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Explanation: External recruitment can be achieved through multiple sources such as advertisement, colleges, universities, employment exchanges, through reference, factory gates, casual callers, labor contractors, labor unions, the central application file, former employees, walk-ins and much more. External recruitment continues to be the go-to option for most companies, not least because it opens the door to a broader range of professionals, who bring with them their experience from other businesses. In this article we will look at how it differs from internal recruitment, the advantages and disadvantages of this model, different options for sourcing talent and some tips for optimising the process. The definition of external recruitmentIn external recruitment job vacancies are filled by hiring professionals that are not part of the company. In other words, by looking for candidates on the market. There are different ways to approach recruitment:
The company should carefully assess the positions they have available and choose the best method to find the perfect candidate. At this point you will need to decide, for example, whether to opt for external or internal recruitment.
External recruitment vs internal recruitmentSo how does external recruitment differ from internal recruitment? As you may have guessed, the clue is in the name. The first, as we have said, involves hiring a professional from outside the company, while internal recruitment selects candidates from among the current staff. Instead of advertising the vacancy on a job portal, human resources will announce the opportunity internally for employees to apply. A 2019 report, cited by Empire Resume, found that around 80% of new hires came from external sources, while only 8% of vacancies were filled internally. However, internal candidates were more efficient in the medium to long term. The advantages of external recruitmentExternal recruitment offers certain plus points over internal processes:
The disadvantages of external recruitmentAt the same time, like with any process, it is important to realise there are negatives to take into account to judge whether it is the right option for us:
How can our ATS software help with your external recruitment? Kenjo offers you an all-in-one solution for your external selection processes. What can it help you do?
Kenjo’s recruitment software can mitigate the impact of the disadvantages of external selection processes: a lower risk of making the wrong choice, automated processes to reduce the cost and find good candidates more quickly. The main external sources of recruitmentExternal sources of recruitment include the various means available to the human resources department to find new candidates. External recruitment specialists usually opt to use multiple sources, although it can be tricky to manage without the support of integrated selection software. We’ll review a few of the most common sources below: Job portalsOne of the most common recruitment sources are third-party job pages or portals. These can be divided into the generic portals, that companies advertise on to reach a higher number of candidates, or portals specialising in a certain type of profile. However, it’s important to note that 76% of candidates prefer to apply to vacancies directly from the company’s job page. Jobs webpageYour website should include a “Jobs” or “Work with us” section, where you advertise current opportunities. As we saw in the previous point, many candidates prefer to apply via this route. Moreover, having a page with these features will enhance your employer brand and help you rank higher on search engines. Social networksLinkedIn is an excellent recruitment tool. It is the top professional social network and has more than 600 million users connected. Sharing your job vacancies via this channel should be almost mandatory. You can also make use of other sites such as Facebook, Instagram or any other social network where you have a presence and an active community. Job fairsJob fairs offer a space for companies, normally within a specific sector, to meet talent and vice versa. This format is common, for example, among developers, IT technicians, engineers, etc. Participating in these types of events provides the opportunity to hold an initial meeting with candidates, get to know them in person, and start to assess whether they might have what you are looking for. Recruitment agencies or headhuntersAnother source of external recruitment are the agencies or headhunters who carry out the selection process for you. Normally they will provide a shortlist of candidates that have already been screened. Jobs boardsMany universities and colleges have job boards that professionals actively looking for opportunities can sign up to. They are particularly useful if you are looking for mostly young talent. Temping agenciesIf it is a temporary vacancy, you can also use temping agencies that have their own database of professionals looking for work. It’s a quick and simple option for certain cases. AdvertsAlthough print job adverts are now practically extinct, they were for many years a company’s main source of external recruitment (especially before the internet existed). Nowadays they are rarely used, but they can be an option depending on the profile you’re looking for.
5 tips for improving your external recruitmentIf you are looking to optimise your external recruitment processes, make sure to take note of our tips:
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