MODULE 4

EXTERNAL
RECRUITMENT
 EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT

The assessment of an available pool of job candidates, other than existing staff, to see if there
are any sufficiently skilled or qualified to fill and perform existing job vacancies. It is the process
of searching outside of the current employee pool to fill open positions in an organization.

Advantages of Recruiting Externally:

Disadvantages of External Recruiting:
 It opens the organization up to larger
 It can take longer and cost more than hiring
pool of applicants, which increases its
from within the organization.
chance of finding the right person for
the job.
 It can also damage employee morale because
current employees may feel this lessens their
 Provides an opportunity for a fresh
chances for promotion. When employee
outlook on the industry that a company
morale decreases, productivity can also
may need to stay competitive.
decrease.
INFORMAL RECRUITMENT

Described as word-of-mouth recruitment, or at management level it is commonly known as

headhunting. This is where the use of applicant tracking software and recruitment software
plays such an important role in capturing key data about potential employees for your talent
pool. Some recruiters choose not to use this approach as they feel that it excludes many people
who may no hear about the job.

FORMAL RECRUITMENT

A structured process used by organizations to select new members. Have the right job
specifications and the right advertising strategy to
attract the right employees. It typically involves multiple rounds of events, interviews, and
interactions between potential recruits and current members. Often follows a set schedule and
specific guidelines, ensuring fairness and transparency throughout the selection process.
RECRUITMENT PLANNING

Before actually identifying and attracting applicants to the

organization, two issues must be resolved. FIRST, organizational
plans must be made to coordinate the identification and attraction of
applicants. SECOND, administrative issues, such as the number to be
considered to ensure that there are adequate resources to conduct a
successful recruitment campaigns.

ORGANIZATIONAL ISSUES

The recruitment process in an organization can be organized in

a variety of ways. It can be coordinated or internal or by an external
recruitment agency. An organization can do its own recruiting or
corporate with other organizations in a recruitment alliance.
Authority to recruit may be centralized or decentralized in the
organization.
 Internal Recruitment VERSUS
 Internal recruitment may be primarily
horizontal or it may be for promotions in
which the promoted employee’s former
position may not be filled.
 Characterized by promoting employees
from within an organization to fill
upcoming positions.
 This recruitment may be in the form of
creating and shuffling temporary teams
to fill certain tasks or may be permanent
changes.
External Recruitment
 External recruitment strategy is one which
a human resources department will
systematically search the employee pool
outside its own employees to fill positions.
 Allows for rebalancing in this realm if
needed. It may also lead to team stability,
as teams may remain intact when hiring
externally.
 INDIVIDUAL VERSUS COOPERATIVE RECRUITMENT
ALLIANCES
Most organizations, especially ones that compete with one another in the same product and
labor markets, do not cooperate with one another when recruiting, because one organization’s
gain (a well-qualified hire) is another organization’s loss (loss of a well-qualified candidate).
Instead, they conduct their own recruitment programs to maintain a competitive advantage.

There are times, however, when even competitors may enter into cooperative recruitment
alliances where arrangements are made to share recruitment resources. Smaller organizations
may gain from cooperating with one another in order to minimize recruitment costs. If there is
an abundance of applicants in the labor market, with enough good applicants to go around, it
may also make sense to cooperate. Recruitment alliances take many forms. One major form is
government-employer partnership. Such partnership can involve national or local communities.
 CENTRALIZED
RECRUITMENT
 One advantage to a centralized
recruitment function is that
duplication of effort are eliminated.
 It ensures that policy is being
interpreted consistently across
business unit.
For example, when recruiting at a
school, only one advertisement is placed
rather than an multiple ads for multiple
business units.
VERSUS DECENTRALIZED
RECRUITMENT
 Recruitments efforts may be
undertaken in a more timely manner
when there are fewer people to recruit
than when a centralized approach is
used.
 The recruitment search may be more
responsive to the business unit’s
specific needs because those involved
with recruitment may be closer to the
day-to-day operations of the business
unit than are their corporate
counterparts.
ADMINISTRATIVE ISSUES
In the planning stage of recruitment, attention must be given to administrative issues as
well as organizational issues. Human resources information systems (HRISs) are used
by many organizations to integrate the filing of requisitions, to develop recruitment
budgets, and to process flows.

REQUISITION

When a supervisor finds there is a need to hire a new employer, whether to replace a
terminating employee or because of an increase or change in workload, the first step
will be to complete a Position Requisition form and forward it to the Administrative
Manager for approval. The purpose of this form is to establish a valid need for the new
position, indicate that funding and space are available, and provide a source document
for posting the position. A job description, detailing all essential position functions,
required education and experience, should be attached. Human Resources is available
for assistance.
Position Requisition Assessed by Human Resources

Upon approval by the Administrative Manager, the Position Requisition will be

forwarded to Human Resources to assess that the special duties described are
consistent with the position description and grade; the education and experiences
specified are consistent with the position description and level.

Position Overview
1. Position Purpose – briefly state in one or two sentences
the primary of this position.
2. Position Qualification – list the minimum education,
formal training, and experience required to perform this
position.
3. Special Skills – list the specified clerical, administrative,
technical, or managerial skills needed to perform this
position.
 Exhibit 1. Personnel Requisition

Position Title Division Department Department #

Salary Grade Level Work Hours Location Reports to

Budgeted _______ Replacement for ______

_____ Yes Transfer/term date ____________
_____ No __________ Addition to staff

Position Overview
Instructions: (1) Complete Parts I, II, and III
(2) Attach position description questionnaire (if
available) or complete reverse side.

1. Position Purpose. Briefly state in one or two sentences the primary purpose of
this position.
2. Position Qualifications. List the minimum education, formal training and
experience required to perform this position.
3. Special Skills. List the specified clerical, administrative, technical, or managerial skills needed to perform this
position.
Do current or previous incumbents possess these qualifications and skills? if no, please describe the
reason for these requirements when hiring for this position.
 TIMING
The two factors that drive the decision of when to look for a job applicants are
lead to time concerns and time sequence concerns.

1. Lead Time Concerns – although managers would like to have each

position filled immediately on approval of requisitions, this goal is
not possible, as recruiters handle a large number of vacancies at any
one time. It is possible, however, to minimize the delay in filing
vacancies by planning for openings well in advance of their actual
occurrence. It also require that recruiters be fully prepared to
conduct the search.

2. Time Sequence Concerns – in a successful recruitment program, the

steps involved in the process are clearly defined and sequenced in a
logical order. The sequence of recruitment activities has a large bearing
on the time that will be required to fill job vacancies.
NUMBER OF CONTACTS

The pool of applicants to be selected almost always needs to be larger than the number of
applicants that eventually will be hired. Some applicant who are contacted may not be
interested in the position, an others may not be qualified.

TYPES OF CONTACTS
Organization must be aware of where likely applicants search for employment opportunities
and what is will take to attract them to the organization. The types of contacts to be made
depend on two factors.

First, it is essential that the qualifications needed to perform the

job are clearly established.

Second, consideration must be given to the job search and the

choice process used by applicants.
EMPLOYEE REFERRALS
A critical and valuable resource for identifying new and talented applicants. Good
employees tend to know and refer others that have a similar work ethic to their own.

NETWORKING
A focused way of developing and building a broad list of contacts. When you are
trying to find an appropriate candidate for that hard-to-fill position, networking is
critical.

ON-THE-JOB TRAINEES
(STUDENTS )
Many educational institutions encourage students to do work terms or temporary
assignments in organizations.

UNSOLIDATED APPLICATIONS
All applicants should be treated courteously, but the materials submitted by
qualified candidates should be kept on file for future reference.
SCHOOLS AND COLLEGES

Depending on the type of position to be filled, high schools, trade and vocational schools,
colleges, and universities can be good sources of candidates. Students are particularly good
candidates for part-time positions or those in which prior experience is not needed. College
recruiting is generally handled through a placement office.

ALUMNI PLACEMENT OFFICES

Many colleges keep resumes on file for alumni who are seeking job or career changes.
Alumni files can be good source for companies seeking educated candidates with more
work experience than recent graduates generally have.
JOB FAIRS

Can be useful for companies that need to hire several in a given specialty. At a job
fair, companies usually pay a booth fee and send representatives to collect resumes
and pre-screen candidates like college recruiting, job fairs provide small businesses
with an opportunity to promote themselves to potential hires.

ASSOCIATIONS

Most trade associations maintain a central clearinghouse of candidates who

wish to change jobs. Trade shows, conventions, and seminars sponsored by
associations can also provide valuable opportunities to meet potential employees.
PRIVATE EMPLOYEE AGENCIES

These organizations match job seekers with potential employers for a fee, usually paid
by the employer once a candidate is hired.

OUTPLACE AGENCIES

Outplacement firms are similar to private employment agencies, but their fees are
usually paid by former employers who have laid off or downsized workers. Small
businesses with job openings can usually be placed on a mailing list free of charge to
receive information on candidates who need a new job.
TEMPORARY SERVICES

These firms offer employees to fill a wide range of needs, from clerical to
manufacturing to professional services. Hiring temporary employees can be a valuable
method for companies to screen people before hiring them on a permanent basis.

ADVERTISING

Employment advertising includes everything from a “help wanted” sign in the window,
to print ads in local newspapers or specialized publications like trade magazines, to
classified ads on cable television or the internet. Small businesses owners must also be sure
that their employment also comply with equal opportunity employment law’s and do not
expose the company to charges of discriminatory hiring practices. Ads should concentrate
on the skills and responsibilities of the position, rather than on the traits of applicants. In
print ads, it is important to avoid nuances that suggest a certain gender or age of applicant is
preferred.
INTERNET JOBS

The internet can be a valuable recruiting tool, particularly in terms of locating

potential employees. Experts recommend that employers use several of the hundreds
of available sites in order to find the ones that best meet their needs. Other possible
sources of recruiting leads include bankers, accountants, consultants, costumers,
competitors, and other professionals with whom the small business has regular
contract. The selection should made through a formal screening process that may
include an employment application, employment tests, and a personal interview.
EXTERNAL SELECTION

A large number of organizations employ rudimentary and haphazard approaches

to selecting their work forces. This represent a serious disconnect for organizations
that purport to have a strategic focus on increasing their competitive advantage
through effective talent management. Thus, there are real and very substantial
bottom-line financial results associated with using effective assessments to guide
selection decisions. One reason why more organizations do not use rigorous
assessments to select employees is because many executives and HR professionals
have misconceptions about the value of using them.
THANKS FOR
LISTENING