Recruitment and selection of Sales personnel

Recruitment defined.

Recruitment is a process to discover the sources of manpower to meet the requirements of the staffing schedule and to employ effective measures for attracting that manpower in adequate numbers to facilitate effective selection of an efficient working force

Internal sources (include personnel already on the payroll of the company)

Sources of recruitment

Company sales force Company executives Internal transfers Recruitment advertising Employment Exchange/ Agencies Recruitment from colleges Direct unsolicited applications Sales people making calls on the company Employees of the customer Sales force of non competing companies Sales force of the competing companies

External sources (choices outside the company)

Internal recruitment

Merits

Employer is in a better position to evaluate those who are presently employed than outside candidates. Little training is required as the candidate is aware about the policies and procedures of the company. It improves the morale of the employee as they are assured of the fact that they would be preferred over the outsiders. Cost effective method Promotes loyalty among the staff and they feel more secure within the organization. The people recruited thus are more trustworthy and can be relied upon.

Demerits
Although promotion is based upon seniority, likes and dislikes of management will also play role in selection of the personnel in order to choose the most capable person. Discourages new and young people to enter the organization.

External recruitment

Merits
People are recruited from a large pool, best selection can be made. Provides a required type of personnel with all the skill , education up to the required standard.

Demerit

Problem of brain drain may occur where experienced people may be hunted by the competing companies.

Sales Personnel Selection

Selection is a process in which candidates for employment are divided into two classes those who are to be offered the employment and those who are not. Selection means a process by which the qualified personnel may be chosen from the applicants offering their services to the organisation for employment.

Steps in Selection Procedure

Preliminary screening of Applicants Review of Application Blank Interviews Checking References/ Credit Checks Psychological Testing Physical Examination Evaluation of the programme

Preliminary screening of applicants

The candidates are screened on the basis of standards set out by the organisation

Review of Application Blank

It is a brief written resume about the candidate details. Through this candidates provide the useful information to the employer in the areas of identification, education, experience, expected salarie references etc. Application blank is an important stage in selection oprocedure. It provides basic information about the prospective employee which is helpful at the tinme of interview. After screening the application blank, promising candidates are called for further screening.

STEP III- Checking references :

At the end of the application blank, references of two known persons or previous employers are given by the applicant. The various information given in the application blank can be verified with the help of references. A referee is potentially an important source of information which helps in verifying the accuracy of the applications and in getting the proper rating of the candidates skills and abilities.

STEP VI Physical Examination (Medical Tests)

It is an optional step in the selection procedure and depends mainly on the type of job to be done by the applicant. Some organizations ask for a certificate of physical fitness from a medical expert. Conducting of physical examination serves the following purpose. It serves to protect the organisation against unwarranted claims under the workman compensation act. It helps to prevent communicable diseases entering the organisation. A proper medical examination ensures high standards of health and physical fitness of employees and will reduce the rate of accident, absenteeism and labor turnover. It serves to ascertain whether the candidate is physically fit to perform the job. It establishes a health record of the applicant.

(a)

(b)

(c)

(d)

(e)

STEP-V-Psychological Testing
Psychological tests are devised to measure the psychological characteristics of individual applicants for a position. A psychological test is an objective and standard measure of a sample of human behaviour. Psychological tests act on the principle that individuals differ from one another by degree.

Some of the important benefits of psychological tests are as follows. (a) Personality tests are designed to judge the emotional balance, maturity and temperamental qualities of a person. (b) Tests help to reduce employee turnover through a better fit between the candidate and the job. (c) Tests help to improve the assurance and objectivity of the selection process. The main problem with the psychological tests is that they do not provide the clear picture of how well a person will supplementary method of selection. The user of the test must be familiar with the limitations of the tests and he should determine the effectiveness of the test before using them.

STEP-VI-Employment Interview
The purpose of employment interview is to find out the candidates mental and social makeup and to know the qualities possessed by him make him suitable for a job in the concern. It is face to face communication and involves a brief personal contact with the candidate to judge his suitability for the job.

STEP-VII-Final Approval
If the candidate successfully overcomes all the obstacles or tests, he is declared selected. An appointment letter is five to him mentioning the terms of appointment, pay scales, post on which selected etc.