7. Recruitment and Selection Techniques

Recruitment and selection techniques are always evolving, and the Internet has significantly changed the landscape in recent years.

The majority of the companies are using ‘new media’ to attract candidates, but traditional methods are still viable — and a mix of the two may is favoured by many. Here’s a round-up of the most popular employee recruitment and selection techniques.

The selection process and techniques applied should be able to identify individual differences to create some form of candidate ranking. This should also provide some form of indication or prediction as to how the candidate is likely to perform in their future workplace (Bratton & Gold, 2007).

Some entities use assessment centres, bringing together a number of selection techniques to make judgements as to the suitability (and relative ranking) of candidates (Bratton & Gold, 2007). 

Referral Programs

Internal referral programs remain at the top of the most efficient recruitment and selection techniques. According to Fischer & Partners Recruitment, professionals hired by employee referrals tend to stay longer in companies. While job site applications yield a 22% chance of retention, the percentage of nominees is more than double: 45%.

Another advantage of the method is the reduction in recruitment costs, as trust in the nominee reduces the bureaucracy of the selection process. Besides, employees who refer the new professional have a sense of accomplishment after hiring, which contributes to improving the organizational climate.

Career section on employer's website

The famous "work with us" also remains mandatory for companies, which provide exclusive channels for submitting applications and posting vacancies on the company's website. Large companies already have exclusive career portals aimed at promoting the employer brand or employer branding (later we come back to that term). The more a company is recognized as a great place to work, the more likely it is to receive multiple applications in its specific area for online careers.

Recruitment Events

Many companies hold recruitment events to capture new talent with great results. To use this technique, you can organize seminars, workshops or even an open house in the company to receive potential candidates and increase the talent pool. Today, a common trend is to organize hackathons, which are development and innovation marathons focused on attracting hotly contested IT professionals.

Online Job Posting

The online job posting has also become a classic in recruitment and selection, which uses the main job platforms to give visibility to opportunities. There are free and paid platforms, as well as career sites that specialize in indexing vacancies on other sites and further expanding the reach of ads. However, what characterizes a job posting site is the restriction of features, as these solutions are exclusively focused on the disclosure and receipt of applications. For other more complex functions such as candidate screening and recruitment management, we need to look for more complete solutions.

Hiring Headhunters and Consulting

Finally, hiring headhunters and recruitment consultancies is still a common practice for those who prefer to outsource the selection process. These professionals and companies assist in finding, attracting, and selecting candidates with the desired job profile. To do this, they study the characteristics of the company, analyze the necessary skills and look for compatible professionals in contact networks and other channels. The method may be more practical, but it also has a high cost and makes it impossible to build the company's talent pool.

In-person interviews

While trends speak of online and video interviews, face-to-face conversations have not lost their place in the selection process. This is because structured interviews are still the best way to evaluate all aspects of the candidate, especially regarding behavioural skills and values. However, it is best to leave this feature to the last steps to speed up the process.

Reference

Armstrong, M., Taylor, S. (2014). Armstrong’s Handbook of Human Resource Management Practice, 13th Edition, London: Kogan Page Ltd.

Beardwell, J., Thompson, A. (2014). Human Resource Management: A Contemporary 

Approach, 7th Edition, Harlow: Pearson Education Ltd.

Bratton, J., Gold, J. (2007). Human Resource Management, 4th Edition, Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan.

Leatherbarrow, C., Fletcher, J. (2015). Introduction to Human Resource Management: A Guide to HR in practice, 3rd Edition, London: Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.