Recruitment refers to the process of finding right people for the right job or function, usually undertaken by recruiters. It also may be undertaken by an employment agency or a member of staff at the business or organization looking for recruits. Advertising is commonly part of the recruiting process, and can occur through several means: through online, newspapers, using newspaper dedicated to job advertisement, through professional publication, using advertisements placed in windows, through a job center, through campus graduate recruitment programs, etc.
Suitability for a job is typically assessed by looking for skills, e.g. communication skills, typing skills, computer skills. Evidence for skills required for a job may be provided in the form of qualifications (educational or professional), experience in a job requiring the relevant skills or the testimony of references. Employment agencies may also give computerized tests to assess an individual's "off-hand" knowledge of software packages or typing skills. At a more basic level written tests may be given to assess numeracy and literacy. A candidate may also be assessed on the basis of an interview. Sometimes candidates will be requested to provide a résumé (also known as a CV) or to complete an Job application form to provide this evidence.
In some countries, such as the United States, it is legally mandated to provide equal opportunity in hiring.
The follow-up process may be referred to as part of the recruitment process: inveigling the selected candidate or candidates to take up the target job or function. This applies particularly in filling positions in the military or in expanding the human resource base of a cult.
Headhunting is a frequently used name when referring to third party recruiters, but there are significant differences. In general, a company would employ a head-hunter when the normal recruitment efforts have failed to provide a viable candidate for the job. Head-hunters are generally more aggressive than in-house recruiters and will use, advanced sales techniques such as initially posing as clients to generate names of employees and their positions and personally visiting candidate offices. They can also purchase expensive lists of names and job titles. They will prepare a candidate for the interview, negotiate salary, and conduct closure to the search. In general, in house recruiters will do their best to attract candidates for specific jobs while head-hunters will actively seek them out, utilizing large databases, internet strategies, purchasing company directories or lists of candidates, networking, and often cold calling. Many companies go to great efforts to make it difficult for head-hunters to locate their employees.
Third party recruitment firms are usually distinguished by the method in which they bill a company. Outside recruitment agencies charge a placement fee when the candidate they recruited has accepted a job with the company that has agreed to pay the fee. Fees of these agencies generally range from a straight contingency fee to a fully retained service which is similar to placing an attorney on retainer. All recruitment agencies are defined by the placement of a candidate to a particular job within a company.
Recruitment in the UK
In the UK, recruitment services are provided by Employment Agencies or Employment Businesses, as defined by the Employment Agencies Act 1973. Essentially, Employment Agencies provide employers with candidates, which they can employ for a fixed, pre-defined fee. Employment Businesses provide candidates that are employed by the Employment Business, but act for (or are under the control of) a third party; commonly called Temporary Workers or Temps. In the UK, both Recruitment Agencies and Businesses are referred to as Recruitment Agencies, or simply Agencies, regardless of whether they operate as agencies, businesses or both. Many companies that operate in recruitment in the UK act as both Employment Business and Agencies.
|