The recruitment process has evolved rapidly in recent years to keep pace with advances in technology in the information age.

A survey of Irish employers in 2017 showed that 59% of respondents intended to use online recruitment methods to attract candidates in the next year. Traditional recruitment techniques remain viable and employers tend to employ a mixture of traditional and “new media” recruitment methods. This round-up of recruitment techniques sets out some of the most popular strategies favoured by employers.

Internal recruitment - finding candidates within your organisation

Internal recruitment is a useful tool for filling a vacant position. The obvious benefit is the cost savings made by not having to advertise externally through media channels or recruitment agencies.

Having a policy of regular internal recruitment develops an organisational benefit by creating a strong path of progression which employees can aspire to. A clearly defined path of progression should help increase staff morale, motivation and retention. A policy of internal recruitment can also be used to demonstrate the progression opportunities that exist in your organisation to external candidates.

A policy of internal recruitment further supports your organisation’s efforts in relation to succession planning. It is not inconceivable that your organisation will lose some members of its leadership team so it is useful to identify and develop existing employees for future senior vacancies that arise.

External recruitment methods

Advertising

Advertising positions externally is the most well-worn route to attracting a pool of candidates. The options range from old media to new media and new options are emerging all the time. Every organisation will need to advertise externally at some point, particularly during periods of growth.

Print advertising

Although print media has been overtaken by new media, the humble print job ad remains a relevant recruitment technique. So long as sector-specific journals exist the print ad will remain the most effective way to reach a niche segment of job candidates.

Web advertising

Listing a job on a recruitment website is likely to deliver a wide pool of candidates at a relatively low cost. Job seekers will use search engines to search for positions that appeal to them most. Developing the content for the job advertisement should also be relatively straightforward.

An alternative option is to advertise positions on your own corporate website. Placing the ad on your company website is likely to have a much narrower reach than a listing on a recruitment website.

Social media

If your organisation is using social media channels such as Twitter and LinkedIn this can prove to be a useful way to find and engage with candidates. Shared connections and shared discussion groups will yield a pool of passive job seekers who already have an interest in your industry and business. It will be easy for job seekers to contact your organisation and easy for you to review their online activity. Recent studies indicate that the use of social media in recruitment is becoming increasingly mainstream.

If you are using social media as part of your brand strategy it will provide another platform to engage with candidates and promote your organisational culture. The use of social media can be a very useful addition to whatever recruitment techniques you employ and help in your efforts to attract top talent.

Interacting with candidates through social media also affords you an opportunity to assess the candidate’s suitability for the position. The content of their online profile and the subjects they discuss will reveal a good deal about their work history and interests.

Talent search

Online recruitment has changed the nature of talent search as part of the recruitment and selection process. Recruitment sites maintain online databases of thousands of CV’s which you can trawl for suitable candidates. This approach is not without its drawbacks as it takes time to pick out suitable CV’s and those CV’s will not always be up to date.

Recruitment agencies also offer bespoke talent search services by accessing their database of active job seekers. This can be an effective but expensive recruitment technique.

Get the most out of recruitment agencies

Engaging a recruitment agency is a popular recruitment method in Ireland. Recruiters work on commission and will be motivated to make a successful appointment. They should have recruitment experience and skills that no one in your organisation possesses together with access to a large network of suitable candidates. Using a recruitment agency does cost money but it will free up your time to concentrate on the areas of your business that you do best.

To get the most out of your recruiter ensure that s/he understands your business and has a good network of contacts in your sector.

Authors

Jenny Marsden

Alan Price

Al Brown

Thea Watson