Recruitment

When you work in human resources, covering the recruitment basics is

important. This will enable you to strategically and effectively identify,

attract, and select top talent for an organization. In fact, recruiting is such

a major focus that 46% of human resources professionals named it their

top objective, according to a recent Forbes report.

Here’s everything you need to know about recruiting for HR.

What is recruitment and how does it differ from talent

acquisition?

Recruitment is a proactive approach to finding and attracting qualified

candidates to fill specific job vacancies. It involves various activities like

posting job advertisements, conducting interviews, and selecting

candidates who align with the job requirements. The main objective of

recruitment is to promptly fill job openings by identifying individuals with

the right skills and qualifications for the available positions.

Talent acquisition goes beyond recruitment. It’s a strategic approach that

aims to attract and acquire top talent for an organization. Unlike

recruitment, talent acquisition takes a comprehensive and long-term

perspective. It involves building a pipeline of potential candidates who

align with the organization’s values, culture, and long-term goals, even in

the absence of immediate job openings.

What are the various types of
recruitment?
There are also many different kinds of recruitment itself. Here’s a list of

some of the most common types you’ll handle (although this list is by no

means exhaustive):

 Internal recruitment: When it comes to filling a role, why not

look within the company itself? Internal recruitment encompasses

promotions, role changes, transfers, and even upgrades from

contractors to full-time positions. One of the major perks of

internal recruitment is its ability to persuade top employees to

stay. According to a report from iHire, 28.3% of workers leave

their jobs due to a lack of promotions within the company.

 External recruitment: Involves looking beyond the business to

find suitable candidates for open roles. This approach widens the

pool of potential employees and allows for the search of

candidates with specialized skills.

 Diversity recruitment: The value of a diverse workforce cannot

be underestimated. Diversity recruitment strives to hire

employees from a wide range of backgrounds while ensuring a

bias-free recruiting process. LinkedIn reports that diverse

companies earn 2.5x higher cash flow per employee.

 Online recruitment: Leverages web-based tools throughout the

entire hiring process. From attracting candidates to reviewing

 resumes and refining offer letters, this approach streamlines the

recruitment process in the digital age.

 Executive recruitment: The top positions within a company

require exceptional talent. Executive recruitment focuses on

identifying and hiring the top leaders in their respective fields for

these crucial roles.

 Passive recruiting: Sometimes, the best candidates are not

actively seeking new opportunities. With passive recruiting, the

focus is on attracting already employed individuals who possess

unique skills that make them a perfect fit for a role.

 Soft skill recruiting: In addition to hard skills and knowledge,

companies recognize the importance of soft skills. This form of

recruitment emphasizes qualities such as people management,

communication, and delivering projects on time. Research from

top universities indicates that 85% of job success comes from soft

skills.
The recruitment and selection
process explained
So, what do you actually do once you’re ready to focus on recruiting?

Here’s what you need to be prepared for.

1. The recruitment process

The recruitment process comprises several important steps to identify and

attract suitable candidates for job openings within an organization. Firstly,

a comprehensive analysis of job requirements helps create a detailed job

description. This description outlines the roles, responsibilities,

qualifications, and skills needed for the position. It’s like a roadmap to find

the perfect fit.

Once the job description is finalized, the hiring team advertises the job

vacancy through various channels such as job boards, company websites,

and social media platforms. Interested candidates then submit their

applications. The recruitment team thoroughly screens these applications

to identify those who meet the basic criteria.

Once the screening process is complete, HR schedules interviews with

shortlisted candidates to assess their compatibility with the job and the

organization. Throughout this process, clear communication with

candidates and timely feedback is crucial.

Ultimately, the recruitment process creates a pool of potential candidates

for the selection process.

2. The selection process

The selection process is crucial in finding the right candidates to fill

specific job positions within an organization. It involves a comprehensive

review of applications and resumes, followed by various assessments like

skills evaluations and personality assessments. Interviews, ranging from

phone screenings to panel interviews, help to explore qualifications,

experiences, and alignment with company values.

Reference checks verify candidates’ backgrounds and previous

performance. There may be additional steps HR may take, such as

background checks and pre-employment screenings. The hiring team

evaluates each candidate’s strengths, weaknesses, and overall fit for the
organization and the role. A final decision is made, and the chosen

candidate is offered the position.

3. The recruitment funnel during hiring

Hopefully, at this point, your company will already have a recruitment

funnel: a hiring framework with a clearly defined process for moving

through the stages. This will provide a path to follow when recruiting for

your organization.

A recruitment funnel consists of various stages:

1. Identify the job vacancy: The first step is to identify the

specific job requirements. Remember, it’s not always about filling

the exact same role; some adjustments might be needed to find

the right fit for your company or the role may have changed.

2. Create a job description: Once you have identified the role,

write a comprehensive job description. Include role and

responsibilities, expectations, requirements, and the application

process.

3. Gather candidates: Now it’s time to build a candidate pool. Post

the job on various job boards like LinkedIn, Glassdoor, Google,

Indeed, and more. Keep track of all the applicants and their

information.

4. Screen potential candidates: Review the applicant pool, using

software tools to filter out resumes that aren’t a good fit. Contact
 potential candidates through a brief phone call to verify

credentials and gauge their interest.

5. Interview possibilities: Coordinate formal interviews with the

hiring managers. Set up interview times and determine which

candidates will move forward in the process.

6. Assign any necessary tests: Some companies require

candidates to demonstrate specific skills. For example, writers

may need to write sample articles, or coders may be asked to

complete coding tests. Compile these tests, send them out, and

evaluate the results.

7. Perform background checks and contact references: For

promising candidates, conduct background checks and gather

references. Verify their backgrounds before proceeding to the

next step.

8. Deliver the job offer and handle negotiations: Prepare the

job offer letter, and once approved, present it to the selected

candidate. If necessary, be prepared to handle negotiations, such

as salary or vacation days. Remember, there is room for

discussion.

9. Complete onboarding after job acceptance: Once a

candidate accepts the job offer, guide them through onboarding.

Help them with paperwork, complete all necessary documents

required on your end, and forward them to the appropriate

 departments. You will also be the point of contact for any

onboarding inquiries.

Recruitment tools
There are a multitude of tools available to make each step of the hiring

process simpler and more effective. These are a sample of recruitment

tools to consider.

Recruitment tool Description

A must if you want to put a job listing into the world. (Think Indeed,
Job portals
Glassdoor.) It’ll also help you keep track of applications.

Talent management Makes it easier to sort through applications, identify candidates with high
software promise, and communicate with the required people.

There are specific screening tools you can use to identify people with the right
Screening tools
talent for the job. Harvel and Xobin are examples.

Want to get in touch with your candidates? You can use the phone, but many
Communication tools
people opt for tools like Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams these days.

It’s the ultimate social media/job networking site. With LinkedIn, you can keep
LinkedIn abreast of important job news, put up postings, and find potential talent to
recruit.

Recruitment metrics
The recruiting process goes beyond simply hiring someone. It’s about

finding the right person to drive the company’s success. Filling a role isn’t

enough; you need to ensure that you’re contributing to the company’s

growth by avoiding underperforming workers. That’s where recruiting

metrics and KPIs (key performance indicators) come in. By analyzing

these metrics, you can assess the effectiveness of your recruiting process

and make necessary adjustments to achieve your goals.

Here are a selection of recruitment KPIs and metrics to measure to

analyze the success of your recruitment efforts.

 Application completion rate

 Applicants per opening

 Offer acceptance rate

 Time to fill

 First-year attrition

 Quality of hire

 Hiring manager satisfaction

 Candidate job satisfaction

 Candidate experience

Recruitment skills to develop

As with any position, being a good recruiter takes skill. If you want to

succeed in this field, focus on honing these skills:

 Be a good listener. You want to hear what both the company

needs and what applicants need as you converse with them

during the recruiting process.

 Have good communication skills. Recruiting is all about

communication. You can’t succeed if you aren’t confident in your

communication.

 Work well with technology. As noted, there are many tech

tools you’ll need to use during this process.

 Have cultural awareness. Diversity is important to focus on

during hiring. Cultural awareness will allow you to target diverse

candidates and create a welcoming environment.

 Flex your organizational skills. There’s a lot of moving parts

in this process. You’ll need to stay organized to keep on top of

every step.

 Understand how to network. Networking is crucial if you want

to find and attract top talent.

 Have excellent sales skills. You’re not just finding people who

are the right fit. You’re also selling them on the job itself.

 Have excellent negotiation skills. A major part of the process

is being able to negotiate a job offer that satisfies all parties.

 Be data-driven. Don’t simply focus on your hiring skills, but

develop your HR analytics skills so that you can make better data-

driven decisions.
To simplify and streamline the process, it’s important to develop a well-

thought-out recruiting plan. This will help you stay focused and achieve

your goal of hiring the best candidate for the job.

Tips for developing a

recruitment plan
To make this process simpler and smoother, you’ll want to develop

a recruiting plan. It’ll keep you on target and allow you to reach your goal

of hiring the best person for the job.

1. Determine what kind of role the company needs: The first

step is to identify what will benefit the company most. What level

is this role? Does it need to be full-time or part-time? What teams

should this person work with?

2. Define the ideal candidate: Once you have a clear idea of the

job requirements, create a profile for the perfect candidate. This

will help you better understand who you’re looking for.

3. Define the roles and responsibilities: As you create the job

listing, you’ll want to make sure you clearly define the job

expectations and the skills required. This helps ensure you’re

attracting talented and qualified candidates.

4. Develop a hiring schedule: Some jobs don’t need to be filled

right away. Others need to be filled immediately. Make sure you

 have a target end date – and create other deadlines along the

way to keep the process moving.

5. Create a hiring budget: Consider not just the salary, but also

other costs such as job listing expenses and software usage fees.

6. Ensure objective hiring: Collaborate with other managers to

develop an interview process and selection steps that promote

fairness and reduce biases.

7. Formalize the onboarding process: Have all the necessary

documents prepared for a smooth onboarding experience.

To simplify and streamline the process, it’s important to develop a well-

thought-out recruiting plan. This will help you stay focused and achieve

your goal of hiring the best candidate for the job.

Key terms to know in recruitment

There are many, many terms you’ll see over and over again in
recruitment. Here are just a few you can expect to see:

 Applicant tracking system: A powerful software tool used to

efficiently manage and optimize the recruitment process by

tracking and organizing candidate applications, communication,

and hiring stages.

 Diversity hiring: A purposeful and deliberate effort by

organizations to attract, hire, and retain a diverse workforce that

encompasses a wide range of backgrounds, experiences, and

perspectives.
 Employment contract: A legally binding agreement that clearly

outlines the terms and conditions of employment between the

employer and employee, ensuring a mutual understanding and

commitment.

 Employer branding: The strategic process of shaping and

promoting an organization’s reputation as an exceptional

employer, influencing how it is perceived by potential candidates

and employees alike.

 Candidate experience: The holistic impression and interactions

a job applicant has with an organization throughout the

recruitment process, significantly impacting their perception of

the company and potential decision to join.

 Job analysis: A systematic and thorough process of gathering

comprehensive information about a job’s tasks, duties,

responsibilities, and required qualifications in order to create a

precise and accurate job description.

 Passive candidate: An individual who is not actively seeking a

new job but may be open to new opportunities if presented with

an appealing offer, providing a potential talent pool for

organizations.

 Roles and responsibilities: The specific tasks, duties, and

obligations associated with a particular job position within an

organization, serving as a guideline and framework for employee

performance and expectations.

  Recruitment marketing: The practice of utilizing effective

marketing techniques to attract and engage potential candidates

by showcasing an organization’s values, culture, and exciting job

opportunities.

 Talent pipeline: A pool of potential candidates who have shown

interest in an organization and may be considered for future job

openings, contributing to long-term and strategic workforce

planning.

Key takeaways

An organization’s strength lies in the abilities of its employees. That’s why

it’s crucial to attract the best talent who is an ideal fit for each role. While

the recruitment process may seem overwhelming, developing a well-

structured plan, known as the recruitment funnel, simplifies the entire

process.

Follow the essential hiring steps throughout the recruitment process to

ensure a seamless experience for both you, your hiring team, and

prospective employees. Remember, the process doesn’t end with

employee onboarding. It’s important to establish recruitment metrics to

gauge your success in finding and retaining exceptional talent.

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