Recruitment and selection make up the staffing function in organizations. The primary goal of staffing is to assure that companies get the qualified people they need in order for the company to operate as efficiently and effectively as possible. Prior to recruitment and selection, two steps must be taken. First, a company must scan and analyse the external environment and examine the company's internal situation to develop human resource plans and forecasts; these actions anchor the staffing effort. More broadly, these human resource plans form an integral part of an organization's strategic business plan. Ultimately, to be effective, the staffing function should be thoroughly integrated with the company's overall business strategies. The second precursor to beginning the recruitment and selection effort is job analysis. Although the human resource plans and forecasts identify general personnel needs, job analysis is used specifically to determine the types of individuals the company wishes to recruit and select. Each type of job is described in terms of its purpose, its major duties and activities, the conditions under which it is performed, and the necessary knowledge, skills, abilities and other requirements. This information guides recruitment and selection activities.

Sally Riggs Fuller & Vandra L. Huber