People Management: Methods of Recruitment (GCSE)

The methods of recruitment open to a business are often categorised into:

Internal recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from within its existing workforce.

External recruitment is when the business looks to fill the vacancy from any suitable applicant outside the business.

The four most popular ways of recruiting externally are:

Job centres - These are paid for by the government and are responsible for helping the unemployed find jobs or get training. They also provide a service for businesses needing to advertise a vacancy and are generally free to use.

Job advertisements - Advertisements are the most common form of external recruitment. They can be found in many places (local and national newspapers, notice boards, recruitment fairs) and should include some important information relating to the job (job title, pay package, location, job description, how to apply-either by CV or application form). Where a business chooses to advertise will depend on the cost of advertising and the coverage needed (i.e. how far away people will consider applying for the job

Recruitment agency - Provides employers with details of suitable candidates for a vacancy and can sometimes be referred to as 'head-hunters'. They work for a fee and often specialise in particular employment areas e.g. nursing, financial services, teacher recruitment

Personal recommendation - Often referred to as 'word of mouth' and can be a recommendation from a colleague at work. A full assessment of the candidate is still needed however but potentially it saves on advertising cost.