P, U.P and Rajasthan.
Before any task was undertaken, we were asked to go through the HR policies of ICICI Prudential Life Insurance so that we get a better understanding of the process followed by them.
v The first task was to understand the various job profiles for which recruitment was to be done.
v The next step was to explore the various job portals to search for suitable candidates for the job profile.
v Once the search criteria were put, candidates went through a telephonic interview to validate the information mentioned in their resume.
v A candidate matching the desired profile was then lined for the first round of Face to Face interview in their respective cities.
v Firstly the candidate had filled up the personal data form(pdf).
v Then the candidates INTERVIEW EVALUATION SHEET which is provided by interviewer was crosschecked by the HR team. If they think that the candidate was good to hire or not.
v When a candidate cleared his first round, he is then made to take an online aptitude test. We created the online aptitude test. It the HR department, which has the exclusive rights to assign test, codes to the candidates. Each code was unique and could be used only once by a candidate.
v I was involved in assigning codes and administering the test
v Once the candidate completed his first assessment, his scores were checked. If he cleared his cut-off he was given another test.
v I had the responsibility to make sure that candidates complete all formalities and had to regularly follow up with them.
v Since we received many resumes, it was essential that a database be maintained to keep a track. It was convenient method than to stock up piles of papers. ICICI has their own database named as “PACE”, I update all the records of the new joinees in that tracker. PACE containes all the information of a candidate such as name, contact number, location etc.
v The external guide maintained a regular updating of the database.
v Understanding what kinds of database are maintained and how they help in keeping a record.
v I was also involved in maintaining a track of test codes given, the database for employee referrals, Database for the resumes received through mails and response of advertisement.
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY
Date Source
Primary :- Through Questionnaires
Secondary :- Through Internet, Journals, News papers and Misc.
Data Collection Procedure :- Survey
Research Instrument :- Structured Questionnaire.
Sample Size : - 80
Sample Area : - work done in Delhi regional Office.
Sample procedure :- Random sampling.
PROJECT SCHEDULE :-
First 1 week :-Training program from the company.
Second week :-Collecting the primary and secondary data.
Third Fourth week :- Study Recruitment & Selection Process
Fifth week :-Designing the questionnaire .
Sixth week :-Conducting the survey in RO.
Seventh week :-Analysis of Data Collection.
Eighth week :-Final Report preparation and presentation.
Limitations of the study
Every task is undertaken with an objective and accomplishment of this objective determines our success.
The recruitment at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance involved a lot search from the database and calling up candidates to check whether they fit the job specification.
Difficulties:
v Candidates were reluctant to talk at times;
v Candidates who were contacted were not interested in Insurance on many occasions;
v Candidates who were scheduled for interview would not turn up;
v Run out of database many times since most of them would have already been contacted;
Task:
Candidates were to be searched from the job portals and called up to be scheduled for an interview.
Difficulties:
v A summer trainees we could not separate systems to work on;
v At times many people had for couple of hours to work on the computer;
v Since STD calls had to be made, the availability of phone was limited, so there was greater coordination required with respect to its usage and maintains a time slot so that other person has a chance to use.
Task:
Inter company analysis through survey and questionnaire filling.
Difficulties:
v Did not secure cooperation easily;
v People asked lot of counter question so convincing them was a major task;
v People did not disclose much about their employee details.
Topic Information
RECRUITMENT AND SELECTION
“The art of choosing men is not nearly so difficult as the art of enabling those one has chosen to attain their full worth”.
Recruitment is the process by which organizations locate and attract individuals to fill job vacancies. Most organizations have a continuing need to recruit new employees to replace those who leave or are promoted in order to acquire new skills and promote organizational growth.
Recruitment follows HR planning and goes hand in hand with selection process by which organizations evaluate the suitability of candidates. With successful recruiting to create a sizeable pool of candidates, even the most accurate selection system is of little use
Recruiting begins when a vacancy occurs and the recruiter receives authorization to fill it. The next step is careful examination of the job and enumeration of skills, abilities and experience needed to perform the job successfully. Other steps follow:
v Creating an applicant pool using internal or external methods
v Evaluate candidates via selection
v Convince the candidate
v And finally make an offer
Scope: To define the process and flow of activities while recruiting, selecting and appointing personnel on the permanent rolls of an organization.
Authorization:
S.No. |
Authorized Signatory |
1 |
Head- Human resource |
2 |
Managing director |
Amendments and deviations:
Any amendments to and deviations from this policy can only be authorized by the Head-human Resources and the Managing Director.
Exclusions:
The policy does not cover the detailed formalities involved after the candidate joins the organization.
ACTIVITY FLOW
The organization philosophy should be kept in mind while formulating the recruitment procedure.
The HR department would set the recruitment norms for the organization. However, the onus of effective implementation and compliance with the process rests with the heads of the respective functions and departments who are involved in the recruitment and selection process.
The process is aimed at defining the series of activities that needs to be performed by different persons involved in the process of recruitment, the checks and control measures to be adopted and information that has to be captured.
Recruitment and Selection is conducted by:
v HR & Branch Manager
v Functional Head
RECRUITMENT PLANNING
Recruitment planning on the basis of budget
Review of Manpower Plans and Additional Manpower
A. Review of manpower budgets shall take place on a quarterly basis. In the event of any new position or any deviations to the original plans, details of the positions maybe forwarded to the VP-HR along with the adequate supporting information. The recommendations would normally require a formal approval of the Managing Director. Alternately, VP-HR may record the summary of his discussion with the Managing Director and the MD’s approval on the recommendations, to signify the final decision taken regarding the recommendations.
SOURCING OF SUITABLE CANDIDATES
Selection of Sources
Regional HR would tap various sources/channels for getting the right candidate. Depending on the nature of the position/grade, volumes of recruitment and any other relevant factors, the Regional HR would use any one multiple sources such as:
v Existing database (active application data bank);
v Employee referral as per any company scheme that may be approved from time to time;
v Advertisement in the internet/newspapers/magazines/company’s sites/job sites or any other media;
v Placement Agencies (particularly for positions of Managers and above);
v Headhunting firms particularly for senior positions, specialist positions and critical positions;
v Direct recruitment from campuses/academic institutes;
v Job websites and
v Any other appropriate sources.
The norms for using any of the sources are not water tight. Number of positions, criticality of positions and the urgency of the positions, confidentiality requirements, relative efficacy and cost considerations would play a role in the choice of the appropriate sourcing mechanism.
ADVERTISEMENTS
v All recruitment advertisements (in any form and any medium) shall always conform to the KLI compliance norms and would not be released by any department or branch without the approval of the VP-HR. depending on the specifics of each position for which recruitment advertisements are to be released, Regional HR may obtain assistance from the company’s marketing department and/or any external advertising agencies for the preparation of the contents. Key features of the positions as notified by the Functional Heads would normally form a part of the advertisement text.
v The media for releasing advertisement would depend on the level of the position being considered and the urgency of the requirements.
v The advertisement mode that could be broadly specified as newspapers (local or mainline depending on requirements), internet sites and business magazines.
Placement Agencies/Headhunting Agencies
v Depending upon the vacancies, fresher fitting different description listed above may be recruited from time to time, from academic institutes of appropriate standards/reputation/grade, in the requisite numbers and at the compensation/stipend amounts to be formally approved of the VP-HR. Plans for such recruitment need specific special approval of VP-HR. norms regarding the identification of the appropriate institutes, constitution of the selection panels, timings of the recruitment, number of candidates to be recruited into different positions, choice of the appropriate selection process and the tools thereof shall be decided by the Head of the Regional HR in consultation with the VP-HR, depending on the specific features of the position.
Screening the candidates
First level screening
The Candidates would be screened by the HR Manager/Branch Manager for the respective locations. Screening would be on the basis of the profile of the candidate and the departmental requirements.
This assessment will be with respect to:
In case of need, the Regional HR may take a Tele interview of the candidate for further assessment process.
Second Level Screening
Aptitude Test
If the first assessment is positive, the candidates will give the aptitude test, once such test is selected approved by the company. The scoring, interpretation and the generation of interview probes from that test will also be done at this time. People who qualify the minimum criteria on this test will be put up on to the Functional Head (VP’s in case of HO) for functional assessment and suitability into the role.
Tied Agency Sales Manager candidates short listed by the BM have will then take sales Aptitude test, once such a test is finalized. For the final selection, the regional Manager (Business Heads for HO) will meet the candidates short listed by the branch manager/VP. The chart specifying the Minimum approval level for each level of recruitment is specified below:
Category |
Branch Manager/Chief Manager |
Area Manager/AVP/VP |
Business Heads |
Managing Director |
CSE/ADVISORS |
Yes |
No |
No |
No |
BIC |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
No |
BM/CM |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
No |
SM |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
Yes |
General Norms regarding interview Process:
Administrative Actions Regarding Interviews
Negotiations of the terms and conditions and other pre-appointment formalities
Reference checks
A. Normal, reference checks should be undertaken with at least one reference. A second reference check will be done if considered necessary. Responsible officials from the former employers, academic institutes and/or any other eminent personalities can be considered as appropriate references. Close relatives and friends cannot be considered as references. Wherever feasible and considered appropriate, a reference should be made with a senior official of the candidate’s current employer. In case the candidate is currently un-employed, reference should be made with the latest employer. The format of reference check is to be used as a framework for conducting the process.
B. Where the minimum two reference checks are not possible (particularly with the current employer) or where there is a mixed response from different sources, the matter may be to the VP-HR for a final decision. Depending on the seniority and any other considerations about the positions, VP-HR would normally consult the functional head concerned, before coming to conclusions. Any candidate whose credentials are doubtful shall not be recruited.
C. In case of recruitment of Management trainees, fresher and life advisors as sales Managers no reference checks will be required.
Employment offer letter
Ø Personal Data form
Ø Employee requisition form duly filled by the regional Head/Branch Manager
Ø Interview evaluation sheet filled by the regional head/Branch manager/interviewer with his/her comments.
Ø Latest and updated resume of the candidate
Ø Photocopy of the appointment letter of the last employer or latest salary slip.
Ø Employment details.
Ø Two Professional references.
Ø Language Proficiency.
Ø Authorization Release Form.
Ø Background check Form.
Ø Highest Education certificate.
Ø Highest Education marksheet.
Ø 1 Month Salary Slip of Current Employer.
Ø 1 Month Salary Slip of Last Employer.
Ø Relieving Letter of last Employment.
Ø Proof of Residence.
Ø 2 Passport Size Photograph.
Key tasks of Regional HR Head
Regional HR Head will have the authority and responsibility to administer/implement the recruitment and selection process as outlined. An illustrative list of the key deliverables of these incumbents is listed below.
v Ensuring inductions as per quality, numbers, time and cost consideration of the company in accordance with the approved manpower budget.
v Creation of appropriate sourcing mechanism along with tracking the performance of these mechanisms.
v Creation of quarterly and monthly recruitment plans
v Effective coordination with external parties such as candidates, placement agencies, consultants, academic/professional institutes and any other including the custody of the formal agreements , tracking timely payments and adjusted thereto
v Creation of comprehensive and appropriate tools, linkages, documents, templates and any other mechanisms to ensure smooth execution of the process requirement, along with timely improvements thereto
v Assistance to user department and line managers including in interviewing/selection support, scheduling etc.
v Effective internal communication with user departments and line managers including making the standard recruitment formats and other templates easily available to such users and notifying the modifications to such formats and templates.
v Creation and maintenance of qualitative information base regarding candidates, placement agencies, campuses, institutes, and any other employment-market information.
v Creation and maintenance of appropriate and high-quality MIS for current and future needs of the organization, including publication/circulation of appropriate reports there from to the relevant users within the company.
v Monitoring recruitment costs
v Complete documentation for the entire recruitment and selection process for easy and quick retrieval in a readily auditable format
v Timely and effective communication with all internal and external parties including the candidates
v Tracking the progress of the selected candidates including resignation, extensions of probation periods/training period, etc for the purpose of improvement to recruitment and selection process.
v Effective coordination with the post recruitment arm of the Human Resource function
v Documentation and creating MIS regarding waiver, deviation, etc and identifying the key areas for improvement in the formal recruitment and selection process document.
Strengths Brand equity of Kotak Mahindra Bank. Rigorous Pre-Hiring assessment tests to understand aptitude and personality of candidates. Proper reference checks to ensure that only bonafide candidates are appointed. Adequate number of channel partners to generate footfalls for each location. Footfall MIS being maintained at each branch locally by Admin.
|
Weaknesses Pre assessment tests are costly. Conversion of footfalls is low. Lengthy pre-offer formalities. Huge employee turnover.
|
OpportunitiesCampus recruitments have huge potential for fulfilling manpower requirements cost effectively. Tie up with recruitment agencies on supplying fixed number of footfalls week on week. Develop exclusive contract with channel partners to meet the manpower requirements. Make blue form brief and to the point. Reduce turn around time of making an offer. |
Threats Increasing number of private players in insurance sector creates ample choices, frequent and easy mobility for employees. Same channel partners are handling all insurance companies. This leads to same pool of candidates being circulated to all partners. Increasing spill over as a candidate has more than one offer at the time of making a job shift. As the insurance industry is small, senior level candidates hesitate to meet HR of other companies for the fear of grapevine. |
Compress the "white space" in your hiring process.
White Spaces are delays in hiring process that are unproductive, waste time, and virtually assure you'll lose talented candidates. Often the longest delays occur between critical selection events. For example, a recruiter may need several weeks to screen a few hundred resumes from the Web job boards, or candidates who make it through screening may wait weeks to interview with a hiring manager.
Here at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance, the delays occur when the outstation candidates are called for interviews at Regional branches like Delhi and Mumbai. Sometimes, because of busy schedule of senior managers and sometimes because of tight schedule of candidate, the interview has to be postponed. This delay could be minimized by scheduling interviews in the regional locations. It is recommended to reduce the turnaround time for the recruitment and selection process. It must be made mandatory for the candidates to take the test, filling up forms etc within the stipulated time, this will make sure that the candidates do not hold casual attitude and take the recruitment process more seriously. Additionally it can send across a positive image about the company. White space in recruitment can be compressed by the use of IT also. Technology (such as automated or Web-based tracking) is ideal for eliminating unnecessary steps and reducing delays.
Tie up with more & more consultants from multiple segments
Since the limited placement agencies are sourcing candidates to all insurance companies, there often comes the problem of duplication of data. Therefore it is recommended that more and more consultants should be tied up from multiple segments to attract large pool of new and fresh talent.
Know what you're looking for in candidates.
It is observed that the candidates
sourced by placement agencies and send for further rounds of interviews are
rarely found suitable by the hiring managers. Therefore, in case there is
need to utilize the service of a placement agency, then it is recommended
that these placement agencies be given a well drafted job description and
job specification. This can also be circulated to internal employees under
the employee referral scheme. This will help people to get a clearer picture
and provide for most suitable candidates. Thus making efficient utilization
of the existing resources.
Reduce the pre offer formalities:
Pre-offer documentation includes filling of a lengthy Blue form which includes all personal, educational and professional details of candidate. This is very time consuming and even after taking these details from candidate its not sure that offer will be made or not. This also becomes frustrating for the candidate sometimes. So, it is recommended that unnecessary details should not be asked before we make the final offer to the candidate. Blue form should be made consise.
One size doesn’t fits all
An effort must be made to study local condition, education levels. Since applying common test for all candidates across entire country can overshadow a candidates capabilities. This factor must be given importance since Indian society is divided on various parameters such as education, language, infrastructure etc. A test with high level of English and complicated sentence structure can be a hurdle in areas where language itself is barrier. An option is to have different tests for different regions.
Blend
technology into every aspect of your recruiting and hiring process.
Web-based technology lets you
increase hiring speed and quality while reducing costs. Currently, job
boards constitute the biggest use of the Web, offering access to thousands
of resumes within hours. But the Web can also be a powerful tool for
screening and qualifying that flood of resumes. Companies have begun to use
the Web to collect and instantly match data on candidate skills,
motivations, and experiences against job criteria. Other uses of Web-based
technology include online interviewing, candidate assessment and testing,
applicant self-scheduling, and tracking. Work the Web wisely and you save
time for recruiters and hiring managers and nab top candidates before your
competitors can.
v It is recommended that apart from the person-job fit, method must be devised to check for person-organization fit. A person-organization helps to assess how well a candidate is suited the organization. Whether the attitude he/she carries will promote both organizational as well personal goals. This takes a great importance especially when attrition is high. It will help the organization to retain its employees for a longer period of time and less burden on recruitment staff.
Build and
manage your candidate pool as a precious resource.
A "candidate pool" is a group of
individuals who have shown interest in working for your company and are
qualified for and ready to fill certain positions. Rather than undertaking
the time-consuming process of filling one job at a time, you draw on the
candidate pool and fill jobs as they become available. How do you keep a
pool active? Some companies send their newsletters to pool candidates, give
them product coupons, and keep in touch through e-mail. Pool management is
not easy in a tight labor market --good candidates often go elsewhere. But
many organizations, especially those with a reputation as a great place to
work, are able to fill positions quickly using the pool concept.
Create winning impression even on those who are not selected
Its very important to create a favorable impression of your organization on all those who come for interview. Those who are not selected in the first round of personal interview should also carry this impression that they have missed the opportunity to work in a great company. For this, there must a proper coordination of the interview of the candidate and greater degree of professionalism. A candidate when invited for a interview must be attended as soon as possible and should be made to wait for hours together. Interviews conducted on a scheduled time leave a good impression on the candidate. Even if he is not selected, a good impression about the will make him recommend the name to his people.
CONCLUSION
Insurance is confronted with high attrition rate. Therefore it makes recruitment a critical function in the organization. In order to grow and sustain in the competitive environment it is important for an organization to continuously develop and bring out innovations in all it activities. It is only when organization is recognized for its quality that it can build a stability with its customers. Thus an organization must be able to stand out in the crowd.
The first step in this direction is to ensure competitive people come in the organization. Therefore recruitment in this regard becomes an important function. The organization must constantly improvise in its recruitment process so that it is able to attract best in the industry in order to serve the best. Thus the organization must look out for methods that can enable it to adopt best recruitment practices.
Every endeavor undertaken to accomplish challenging goals, can only be successful under the experienced and encouraging guidance. I am privileged to have undergone training at ICICI Prudential Life Insurance. As learning never stops, my learning at Kotak has come from a lot of exposure, on the job training and close interaction with the corporate. In brief my learning and achievements can be summarized as under:
Understanding of person and profile fit. Convince people about the job profile and to sell the job to the prospective candidate; Following up with the candidates during the entire selection process; Learned to convince candidates about the offer rolled out and making them accept the offer through effective communication; Learning about salary fitments. Communicating with the corporate; Performance appraisals, its various types, implications and significance; Handling queries received from various quarters; Managing HR department in the absence of HR manager; Reply to official mails; Prioritize issues according to their importance; Field work exposure to tap candidates that further strengthened the learning.