3.1.1 Methods of Recruitment

Human Resources (HR) is the department in the business that manages employees (the human resources the business uses to generate revenue).

Methods of Recruitment are the internal and external advertising methods used to find the correct staff to apply and work for a company.

Internal Recruitment

Internal advertising means that the business will only advertise the job to current employees.

Intranet is a private website that only the employees in the business can access, it is locked down to the public.

Internal Advantages

  • Can be cheaper to hire staff internally, only has to be advertised internal, no need to pay for an external advert
  • Staff already know how the company works
  • Less training may be needed
  • Increased employee motivation as employees feel they can be promoted

Internal Disadvantages

  • Smaller candidate pool than external as limited to employees that already work for the business
  • No new ideas/ fresh blood is brought into the business as only current staff are hired
  • Applicants may need training for a new role and previous roles may need to be filled so may still need to hire another applicant

External Recruitment

External advertising is used to replace employees, when a business is growing or if there are no suitable internal applicants.

Headhunting is where a scout will approach employees that the business wishes to hire. It is a bit like a talent scout at football matches, but for businesses.

Trade journals are magazines for a specific industry, e.g. plumbing magazines, or electrical magazines.

Careers fares are shows with lots of business stalls and the business can speak to prospective employees fat to face about any opportunities.

Recruitment agencies are when a business outsources recruitment, (they pay a recruitment agency that specializes in hiring staff) to find the correct employee for the role, this however has increased costs.

External Advantages

  • Larger applicant pool of potential staff
  • Can hire employees with new ideas or more talent/ fresh outlook
  • Can help improve productivity if staff are experienced

External Disadvantages

  • Higher recruitment and advertising cost
  • Lower employee motivation as employees may feel overlooked for the position
  • Can take longer to recruit and vet new staff
  • Longer transition period if the employee is new