What Are External Recruitment Methods and Benefits?
Recruitment is one of the most challenging sectors in the labour industry. It’s a process of attracting individuals on an appropriate basis and with the right qualifications, and experiences to apply for jobs within an organization. Finding the best talents who can push your business forward is one thing worth investing in, recruitment has a significant value since producing high-quality talent to gain competitive advantage is a vital part of Human resource management. External recruitment continues to be the best option most companies reach out for because it opens doors for a broader range of knowledgeable professionals by bringing their experiences from other businesses.
In this article, we will look at what external recruitment is, the methods, and its benefits.
WHAT IS EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT?
External recruitment is the process of filling up a job opening by hiring personnel from outside the organization. External recruitment allows the organization to select candidates that are rightly fit for the job.
METHODS OF EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT
External recruitment is a process of generating a pool of talents who are qualified through external sources of employment. Different methods have been adopted which include;
- JOB BOARDS– It is the most effective method of external recruitment that recruiters and employers can reach a wide talent pool. A job board is a website employers use to promote job vacancies. It’s an opportunity job seekers use to search for jobs in their chosen fields and location. A job description on a job board should be well detailed with the experience, skills, profile, and role your business is seeking for. Many job boards lately are integrated with an Applicant Tracking System which makes this form of external recruitment much easier and more efficient.
- SOCIAL MEDIA- The act of using social media for recruitment is also called social recruiting. It’s a process of integrating social media and recruitment. Organizations use social media to reach a wider pool of candidates which has proven to be more cost-effective than conventional methods of recruitment. According to general studies conducted, it was found that over 95% of companies use LinkedIn, 67% use Facebook, and over 50% use Twitter for recruiting because it makes it easier for hirers to access a candidate’s profile including their personal views, interests, and goals as well. Social media is also a great way of expanding your recruitment pool because recruiters have access to screen candidates even before an interview.
- RECRUITMENT AGENCIES are one of the effective methods of external recruitment. Recruitment agencies are agencies that do talent sourcing for companies. They work with companies to find the right people for their job. Employers often go to recruitment agencies to help fill vacant positions in their company. A good recruitment agency has an understanding of your needs and goes out of its way to find talents that fit the culture, policies, and experiences your company needs. Recruitment agencies work;
- By receiving your job description
- The agent will then draft out a list of the most suited candidate(s) for the job role. Agencies have a large database of candidates intending to get the right fit for your company.
- The company then decides on the types of candidates they would like to work with.
- EMPLOYEE REFERRALS- It’s a form of recruitment strategy where employers encourage current employees through perks to refer externally qualified candidates for jobs in their organization. sometimes, employers running and operating at a small scale prefer this type of recruitment because an employee’s referral aims to get the most qualified candidates for a position opening.
- ADVERTISEMENT- This method of external recruitment has proven to be an excellent way to find suitable talents to fill up vacancies. A more convenient way in attracting job applicants is to write and place job openings in newspapers, radio, or television. Although print job adverts are primarily outdated due to the invasion of social media they can be useful depending on the profile you’re looking for. A job advertisement should be properly detailed with the job specifications, description, salary, age, and qualifications required to attract relevant applicants.
- CAMPUS RECRUITMENT- This involves sourcing, evaluating, and hiring young graduates from colleges, and universities for internships or entry-level positions. In this method of recruitment, educational institutions offer opportunities for recruiting fresh candidates by conducting campus interviews during job fairs to help hiring managers to gain access to a large number of candidates. Most times, some colleges/universities have an officer who is in charge that’s an intermediary between the employer’s interests and the graduating student’s interest.
- JOB FAIRS- These are fairs conducted like seminars to offer opportunities for employers, and recruiters to advertise jobs for candidates interested. Job fairs are usually done at colleges, universities, and career events to showcase their openings for recruits. Many recruiters/employers use this as an opportunity to engage with candidates in person rather than scanning their resumes.
- PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATIONS- This is another level of external recruitment where recruiters and employers have to reach out to appropriate professional associations to get them in touch with top talent for recruitment. This is a profound way to get in touch with highly skilled professionals. Many of these associations circulate newsletters and journals amongst their members to inform them about current vacancies and opportunities. Sometimes job seminars are conducted by recruiters within an organization to announce their openings.
- COMPANY WEBSITES- As an employer, it’s important to have a well-structured website that’s easily accessible. Your website should be a powerful recruitment tool to attract prospective job candidates. Your website should be able to inform job seekers about your company, policies, and culture. Your website should have a career page where candidates can go to and search for recent job openings that interests them to apply for or where they could sign up for vacancy alert which can always come to them as newsletters.
- LABOR CONTRACTORS- It is also another method of recruitment where talents are being recruited to be contract workers by recruiters.
BENEFITS OF EXTERNAL RECRUITMENT
Recruiting from outside is fairly obvious with ideas and approaches being welcomed. Recruiting externally can be more costly and time-consuming than hiring within but the benefits can be extraordinary. Some of the benefits of external recruitment include;
- By adding new employees to your organization, you have a wide and unique opportunity to bring fresh ideas and perceptions to your business and to select from a wider range of potential talents who are widely experienced. Employing new employees in your company leads to great improvement in certain areas which can lead to positive changes in their department.
- External recruitment creates a healthier work environment amongst employees because it whirls a competitive spirit in the workplace. Healthy competition can make existing employees work and match with new talent, and this promotes growth in your workplace environment.
- Quality Candidates- External recruitment enables employers/recruiters to select top-choice candidates. When looking externally you are largely limited to finding qualified professionals with great experience and qualifications.
- It helps to create a balance in employee structure which can bring a culture of interdependence, essential for growth and development within the organization.
- Some candidates are suitable with the required skills, qualifications, and experience and do not need much training, this reduces cost.
- Improve Diversity- External recruitment contributes to greater workforce diversity in terms of bringing people of different ages, gender, race, ethnicity, and cultural background. It allows you to adapt to the changing demographics of the population around your organization.
From this article, one can see that external recruitment is highly beneficial and also a way to improve companies with top talents and skills.
