Recruitment Methods Flashcards

All 19 cards in this deck

What is internal recruitment?

Filling a job vacancy with someone who already works for the business.

What is external recruitment?

Filling a job vacancy with someone from outside the business.

Give one benefit to a business of internal recruitment.

Any one of: it is cheaper and quicker than advertising externally; the business already knows the employee's skills and reliability; the employee already knows how the business works.

Give one drawback to a business of internal recruitment.

Any one of: there are fewer applicants to choose from; no new ideas, skills or ways of working come into the business.

Give one drawback to a business of external recruitment.

Any one of: advertising costs more, especially in national media; it usually takes longer to fill the post; the business knows less about the candidate, so a poor appointment is more likely.

Give one benefit to a business of external recruitment.

Any one of: a wider pool of applicants, so the best candidate can be chosen; recruits bring new ideas and ways of thinking, so creativity may improve.

What is a job description?

A document produced by a business setting out the title, duties and responsibilities of a job.

What is a person specification?

A document stating the qualities, skills, qualifications and experience an employer is looking for in a new employee.

Why can internal recruitment still leave the business with a vacancy to fill?

The promoted employee leaves their old post empty, so that role must be filled too.

Give two ways a business can advertise a vacancy internally.

Any two of: a staff noticeboard; an announcement at a staff meeting or word of mouth; an internal email; the staff newsletter or magazine; the business's intranet or website.

Give two ways a business can advertise a vacancy externally.

Any two of: a job website or the business's own website; social media; a local newspaper; a national newspaper; a specialist (trade) magazine; a jobcentre; a recruitment agency.

Why might a business advertise a skilled job in a national newspaper or specialist magazine instead of a local newspaper?

Skilled people may be in short supply locally, so it needs to reach suitable applicants across the country, even though the advert costs more.

What is a recruitment agency?

A specialist business that finds, advertises for and shortlists candidates on behalf of another business, in return for a fee.

Give one advantage to a business of using a recruitment agency.

Any one of: it saves the business's own time on advertising and shortlisting; the agency's specialist knowledge of where to advertise and what to ask makes a good appointment more likely.

How can internal recruitment motivate existing staff?

Employees can see a real chance of promotion within the business, which raises morale and gives them a reason to stay and work hard.

Why can internal recruitment cause problems among existing staff?

Colleagues who were not chosen may feel jealous or resentful of the person promoted, which can lower morale.

Why is a job description useful to people thinking of applying for a job?

It sets out the tasks and responsibilities, so they can decide whether they are able to do the job and want to apply.

How can a business use a person specification during selection?

To shortlist and compare applicants against the same skills, qualifications and qualities, and to decide which selection methods to use.

On a person specification, what is the difference between essential and desirable criteria?

Essential criteria are qualities an applicant must have to be considered; desirable criteria are extras that make an applicant stronger but are not required.