What Is Recruitment

Recruitment is when employers actively seek people to undertake a specific job. Recruiting is undertaken in a number of ways. Some employers will advertise jobs in national and local newspapers, others will use the services of a recruitment agency and still others will attend business fairs while actively looking to recruit people for a specific role. Recruitment can also take place through graduate recruitment centres at college or through job centres. There is often a screening process that takes place when people reply to advertisements or are sent for a job by the job centre. Screening is necessary so that employers only interview those people who have the required skill set or educational qualifications.

When employers or agencies are undertaking recruitment they will look for candidates with skill sets that match the job requirements, once unsuitable candidates have been weeded out. This is usually assessed through a formal interview, sometimes recruitment agencies will require job seekers to undertake certain tests before they will put them forward for work that is on offer. Sometimes the person who applies for the job that is on offer may first have to fill in an application form. Often such forms will have a list of essential skills and a second list of desirable skills – where potential employees are deficient in one or more of the essential skills they may be eliminated from the recruitment process before the interview stage.

In many cases those trying to recruit employees will ask for a resume or CV with a record of the candidate’s skills and job history. While someone may obtain an interview on the basis of their resume it is rare for them to get the job simply on the basis of the information they have provided. Most employers and recruitment agencies will require candidates to undergo some sort of test where they display skills such as typing speed and familiarity with certain computer software. Depending on the vacancy they are trying to fill, employers and/or employment agencies may also request potential employees to take a written test.

When employers and recruitment agencies fail to recruit the calibre of employees that they are looking for, then they might resort to more aggressive tactics to find the right person for the job. Firms might employ a third party to try and poach someone already working for a competitor. Sometimes this agent may try to approach the potential employee at their place of work by posing as a legitimate client or salesperson. Increasingly companies are making it more difficult for those people who are trying to headhunt successful employees.