Methods of Recruitment (DP IB Business Management)

An Introduction to Recruitment

• Recruitment is the process of attracting and identifying potential job candidates who are suitable for a particular role

  • Recruitment activities include job advertising, job fairs, social media outreach and referrals from current employees

  • The goal of recruitment is to create a pool of qualified candidates who can be considered for the role

• Selection is the process of choosing the best candidate

  • Selection activities often involve reviewing CVs and conducting interviews or assessment tasks

  • The goal of selection is to hire the most suitable candidate for the job

Diagram: the recruitment and selection process

1. Define the role

• Businesses should determine exactly what is required and part of that is developing a job description and a person/job specification

  • A job specification outlines the qualifications, skills, experience, and personal qualities required from a candidate for a specific job e.g. problem solver, good communicator, able to code in Java etc.

  • A job description outlines the duties, responsibilities, and requirements of a particular job

2. Determine the best source of candidates

• The business can advertise the role internally, externally, or a combination of both

  • Internal recruitment is the process of hiring employees from within the organisation

    • Internal recruitment can be beneficial as it encourages employee development, builds morale and can save time and money on training

  • External recruitment is the process of hiring employees from outside the organisation

    • External recruitment can bring fresh ideas, experiences and perspectives to the organization

• These methods are considered in more detail below

3. Advertise

• Businesses with a strong social media presence can use these platforms to advertise cost effectively e.g. Facebook, LinkedIn, TikTok

• Depending on the nature of the business, there may be specialist recruitment portals through which they can advertise and these tend to cost more e.g. The Times Educational Supplement is one of the main publications used to recruit teaching staff

4. Receive applications

• The application stage involves collecting information from potential candidates

• These methods are discussed fully below

• Someone within the business must be nominated to manage the application process

  • This person (possibly together with others) will draw up a shortlist of candidates from the many applications received

  • The shortlist usually includes 3-5 candidates who are invited to interview

5. The selection process

• This process varies significantly between organisations

• Businesses must decide on the most appropriate method which will help them to identify the best candidate

• The most commonly used methods are discussed fully below

Internal & External Recruitment

• Businesses often use a combination of internal and external recruitment methods, depending on the nature of the job and the availability of suitable candidates

• The method chosen will also depend on the organisation's goals, the level of the position being filled and the industry in which it operates

Internal recruitment methods

• Internal recruitment involves the promotion or redeployment of staff to fill a vacant post

• Vacancies are advertised internally on staff notice boards, in newsletters or via in-house electronic communications

• Recruiting internally has a range of advantages and disadvantages

Advantages and Disadvantages of Internal Recruitment

External Recruitment Methods

• If a vacancy cannot be filled internally it will be necessary to look outside of the business to find suitable candidates

  • New skills, experiences and ideas can be introduced to the business

  • Some methods are expensive and it can be difficult to target the desired audience

A Comparison of External Recruitment Methods

• External recruitment overcomes some of the disadvantages of internal recruitment 

• However it is often more expensive than internal recruitment

• There is also a greater degree of uncertainty as external candidates are unknown to the business

Applying for a Job

• Both internal and external candidates typically apply for advertised roles by submitting an application form

• Alternatively candidates are asked to submit a curriculum vitae (CV) with an accompanying cover letter

 Selecting the right candidate

• A range of methods may be used to make a choice between job applicants

• Business commonly use a combination of these methods

Diagram: common selection methods